TIPTOE'S MUSHROOMS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21520, 17 June 1933, Page 4 (Supplement)

TIPTOE'S MUSHROOMS

By OLIVE HYDE, D.D.M.8.G., Kuihi Street, Rotorua. (Age 19.) (Original.)

"Clem! Clem! Are you awake?" shouted Dennis under the open window of Clem's room. There was no answer and just as sho was going to call again, she heard a faint rustling of tho bushes behind her. Looking round sho found Clem grinning at her from behind a bush. " Ob, yon have raced ine after all," she laughed. " Well, how about going for mushrooms over tho paddocks, Den. 111 get a basket." In about five minutes the pair were racing barefooted through the dewy grass, past peacefully grazing cows and woolly sheep. " There's some mushrooms," Bhouted Clem. " I'll race you to them, Den." " Oh, Clem, look," shouted Dennis, greatly excited. Clem came to a sudden standstill and then gazed down at his foot in amazement. A tiny fairy with flimsy dress and gauzy wings stood gazing up at him in indignation.

" You might be more careful," she said. " You nearly knocked me down." " Oh, I'm sorry," stammered Clem. " I didn't see you." "Of course you clumsy thing. Mortals never do." Dennis smiled down at the fairy. " Oh what darling bunnies. Are they fairy bunnies? " she said excitedly. Two tiny grey bunnies with fluffy white tails that bobbed up and down when they hopped, were busy nibbling the grass. " Yes, they are fairy bunnies and my very special pets, Nibbles and Nobbles," smiled Tiptoe. " Oh, said Dennis. Then she told Tiptoe that they had como to gather mushrooms. " How would you like to come to Fairytown meadows and gather fairy mushrooms with me? " asked Tiptoe.

This was too much of a surprise. " Where is Fairyfown ? " they cried Tiptoe smiled mysteriously. " Come along and see, she invited. " Could we carry Nibbles and Nobbles, Tiptoe? " Clem asked. So they followed Tiptoe, each carrying a bunny, across the paddock to a gnarled old willow tree by a stream. Tiptoe pressed a tiny knob in the trunk and a little door flew open. To their great amuzement they saw inside a tinv telephone. Tiptoe rang the bell. " 55 Fairy town, please," she asked. "Hollo! It that you Tipsy? Will you send a" moth to Gnarled Willow Hollow? Thank you Tipsy," and Tiptoe rang off and closed the little door. There was a whirr of wings and a great gold moth landed a few feet away from them. " Jump on to his back. You can't slip off," said Tiptoe, and in a short time they were sailing above the clouds. Then gradually they began to to descend and landed in a hugo meadow, thickly dotted with mushrooms, while here and there were quaint little fairy houses, with busy fairies flitting here and there. Clem and Denniis jumped from the moth's back and raced to a ring of mushrooms and it was not long before their basket was full. " Now how are we to get back? " inquired Dennis. Driuk this," said Tiptoe, giving them a tiny acorn cup filled with a sweet liquid. They drank it and then everything had changed. They were back in their own paddock with a big basket of mushrooms beside them and in their hands they still held the acorn cups. Iu each cup was a tiny note inviting them another time to Fairytown. " What a wonderful time," exclaimed Clem. "We will just have time to do these mushrooms for breakfast."