A Visit To Fairyland

Southland Times, Issue 21773, 30 July 1932, Page 18

A Visit To Fairyland

As I was wandering alone among the gaily dressed flower beds I was startled to hear a tiny tinkling voice beside me. I looked down at the green grass and to my amazement I saw something which just about took ,by breath away. It was a fairy—a tiny, wee fairy dressed in such a dainty frock of cob-web silk, which glittered with dew-drop diamonds. Her golden locks fell over her shoulder and down to her slender waist in a bright, sparkling mass. She looked up at me with her deep blue eyes, then her rosy lips parted in a beaming smile while she exclaimed, “Please don’t stare at me like that. I am quite real. Will you pick me up please?” I stooped down and picked up the fragile little thing, which felt as light as thistle-down. When she was sitting safely in my hand, she said that she would take me to fairy-land if I would go. Of course, I readily said yes. The fairy then told me that her name was Fay, and if I would close my eyes for a minute, we would be hi fairyland. I did so, and when Fay. told, me to open them, I found I was in fairyland (that lovely land where only fairies and pixies live, and where I am sure every little boy and girl would like to go) sitting in a bluebell. I couldn’t understand how a great big mortal like me, could sit in that little blue-bell, but Fay soon put an end to my puzzle. She explained that she had made me as small as herself. Fay then took me to see their queen. When I saw their palace amidst a blaze of colour from the pretty flowers and shrubs, I thought I had never seen anything so beautiful The palace was made of flower petals, delicately scented. The petals were fastened to each other, with a sparkling dew-drop, making all the colours of the rainbow reflect in the lake, upon which snow-white swans were proudly looking at themselves. Fay led me through an arch into the palace. A gasp left my lips when I saw the lovely room into which I was being. ushered. Forget-me-nots peeped out at you from behind everything, and the room held the perfume of bluebells. Draped over the seats was forget-me-not silk and at one end of the room was the throne made of sun-beam gold. The queen was seated on it, and she just looked lovely n her frock of primrose satin, clinging gracefully to her. As she looked at me she smiled, showing two rows of gleaming, white teeth between her rosy lips. On her cheeks bloomed two red roses, and her blue eyes twinkled with laughter. She told me that Fay had brought me at her command, and that she was going to show me some of the sights of fairyland. . . . The queen then spoke to a pixie that was standing behind her sparkling throne. He bowed to her, then ran away. The queen told me she had ordered the coach, to take us on our As she was speaking, I heard bells sweetly chiming. The pixie came back and said that the coach was ready. The queen and I then passed out into a lovely garden where the coach was waiting for us. The coach was made of sun-beam gold, and six dear little white mice were drawing it. They had tiny silver bells round their necks which tinkled whenever they moved. A footman, or rather a pixie, opened the door. The inside of the coach was lined with rose-pink silk, and the air had the perfume of roses freshly opened. The queen and I stepped into the coach and a pixie got into his place in the front, and away we sped. The coach passed along lanes in the shadow overhanging trees, then we went through a village where fairies were busy shopping and dancing. Soon we arrived at a dense forest, where pixies peeped out at us from behind the trees, then went on playing at hide and go seek, or tag. Everywhere birds were twittering joyously, and overhead the sun looked down out of the blue, cloudless sky. All fairyland seemed to smile and sing. . On and on we went, now < beside a laughing brook, now through a glade with its many pretty flowers nodding their heads in the refreshing little breeze.

I was just going to thank the queen, and say that I never thought fairyland could be so beautiful, when I felt myself > falling, falling, thud! I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I was sitting in a clump of blue-bells and had only been dreaming. —2 marks to Cousin Grace Stevens (12), 3 Irving street, Gore.