THE FAIRY-BOY

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 92, 9 July 1927, Page 27

THE FAIRY-BOY

There was once a little fairy called Thistledown, whose godmother gave him a wish for a birthday present. “How lovely!” he cried. “That’s just what I’ve always wanted. I wish that I was a human boy.” Hardly had he spoken the words when he found himself sitting with a lot of boys in a big room. At one end of the room was a man with a stick, standing in front of a blackboard. “Now, then, perhaps that new boy over there will answer my question,” he said, pointing his stick at Thistledown. “What’s your name, young man ?” “Thistledown,” said the little fairy. Some of the boys sniggered, but, fortunately, the master didn’t quite catch what he said. “Castledown?" he said. “Well, Castledown. let us see how much French you know. Read out the sentence from the blackboard.” Of course, ppor Thistledown didn’t know any French at all; as he hadn’t ever been to school, so he was very frightened and thought he’d better fly away. He jumped on to the seat of his desk and tried to spread out his wings. But, of course, when he’d been turned into a human boy he’d lost his wings, so when he tried to fly, all that happened was that he fell over on the floor, taking the boy next to him and an inkpot with him. “Oh!” he screamed. But luckily for Thistledown his godmother was watching him. and she quickly waved her wand and turned Thistledown back into a fairy again. Then astonishing things happened in that classroom. The window flew open, a sort of mist seemed to fill the room, and when the boys looked about them as it cleared, the strange new boy had disappeared.

And so Thistledown went home to his house in the tree-tops quite cured of his wish to be a human boy.