THE WICKED FAIRY

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 726, 27 July 1929, Page 33

THE WICKED FAIRY

A Story of a Vanishing Cottage

There once lived in a cottage on the edge of a dark wood, an old woman, who looked very good and kind, but she was really a bad fairy in disguise, and she made herself look good and kind so that the children would come into her cottage without fear, but as soon as she got them there, she would keep them prisoners, and make them work for her. digging and tending her garden; and if the parents of the children came looking for them, she would make her cottage and garden as well as herself and the children, invisibly; so tho parents seeing nothing would wander on into the wood, thinking their children were lost somewhere in its depths.

Now, this wicked fairy had been turned out of fairyland and so could not live as other fairies do, but had to work hard to make money to buy herself food. But she was lazy and did not like work, so she always tried to get hold of children to plant her garden with vegetables and flowers, which she would take to market. People always bought her things, because she looked so kind and gentle and they thought she was very poor and must have to work hard to grow all the flowers and vegetables she sold. Ono day a little boy, named Paul, with his sister Anne, went to play at the edge of the wood, but before they started their mother had said to them, “Do not go far into the wood in case you lose yourselves, and you must not speak to anybody.”

So Paul and Anne promised to do as she said and went off to the wood, where they had a lovely time running about and playing hide and seek behind the trees. Presently they got very tired and thirsty, because it was a hot day. They had eaten their lunch and drunk all the lemonade their mother had given them before they started.

“What shall we do?" said Anne, “I am so thirsty, and it will take us a long time to get home." Suddenly Paul rubbed his eyes, “Why!” he exclaimed, “there is a dear little cottage over there. I never noticed it before, and I have just seen such a kind-looking old woman go inside. Bet us go and ask her to give us a drink of water." They quite forgot what their mother had said about not speaking to anybody, but jumped to their feet and went toward the cottage.

Now. as you will guess, this was the wicked fairy’s cottage, and she watched through the window the children coming toward it, chuckling to herself: “Two nice strong children to work for me: I have had none since the last two ran away." But she put on a pleasant smile when she went to open the door at the children’s knock.

“Good afternoun, my dears, wh*i cun I do for you?” she said in lionet sweet tt*nes.

“Would you please let us have drink of water?” said Paul, ’we havo been playing in tho wood all day and are so thirsty, as we have drunk all the lemonade we brought with us.” “Certainly, certainly, my dearjust come- inside, and I will give vqu sumo gingerbeer.” and the wicked fairy bustled into her pantry and brought out bottles of ginger beer and glasses, also a large plum cake with icing on top. Tile children still did not remember what their mother had said, and came inside the cottage, and wer<soon drinking the ginger beer and eating up the plum cake. When they had had enough, they both thanked the old woman and said they must be getting home as it was getting dark. “Oh no." said thvwicked fairy. You are not going home, I am going to keep you her--and you must work for me," and her face became suddenly so ugly aod cruel-looking, that the children were quite frightened and could not believe she Wiis the same kind old woman who had invited them into the cottage. The wicked fairy soon set them to work. JShe made Paul dig the garden and sow vegetables, and Anno had to cook and keep the cottage clean. When the children did not return home, then mother became very anxious, and she and her husband went to the wood to look for them. l>ut they did not see the cottage or the children, because the wicked fairy had made them all invisible; so they went home sorrowing and thought they would never see their little ones again.

When Paul and Anne had been with the wicked fairy about a month, Paul suddenly thought of a way to help them escape. They had tried running away when the wicked fairy had gone to market, but she had a fierce dog which she always left to guard them, and if they tried to go out of the garden, the dog would spring at them Now one of Paul’s duties was to get the vegetables and pick the flowers for tho wicked lairy to take to market each day. One morning when he was cutting cabbages, the idea came to him that if he could hide a little not*' somewhere among the leaves, whoever found it could let their father and mother know where they were. So lie got a piece of paper and wrote on it, asking whoever found the message to tell liis parents where they were, and also to tell them to cotpc while the fairy was at market, aqd bring a gun, as there was a fierce dog guarding them. When he had written this he folded it up very neatly and tucked it into the leaves of one of the cabbages.

The wicked fairy took the vegetables and flowers to market as usual, and it so happened that the King's cook went out that day to buy vegetables for the Royal table, and seeing the old woman, he thought it would be kind to buy from her, as she looked poor and hard working, and among other things he bought the cabbage with Paul’s message in it. When some time later he was cutting it up to ppt in the pot, he discovered the note aod ran with it to the King. When the King had read it, he said, “Sadd.e my horse at once and let four soldiers be r*ady to accompany me in ten minutes, and to come armed.” All this was done, and soon the King and four pi his soldiers were speeding away toward the wood.

When they had got to the wicked fairy’s gate, the fierce dog rushed out and tried to stop them entering. Otic* of the soldiers raised his gun to shoot it. but at that moment the dog caught sight of the King, stopped barking, and rushed up to him and licked his hand. The King was very surprised at this from such a liorce-looking do” and stooped and patted it. Then a wonderful thing happened; the dog suddenly disappeared, and in its place stood a beautiful maiden. “My long lost daughter!" cried the King, taking her in his arms. “For two years J have mourned you as dead." The Princess then told them what had happened. One day, when she was walking by the wood, the wicked fairy had enticed her into the cottage and then changed her into a fierce dog to keep guard while she was away, saying that unless the King came and patted her she would always remain a dog. Just then Paul and Ann ,J came out of the cottage to see what all the commotion was about, and were delighted to see their rescuers and to find that the fierce dog had disappeared. The King told them what had happened, and they could hardly believe that the beautiful Prince** was once the dog they had so frightened of.

The King then took the Princess tip behind him, and the two children eacE got up behind one of the soldiers, and they rode home to their mother and father, who were overjoyed to see them once more safe and sound.

As for the wicked fairy, when sh< got home and found what had hap pened. she was so angry that sh< banged her empty baskets down on t* the table and knocked over the lamp The burning oil set fire to the cottage and spread so quickly that the wicker fairy hadn’t time to get out, and sb< was burnt up. too. And so that wa: the end of her and her wicked ways.