The Fairy Babies

One Christmas Eve, it was windy and raining and Princess Pearl and her brother Prince Joe had to stay inside the castle all morning long.

“But we always go for a walk in the woods on Christmas Eve!” Princess Pearl complained to the King.

“Maybe later,” he said. “Until then why don’t you go to the library and read a book?”

 In the library the children lay glumly on the soft green carpet. Princess Pearl stared at the ceiling while Prince Joe lay on his stomach and gazed at the little clouds of dust gathered under the shelves.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“What’s what?”

“This.” Prince Joe pulled out a thin old book from under the shelves.

“ ‘The Lost Fairy Babies’”, read Princess Pearl. “Oooh, this looks good! I’ll read it to you.”

 

It was a story about two tiny baby fairies fallen under the roots of a tree in a forest while their mother was trapped up high, her wings caught in branches.

“What happens to them?” asked Prince Joe.

 Princess Pearl turned the page and read:

“A squirrel came along and tried to free the fairy but his paws were too clumsy to move the fine bare branches.”

             “Then what happened?” asked Prince Joe.

 “A bird came along but her beak was too sharp and nearly pecked a hole in the fairy’s wings.”

             “Oh no!” cried Princess Pearl and quickly read on:

 “Then an elf appeared from his toadstool home, setting off to look for firewood.”

             “Good, his fingers will be just right!” said Prince Joe.

But no, the elf couldn’t get close to the tree because there was a big thorn bush at the bottom. ‘What happens to the poor fairy?’ wondered the children but the last page dropped out of the book and a strange gust of wind blew it up the chimney.