Spring had arrived in Blackberry Dell, and Merrybell the wood-watcher fairy was very pleased with herself. She had already woken up the spring flowers and it was time to wake up all the wood creatures that had been asleep for the winter. She ran around shaking all the bluebells so they rang very loudly to wake everyone up so they would know it was springtime.

Soon, everyone was awake and enjoying the warm spring air. Merrybell was making sure everyone was alright, when, as she approached the hedgehog woodpile she heard a strange noise. "Peep-peep, peep-peep." she heard and when she went behind the woodpile she saw a small white bird with a yellow beak.

"Oh!" he said and hid his eyes under his wing. 

"Don’t be afraid" said Merrybell gently "Who are you? I’ve never seen a bird like you before."

"I’ve never seen a creature like you before. In fact I’ve never seen a place like this before. What are you? And where am I please?" said the little bird.

"Well, one question at a time," said Merrybell. "I am a wood-watcher fairy. My name is Merrybell. I ring the bluebells to let everyone know it’s spring. I also look after things during the winter and make sure the sleeping creatures are safe. And you are in Blackberry Dell."

"Merrybell, what is a bluebell? What does a ring sound like?" said the little bird.

"You have got a lot of questions, haven’t you." She said. She pointed to the bluebells and said "Bluebells are woodland flowers, and a ring sounds like this" and she shook the bluebell.

"I didn’t hear anything" he said.

"Silly me," said Merrybell "You don’t live here so of course you can’t hear them. I can soon change that" and she bent over and kissed him on his head. "Now you will be able to hear the bluebells and see the fairy folk."

"But I can already see you and you are a fairy" he said.

"Ah, that’s because you are lost and need help" she said. "To really see a fairy anytime, she must like you enough to kiss you and I do like you and I think the others will too."

She clapped her hands and all kinds of fairy folk came to welcome the little lost bird. "Now you know about the dell, can you tell me about yourself? said Merrybell.

"I don’t really remember much" he said " except I was flying with my mother and sisters and I was very tired, so I stopped to rest and when I looked up again, I was all alone until you came along. I do know my name is Tamtin though."

"Well" said Merrybell " I haven’t seen a bird like you before, but don’t worry, we have all kinds of birds here. Perhaps they will know what you are and where you live."

She clapped her hands again and the birds came to her. She told them Tamtin’s story and asked if anyone knew what kind of bird he was. The skylarks came forward and shook their heads and said he wasn’t one of them. The sparrow came forward, no, he wasn’t one of them either. The robins, the blue tits and the blackbirds all said the same.

Then Wendy and Willy Wagtail came forward and said "Tamtin is a Seagull and he lives by the big blue water. We have been there lots of times because wagtails like to be near water and so do seagulls.

"I remember, I remember now!" said Tamtin. "We live by a place called the seaside and thought it would be a nice change to visit the countryside. Mummy said we should get to know the places beyond the sea because seagulls often like to live on the land as well as by the sea."

"Well done for remembering Tamtin, and well done Willy and Wendy too" said Merrybell.

"I must be on my way home, I must go now" said Tamtin.

"No" said Wendy "It’s too far for you to fly alone and you don’t know the way. Stay here and rest for a while, we’ll find your mother and bring her back here."

"Thank you very much" said Tamtin and watched as they flew away.

"Now," said Merrybell and turning to Tamtin "I will tell you more about Blackberry Dell while we wait and you can tell me more about the seaside. I don’t know anything about it."

So Tamtin spent the next few hours chatting away with the fairy folk and wood creatures.

He learned the names of the creatures that slept all winter, how they made their homes warm until spring came. He learned about fairy folk and how much they liked helping people who deserve to be helped.

Merrybell learned about ships and rock pools, sea animals and big foamy waves and sand.

"Pee-ep, Pee-ep, Pee-ep"

"That’s my mother" shouted Tamtin "She’s come to take me home. Oh, I can’t wait to see my home and my sisters again."

I understand" said Merrybell " there’s nothing like your own home no matter how nice other places are. But you can always come back, especially now you have the gift of fairy-seeing."

Tamtin’s mother was very glad she had found him safe and happy, and she thanked Merrybell for taking care of him.

"You will always be welcome to come and stay by the seaside" she said "Willy and Wendy know where we are. Please come, you can stay as long as you like."

Merrybell thanked her, but told her she was a wood-watcher and she couldn’t leave the dell, but she would always remember Tamtin and what she had learned about the seaside.

It was time to leave. Tamtin said goodbye to everyone and promised to come back when he was bigger, then flew off by his mother’s side, back to his home by the sea.

Tamtin kept his promise to return and came back every year, and always in time to hear Merrybell ring the bluebells for spring to start.