PIXIES IN THE PICKIES

A short story for children by Mary Ellis of Myrtle Row, Treorchy.

Pentre Wood was buzzing with excitement. There was going to be a Midnight Ball and the fairies were working very hard to get everything ready. 

The pixies were being their usual mischievous selves and only wanted to play. They were swinging from the flower garlands, running in and out of the Fairy Ring and, worst of all, they kept hiding the nectar bowls. 

It was all getting too much for Fern. She stamped her foot and said, “ If you pixies won’t help, the fairies will ban you from the ball. Now, make up your minds, what are you going to do - play or help?” 

“Can’t we play and help?” said Poppy the pixie. All the other pixies fell about laughing. 

“Well I was only trying to help!” said Poppy, feeling very silly. 

“I know,” said Fern “but to really help you must be serious. We fairies want the ball to be a success. The fairies from Fairy Glen are coming to Pentre Wood for the first time and we want it to be perfect.” 

Poppy called the pixies together and they huddled in a corner. After a few minutes they came back to the fairy ring where Fern was waiting for their answer. 

Poppy said “We have decided to…………….play!” and all the pixies ran off and hid in the pickies at the edge of the wood, shouting and laughing as they went. 

They knew the fairies wouldn’t chase them into the pickies because they would get a painful sting from the nettles’ leaves. 

“You bad pixies!” said Fern “Now you won’t be able to come to the Midnight Ball.” 

But the pixies didn’t care. They had better things to do than prance about at a silly old ball – the pixies were all going to the bottom of the wood, to tease the elves. 

With the pixies out of the way, the preparations for the ball were soon finished. 

The big oak tree was covered in lanterns ready for the fireflies to light them up. There were small holes cut into each one, so that the fireflies could all watch the ball from above. 

The trees had given some of their branches so the elves could make benches. The old pine that had been struck by lightening had been dragged down to Touchwood in Treorchy where it had been carved into a beautiful table and the spiders had woven a beautiful lace cloth to cover. Yes, everything was just perfect. 

All that was needed now was the food - and the fairies from Fairy Glen were bringing that. 

“Now let’s rest until it’s time for the ball.” said Fern to all the fairies who had been kind enough to help. 

But just as Fern was making her way home to the garden in Myrtle Row, she had an uneasy feeling that something was wrong. 

Fern turned around and walked back quickly into Pentre Wood and was just in time to see the pixies coming out of the pickies and heading straight for the nectar bowls. 

“Oh no you don’t!” she said, “You were too lazy to help, so get back into the pickies where you belong.” 

But she couldn’t catch them and the pixies managed to take some of the lanterns and run back into the safety of the stinging nettles where they jeered and stuck out their tongues at Fern. 

“I’ll fix you, you naughty pixies. I’m going to tell Wizard about you, and he’ll sort you out once and for all.” 

Wizard was getting ready for the ball. He was going to greet the fairies of Fairy Glen and when Fern arrived at his home in Troedyrhiw Terrace, he was almost ready. 

She told him all about the pixies and how she was afraid they might try to spoil the Midnight Ball. 

Wizard assured her that he would go and sort them out, so they marched up to Pentre Wood. 

When they arrived in the Wood – it was bedlam! 

There stood a line of elves trying to guard the Fairy Ring as best they could – but the pixies were darting in and out and stealing all the nectar bowls as fast as they could. 

As soon as the pixies spotted Wizard, they all ran back into the pickies where they thought they would be safe, because they knew Wizard would try to punish them. 

Wizard lifted his wand and zapped the pickies while he chanted “ Pixies in the pickies, feel the sting and be sore. No longer will pixies be safe in the pickies, now and forever more.” 

“Ooh, ow, ow, owch!” yelled the pixies as they felt the sting of the nettles for the first time ever. 

“Please stop!” they shouted. “We are all sorry and we promise to be good from now on.” 

“Very well.” said Wizard “But because you pixies are tricky, you must stand still in the pickies until they end of the ball. If you don’t, you will get stung again.” 

It was time for the ball. 

The fairies of Fairy Glen arrived, carrying the food they had promised. They paced the food on the pine table and everything was ready for the ball to begin. 

Wizard declared the ball open and as he did, the fireflies lit up the lanterns brighter than they had ever shone before. The fairies gasped because everything was so beautiful. 

The pixies were feeling very sorry that they hadn’t helped. They had behaved very well since Wizard’s warning so before the end of the ball, just before sunrise, he removed the spell but reminded the pixies that he would bring the spell back again if they didn’t behave. 

.........................The End