The fairy in the Garden

The fairy in the Garden

Susan looked out of the window; it was a dry and sunny Saturday and the school holidays had just begun.  “No school today and for a while shall we go out and play”?  She asked Max her two year old German Shepherd dog, Max sat up his tale started going backwards and forwards across the wooden floor, “I think that means Yes then” said Susan.

Max stood up and walked to the back door he sat waiting for Susan to come and to open it. 

Then Max ran outside turned and waited for Susan to throw his ball, Susan picked up the ball and as Max stood and watched. 

Susan pretended to throw the ball, but Max was not silly he just stood there looking at Susan as if to say “I might be a dog but I’m not that silly.Susan then threw the ball as hard as she could towards the fence at the bottom of the garden,

Max was up and running fast following the ball as it bounced towards the fence, then Max stopped, something had caught his attention, he sat looking back towards Susan ignoring his ball that lay beside the fence.

What’s the matter”? Asked Susan.

Well Max just sat there looking back at Susan and turning his head back towards the fence.  Susan had now reached Max and could see the ball sitting on the grass just short of the fence, “what is the matter” asked Susan, but Max just sat there looking at Susan and then back towards the fence.

All Susan could see by the fence was the ball that she had thrown for Max, but Max was not looking that way he was more interested with something further along the fence, “What is it, I can’t see anything” asked Susan?

Max stood up and slowly walked towards the part of the fence he had been looking at he then sat down and again looked towards the fence, he was now making a small whining sound like he had made when he was a puppy and didn’t know what to do or what something was.

Susan walked closer to the fence and past Max, at first all she could see was the corn as it waved in the morning breeze, but then something sparkly flashed just the other side of the fence.

Susan climbed over the fence and into the field, at first she could not see anything but as the breeze moved the corn again, something close to the fence sparkled again.

Susan carefully walked towards where she had seen whatever it was that sparkled when it caught the sun, there lying by the fence with a piece of wire caught in her wing, was a fairy doll with a very small neckless around her neck.

As Susan bent down and carefully tried to release the fairy doll from the wire, without damaging the silky wing, she was sure that she saw the fairy doll move slightly and make a small sound.

Susan looked closer at the fairy doll and as she looked the fairy doll open her eyes then quickly close them again and Susan heard the fairy doll make a small sound again. 

Well Susan could not believe what she was seeing or hearing, she turned and looked at Max and asked if he could see and hear what she could?

But Max was now lying down holding his ball gently in his mouth as if to say I have done my bit now you carry on.

 Susan turned her head back towards the fairy doll and very carefully removed the wire from the fairy dolls wing, with the doll now in her hand she could feel as if there was a small heart beat coming from the fairy doll and yes it was moving slightly.

“Don’t be afraid I won’t hurt you” said Susan, the fairies eyes slowly opened but she looked very scared and a few tears were coming from her eyes.

“Let me look at your wing and see if the wire has done much damage” said Susan as she carefully opened up the fairies wing, Susan could not see any damage to the wing and opened her hands to release the fairy.

As soon as Susan’s hands were open the fairy flew up into the air and across the corn field. “Not even a thank you” said Susan “Come on max let’s go play ball”.

Max had now released the ball from his mouth and was waiting for Susan to throw it, Susan picked the ball up and threw it way up the garden towards the house and Max was off like a shot chasing after the ball trying to catch it every time it bounced off the grass.

Susan waited for Max to bring the ball back and drop it at her feet, this carried on for a good while until Max had run enough and now just wanted a drink and a rest, he looked up at Susan rubbed his head against her legs as if to say thank you and started to walk towards his water bowl that was by the back door.

Susan followed Max up towards the house “I could do with a drink as well, it’s getting quite warm now” Susan said.  By the time she had reached the door Susan had almost forgot about the fairy, “perhaps this is all a dream and I will wake up in a minute and the day will start again” Said Susan.

But it was not a dream as Susan’s mother called her in for her breakfast.

After Susan had eaten her breakfast and helped her mother to clean all the plates, she got Max’s bowl and part filled it with his favourite breakfast biscuits he, took his time eating the biscuits and he even left a few as he was feeling full, he could always finish them off later in the day.

As the morning passed it became a lot warmer, too warm to go chasing balls thought Max had found a cooler spot under the tree where he soon managed to close his eyes and have a little sleep, he did this quite often and easy during the day.

Susan had finished helping her mother and was now back in the garden, sitting in the shade and reading her book of fairy stories with Max lying next to her, his head resting on Susan’s lap with his eyes closed.

Susan stroked Max on the head and said, “You have been a good boy again today Max,” Max opened one eye looked up at Susan closed it again and settled his head back down on Susan’s lap.

As the morning ended and the sun rose higher and warmer in the sky Max decided that he would go indoors and relax on his bed in the coolness of the kitchen, Susan though still sat in the shade of the tree reading the last piece of one of the stories.

Then as she lifted her eyes to turn another page she saw standing on the edge of the path the same Fairy doll that she had helped earlier, Susan sat still trying not to scare the fairy, “Hello” how is your wing now”? asked Susan.

This time the fairy flew up close and hovered right in front of Susan; her wings sparkling as the sun caught all the different colours and vibrated just like the humming birds that she had seen as they moved their wings up and down.

“Thank you for helping me this morning and I am sorry for flying off like I did, but I was scared Susan, my name is Rose” said the fairy.  “That’s ok I would have been scared as well if I were you, having someone so big holding you” said Susan.

Rose hovered down and sat next to Susan on the grass, Rose asked Susan’s where Max was.  “He will be lying on his bed inside where it’s cooler”.  “But how do you know our names” asked Susan? 

“Well I have seen you both playing in the garden for as long as you have had Max”, “I have watched you both from the fields as you played together in the garden”, “he is a very good dog and he loves you a lot as you love him”, said Rose

By now Max had woken up and was walking down the path towards Susan, Max could now see the fairy sitting next to Susan under the tree.  When he reached them both he lay beside both of them and again rested his head on Susan’s lap,

He looked up at Susan to make sure that she was ok and then closed his eyes again to dream of the big steak he would be having for tonight’s dinner that he had dreamed of earlier.

Rose and Susan sat together as the afternoon passed with Susan asking most of the questions. Then Susan heard her mother call her from the house telling her it was dinner time, “I had better go now, will I see you again”? Asked Susan.

“I am always here during the day but only you and Max will be able to see me, come here under the tree tomorrow at about 10 in the morning and I will have something special for you” said Rose.  “You don’t have to give me anything, I was pleased that I could help you” said Susan.

Susan could hear her mother calling again from the back door, “I had better go, will see you tomorrow” said Susan and ran back towards the house with Max running beside her.

That evening as it was still quite warm and the sun was not going to set for another couple of hours, Susan’s dad and mum took them in the car down to the lake

 Max and Susan liked to swim there during the summer holidays and weekends when she was not at school, they both played in the lake together with Max pulling Susan along as she held onto his collar and both racing and swimming for the ball that Susan’s dad threw above them both into the lake. 

Both Max and Susan could swim well, so at the end of their swim, both had reached the ball first about the same number of times, but both of them would sometimes slow down just a little bit so that the other could get to it first.  As it was just a game to both of them.

Susan’s dad drove them home stopping on the way at a shop that sold ice creams and brought one for each of them, including Max.

As the night darkened and the stars started to twinkle in the clear evening sky. Susan said goodnight to her mum and dad and with Max following her they both made their way up the stairs to bed. 

Both Max and Susan were soon fast asleep Max dreaming of the nice juicy steak that he was about to eat again and again, while Susan was dreaming of what Max and she could do on Sunday?

Susan woke with the sun streaming through the curtains and with Max lying across her legs, as she moved slightly Max looking up waiting for her to wake up properly and say good morning to him, once again as she had done so every morning since he she had owned him.

Once Susan had said good morning to Max, he would move off of Susan’s legs and jump down onto the floor, he would then go down stairs and wait for Susan to shower and get dressed. Then when Susan came down she would give him a big hug and ask him what breakfast biscuits he would like today.  This to both of them this was a game they played every morning.

Sometimes Max would shake his head when Susan showed him his box of biscuits and so Susan would put the box down and look around the kitchen, then Susan would scratch her head and say ok let’s try this box, she would then pick up the same box of biscuits and ask if this box was ok?

Max knew it was the same box, but would pretend it was the one he would really like this morning, so he would sit still with his paw held up towards Susan. 

Other times he would sit still from the beginning of the game and put his paw up towards Susan to say thank you.  Susan would take hold of his paw and shake it, Max would have his bowl filled and Susan would say enjoy, but don’t eat too fast.

As the morning passed with Susan helping her mum around the house Susan had almost forgot what the fairy had told her the day before.

Susan looked up at the old Grandfather clock that stood proudly against the wall, just as it started to chime 10 times to let everyone know it was now mow 10 O’clock in the morning.

Susan’s mum looked up from what she was doing and said,  “There it’s all done, thank you for helping me around the house, now take Max out and enjoy playing in the garden”.

Max had heard what was said and was by the back door waiting but this time he already had his ball held tightly in his mouth.  “Come on give me your ball to throw” said Susan, but Max kept hold of the ball and ran out into the garden. 

Susan followed Max, who had now ran most of the way down to the bottom of the garden, Max stopped and looked back for Susan, “I’m coming but what is the hurry” asked Susan.

 Max lay down on the grass and let the ball drop from his mouth looking back waiting for Susan, as Susan was about to pick Max’s ball up a little voice said, “Hello Susan another sunny and bright day”  and there sitting on a very little chair was Rose the fairy. 

“Hello how are you today, asked Susan, as she sat down on the grass next to Max and Rose?   “I’m fine and I want to give you a little gift for helping me yesterday”, “just open your hand” said Rose and put a very small ring onto Susan’s hand.  “I know it looks very small but it will fit on your finger go on try” said Rose.

Susan looked at the small ring that sat in the centre of her hand, but as she picked it up with her other hand the ring suddenly started to grow and became the right size for it to fit onto her finger.

“Now that you have the ring on your finger you will be able to see any fairy that lives,” “you will be also be able to come to our fairy kingdom whenever you want to and you can even meet our beautiful queen Marigold”. “The ring will always be on your finger now and will grow as you grow, but only you will be able to see it” said Rose

“But how will I know where your kingdom is and how to get to it” asked Susan?

“Just rub the ring and wish that you can be with us and you will be there”, “you will also have shrunk”, “so that you are the same size as us fairies”,” we don’t want any accidents happening” Said Rose.

 “But how will I get home after visiting you”? asked Susan.  “The same way as you would get here, just rub the ring and wish to be back home again” said Rose.

“Would you like to try it now” asked Rose?  Susan rubbed the ring and wished that she could be in the fairy kingdom and straight away there she was with all the fairies.

 “Now rub it again and wish to be back at home” said Rose.  So Susan rubbed the ring and wished to be back at home again.

Susan was now back in the garden, Max came running up, as he was sure that she had gone and left him forever and rubbed against Susan, his tail now swishing back and forward now that he had found her again.  “See it’s that easy” said Rose who was sitting now on max’s back.

“Thank you but I could not do that again, look how upset Max was when we disappeared and then came back”,” he must have thought that he would never see me again”,” I love him too much to make him think that” said Susan.

“We’ll all you would need to do is rub the ring and wish that both of you were with us fairies and you will be and Max will also have shrunk to” said Rose.

 “But what about my mum and dad they will think that we have run away and will be upset” said Susan? 

“It works like this”, “for every minute that passes in your world, one hour passes in our world”, “so if you are with us for five hours you will only be missing for five minutes in your world” said Rose.

“Well that will be ok then, all I need to do is tell my mum or dad that I am taking Max for a walk and spend some time with all you fairies”

 

The End

© David Gore 2017