‘Oh, hush, Clarence! Go to your bed,’ scolded the woman’s voice. ‘I’ve got the stand all ready,’ she continued. ‘Let’s put it here!’
Twink held back a shriek as the tree was swung upright again, back into its natural position. But there was nothing natural about what she could glimpse now through the branches. The humans were attaching the tree to some sort of base, so that it stood up straight. Then the woman fetched a large watering can and watered it!
Twink gaped in bewilderment. What was going on? Mum had said that humans were odd creatures – but this was odder than anything Twink could have imagined!
‘Lovely!’ cried the woman. ‘I’ll go and get the lights. But we’ll let Lindsay decorate it when she gets home from school – it’ll be a nice start to her Christmas holiday.’
‘Of course, that’s her job!’ said the man cheerfully. His voice grew more distant. ‘I’ll put the kettle on, shall I?’
Cautiously, Twink edged her way towards the outer branches of the tree and peeked out. She was in a human living room, with giant-sized chairs and a carpet of unnatural grey that looked the size of a field.
Twink stared. There were so many things! There
was a large box in the corner with black cords snaking out from it; tables with brightly burning lamps; shelves filled with shiny, square objects. How did humans breathe with so much around them?
The dog lay curled up in a bed beside the fireplace. At the sight of Twink he lunged to his feet, barking. She had to hide! Twink shot across the room to the window, diving between the curtain’s folds.
‘WOOF! WOOF! WOOF-WOOF-WOOF-WOOF-WOOF! ’
The dog bounded after her, yapping hysterically. Trembling, Twink hovered deep within the darkness of the curtains. Any moment now the dog’s jaws might tear the material down and snatch her up!
‘Clarence!’ snapped the woman’s voice. ‘WHAT are you barking at?’
The dog’s barks turned to an urgent whine. The woman strode briskly across the carpet, dragging Clarence away.
‘Silly old thing! I suppose the ginger cat’s been making faces at you through the window again.
Well, you’ll just have to stay in your bed until you calm down!’
There was a snorting noise as the dog let out a frustrated breath. Then silence fell. Twink risked a look from between the curtain’s folds, and her eyes widened. The woman was busy wrapping a thin green rope around the tree. What was she doing?
As Twink watched, the woman started humming happily to herself. ‘Oh, don’t you love Christmas, Clarence?’ she said.
Stepping back, the woman inspected her work with satisfaction. ‘And look, this is the best part.’ Bending down, she did something to the rope – and suddenly the tree exploded into light!
Twink gasped. Oh, it was so pretty! Like hundreds of sparkling icicles, all winking and glittering at once.
‘Perfect,’ said the woman, turning the lights off. Twink let out a disappointed breath as they vanished. ‘We’ll do the rest when Lindsay gets home, right, Clarence?’
Clarence was lying in his bed with his nose propped on his paws, staring dismally at Twink. He whined when the woman spoke to him, but she didn’t seem to notice. She had taken out a circular white cloth and was arranging it prettily under the tree.
Twink made up her mind all at once. Though the man was quite clearly mad – convinced that Twink was a moth, of all things! – his wife seemed much more sensible. Surely she would believe her own eyes, and want to help a poor stranded fairy?
Flying out into the room, Twink hovered near the woman’s shoulder, waving a hand to catch her attention. ‘Hello!’ she called. ‘Can you see me?’
Brushing off her hands, the woman hopped to her feet. ‘There! Now, I wonder where Tom’s got to with that tea, eh, Clarence? Drunk it all himself, I expect!’
‘Um . . . hello?’ The woman started to turn away, and Twink darted after her, bobbing directly in front of her face. ‘Wait – I need your help!’
‘Oh!’ The woman stopped short. Her eyes went perfectly round as human and fairy gazed at each other. Twink let out a relieved breath. At last! Now all she had to do was ask for help.
‘Hi, I’m Twink!’ she said with a friendly smile. ‘There’s been a – well, a sort of mix-up, I suppose. You see –’
‘AARGH!’ screeched the woman, stumbling backwards.
A door banged open, and the man rushed into the room. ‘What’s wrong?’ he shouted.
‘It talked! It talked!’ cried the woman, pointing at Twink. The dog leapt to its feet, barking wildly.
Twink had flown off the moment the woman screamed. She darted around the room in a panic, unable to find a hiding place where they wouldn’t spot her. Oh, why had she tried to speak to another human? She was such a moss brain!
‘It’s the moth,’ she heard the man bellow. ‘I don’t believe it – it followed me home from the woods!’
‘It’s not a moth! It talked !’ insisted the woman. ‘It – oh!’ she jumped sideways as Twink swooped near her. The dog yipped and yelped, bouncing about on its hind legs.
‘Don’t be silly, it couldn’t have!’ The man made a grab for Twink as she zoomed past. She shrieked. She could feel the breeze from his hand!
Panting hard, Twink flew up to a cluster of lights that hung from the ceiling. They were fire-hot, but she was too frantic to care. She crouched behind one, making herself as small as possible.
‘It is a moth, I tell you,’ continued the man. Twink gulped as she saw him scowling up at her. ‘There were two of them – they flew right in my face and made a horrible squeaking noise! It happened in the woods as I was chopping down the tree.’
‘A horrible squeaking – yes, that’s just what happened to me!’ gasped his wife. Pressing her hands to her forehead, she gave a shaky laugh. ‘Oh, Tom, is it really a moth? I thought I had gone completely doolally!’
The man nodded. ‘It gave me quite a start at first, too – must be some sort of optical illusion. But it’s only a moth. Come and see for yourself !’
The woman joined him, and the two humans stared up at Twink as she perched in the chandelier. She gazed back warily. Her wings felt like sizzling leaves, but she wasn’t about to move. There was no telling what such a pair of lunatics might do!
‘Yes, you’re right – it is a moth,’ said the woman in relief. ‘How could I have ever thought . . . well, never mind! Its wings are rather pretty, aren’t they?’
‘Pink and lavender – very girly,’ laughed her husband. ‘We’ll have to show it to Lindsay.’
The woman shook her head. ‘No, she hates big flapping insects! Tom, catch it, won’t you? We’ll chuck it outside before she gets home.’
Yes! Twink’s spirits shot up like a fountain – but then she froze in horror at the man’s next words.
‘You and your soft heart!’ he scoffed affectionately.
‘You don’t catch moths, love – you swat them.’ He picked up what looked like the human version of a petal mag, rolling it into a tight cylinder.
Twink’s heart flipped over in her chest. Swat them? He couldn’t mean –
Wooosh! The magazine missed Twink by a wing’s breadth as it came whistling down. The chandelier swung wildly.
‘Aargh!’ screamed Twink. She dived off, flying as fast as she could. But where? There was no place to hide! Holding back a terrified sob, she flew dizzily about the room, with the magazine crashing and thrashing after her.
‘Stay still,’ ordered the man. Twink put on another burst of speed. He had to be joking!
‘Oh, I can’t watch!’ cried his wife. ‘I’m going upstairs.’
She opened a door Twink hadn’t noticed before and rushed out. There! As the door started to shut again, Twink winged after her, doing a quick barrel roll to twist through the narrow opening just before it shut in her face.
She was in a corridor, with the closed front door at the end of it. Twink hovered for a moment, wondering if she should try to get throu
gh it – and then the door she had just come through was flung open.
‘Ah-ha – there you are!’ said the man, waving the magazine.
Chapter Three
With a shriek, Twink shot past him in the other direction – up a flight of stairs, those strange things used by humans to climb from floor to floor. The woman was already halfway up them, and Twink darted around her as she flew upwards. There was a startled squeal.
‘Tom! It’s up here!’
‘I know!’ Twink could hear the man’s heavy footsteps pounding after her. Gasping with terror, she skimmed down the upstairs corridor and ducked into the first open room she saw.
She had a quick, shadowy impression of pink and white. Glancing around frantically, Twink spotted a small house on the floor, with one wall missing. There was no time to wonder about it. She jetted to the little house and landed inside.
There was actually furniture in here, just Twink’s size! She huddled behind an armchair, folding her wings tightly against her back.
Just then the two humans came rushing in. There was a click, and light flooded down from the ceiling. Twink swallowed hard. Oh, please don’t let them see me!
‘Oh no – where has it gone?’ moaned the woman. ‘If it starts flapping around in here tonight, Lindsay will have nightmares for a week!’
‘Don’t worry, we’ll catch it,’ said her husband. ‘It’ll start flying around the light in a moment – moths always do.’
Not this moth, thought Twink grimly, not moving a muscle. Her heart was thudding so loudly that she was sure the humans would hear it – but the minutes passed, and nothing happened. She listened as the man rustled the curtains, trying to scare the ‘moth’ out.
‘Oh, I give up,’ he said finally. ‘We’ll just have to wait for it to come out on its own – wretched thing.’
‘Look at the time!’ exclaimed his wife. ‘I’ve got to collect Lindsay.’
Twink slumped as the room fell into shadow again. The two humans departed, closing the door behind them. Their voices faded away down the corridor.
Slowly, Twink edged out from behind the tiny chair. She felt bruised and shaken from the long day – and also very thirsty, now that she had a moment to catch her breath. But there was no way to get any water.
Sinking on to the floor of the tiny house, Twink thought longingly of her parents. They were probably searching for her right now, their hearts breaking with fear and worry. Oh, why hadn’t she listened to her mum? She’d been an idiot to think she and Bimi could take on a human by themselves!
Tears pricked at Twink’s eyes. If she could only get out of this mess, she’d never behave rashly again, not ever. But how could she get away when she was too terrified even to move? That man was ready to swat her flat the moment he saw her!
Twink gave in to her frightened tears, hugging her knees to her chest as she sobbed. After a while she wiped her eyes wearily. I’ve got to think of a plan, she thought. Crying’s no good. Sooze wouldn’t cry, nor would Pix.
The thought of her friends gave her courage. Why, even Bimi probably wouldn’t cry! Though perhaps not as bold or as conspicuously clever as Sooze or Pix, Twink’s best friend had loads of common sense. She would most likely have worked out exactly what to do by now.
I will too, Twink promised herself, holding back a yawn. She knew she had to think of a plan, but the long, awful day had finally caught up with her. She felt as if she’d never been so tired in her life.
It’s only for a few minutes, thought Twink drowsily as she curled up on the floor of the tiny house. I’ll work out what to do just as soon as I have a little rest . . .
And in no time at all Twink was snoring softly, her lavender wings folded around her like a blanket.
Some time later Twink stirred, fluttering her wings with a yawn. Oh, what an awful dream she’d had! That poor tree – and herself, trapped in a human house! She could hardly wait to tell Bimi and Teena about it; they’d be agog.
But . . . why was her bed so hard? And what was that strange, harsh light?
Suddenly Twink sat bolt upright. It hadn’t been a dream at all! Here she was, in the tiny house – and –
‘Oh!’ Twink stifled a shriek, her hands flying to her mouth.
Looming in front of her like a giant moon was the face of a human child. She had long blonde hair and a spray of freckles across her nose, and was staring at Twink as if she couldn’t believe her eyes.
For a long moment Twink and the child looked at each other. Twink’s heart was hammering like a woodpecker. She opened her mouth to say something, and then hastily closed it. She wasn’t about to try that again!
But the girl spoke first. ‘Are you real?’ she whispered. Her voice was hushed and respectful.
‘Of course!’ burst out Twink in surprise.
Very gently, the little girl touched Twink’s wing with a finger almost as tall as Twink. ‘Oh, I knew there were really fairies!’ she breathed, her eyes shining. ‘I told Sarah so, but she didn’t believe me.’
Relief swept over Twink like sudden sunshine on a cloudy day. ‘You know I’m a fairy, then?’ she cried.
Her wings fluttered so hard that she shot up into the air. ‘You can really see me?’
‘You can fly!’ squealed the little girl. ‘But don’t do it in there, or you’ll hit your head,’ she added anxiously.
Twink saw what she meant – the ceiling was alarmingly low. Leaving the tiny house, she flew out into the room, which she saw now must belong to the girl. The furniture was all white and shining, and the bedcover had a pattern of pink daisies.
The little girl scrambled to her feet. She was wearing a pair of blue leg-coverings, and a bright pink top. She had nice eyes, decided Twink. Not quite green and not quite brown, but a pleasant woodland shade that was somewhere in between.
‘Are you Lindsay?’ she asked, remembering the name she’d heard earlier.
The girl’s eyes grew even rounder. ‘How did you know? Is it – is it magic?’
Twink grinned. ‘No, sorry! I heard your parents say it. I’m Twink,’ she offered, hovering in front of Lindsay and extending her hand.
‘Hello, Twink. I’m pleased to meet you,’ said Lindsay. She touched a careful finger to Twink’s hand, and the two girls suddenly found themselves giggling. It was like a mountain trying to shake hands with an ant!
Why, humans could be as friendly as fairies. Twink’s wings warmed at the thought. ‘I’m pleased to meet you, too,’ she said earnestly. ‘Only – only – I’m not really pleased to be here! You see, I’ve got trapped.’
‘Trapped?’ echoed Lindsay. ‘What happened?’ She sat cross-legged on her bed.
Twink hesitated, uncertain what was polite when you were a fairy talking to a human. But her wings were getting tired, so she swooped down to land on one of Lindsay’s blue-clad knees.
The faded fabric was surprisingly comfortable. She leaned back on her hands to tell her tale. ‘Well, my best friend has been visiting me for the winter holidays, you see, and this morning . . .’
Lindsay turned out to be a very good listener. Her expression showed she was taking in every word, but she sat quietly while Twink spoke, only occasionally breathing an ‘Oh no!’ or ‘How awful!’
But when Twink described what happened once she got into the house, Lindsay gasped in horror. ‘Oh, Twink, I’m sorry!’ she burst out. ‘My dad didn’t mean any harm – he’d never have hurt you if he’d known you’re a fairy! He just doesn’t like insects very much, especially in the house.’
Twink made a face. She didn’t want to insult Lindsay’s father, but even swatting a moth seemed pretty terrible to her. They were such harmless creatures! What had a moth ever done to him?
But it didn’t seem a very tactful subject, so Twink took a deep breath and finished her story.
‘Anyway, then I hid in that little house, and they couldn’t find me – but you did! I wonder why you can see me and your parents can’t?’ she added with a puzzled frown.
/> ‘Well, they can see you,’ said Lindsay. ‘They just think you’re a moth.’
Twink shook her head. ‘But they both saw me at first – I mean really saw me, I’m sure of it. And they heard me, too, but then they told themselves they hadn’t. It doesn’t make any sense.’
‘I know,’ nodded Lindsay. ‘Grown-ups are funny sometimes. Most of them don’t believe in magic, or – or fairies, or ghosts, or anything interesting. In fact . . .’ she faltered, her cheeks growing red.
‘What?’ asked Twink.
Lindsay hunched her shoulders sheepishly. ‘Well, a lot of kids don’t either. But I do. I always have, and see – I’m right!’ She grinned, and Twink smiled back.
‘I just don’t understand one thing, though,’ said Lindsay, carefully changing position with Twink still on her knee. ‘Why were you so upset about the tree?’
‘Why?’ Twink gaped at her, almost spluttering in her astonishment. ‘Because – because it’s a living thing!’
‘But it’s only a tree,’ said Lindsay blankly. ‘It’s not like chopping down a person. Besides, there’s loads more of them. It came from Uncle Matt’s farm, and he’s got thousands!’
Twink’s wings shivered in indignation. But Lindsay was a human, she reminded herself – and even very nice humans obviously didn’t understand these things.
‘Well, we fairies think differently about it,’ she said. ‘We know the trees really well. They all have different personalities, and lots of them have dryads living inside them, and –’
‘What’s a dryad?’ broke in Lindsay.
Twink floundered. How could anyone not know what a dryad was? ‘It’s a – well, like a nature spirit,’ she said. ‘They live inside trees – they’re part of them.’
‘Really?’ cried Lindsay. Then the girl’s face paled abruptly. ‘Oh! There wasn’t one living in our tree, was there?’
Christmas Fairy Page 2