by Moira Miller
“Poor wee bairn!” she said. “We’ll have to do something about this.” Without another word she turned and marched out of the house and up the path into the woods.
“Here! Come back with our bairn,” shouted Mirren and, followed by the others, she ran after the woman. Up the path she led them, deep into the wood where the birds sang in the treetops and the flowers bloomed in the grass.
“Wait now, wait,” shouted Hamish’s mother, puffing to keep up. But on they went, deeper and deeper into the wood. Hamish caught Mirren’s hand and pushed on. Leaving the others far behind, they followed the old woman until at last she came to a little clearing in the trees and turned to face them. At her feet was a small, perfectly round, dark pool, ringed with strange little yellow flowers, the like of which neither Hamish nor Mirren had ever seen before.
“Now we shall see what can be done for you,” said the old woman and she stooped and brushed the baby’s face with water from the pool. Then she picked a yellow flower and shook it gently. Torquil stopped crying as the golden pollen dust settled on his face. The old woman smiled and sang softly:
“Eeerie-feerie, tapsalteerie,
Cover his face with — fairy kisses!”
A golden glow spread around them as she handed Torquil back into Mirren’s arms.
“May your wee bairn always live surrounded by love,” she whispered and kissed him gently.
When Hamish’s mother and the other party guests finally managed to struggle through the wood to the clearing, they heard the sound of the baby’s laughter and found Hamish and Mirren alone with him. Torquil was waving a plump little hand towards the trees. His little round beaming face was covered, not with spots, but with bright golden freckles.
“Well, fancy that!” said Hamish’s old mother. “What was it she did then?”
But Mirren, turning to show her, found that both the pool and the little yellow flowers had vanished. In the quiet wood only the golden evening sunlight glowed on the grass.
Glossary
bairn: child
bawbee: old Scottish penny
ben: mountain peak
byre: cowshed
caterwauling: a loud screaming noise associated with cats
chookie: chick
cauld: cold
clishmaclavers: idle gossip
cratur: a foolish or ridiculous person or creature
dreeping: dripping or seeping
flibbertigibbet: an impish fiend
gey: very
gomeril: a slow or stupid person
greetin’: crying
hank: look of material
hasp: the clasp of a door
jerkin: jacket
ken: know
kist: a chest or special box
loch: lake
mind: remember; know
mirk: dimness or dusk
mither: mother
nae: no
noo: now
skirling: a wailing sound associated with bagpipes
teenies: little ones
tumshie: an old word for ‘turnip’ and therefore an excellent insult
wag-at-the-wa’ clock: wall clock with a hanging pendulum
wee: small
yon: that, over there
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Kelpies is an imprint of Floris Books
This edition published in 2015 by Floris Books
First published in two volumes as Hamish and the Wee Witch and Hamish and the Fairy Gifts
Text © 1986 and 1988 Moira Miller
Illustrations © 1986 and 1988 Mairi Hedderwick
This eBook edition published in 2015
Moira Miller and Mairi Hedderwick have asserted their right under the Copyright, Designs & Patent Act 1988 to be recognised as the Author and Illustrator of this Work
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without the prior permission of Floris Books, 15 Harrison Gardens, Edinburgh
www.florisbooks.co.uk
British Library CIP data available
ISBN 978-178250-223-4