Week 9 Story: The Smallest Fairy

Once upon a time in a far-off forest, there was a small village of fairies. Without knowing what you were looking for walking along in the forest you might just miss this little piece of magic. To stay safe the great chief of the fairies had set up ways to alert them of passer-byers and to stay hidden. For years this little fairy kingdom was safe from being found.

The smallest fairy in her class, Piper, was very brave for her small size. One day she was exploring in the glen nearby and she grew tired. She decided to start singing to help her stay awake on her way home. But it was late and she started to fall asleep while she was flying home. Curled up on a leaf still singing to herself she took a little nap before finishing the journey home. A little boy was on his way home as well when he heard Piper singing. He watched carefully when he finally found where the singing was coming from.

He studied her hair, wings, clothes, and the light that seemed to glow all around Piper. When Piper woke up she was startled by the young boy. He meant no harm to her and promised to keep her safe in exchange of friendship. They would meet here at this place for weeks to come, becoming really close to one another.

One evening the little boy came to Piper crying, his mother had fallen ill. She needed a miracle to save her. His village healer told him that fairy dust would be the only thing that could save her at this point. Crying and repeatedly saying that he was sorry he grabbed Piper in one hand and shoved her into a small pouch. Running through the forest back to his village in hopes of saving his mother.

Piper was frightened. In the village the boy was telling everyone that he had a fairy in his pouch, news soon reached the healer. The healer needed Piper's light to help save the little boys mother. Piper refused to shine her light for she had been tricked from the beginning. Piper needed to be convinced that she and her people would stay safe IF she agreed to help. This was to be a one-time thing because the boy was once her friend.

After the whole town agreed to keep the fairy kingdom a secret so they could remain safe, Piper agreed to help. In the little boy's sick mother's hands sat Piper and began to shine her light. Looking into the mother's eyes Piper could see her heart was pure and had a great deal of life left in her. Piper's light did the trick and saved her.

As promised the little boy returned Piper to their meeting spot, never telling anyone else in the village where it was. The other villagers kept their word as well and never told anyone of what they witnessed of Piper's magic that saved the mother. There are rumors around the village generations later, told to children as bedtime stories that have been passed down from generation to generation.

As for Piper and the fairy kingdom, they are blossoming in the safety of the villagers. When strangers pass through the village looking for the fairies magic the villagers act like they have no idea what the passer-buyers are talking about. Some days, when it is safe, the fairies will dim their lights and fly around the village. Every now and then when the fairies are playing with the children and laughing they will forget and glow for just a minute, like a fire-fly.

Authors note:
I basaed this story off  the Hunter and the Tortoise. When I first started writing this story to switch it to a little fairy was the first thing that poped in my head. I decided to make the fairy a hero by saving the mother instead of someone dying, because honeslty I am more of a fan of happy endings than sad ones. I feel like this is a good intro to a longer story, as I feel that it is a little short on details.
Image info: string light in a tree Photo by Anna Kolosyuk on Unsplash, a little girl near a rock wall Photo by Savannah Bennett on Unsplash
Story Source: The Hunter and the Tortoise Notes from: West African Folktales by William h. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair, with drawings by Cecilia Sinclair (1917)