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Winter Quarters.

Autumn is now with us and most of the fairies are looking forward to the winter quarters under the Himalayan Mountains. The winter quarters are a series of huge caves. An artificial sun that one of the first fairies to come to this earth had by means of magic placed in the caves kept the caves warm and well lit. The caves are filled with growing trees and plants one may find everything that grows in the wild nature. Mushrooms abound, as do all of the wild berries plus many different fruit trees. Each night there falls a soft refreshing rain from the clouds that magically appear, as it gets dark. The fruit trees and the other plants are not only for the fairies use but also the millions of butterflies and moths that the fairies take with them to the caves so that they may over live the hard winter months. No one was forgotten, all were taken by magic to the winter quarters. The pixies and the imps, the gnomes as well as all of the little people that lived in Fairyland.

Excitement was rising higher and higher as they all waited for the Fairy Queens signal. A long drawn out tone that could not be overheard and two minutes later all were transferred by magic to the caves. There was no haphazard hurry all were transferred each to his or her home in the huge caves. All the little people from each country in the world were now united. Friends that had not seen each other during spring and summer got together and soon dancing and singing with different games were taking place. The fairies from America were mixing with the Chinese fairies and the African fairies were playing with all of the other fairies. The Europeans and the Australians were mingling with all and it was very difficult to tell which fairy was from where.

Each fairy home was open to all and many new friendships sprung up, only the pixies were keeping to themselves all of the other little people from Fairyland were joining in the fun. This annoyed the pixies so that they decided that they must do something that had never been done before. Walking around the huge caves they noticed that here and there, were fig trees with figs ripening on the trees. One pixie said to the other lets us collect all of the figs in the caves and if a fairy wants a fig they must give us something for our picking the figs. Going back to the other pixies they all set out and collected figs from the trees. Soon there was not a fig to be seen on all of the fig trees. The pixies had plucked all of the figs and taken them home with them. Soon the figs that were ripe or overripe started to rot and smell. The smell was terrible and soon Queen Feeana heard about the smells that were coming from the homes of the pixies. Her Majesty looked once in her magic mirror and saw what the pixies had done. Her Majesty then told the pixies that all of the figs were to be taken and buried in the ground among the other fruit trees. It was strange to see all of the pixies digging holes in the ground and burying the figs. A few weeks later all over the caves there appeared young fig trees from where the pixies had buried all of the rotting figs. Her Majesty then said, "These new fig trees shall remain in the ground to remind the pixies that they are only guests in the caves and if they misbehave again they would be banned from ever entering the caves again."

The pixies knew that Her Majesty never made a rule that she would not keep if they misbehaved again it would mean spending the long winter months with the snow and ice on the ground. There would be very little to eat and they would be worse off than the birds that have a very hard time during the long winter months. Now the pixies are mixing with the other little folk from Fairyland and all is well. The fig trees after a week or two had fresh figs on them and soon ripened in the warmth of the caves. No fairy ever had to go without fresh figs and the pixies have learned a very valuable lesson. To share with one another is one of the first things that the young fairies learn and there is no such thing as this is mine.

Wintertime.

The Fairies are all excited; it is time for them to go to the Fairy Winter Quarters in the big caves under the Himalayan Mountains. Many have said their farewells to the Leprechauns and to the deer and birds that they have befriended. All are looking forward to the lush fruits that await them. Many are looking forward to the flowers that grow so plentiful in the caves. Others want the peace and quietness of the caves where the weather is the same all of the year round. No rain falling during the day the rain comes only at night when all are safely tucked up in their small four-poster beds.

Today is the big day and I went to the woods to see them off. It is a most splendid spectacle Her Majesty, Fairy Queen, Feeana will wave her magic wand and say the words in the old language and there will be a blue flash a puff of smoke and all of the Fairies will disappear. The woods will be for me a lonely place without the cries of delight when a fairy finds an extra especially large blackberry or strawberry. I will make my way back home and get my garden ready for the long winter months.

The long cold winter days will make me think of spring and summer when the Fairies are all back in Fairyland in the woods at the back of my garden on Dartford Heath. Then the odd adventure will come my way and I will have a new story to write about. The knock on my front door rather startled me. I wondered who it was that wanted to visit me on this day of October. I went to the door and opened it and much to my surprise there was my Leprechaun friend Shamus with a few of his friends.

I invited them in and we went into the kitchen where I quickly made some hot sweet tea for Shamus and his four friends. While we were drinking the tea Shamus told me why they had come. It seems that in our part of Fairyland nothing had been repaired for a very long time and Shamus with his friends were going to put right all of the Fairy swings and roundabouts the slides were also in need of repair and it meant that they would have much work to do.

We drank our sweet tea and plans were made to see what things needed repairing first. Leaving the Leprechauns drinking their tea I went into town and bought some large tins of paint. It was agreed that while the Fairies were away the Leprechauns would not only repair but also paint all the playthings. I arrived back home laden with pots of different coloured paints and some paintbrushes.

I then prepared the guest rooms for Shamus and his friends to sleep and I ordered food with plenty of packets of ginger biscuits. All Fairies and Leprechauns love ginger biscuits and I always made sure that there were plenty in stock in my pantry. We spent the rest of the day talking and Shamus told me of his adventures since we had last met. The Leprechauns set off quite early the next morning to start work in Fairyland.

I made four thermos bottles of hot sweet tea and went to join them. Leprechauns do not need a dinner break they work on till they are finished. New seats and ropes for the swings, the roundabout came next and there was a hammering of nails and a sawing of wood, all worked well. As each plaything was finished I painted it the swings a light green and for the roundabout I used a bright red and blue. I passed the bottles of hot tea around and all had a little rest.

Shamus helped me to paint the last slide and we all hurried back home to my back kitchen. The Leprechauns washed and changed their working clothes and I prepared a hot meal. We were not ready or expecting what happened next. The room seemed to be filled with electricity and suddenly the tabletop was covered with all kinds of good things to eat and many bottles of elderberry wine.

Her Majesty knew all about our working in the woods for the Fairies and this was her way of saying thank you. We ate many a fairy cake and drank the delicious elderberry wine. There were enough Fairy cakes left over so that we had them for breakfast. Now Shamus and his four friends have left me to go back to Ireland. I am reading many books and am waiting patiently for the Fairies to come back in the spring. They will be delighted I know that all of the playthings have been mended and painted all will be fresh again for them.

Wizards At The Royal Albert Hall.

Frying eggs and bacon with some mushrooms for my breakfast, I suddenly felt the presence of some one in my kitchen. Turning from the stove, Shamus my Leprechaun friend smiled a big smile and greeted me with the words, "We have work to do." I returned Shamus's greeting and place some more rashers of bacon and a couple of eggs in the frying pan. "Knowing you Shamus, you have not eaten this morning, spread few more slices of bread with butter and we will have breakfast together. The tea is made, as you know I like plenty of sugar in my tea, get yourself a cup and saucer and pour the tea. The eggs, bacon, and mushrooms are ready and we can eat. Shamus badly wanted to tell me something but I would not hear of it until we had both eaten our breakfast.

We washed and dried the breakfast dishes and sat ourselves down in the easy armchairs. Shamus asked me whether I had heard of the meeting of the Witches and the Wizards that was to take place at the Royal Albert Hall in London. I had not heard of any such meeting and asked him to tell me about it. Shamus had heard of letters of invitation that had been sent to specially chosen Witches and Wizards. The Witches and Wizards were to meet on the third Sunday in July. "They are up to no good," I heard Shamus saying. " I would love to attend the meeting but as soon as they were to see me they would know that I am a Leprechaun and would not let me into the building." "You could smuggle yourself in and listen to what they plan on doing, it is surely something bad." "How would I be able to get in? I have no invitation and can not perform any magic in front of the Witches and Wizards." Shamus smiled his huge smile once again. "You will have an invitation and a perfect disguise, no one will be able to know that you are you."

Two days later Shamus visited me again, I was working in my garden, and it was his whistling of an Irish melody that caught my attention. "Wash your hands and then take a look at your personal invitation to the Royal Albert Hall." Shamus after I had cleaned myself up took an envelope from his large pocket and gave it to me. In bold copperplate writing my name and address had been written on the envelope. Opening the envelope I took out a card also written in the same copperplate handwriting inviting His Excellency the mighty Wizard Bernard Shaw to the Royal Albert Hall. Under the invitation were the words (six in the evening on the third Sunday in July,) The invitation was signed by Magicorius, Wizard extraordinary Sussex England. "Where on earth did you manage to get this at such short notice"? I asked Shamus, I managed to get hold of an invitation from a Wizard that is rather old and thinks that I am his apprentice. The invitation is exactly like the one he had it took me over an hour to copy it, No one will know it is a fake.

"Shamus If I am asked to perform any magic I would not be able to, as they would know that I have learned all my magic from the Fairies. It would give the game away as soon as I did any magic no matter how simple." "Come with me. Her Majesty Queen Feeana wants to see us. Walking into Fairyland with Shamus by my side we came to the old oak tree where I had often met Her Majesty. We did not have to wait long a blue flash a puff of smoke and Her Royal Majesty Queen Feeana, in a beautiful flowered dress stood before us. We both bowed to Her Majesty. "You have been told of the Wizards and Witches meeting in the Royal Albert Hall in London?" She asked me. "Yes Your Majesty Shamus has told me about it and I now posses thanks to Shamus an invitation to the meeting. I am worried though that I might give myself away if I am asked to do anything magical. Pointing her magic wand at me, Her Majesty said some words in the old language and suddenly my head was filled with the knowledge that any good Wizard would have. Smiling Her Majesty left us, as she had come, a flash of blue light a puff of smoke and Shamus and I were alone once more.

The third Sunday in July came and I took an early train to London. Shamus had done something with my hearing aids so that he would be informed of whatever was being said at the meeting everything that I heard would be transmitted to him. How he did this I do not know, probably with magic. I arrived at the Royal Albert Hall in good time and entering the building I was asked by a Wizard for my invitation. I showed him my invitation and was told to go and take a seat and make myself comfortable. Soon the hall was filled with Witches and Wizards all were dressed in ordinary clothing no one looked at all like a Witch or a Wizard. The hall was filled with people and in the middle of the hall was a boxing ring. Standing in the boxing ring with a microphone to his lips was the Wizard Magicorius. He started speaking in low pleasant voice. Good evening to you all, I call the Wizard Morgenfell to speak to you about a plan he has to get rid of all the Fairies on this Earth. Morgenfell climbed into the ring. I thought that he looked a little young to be a Wizard. He had an evil grin on his face as he told us that he had found a way to turn all of the water on this earth to ice. As you all know the Fairies go every year just before it is winter to the underground caves under the Himalayan Mountains. If we turn all of the water to ice the Fairies will have to leave this earth for good. He then asked us to write down the chemicals needed to turn all water into ice, Even the water in the atmosphere would turn to ice and fall either as snow or hale stones. This I thought to myself was a wicked and evil plan. Shamus had heard every word that was said in the hall. Her Majesty went to see Mother Nature and told her of the plans of the evil Wizards and Witches. Mother Nature smiled and told Her Majesty that one of the ingredients would straight away vanish from the earth. No Witch or Wizard would be able to make any thing that would turn water to ice. I felt the pull as Her Majesty used her magic to bring me back to Dartford Heath. Both Her Majesty and Shamus quickly told me of Mother Nature's plan to get rid of one of the things needed to turn water into ice. No Wizard or Witch that had been in the Royal Albert Hall could ever turn water into ice by using any chemicals. I with Shamus wished her Majesty a good night and went back home to my house where with some ginger biscuits and hot sweet tea we sat and spoke about Wizards and Witches. We both agreed that there were many good Witches and Wizards that used plants and roots, flowers and berries, to cure people that were sick. Shamus left the way he had come and I went to bed to sleep. If I had not found the rail tickets to London in the morning, I would have thought that the whole thing was a dream.