Pixies in the Garden

1Pixies in the Garden

  Helen Chapman

  Copyright 2012

  Helen Chapman

  Published by

  Clowder Publishing

  P.O. Box 492

  Westmoreland, TN 37186

  Tara's father decided, when the weather began to turn cold, that it was time to start working on a gazebo to provide the fairy folk living in his garden with a winter home, because he feared that they might catch chills as the temperatures dropped.

  But first he talked to Tanner when Tara's little friends were breakfasting one day. Tanner knew a bit about building, because he had been on display across an aisle from planning brochures at the garden centre where Tara found him, and Tara's father was sure he would have some good ideas.

  Tanner carefully stirred sugar and milk into his tea, and pondered, for gnomes all like to think very carefully before they answer any questions. Then he sipped his tea, and looked up. 'I reckon the first thing we'll be needing is some helpers, sir.'

  Tara's father told Tanner he could hire some helpers. But Tanner looked doubtful, because Tara's father was thinking of human helpers, whilst Tanner was thinking of helpful gnomes.

  'Well sir, you can hire helpers,' he said thoughtfully. 'Or you can get a few at the garden center. There's gnomes of all sizes there, sir, and it's also a full moon tonight. If you buy some wood and some gnomes today, we could be ready to work tomorrow.'

  Tara's father was silent for a moment. Then he eyed Tanner a little doubtfully. 'How would you feel about sharing our garden with other gnomes, Tanner?'

  Tanner nodded in a friendly sort of way. 'I think I would like it just fine, sir.' He was quiet for a moment as he took a bite of his toast with marmalade. 'Sometimes, sir, I get lonely, being the only gnome. Bran can visit next door with his friend Victor, but Tina, Ray Ann and I don't have any company of our own kind.'

  Tara's father saw the tough little gnome wipe a tear away from his eye, and felt quite sad himself.

  'I am very sorry, Tanner, Ray Ann, and Tina,' he told the three little people apologetically. 'I never thought you might grow lonely, or need company. I'll go to the garden center during my lunch hour and get some more gnomes, and then, when the gazebo is finished and you all have a safe, warm place to spend the winter, I'll find another dragon and some more faeries. Would you all like that?'

  Tara's fairy folk agreed noisily that his idea was a wonderful one. So Tara's father took her back to the garden centre during his lunch hour. But he had to search for quite a while to find some more gnomes to help build their gazebo. In the end he found three quite buried in a dark corner, and called to Tara excitedly.

  'Tara, look what I've found. They are a bit smaller than Tanner, but I think they will do, don't you?'

  Tara considered the figures very carefully, and then shook her head. 'Daddy, I don't think they are gnomes.'

  Tara's father examined them again, and then placed them carefully back down on the ground. But he was not convinced. 'Well, sweetheart, I know they're smaller than Tanner, and they are wearing funny clothes, but I think they would make excellent helpers. Let's put the three of them in our trolley and go home. Remember what Tanner said about tonight a full moon. We won't be able to get our gazebo built in time for our friends to have a warm place if we miss tonight.'

  Tara sighed, because fathers can sometimes be very headstrong. 'Okay Daddy. Let's put them in the trolley.' She looked over the resin figures as she helped lift them. 'May I name them like I did the others, Daddy?'

  Her father placed the last of the three figures in the trolley and began to push it down the aisle towards the checkout. 'Have they already told you their names?' He remembered that Tanner, Tina and Bran had all managed to tell their names, even whilst they were still little resin statues.

  Tara nodded confidently. 'Yes, Daddy. But they have very odd names. Would you like to know what they said they are called?'

  Tara's father waited for her to speak. Tara seemed to be thinking hard, trying to get the names just right.

  Then she pointed to a little figure in a bright yellow jerkin. 'This one is Colby, Daddy.' She pointed at the second small statue, and then at the third. 'The one wearing white and blue and green is Stilton, and the one in orange is Cheddar. Aren't those odd names?'

  Her father agreed. 'They certainly are odd names, Tara. But perhaps they are quite normal names for gnomes.'

  Tara shook her head decisively. 'Oh, no Daddy. They said they are definitely not gnomes.'

  Her father looked surprised. 'Then what are they, if they are not gnomes? They're not brownies, are they?'

  Tara shook her head and pointed at the one dressed in yellow. 'Oh no Daddy. Colby said they are pixies.'

  Tara's father kept pushing his trolley. Pixies seemed pretty much the same as gnomes to him.

  Tara's fairy folk were all in their places as garden statues when they got home, because there some delivery men in the garden, delivering timber and other things for the gazebo. Tara's father paid the men, and Tara set about placing the pixies in the garden.

  She told her father she thought the pixies needed to be near Tanner and Ray Ann, because she thought the gnome and the dragon would better be able to keep them in order.

  Her father duly began to set the pixies in place. Sometimes he wondered how Tara knew so much about her fairy folk. But he also knew better than to ask questions. Tara seemed to have special way of communicating with them.

  Tara wanted Colby next to Tanner, and Stilton and Cheddar on either side of Ray Ann. The new arrivals made her garden look really very festive, with blue and green and orange around the little paisley dragon's pinks and reds and purples and blues, all gathered amongst a mass of yellow snapdragons. Colby's yellow suit and cap also complimented Tanner's green and brown very nicely, and Tara judged that the fairy folk's colours would look even better in amongst the orange Tiger Lilies, when they bloomed the following summer.

  The little fairy folk slept on until the moon came out, and Tara and her family were all fast asleep when the light of the full moon fell on her gazing ball. Rhiannon, Ray Ann and Tanner began to wake as the light fell first upon Colby, then on Stilton and Cheddar. One by one, the tiny pixies stretched and grunted, happy to get the stiffness out of their little arms.

  Colby looked around and squeaked excitedly. 'Coo, we be in a garden. And we can move. Wonder why?'

  The two other pixies gazed around in amazement. Ray Ann explained to them how Tara and her father had chosen them to help Tanner with his building work, and how the gazing ball had brought them to life.

  Colby looked about the garden, and then at his two friends, and did not look very pleased at what he heard. 'Do you mean that we got stuck in the darkest corner of a garden centre all summer just so that some little girl could get her father to make us work?'

  Stilton and Cheddar squeaked in equal grumpiness, and Colby turned to Tina. 'Look, we are pixies. We dance. We play. Sometimes we get up to some kind of prank. But we don't work. Got it?'

  With that, the three pixies began to skip about the pond, admiring their reflections in the water. They danced and danced, until Stilton tripped on a frog and fell in. The water was not very deep, but Stilton still thrashed and splashed about, and screamed that he was drowning.

  Tanner muttered grumpily that the newcomers were dratted little beasties, and got ready to thump Stilton with a holly branch. Fortunately Ray Ann lifted the pixie clear out of the water just at that moment, and puffed a little flame near him to dry him off.

  Stilton was a pixie, and pixies are never grateful, so he just scowled at her as he squeezed a few remaining drops of water from his little pointy hat. Then he turned to the two other Pixies. 'Who ever heard of a paisley dragon, anyway
?' With that he linked arms with Colby and Cheddar and the three pixies went off to dance on the grass, which a little damp, but not as wet as the pond.

  Tanner was not at all pleased, and eyed Rhiannon, the tiny faerie, and Ray Ann, the paisley dragon. 'Well. I have never seen such rude fairy folk in all my days. Have you, Rhiannon, and Ray Ann?'

  Rhiannon frowned to show her disapproval. Tanner waited for Ray Ann to answer, but all he heard was a little watery snort.

  Rhiannon looked worried, and fluttered up to rest on Ray Ann's narrow little Dragon shoulders. 'What's wrong, Ray Ann? Are you crying?'

  Ray Ann just snuffled and sniffed and nodded her head.

  Rhiannon flew back