The Clumsy Fairy
by J. Robert Whittle and
Joyce Sandilands
Once upon a time a
little fairy named Polly came to live in the overgrown garden behind
an old, empty house. It was a very magical garden as you shall see.
Polly
was a happy, but untidy, little fairy who was always getting into
trouble. Her merry, tinkling laughter could be heard all over the yard
as her antics annoyed the other garden creatures.
Polly didn't look like an
ordinary fairy. Her hair was bright red and curly … not blond or
silky-smooth like her sisters and their friends. Her pigtails were
lopsided and stuck straight out from her head. She wore extra large
golden slippers … on the wrong feet! She had even put her leotards on
backwards! Her wispy thin, gossamer dress, torn by blackberry bushes,
hung in rags and tatters … and her wings were always on crooked.
One day, while
flying backwards, Polly knocked Mrs. Spider’s special bonnet off her
head. Mrs. Spider waved her four arms and stamped her four legs in
frustration.
“Just look at
yourself,” she scolded the fairy. She waggled her arms and legs and
looked very cross. “You are the most untidy little nuisance in all of
Fairyland!”
Giggling, Polly
sat down hard on Priscilla Pansy’s beautiful blue and yellow petals.
Two little ladybugs sleeping on the flower bounced high into the air.
Willy Worm, awoken
by the noise, poked his head out of his hole in the ground.
“My, you’re a
sight, young Polly,” sighed Priscilla Pansy. But she liked this happy
little fairy. So, she curled her petals and puffed them up to make a
soft seat for her.
Grandfather Bumble
Bee hovered nearby. He shook his head and grumbled loudly. “Polly, my
girl, what are we going to do with you?” he asked.
Then, gently
taking her by the hand, he took her home. He instructed all the bees
in the beehive to make Polly into a tidy fairy. First, the bees buzzed
around her. Then they scrubbed and bathed her. They mended her dress
and brushed her hair. They straightened her wings, too. When they had
finished, they gently pushed her out of the beehive and into the
sunshine.
The garden
creatures gasped in disbelief at the sight of the new Polly. Brian
Beetle covered his eyes. He thought he was dreaming. The little white
daisies waved their petals and called happily to the beautiful fairy.
But Polly’s
troubles were far from over.
Later that day,
she landed too close to Gordie Grasshopper spilling his milk. In her
hurry to clean up the mess, she knocked poor Carey Caterpillar right
off her branch. The caterpillar went flying head over heels … down …
down … down, into the soft green grass.
“Polly, dear
Polly,” laughed the Fairy Queen, “I guess we shall just have to accept
you as you are. Perhaps when you grow up you will stop being so
clumsy.”
“Look, look!”
cried Melissa, the Monarch butterfly. “There are some new people
moving into our empty house at last.”
The garden
creatures watched excitedly as a big moving van drove up and began to
unload.
“Who are they?”
Polly asked Sammy, the squirrel, sitting on a branch beside her.
“They are a family. They have a little girl named Shayla,” said Sammy.
Polly clapped her
hands happily. She loved little children. Now she would have a new
friend. She could tell Shayla all about her new magic garden.
“Careful, Polly!
Keep your arms still!” warned the Fairy Queen, wagging her finger at the
young fairy. “You almost knocked Willy Worm’s hat off! You’ll have lots
of time to play after the little girl is moved in.”
“Hide quickly!”
buzzed Mrs. Bumble Bee. “Here comes a little girl. It must be Shayla. We
don’t want to frighten her. She must be coming to explore her new
garden.”
The fairies, frogs,
and garden creatures disappeared as if by magic, that is, all except the
inquisitive Polly. Changing into a purple and yellow butterfly, she flew
over to meet the happy little girl, skipping across the lawn.
Flying too close,
she bumped into Shayla’s nose then flew backwards to watch her from a
distance.
"Ow, what was that!" Shayla exclaimed in surprise,
rubbing her nose.
“Are you Shayla?”
asked Polly, flapping her butterfly wings wildly and flying closer. She
went so close to the girl she almost bumped her nose again.
“Y-yes, I
am,” said Shayla, taking a step backwards in surprise. She had never
seen a talking butterfly before and purple was her favourite colour. She
held up her hand so the butterfly could land on it. “Are you a talking
butterfly?” she asked. "Did you fly into my nose?"
Polly gently settled
onto Shayla’s hand. Suddenly, she turned back into a fairy. She waved at
Shayla and giggled. "Yes, it was me who bumped into your nose. I'm
really sorry."
Shayla giggled,
too. "That's all right. It didn't hurt. Wow, are you a fairy? A real
fairy?”
“Of course I am!”
Polly laughed. “Will you be my friend?"
