Away With the Fairies Read Free Page B

shrugged. It had been a long shot anyway. He blew his wife a kiss and she turned back towards the forest.
    Without any warning, something pale green shot out into the room and out of the bedroom door. “My God, what was that? Ben cried, turning away from the wall and staring in horror in the direction where the creature had gone.
    “Mitzy,” June said, not looking away from the wall. “ Concentrate, Dad.”
    Ben looked back at the wall. “But it was green.”
    “Yes, I know,” said June, “but it was Mitzy just the same.”
    Privately Ben thought she must be wrong, but he didn't argue.
     
    “Lucy! Lucy?” Monica was moving further into the wood. She looked behind her. The bedroom was still comfortingly near. “Lucy!”
    “Mum?” The voice was very small and far away.
    Monica shouted louder. “I'm here, Lucy. It's Mum. I'm here.” She was sobbing with relief.
    A few minutes later a bedraggled figure appeared between the trees, then broke into a run and jumped into her mother's arms. “Lucy. Oh, Lucy.” Monica hugged her so tight she was afraid she might break her ribs.
    Lucy was sobbing. “I've lost Mitzy, Mum. She ran in here and I can't find her.”
    “It's all right, Darling,” Monica said soothingly. “She's gone back in the house. I saw her run past a minute ago. Look!” She turned with the child in her arms and pointed to the brightly-lit patch of bedroom a few yards away.
     
    A moment later they were both safely back in the bedroom. Ben hugged both wife and daughter in a group hug, but June crossed her arms and scowled. “ Mum! ” she said. “You left my scarf in there.”
    Both her parents turned to her and laughed. Then Ben put out an arm and pulled her into the group hug. “I'm going to buy you a whole shopful of scarves, Sweetness,” he said, “but nobody's going back in there.”
    He put down his daughters and turned to Monica. “Come on,” he said. “Help me move the wardrobe in front of the wall. Nobody seemed to notice that Lucy's face had taken on a greenish tinge.
     
    “Hellooo!” came a stentorian voice from the foot of the stairs. “Is anybody home?”
    The girls exchanged a look. “Granny McCurdle,” whispered Lucy. A moment later they heard her footsteps coming up the stairs.
    The girls appeared at the bedroom door and went down to meet her and Granny McCurdle's face broke into a beaming smile.
“Lucy, Darling. They've found you. Whatever have you done to your face? Is it face paint?”
    Lucy looked blank, but June put her hands to her own face in a gesture of horror. “Lucy,” she said, “your face has gone green.”
    They said no more because at that moment a terrible screaming noise came from downstairs and all three rushed down to see what was going on.
     
    They arrived at the foot of the stairs at the same moment as a policeman came running in the front door and they all headed towards the kitchen in a confused mass.
    Granny McCurdle got there a short head in front of the others. “Oh my goodness,” she cried. “The cat's got something.”
She pounced on Mitzy and snatched away the small green creature. It lay completely still in her hands. Lucy burst into tears. “She's killed a fairy!” she cried.
    “No, I don't think so,” said Granny McCurdle, bringing the little man up to her face and putting her ear to his chest. “I think he's fainted.”
    She checked him over for injuries and could find none. “Well, would you look at this?” she said. “What a bonny wee man! Whatever is he doing here?”
    “It's a fairy.” Both girls spoke at once.
    The policeman, convinced he had just walked into a madhouse, backed away and bumped into Ben and Monica, who were just coming in from the hall.
    Granny was crooning over the fairy, who had opened his eyes and was looking up at her adoringly.
    “Will you be hungry, then?” she said and pulled a handful of beans out of the vegetable basket. The little man grabbed at one, sniffed it and then stuffed it in