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The Three Little Faerie Sisters: Story #1
The Three Little Sisters: Their First Adventure
Once upon a time there lived three little sisters, three pitifully small girls whose poor bedraggled mother had all but given up of any hope they might someday grow to be the same size as the other children in their village. The names of these sisters were Greta, Lisa and Mildred, and although they were girls, whom one thinks easier to manage than rascally boys, they were still a quite a handful for their poor mother who had to constantly keep an eye on them, to ensure they didn’t get into any more trouble. They were not naughty children. No, if anything they were fastidiously good, it’s just they were at times a bit giddy and mischievous, with an unfortunate knack of getting into sticky situations, which drove their mother to despair that she could ever steer them into a more normal way of life. Let me explain…
It all began on a dark and dreary Saturday morning, one of those horrible damp days we tend to get so many of in late October. Despite being so dreary it was surprisingly mild, perhaps a bit too mild their mother thought…
“I don’t like it,” the mother said as she plonked a huge spoonful of porridge into each of the three girls breakfast plates, “I don’t like it at all.”
“I don’t like porridge.” Lisa whispered to her sisters as she stared into her breakfast behind their mother’s huge back.
“Me, neither,” Greta replied with a little laugh.
“Now eat your porridge,” their mother ordered, “It’s good for your bones, and heaven knows they need something to get them growing.”
“Bones, bones, good for our bones,” the three sisters sang out as they picked up their spoons and began mixing their porridge with the milk their mother was pouring from a very large jug. The mother ignored their disrespectful song, and instead of scolding her daughters she joined them with a huge bowlful of her own.
“Get it down, and it’ll do you good,” she said as she heaped a large spoon full of sugar, and then sprinkled it over her meal.
“Get it down and it’ll do you good, do you good, good, good, good.” the three sisters sang out again, giggling and laughing together.
After mixing the porridge, sugar and milk into a creamy consistency, the mother said, “Now look at this, it’s so fine to eat.”
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Giggling and laughing even louder, the three sisters were hardly able to contain themselves, and they sang, “Now look at this, it’s so fine to eat, so fine and good it, is a treat.”
“I don’t know what’s got into you three, this morning,” the mother said, with a hint of a smile creeping onto her old face. All three girls, Greta first then Lisa, followed soon afterwards by Mildred, took a huge spoonful of sugar and, copying their mother, stirred the sugar, milk and porridge mixing them thoroughly together. As the three spoons stirred around and around, the sisters began singing again, “Porridge, porridge it’s good for our bones, bones, bones, good for our bones. Get it down and it’ll do you good, do you good, good, good, good. Now look at this, it’s so fine to eat,
so fine and good, it is a treat.” Spooning the creamy substance into their open and waiting mouths, Greta, Lisa and Mildred chewed the warm, sweet porridge three times before swallowing it and then tapping the ends of their spoons on the table showing their approval of the breakfast.
“That’s more like it,” the mother said as her eyes followed the girl’s three spoons back into their large bowls.
Bursting out singing yet again, the girls sang, “That’s more like it, it’ll do you good. Good, good, good. Good, good, good.” And they didn’t stop singing until the very last spoonful of porridge had been consumed.
“Off with you now,” the mother said as she collected the bowls and spoons from the table, “and remember to come home if it rains…”
Running out through the open doorway, the three sisters wandered along the lane, wondering what they might do for the day.
“I have an idea,” said Greta as she picked up a shiny new conker from under an ancient Horse Chestnut tree, “let’s play Conkers Bonkers.”
“Nah, we played that yesterday,” said Lisa, “and, anyhow, it’s really a boy’s game.”
“I would like to know who made up that silly rule,” Greta grumbled as she reluctantly threw away her conker.
Raising a hand, Mildred suggested, “Why don’t we play Hide and Seek?”
“Hide and Seek?” Lisa and Greta replied together, “That’s PERFECT.” So it was to be Hide and Seek – but who was going to be the Seeker?
“I was the seeker, last time,” said Lisa in an effort to avoid being the dreaded Seeker.
“So was I,” Mildred added with a squeal of delight.
That leaves you,” the two girls said, pointing to the unfortunately last Greta.
Realizing that she had been outmanoeuvred, Greta reluctantly agreed to be the Seeker, “All right, it’s me,” she said as she faced into the Chestnut tree trunk, ready to begin counting, “but I’m only counting up to fifty – I get bored going all the way to one hundred.”
“Okay,” her sisters shouted as they ran off. Greta began counting, “One, two, three, four, five…”
“Psst.”
“Six, seven, eight…”
PSST!”
With her head still firmly set against the tree trunk, Greta whispered, “Who’s there?”
No reply.
Thinking that she had been imagining the interruption, Greta resumed her counting, “Nine, ten...”
" PSSSSST!”
“Now I know that I heard that,” said Greta, pulling her face away from the tree, “and if you two are playing a tricks with me, you will so regret it…” Looking for her two sisters, Greta called, “Where are you?”
A voice that was most definitely not either her sisters, replied, “I am over here.”
Unable to see anyone, Greta said, “I still can’t see you.”
A small man, stepping out from behind the tree Greta had been leaning into, greeted her, saying, “Please don’t be afraid, Greta, I bring you great news…”
“Who, who are you?” Greta spluttered.
Smiling, the little man proudly proclaimed, “I am Yoruk.”
“Yoruk – what sort of a name is that? And why are you so small?” Greta asked as she began laughing at the miniature man.
“Hmm, your mother was right, you are disrespectful,” Yoruk said, tapping his foot on the ground showing his displeasure at being laughed at.
“How do you know my mother?
“I don’t,” the little man replied, “but I have been listening…”
“Listening – why – where?” Greta asked in amazed confusement.
“All in good time,” the little man replied, “all in good time…” Then he added, “You know, you’re not that big yourself.”
Changing the subject from her height (or lack of it), Greta continued with her questioning of Yoruk. “How do you know my name?”
“I have known it ever since you were born,” Yoruk replied mysteriously.
“But – how?”
“I will answer all your questions – and more, after we have found your two sisters,” Yoruk promised.
“If that’s what it takes,” said Greta, “let’s go find them…” And with that she quickly counted up to fifty.
As they headed off down the winding lane, searching for Lisa and Mildred, Greta wondered just why the funny little man wanted to speak with all three of them. As Yoruk walked quietly alongside Greta, he wondered
if he had any hope of getting through to the three impish young girls. “Let’s try the barn,” Greta suggested, “Lisa
always hides in the barn.” After clambering over the stone wall separating the field from the lane, Greta and Yoruk approached the old barn. As cockerel crowed noisily from somewhere deep within the barn two geese ran out flapping and hissing
at the unwelcome intruders. Stopping dead in her tracks, Greta’s eyes locked onto the geese, and she whispered, “I’m afraid of geese.”
I can easily fix that,” said Yoruk who, with a simple wave of a hand, sent the geese hooting and running for cover.
“How on earth did you do that?” Greta asked in total amazement
at the miraculous achievement. “No time for explaining, we must find your sisters.”
On entering the barn, there were no signs of any more geese and, apart the farmer’s horse eating contentedly from his nosebag, nothing
stirred. “Lisa – are you there?” Greta called out. They heard nothing, not a sound. “Lisa,” Greta called out again, “I have someone who
wants to meet you…” Still no reply.
“Where does she usually hide?” Yoruk asked as he prodded a bale of loosely packed hay.
“Well, she has a few favourite places,” Greta explained as she wandered around the drafty barn. The first one is over here, in the stall.”
Yoruk ran into the stall, but it was empty. “No good,” he cried out.
“Hmm, that leaves the car and the loft,” said Greta as she made her way through to the rear of the barn where a dusty car sat reposing.
Running up to the car, an Austin Cambridge, like his life depended on it, Yoruk pulled open each of the four doors but, apart from a rooster flying out in alarm, nothing else was inside.
“That leaves only the loft,” said Greta, pointing to the mezzanine floor above, where bales of straw were clearly visible.
Following Greta’s instructions, Yoruk climbed the rickety ladder and began searching the loft. There were so many bales of straw packed neatly together, Yoruk despaired at ever finding the wayward sister.
All of a sudden, Lisa sprang out from behind one of the stacks he was about to inspect. “Boo,” she shouted in a huge effort to frighten her sister. The seeing that it wasn’t her, she said, “Oh, sorry, I thought you were Greta...”
He smiled, Yoruk smiled, introducing himself, “I am Yoruk,” he proudly informed her. “And I bring you great news…”
“Greta!” Lisa shouted in fright, “there’s a man up here!”
“It’s okay,” Greta replied. “Come on down and i'll explain,”
As they walked out from the barn, accompanied by the strange little man, Greta and Lisa wondered what the great news might actually be. Lisa also tried asking Yoruk to tell her, but he stubbornly refused to say anything until all three sisters were assembled together.
“Two down, means just the one more to go,” said Yoruk with a smile and a grin. “Which way now?”
“It’s not quite that easy,” said Greta, scratching her head as she thought about it some more.”
“Why?”
“Because, little man, from time to time Mildred has a habit of trying out news places to hide, and I’m sure today will be one of those times.”
Yoruk could feel his blood pressure rising, and trying to control it, he said, “I’m open to suggestions?”
Butting in, Lisa suggested, “The old mill. She’s never hidden in there, and only last week she was talking to me about it…”
“The old mill, it is,” said Yoruk as he clambered over the wall into the winding lane. Then realizing that he had absolutely no idea where it actually was, he asked, “Which way?”
Laughing at him, Lisa and Greta pointed to a whitewashed building in the distance.
“Oh,” said Yoruk in surprise, “I should have spotted that.” With that Lisa and Greta laughed all over again.
A weak sun began to appear as they approached the huge, whitewashed stone structure which had a time weathered waterwheel to one side, turning around and around splashing the foaming waters into a pool far below. Pushing open the heavy oak door, Greta called out to the miller, “Mr Grun, are you in?” From far inside the noisy interior, they heard the sound of a reply.
“Is that you, Mr Grun?” Lisa called back. Footsteps, the sound of footsteps echoed through the building as the old miller walked up to see who was there. Then seeing the two girls, he laughed merrily and said, “My goodness, it’s Lisa and Greta, it’s good to see you both. For what reason do you owe me this honour?”
Calling Yoruk, the two sisters presented the small man to the old miller.
“My, my,” said Mr Brun, “he’s no bigger than yourselves.” Then narrowing his eyebrows, the miller asked, “Does he have a name?”
“Yes, Mr Brun,” Lisa replied, his name is Yoruk.”
“Yoruk, you say? And only the one name?”
“Yes,” said Yoruk, “only the one.”
“Oh, I see,” said Mr Brun, “unusual, most unusual – don’t you agree?”
“Perhaps, and perhaps not,” Yoruk stated matter-of-factly, before prodding Greta in her side, reminding her of her hidden sister.
“Oh, I almost forgot to ask you, Mr Brun, have you seen Mildred?”
“Hide and Seek, is it?” the old man asked with a grin.
“Yes.”
“Can’t find her?”
“No – it’s not that,” Greta explained, “It’s that Yoruk has something important to tell us – all three of us, so we must find her. Have you seen her, Mr Brun?”
“Well, if it’s that important, it would be bad of me to dither so, yes, I have seen her.”
“And where is she,” Lisa asked, trying to spur the old man into telling them.
“Oh, didn’t I say? She was down by the waterwheel, is still there as far as I know. ”
“Thanks,” the two girls replied as they hurried through the mill, heading for the back door.
As Yoruk followed the two sisters, Mr Brun said quietly, “Only the one name, huh?”
When they finally caught up with her, they found Mildred patiently sitting by the stream, making daisy chains and singing softly to herself. “Oh, you’ve found me,” Mildred said as she proudly displayed the almost completed daisy chain to her sisters. “Daisies grow at this spot all year long – I wonder why?” Then seeing the little man, Mildred was intrigued as to who he could actually be.
Hurrying down, Lisa and Greta introduced Yoruk to Mildred, after which they quickly told her everything they knew about him including the great news he had to tell them.
Now that all three sisters were together again, Yoruk was ready to begin. Sitting them down upon the unseasonably warm and dry grassy bank, he
began… “My name is Yoruk – I have only the one name – and I am a faerie.”
“You’re kidding,” Lisa gasped.
“I am not,” Yoruk replied vigorously.
“You can’t be,” said Mildred, “where are your wings?”
“There are there,” said Yoruk pointing over his shoulder, “see them?”
Somehow, all three girls were then able to see a pair of gossamer wings protruding from out of Yoruk’s back. Gasping yet again, Lisa asked, “How did you do that?”
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
“PARDON?” all three sisters asked in unison.
“It’s just something someone once said to me…” Yoruk replied. Then moving on, he spoke slowly, saying, “I have some great news to tell you…”
“YES?” said all three of the sisters asked impatiently.
Coughing, clearing his throat, Yoruk, finally began telling, he said, “You – all three of you – are also faeries …”
After Yoruk’s stunning statement you could have heard a pin drop, as each sister sat there in stunned silence, wondering if the little
man was mad, if they were mad or if they were all very mad. Eventually it was Greta who put up her hand, as she asked, “If we really are faeries, and I emphasise if, then where are our wings?”
Yoruk smiled, he knew only too well that this question was coming, and he said, “Your wings are where they should be – where they have always been – on your backs. Look, look for them.”
As each girl in turn looked over her shoulder, they saw a wonderful pair of gossamer wings shining brightly in the week October sun.
“How did you do that?” the sisters asked in absolute wonderment.
“I did nothing,” said Yoruk, “You did.”
“We did? – How?”
“By opening your eyes… Now, please believe me, when I tell you that you are faeries.”
“But, but how can that be,” said Lisa, “when our mother is human.”
“That lady, the one you call mother, is only your minder, she took you in when your birth mother, you faerie mother, died.”
“She died?” the three sisters whispered in sadness.
“Yes, I’m sorry,” said Yoruk.
“How?” Mildred asked for all three of them.
“That, I’m afraid, is a long story, but believe me when I tell you she felt no pain and that it was for your very own safety.” Steering the conversation away from the sad memories, Yoruk continued, “I have come to see you today because you are all now old enough to begin learning, to begin your training in how to be faeries, and to understand all this entails.”
“Can we fly?” Lisa asked in excitement as her wings buzzed behind her.
“Me too,” said Mildred.
“And me,” said Greta, not wanting to be outdone.
“Okay, okay, today will be a time for FUN – learning can wait until tomorrow,” said Yoruk, giving in to their youthful excitement.
“Weee!” cried Lisa as she zoomed high into the air.
“Weee!” cried Mildred as she followed a close second.
“Weee!” shouted Greta as she zoomed up, flying and dive-bombing between her two sisters.
After several minutes of flying playfulness, Lisa, Greta and Mildred began to tire, and landing safely although a little bit bumpy they waited for Yoruk to rejoin them.
Looking down from high above the three sisters, Yoruk was surprised at how quickly all three of them had tired, but remembering that this was their first, their maiden flight, he understood and, gliding down, landed close to them.
“That was fun,” they warbled.
“There will be many more equally fun things to learn over the coming months,” Yoruk told them. Then waiting so a few seconds, as if unsure he should continue, he said, “And some of them will be mighty dangerous…”
The mere mention of danger wiped the smiles from each of the three faerie sisters faces.
“What do you mean – danger?” Mildred asked as she followed Yoruk up and down the daisy-strewn grass.
“I thought faeries always had fun times,” said Lisa as she settled her wings into place.
“And how will we ever get our clothes on and off, now that our wings growing right through them?” Greta asked as she attempted to take off her think woollen jumper.
Smiling again, Yoruk tried to calm the excitable young girls. He said, “Please calm down, there will be time enough to learn everything. However, I will answer Greta’s question right now. The solution is quite simple, all that you have to do is un-think your wings, simply un-think your wings and they will disappear as quickly as they appeared.”
“Huh, it sounds too easy,” said Mildred as she closed her eyes and began concentrating. Almost at once there was a popping sound, and with that her wings magically disappeared.
“Wow,” Lisa squealed as she watched her sister’s wings disappear. “Let me have a go.” With that she too closed her eyes, and seconds later her wings also disappeared with a POP.
“Your turn, now, Greta,” said Yoruk.
“I, I don’t know if I can do it,” she said.
“Go, on,” her sisters urged.
“Go, on,” said Yoruk giving her a wink as he spoke.
“Okay – here goes,” said Greta as she closed her eyes very tightly, and began concentrating on invisibility.
Then it happened, there was another POP, but it was louder than the others, and Greta, poor Greta disappeared completely from sight.
“What have you done with her? the remaining sisters screamed out. “Where is she?”
Laughing, the tears running down his face, Yoruk called, “Greta,
are you there?” There was no reply.
Yoruk spoke again, but this time firmer, “Greta, answer me this instant.”
“Do I have to?”
“Yes, you must never toy with your powers.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Now please explain to your sisters, just exactly what you have done.”
“I, I wished myself invisible – I am sorry, I really am!”
“It’s all right,” the male faerie replied, “But please do treat your powers with respect.”
“Can, can I come back?” the invisible Greta asked. “Of course you can,” said Yoruk who had returned to his former light-hearted demeanour.
“How?”
Mildred and Lisa laughed at their invisible sister.
“Stop that!” Greta shouted from somewhere.
“Listen,” Yoruk instructed, “all that you have to
do is wish yourself visible again. Come on – do it.” With that there was another POP and Greta reappeared in front of them.
As Greta, Lisa and Mildred followed Yoruk along the lane, they said, “I though we were going with you – to Faerieland.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but there’s no such place,” Yoruk replied, “we all live together – faeries and humans – that’s how it’s always been.”
“But why are we going home,” they complained, “we thought you were going to teach us all about being faeries?”
“And so I will, but one day at a time,” the male faerie replied as he opened their garden gate.
“When will we see you again?” Greta asked in desperation as Yoruk began to walk away.
“Tomorrow,” he replied as he rambled off down the lane, “tomorrow and every day…”
“But…” Greta never finished her sentence because the male faerie simply faded from sight.
“He’s gone,” said Lisa.
“Has he really gone?” asked Mildred.
“He’ll be back,” said Greta, her wings suddenly reappearing and buzzing behind her.
‘The Three Little Sisters and the Faerie Bag’
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I am the crazy-mad writer of children's stories,songs, nursery rhymes and much, much more!
© Gerrard T Wilson 2008 |
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