North Cornwall Fairies and LegendsTregarthen, Enys
Science
North Cornwall Fairies and Legends
Tregarthen, Enys
Folklore -- England -- Cornwall (County); Legends -- England -- Cornwall (County)
They made up their minds that they would punish the old turf-cutter
for taking away their nice soft green Piskey-bed by doing him out
of his junket and biscuits, and they told some distant relations of
theirs, the Fairy Moormen, to keep an eye upon the spence-window,
and whenever they saw Grannie Nankivell bring a bowl of junket and a
dish of biscuits into her spence, they must come with all speed and
tell them.
'We'll watch too,' they said; 'but in case we are away dancing or
setting up Piskey-lights, you must watch for us,' which the Tiny
Moormen were quite pleased to do.
But the moor fairies watched in vain for many a week, and just as
they were beginning to fear that Grannie Nankivell was never going
to make any more biscuits and junket for her husband, she set to and
made some, and when they were made she took them into the spence,
as she always did.
The spence opened out from the kitchen, and was quite a little room
in itself, with a tiny window facing the moors. In front of the window
was a stone bench, and near it a square oak table.
The Tiny Moormen were peeping in at the window when the old woman
put the bowl of junket on the table and the dish of sugar biscuits
on the bench, and the moment her back was turned they tore off to
the Piskeys with the news.
'A big round basin full of lovely cool junket,' they cried, 'and a
dish heaping full of round biscuits, yellow and white with eggs and
sugar, with which they are made. I heard the old woman say that she
had never made better, and all for Granfer Nankivell, 'cause 'tis
his birthday to-morrow.'
'Birthday or no birthday, Granfer Nankivell shan't taste one,' cried
the little Piskeys. 'No fy, he shan't! He turned us out of our beds,
and we'll do him out of his biscuits and junket, see if we won't!'
'That's right!' said the Fairy Moormen, who were hand and glove with
the Piskeys, 'only please save some for us.'
They and the Piskeys hastened away to the turf-cutter's cottage,
and when the turf-cutter and his wife had gone to bed, the Piskeys
got into the spence and ate up the big bowl of junket, and passed
out the biscuits to the Tiny Moormen.
When Grannie Nankivell went to her spence the next day she found the
junket-bowl empty and every biscuit gone.
She said she could not imagine who had taken the things, but looked
suspiciously at her little granddaughter Genefer.
'The cat must have got into the spence and done me out of my birthday
treat,' said the old turf-cutter. 'You must shut the spence-window
the next time you put a junket in there.'
'But the biscuits have gone as well as the junket,' said the old
woman, still looking at little Genefer. 'Cats have no liking for
sugar biscuits, that ever I heard tell of.'
The next time Grannie Nankivell took biscuits and a junket into
her spence she shut the window and also the door; but when she got
up the following morning and went to see if they were safe, lo and
behold! the junket-bowl was again empty and the biscuits were gone.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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