"No," said Lulu, sighing and hugging tight her new-old doll. "I am so
happy and contented that I can not think of anything else to wish for
myself; but I was just thinking how badly the poor King must be feeling
all this time without his shadow, while here are we, to whom he gave
these Fairy Wishing Wands, having so good a time. I wish he could be
happy and contented, too."
"Ah, so do I," said the Fairy Queen Zulena. "I have wished that for many
years."
The Twins looked at her and for the first time they saw a shade of
sorrow cross her sweet face. "The truth is, my children," said the Fairy
Queen, "I have often wanted again to see the King. Once, very long ago,
we were children here together in this country, until he fell partly
under the influence of Wicked Fairies and began to care more for gold
and jewels and the like than for anything else. It was the Wicked
Fairies who changed his nature; but I am always hoping that he will grow
to be a great and good king even yet, so that we may together rule over
the same land."
"Why," said Zuzu, "that is precisely what the King has said to us very
many times!"
The face of the Fairy Queen flushed a little at this, but she sighed.
"Alas, I think that can not be," she said. "True, I aid him as I can,
and whenever he telephones to me for gold, I give it to him, because
certainly we have more gold than we can use, and many gems as well; but
I can not go up to the Island to meet him, and so can only telephone,
which I do not find wholly satisfactory. Against certain Wicked Fairies
not even I, the Queen, can prevail in all cases. Thus, I am sad to say,
I could not even secure the King's shadow from the Wicked Fairy Gobo, if
it be true that he has taken it and hidden it at his cave in the
mountain. That could only be done by a good child who wished it very
hard, and who used the Wishing Wand which is proper for the Island of
Gee-Whiz, where the shadow came from."
"Ah!" cried Zuzu, "then that is precisely what I shall wish next." So he
rubbed his own Wishing Wand very hard, and besought that the King should
have back his shadow again, and never more lose it.
"That," said the Queen, smiling now happily, "is very kind of you, and I
am sure if only we can find the shadow here in the valley, the Wicked
Fairy will be obliged to let it go. It is quite likely that he has also
taken the White Cricket of the King. If we could restore both of these
to the rightful owner, I should be very happy and contented myself."
"But what shall we do to-morrow?" asked the Queen of the Twins as she
arose and started out from the Candy Man's place.
"I should above all things like to see the place where the Fairies find
all the gold," said Zuzu.
"Very well," said the Queen, "we will go to-morrow, and I will show you
where all the gold comes from; but now let us go back to the palace, and
go to sleep for the night."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account