The chronicles of Fairy land — David Hume — John Shaqi
The chronicles of Fairy land
David Hume · en
At last the weary, hot day came to an end, the silver moon arose in the
dark blue sky, the wind sighing through the forest made the delicate
leaves tremble with its cool breath, and the elf awoke. He left the kind
rose, which had sheltered him in her golden heart from the heat of the
day, and flew towards the rippling stream which lies on the confines of
Faeryland. Away in the distance, he could hear the murmuring laughter of
the faeries, as they danced to the sound of elfin music, but he was too
anxious to get into the Giants’ Country to trouble himself about his old
friends.
Just as he was about to cross the boundary, the leaves of the Faery
forest sighed out the word “Beware!” but, not heeding the warning, he
flew across the stream, and found himself at last in the terrible
country where dwelt the foolish giants and the evil ogres. As he
alighted upon an enormous daisy, which was as large as a mushroom, a
voice rang out from Faeryland, full and clear, like the sound of a
beautiful bell:
“Never more come back you need,
Till you’ve done some kindly deed.”
And so when Gillydrop looked back, he saw no green banks, no tall trees,
no beautiful flowers, but only a wide grey ocean sleeping in sullen
stillness under the cold light of the moon.
He was now flying over a dreary waste plain, with great circles of
upright stones standing here and there, and a bitter cold wind blowing
shrilly across the flat country towards the sullen grey sea. Had he not
been able to fly, he would never have crossed the plain, because the
grass stood up like mighty spears, and the furze bushes were like great
trees. On every side he saw immense mountains, blue in the distance,
lifting their snowy summits to the clouds, with great trees at their
foot looking like enormous hills of leaves. There were no birds flying
in the cold air, and no animals crawling on the bleak earth; everything
seemed dead and silent, except the wind, which moaned through the mighty
trees like the roaring of oceans.
There are no towns in Giantland, because the giants are not very fond of
one another, and prefer to live by themselves in lonely castles among
the mountains. Gillydrop knew this, but, although he looked on every
side, he could see no sign of any castle, until at last he suddenly came
on one which was quite in ruins, and so tumbled down that no one could
possibly dwell in it. He flew on, feeling rather afraid, and came to
another castle, also in ruins, with a huge white skeleton lying at the
foot of a high tower, which was no doubt the skeleton of the giant who
had lived there.
Then he found a third, a fourth, a fifth castle, all deserted and in
ruins. It seemed as though all the giants were dead, and Gillydrop, in
despair at the sight of such desolation, was about to fly back to
Faeryland, when he suddenly thought of the voice which had said: