The chronicles of Fairy land — David Hume — John Shaqi
The chronicles of Fairy land
David Hume · en
“Good-bye,” said Gillydrop, as soon as they were comfortably seated in
the boat. “I’m sorry I brought you here, but it will do you no harm, as
it will teach you to be good. Mind you don’t quarrel in the boat—if you
do, the leaf will vanish, and you’ll sink for ever in the black waves.”
“Oh, we’ll be very, very good,” promised both the children eagerly, and
then Gillydrop gave the boat a push, so that it moved rapidly away from
the land, leaving him seated on the beach, a lonely little red figure.
Teddy and Tilly were rather afraid at finding themselves alone in the
darkness, but they kissed one another, and fell asleep, while the
leaf-boat sailed rapidly over the Sea of Darkness towards its parent
tree. When the children awoke, they found themselves lying on the ground
under the tree, and there above them was their red and yellow boat,
hanging, a red and yellow leaf, on a high bough.
“Now we’ll go home,” cried Tilly, jumping up; “now we’ll go home to
mother.”
“And be very good,” said Teddy, also rising.
“Yes; very, very good,” replied Tilly. And then, taking one another’s
hands, they ran home to their cottage through the dark forest.
Dame Alice, who thought they had lost themselves in the wood, was very
glad to see them, and, after she had kissed them, gave them a good
supper of bread and milk, which they enjoyed very much, for you see they
were very hungry with the long journey.
They told Dame Alice all their adventures, and she was very glad they
had gone to the Giants’ Country, for she guessed, like the wise mother
she was, that this was the lesson the faeries had foretold.
Ever afterwards, Teddy and Tilly were good children; there never were
two such good children, because they thought, if they were not good,
they would be taken back to the Giants’ Country and boiled for an ogre’s
supper. But after a time they liked to do good actions because they
found it pleasant, and Dame Alice was so pleased with their behaviour
that she made a rhyme about them, which soon passed into a proverb:
“The magic power of a faery
Cures a child when quite contrary.”
III.
HOW THE RED ELF RETURNED TO FAERYLAND.
WHEN Gillydrop saw the magic boat disappear into the darkness of the
sea, he thought that, now he had done one kindly deed, his clothes would
change from red to green, and he would be able to return to his dear
Faeryland. But nothing of the sort occurred, and the poor elf began to
cry again, thinking he was lost for ever, but this time his tears were
not red, which was a good sign, although he did not know it.