On the edge of a lonely marsh beside a hill-side was a small cottage in which lived a widow and her six-year-old son. The place was lonely for there were no neighbours for miles around and at night there were strange noises, for in the marsh lived elves and fairies. The widow made up the fire in the evening, and liked to go to bed early, so that she might hide under the bedcovers if she heard the fairies or something dreadful happened. Her son sat on a stool in front of the fire and would never come to sleep when she called him, even if she threatened to whack him. He was very wilful and naughty. Winter was setting in and the widow had just made a fire after supper and called her boy. But he shook his head. “The fairies will get you!” she threatened and went to bed.
A Lesson
The boy sat beside the fire when he heard a rustling sound in the chimney and down tumbled a tiny fairy! “Who are you?” he asked. “My own self!” replied the cheeky little fairy. “And you?” “My own self too!” replied the boy. They played on the mat. She made animals out of the ashes, a little house with tiny men and women, all living and talking! Then, an ember flew out of the fire and fell on the fairy’s toe. She began screaming loudly and nothing the boy could say would keep her quiet. There was a rustling in the chimney and an older fairy stretched out a long arm and grabbed the little one. “What happened?” she asked and the fairy told her about the ember. “Who did it?” “My own self!” she said. The elder fairy took her away. The boy crept into bed and now he slept early every day!
