Circle of Gold

Lucy was on holiday and her mother had decided to take her to see her Grandmother and to stay for a few days, the little girl was very happy and singing quietly to herself, while picking some of her toys to take with her.

" I’ll take Teddy, and the baby doll and Mrs. Miniver." thought Lucy. Mrs. Miniiver was one of her favorite dolls, dressed in old-fashioned clothes, and a straw bonnet, so she was sure to go. Teddy had been with Lucy since she could remember and Baby doll was only two months old. The little girl was feeling very happy as her grandmother and grandfather lived in a small cottage near some lovely fields. You see Lucy lived in the city with her mother and father and her little brother, Barry and this made it so much more fun staying with her grandparents, with an occasional Aunt or Uncle popping in. Lucy sang a little song to her self while she dressed in a pretty pink dress, she slipped on a pair of red sandals, her mother called. "Hurry, dear, the car is waiting." Off she went saying goodbye to her father and her little brother, giving them both a big hug, her mother was going with Lucy to see her safely there. They arrived just in time for tea. Grandmother Brown said. "You know the little room to the right dear, well that is yours while your here," Lucy gave her grandma a kiss and taking her suitcase with her, went to unpack her clothes. Her mother in the mean time had a cup of tea with Grandmother Brown. The little girl opened the door of her bedroom and looked inside, it was just right, such a cosy little room, pretty blue curtains at the windows, a very comfortable looking bed at the side of the wall, a side table next to the bed, with a lamp on it, a cupboard, to put her clothes in while she was there, a dressing table with a mirror so that Lucy could look at herself and looking down she saw a lovely blue carpet. "Everything looks so nice," thought the little girl. Then going to the window, she looked out on to a garden that Granddad worked in, sweetpeas, rose bushes, and some lovely blue flowers. Just then Lucia’s grandmother called to her to come and say goodbye, as her mother was going home. Lucy kissed and hugged her mother saying, "See you in a week mum. " " Have a nice time, won't you dear," said her Mum. After seeing her mother drive away and saying "Goodbye" Grandmother and granddaughter went in for a cup of tea. Lucia’s Grandma told her.  "There are some children down the lane who want to meet you, two girls and a boy, so I've invited them here." Just then there was a knock on the door. Grandma Brown opened the door, a girl and a boy as tall as Lucy and a small girl stood at the door. "Come in," said Grandmother Brown with a smile on her lips. "You must have been watching, and seen Lucy arrive." "Yes!" said Kim. "Hello, Lucy, I'm Kim, this is Roger, and "  "I'm Rosemary, " said the little girl, moving forward not wanting to be left out, "Hi." said Roger, then he went quiet. Kim carried on. "We knew you were called Lucy because Mrs. Brown told us," just then Lucia’s Grandmother, smiling at the children said. "While I go and make some tea for Mr. Brown and Lucy, you could show her where you play."
"Yes, that's a good idea," said Roger, "Come on Lucy". Now Roger, Kim and Rosemary liked Lucy from the start, the little girl was pleased to have so many friends all at once. Kim said to her "We were going for a walk along the hedges to see if we could find any wild nuts." 
"I know where there's a wild hazel nut tree!" said Roger showing off. "Yes but that's a long way away, I know where it is too," said Kim, with a smirk,  Rosemary looked at the two for she knew, that Roger and Kim being brother and sister liked to have their little fights. "Now you two, we're suppose to be showing Lucy, some nuts," It wasn't long before they came to the hedgerow and running up and down calling if they thought they saw something, but instead of nuts they found a crab apple tree and a damson tree, but the fruit wasn't ready yet. So they went back to the village. "Tomorrow we're going fishing."  Roger, said looking at Lucy. "Shall we call for you?."  "Yes, I'd like that," replied Lucy. " We'll call in the morning, just bring a line and a pin." Called Kim as they walked away from the gate. Inside the cottage there was a lovely smell of something cooking and in the hall was Granddad’s hat and stick.  "Is that you, dear," called Grandmother Brown from the kitchen. "Yes, Grandma, " said Lucy going into the room. Granddad was sitting at a table.  "Hello, Princess, come and give me a kiss, " said her Grandfather, since Lucy had been a very small baby Grandfather Brown had always called her "Princess".  Lucy went over put her arms around her granddad and kissed him near his mustache, which always tickled her. "Hello Granddad, " she said. "Where have you been, I saw your friends." Her Grandpa said. "We were looking for wild nuts, in the fields." "Did you find any?" Grandma asked. "No, but we saw a wild apple tree, and what Roger called a Damson tree." "Its too early yet for any fruit," said her Grandfather. "Any way, its time to wash for tea," Grandma said. Next day up at daybreak with a line and pin, which her Grandfather had found for her, she set off singing her little song, the children had agreed to meet near the Post Office. sure enough they were all there. It was a lovely day, chilly but with a promise to get warmer later on, the children had brought sandwiches and orange juice for their lunch. 

The stream they were heading for was about a ten minute walk away, so they all set off very cheerful, even little Rosemary didn't object to the walk, arriving at the stream they found a mossy bank and settled the packages of sandwiches and drinks down and soon each one had found a place to sit and fish. 

Roger was quite boastful, of how to fish properly, but it was all in good fun, they were all very quiet as Roger explained that to make too much noise would frighten the fish away, so they were all very quiet. Lucy started to yawn and felt very relaxed, suddenly she saw something gleaming in the water and bent over to see what it could be, Kim saw this and asked. "Have you caught a fish, Lucy, " "No, " she murmured quietly not wanting to spoil the fishing. "I thought I saw something gleaming in the water," she quietly explained to Kim. Kim leaned over and whispered back, "It looks like a piece of gold paper." It seemed to glow as Kim watched it, so she called Roger. "Is there something glowing over there, in the water! There," she pointed a finger in the direction of the glow. Roger looked "Yes ," he said "I can see it too," by now Rosemary had also bent over to look. Lucy said, "I'll see if I can get it out." Roger said, "I've brought my bathing costume. I'll go into the water and see what it is." Roger found a bush and after a time was out in the stream wading towards the place, he had a branch in is hand to help him,  then he bent down and when he stood up again he held what seemed to be a gold circle in his hand. 		 He waded back to the girls.  "It doesn't look much," said Rosemary as she peered at it, the ring like thing was shiny in places. "It looks like it needs a wash. " Kim said still interested in it, she really felt fishing was a bore and a boys thing. I'll go and give it a wash."  Roger said moving with it to the water and giving it a good rub. "There that's better."  Roger brought it back to the girls. "See it's like a small gold crown or circle."  said Lucy quite excited with her find, on looking at it very closely, the children could see that the circle had tiny gold leaves woven around, it was very pretty with some tiny blue stones in the gold, and as they looked at it it did seem to give out a glow. "I wonder who's lost this." Rosmary said in a dreamy voice. Well the children didn't have to wait long to know for as they gazed at it, out of some reeds came a voice "There it is." They all looked at each other, then looked around to see who spoke. When out of the reeds came a sneeze and sitting in a small canoe like boat, they saw a very pretty fairy. 
Roger thought she was the prettiest thing he had ever seen, the girls looked with there mouths open with surprise. "Sorry if I startled you." came a very tiny voice. "But I see you have found my coronet," she said with a smile. "I was watching you all fishing and then I saw this nice young man," pointing to Roger," bring the coronet out of the water." "Thank you very much."  She said to Roger, who was very bashful, being told he was  'a nice young man'. By now the children had recovered from their shock and started to speak all at once, Fairy Blueglow, for that is what she told the children her name was, opened her wings fluttered them and started to fly, she flew out of the boat and on to the bank, asking the children to please sit and if they listen very quietly she would tell the how she lost her coronet. After Fairy Blueglow learned the names of the children, they settle on the bank and the fairy, told her tale. "Well it all started about three days ago," said the fairy. Kim then counted back. "That would be Wednesday," she said. "Yes I think so," the fairy said not quite sure.  "We were having a meeting in the fairy dell," she continued. "That was Redglow, Greenglow, Yellowglow, and I was there too, Oh, and Whiteglow came." “Are these all fairies," interrupted Rosmary. " Yes, our group is called the 'Rainbow Fairies." "Why is that, " asked Roger very interested in what Blueglow had to say. "We use our magical powers to make the colours in flowers, leaves and trees brighter, by giving them burst of colours.  I use blue to help, Redglow uses red, Greenglow green and the name of the fairy tells the colour, so they can help with that colour". "Oh that sounds very complicated," went on Roger. "Not really," said Blueglow trying still to explain. "You know a daffodil is yellow, well Yellowglow can blow a burst of yellow into the daffodils yellow petals and all of a sudden it starts to glow more brighter." "Oh, I'd love to do that," put in Rosemary, for she had been listening to everything, "What I'd like to know is, how does the coronet fit into all of this," asked Kim, quite serious about it. "Well during our meeting, we started to argue, about who had the brightest glow for the flowers, which I realise now was very silly, anyway, Greenglow said, because she had the most work to do for there were more things green than anything else hers was the brightest colour, so I asked her for a contest." "And she said yes." Roger asked. "Yes, she did, and I found a group of Bluebells, and Greenglow found a group of Ferns and when Redglow said start, we both tried to outshine the other." "What happened," asked Kim. "I started to blow into the Bluebells, and they glowed and glowed and glowed, until I felt exhausted. The bluebells were over glowed and started to droop, as it was too much for them, soon I didn’t seem to have anymore energy and had to stop, the same happened to Greenglow."
At this Blueglow started to cry. "Don't cry little fairy we will try to help you," Rosemary said feeling very sorry for her. "Now, " sobbed Blueglow.  " I seem to have lost my magical power, and my crown won't stay on my head, I used to call it and it would appear." "Well let's look at this very logically," said Roger trying to be very adult and he thought. "What would my father do,?"   So with this in mind he said. "Now let's look at what has exactly happened.  You had a contest and now you feel because of this, you have lost your powers to call your crown back." "Yes,” said Blueglow still sobbing a little but feeling very much better as now her new friends said they wanted to help, they all sat on the grass and settled down to think. After a while, Kim said "I've got an idea, it may work." "Well, " said Roger looking at her. "What."  "If Blueglow can remember where the bluebells are and we can go to them and she says sorry, maybe that might help." "That sounds alright to me," answered her brother, so the fairy took them to the place where the Bluebells were and there also sat Greenglow looking very upset too. Blueglow fluttered over the flowers and seem to whisper to them but nothing happened, the flowers were still drooping and looking very sad. "Oh dear' Oh dear” said Blueglow.   For they seemed they were back where they were before, they all sat down and thought again. Blueglow in the meantime went over to Greenglow and told him what was happening, the children really didn't know what to do. Roger sat up with a bright smile on his face and said. "What if, instead of you blowing into the flowers you pulled in with your colours as if you were sipping with a straw." "That may work," piped in Greenglow still looking sad. "I'll try that" said Blueglow and started to flutter over the flowers, soon the flowers lifted up their bells and started to look much better and the little fairy started to shine with a blue sparkle, and then they saw the little crown sitting on her pretty head, she looked so happy.

But as she sparkled more she seemed to disappear and then the children couldn't see Blueglow at all. But there sitting on the ground was Greenglow, she had been watching this and the children asked her where Blueglow was. "Oh she still there and she said to thank you very much." "But we can't see her,” said Kim. "No, only when we are really sad, can humans see us." she said. "I also want to thank you, for helping Blueglow and I to get our magical power back." With that Greenglow also did the same as Blueglow, and the children could see her gradually disappear. "Well, I guess that is that," said Roger rather sadly. "Yes I know they can hear us, so lets us all say goodbye together," said Kim. So the children all said goodbye. Lucy looked around and realised they had moved into the wood and felt it was time to go home for lunch, soon they had found their fishing gear and picnic basket and were on there way home still chattering about the lovely fairies they had seen. Lucy's Grandmother was very interested in their adventure, Grandfather Brown said. "I always knew there were fairies at the bottom of my garden," and Lucy and Grandmother Brown, laughed at this.

   ~Anne Pettersen 1994~