Pearl and Paul were brother and sister, they were having a lovely
holiday, but it was the end of August and nearly time to go back to school
The day was lovely and they wondered what they could do.
Blackberries were ready on the bushes to pick, so Pearl decided to 
ask her mother if she would like some blackberries to make a pie.
"A blackberry pie That sounds nice dear," said her mother. Paul
was nine, and Pearl was seven years old and their mother thought they
were old enough to go on their own.
Paul had a watch and his mum told him to be back for lunch, it was
ten o'clock in the morning so they took a basket with them and off they
went with 'Lady', their little dog.
They both knew where there were lots of brambles and raced each
other there, it was a lovely day and Lady kept up with them, finally they
came to the field with hedgerows full of the blackberries,
"Just pick the black ones," said Paul to his sister, "the red and
green ones are very sour and not sweet at all, mum said they can give
you tummy ache" he said.
Lady rushed along the hedge, sniffing then running again.
"Lady," called Pearl. "Lady, come here!" Lady came back and
stood wagging her tail, "Good girl," said Pearl.
Paul put the basket on the ground and started picking the
blackberries, it was very pleasant and warm in the sun, so Lady decided
to flop down and have a sleep.
Except for the two children busy picking brambles and the birds
singing all was quiet. Suddenly Paul stopped and listened, he seemed
to hear a faint melody but thought.
"No, l must have imagined it," and carried on picking berries,
then Pearl stopped she had also heard something.
Lady had woken up and was standing wagging her tail.
"Did you hear that," said Pearl to her brother.
"Yes, if you mean some music." Paul answered, "lt sounds like
it's coming from near Lady."
He went over to the little dog to get a closer look.
As he got nearer he saw a glint coming from the ground of
something small near Lady's tail.
"Move Lady," said Paul and bent down to pick up a shiny
piece of metal.
"Look at this ," said Paul.
"It's lovely," she said. "l wonder who has lost it, it looks like a
musical pipe or something."
It was golden in colour and had markings on the top, it looked very
new and being an interested little boy. Paul blew on it to see if any
sound came.
The strangest thing then happened! A beautiful melody came from
the pipe.. Pearl looked surprised and said.
"Uh, l didn't know you could play like that, what tune is it?"
Paul was as surprised as Pearl and answered.
"l don't know, l can't play, l just blew on it and it made the music.
Here you try?"
Pearl took the little pipe and blew, again there came the lovely
music.
"Oh, how very nice--- strange though," said Paul.
"l wonder if Lady's tail made the pipe play before. You know,
when she was wagging it, it could have made a small breeze" he said .
Meanwhile, Lady was sitting very quietly, while the two children
took turns blowing on the wonderful pipe.
"l think we should finish picking the brambles and go and show
mum what we have found," said Pearl.
Their mother looked at the small musical instrument and told them
she thought it was a tiny set of pipes, called ˜Pan Pipes˜ after a magical
creature called Pan who was half man and half goat.

She said. "When he played the pipes all the creatures and even the
flowers, would fall in love with his music, which made them fall under
his spell,"
"What is a spell?" asked Paul fascinated by this story.
"Well dear it's an old fashioned word and when you read about
wizards and witches, they made ˜spells” which could make people
sleep, forget things, or could even turn someone into a bird,"
"Oh, just like the pumpkin and the white mice in Cinderella," said
Pearl.
"Well yes, they were turned into a coach and coachmen by a good
fairy. Pan also did things like that,said her mother.
This was all very interesting thought Paul but really not helping, so
they put the Pan Pipes in his bedroom and washed for lunch.
Later when their father came home from work, they showed the
pipes to him and told him about the beautiful music that happened when
they just blew on the pipe,.
"Has anyone blown on them since you came home," asked their
father.
"No," said Paul. "Let me try," said father.
He blew on the pipes but nothing happened. The children couldn't
understand this so they then tried and still nothing happened, except
just a squeak as though the pipes had not been played for a long time.
Their father said, "l'm not sure what to believe now."
He looked at Pearl and said, " Did you also hear it, honey? "
"Yes Daddy," she said. "Well, let's ask your mother to try."
So mother also blew but nothing happened.
"Well dears its a lovely story and the pipes are very pretty," said
their mother. Paul and Pearl felt rather silly and let down as they really
had heard them in the field, but their father was more interested in the
small writing he had discovered on the musical pipes.
Paul's father knew someone who was very interested in old and
unusual musical instruments, so he asked the children if he could take
this to his friend a Mr. Ted Brown, who lived quite near.
"Can we come with you," asked Pearl. "Of course you can, dear,
said her dad.
As it was still light after tea, they took the pipe and walked to the
end of the lane, across a small square and into a little garden full of
roses.
It was a warm evening and the scent from the roses was lovely.
Ted was working in his garden, so Paul's father called out.
"Hi! there." "Oh Hello, how are you Jack, " said Ted.
"Fine, thanks, but we wondered if you could spare a moment, to
hear a story from Paul and Pearl," said Jack.
"Sure, just hang on a minute," answered Ted, walking over to join
them. "Come in."
He opened the back door, and they all filed into the kitchen, which
was quite large with a table and four chairs.
When they were all sitting down, the children told Ted about their
adventure. He looked at their father a couple of times and saw a look of
amusement on Jack's face.
When they had finished telling him what had happened, he nodded
his head and quite seriously said.
"Well l can quite believe you both, although you did say that when
you tried to play the pipes at home they didn't work."
"That's right, they didn't" said Paul quite excited that this man did
believe their story.
Paul's father gave the pipes to Ted, who blew with out any luck.
Then he saw the tiny symbols on the pipes.
"Hello!" he said "What's this?"
"That's what I actually brought them to you for," said Jack. " I
wondered if you would understand the markings."
Ted asked if he could keep the pipes for a day or two, while he
looked up some books on the subject of Pan Pipes, and then said.
"It's Wednesday.... now if you could come back on Saturday. 

I should have some answers." This the children and their father agreed
to and went home.
By the time Saturday had arrived, the children had eaten a lovely
bramble and apple pie which their mother had made from the berries
they had picked and they agreed that with ice cream, it was delicious.
They had also taken their dog, Lady for long walks and would end
up talking about the pipes and hoping that, Mr. Brown, would have
some answers about the symbols, when they and their father went to
see him.
When they arrived at his home, he was there with a large book and
a small thin book which looked very, very old.
Beside the books were the small pipes looking quite shiny.
"Come in, How are you, Jack." He said, as he smiled at the
children and shook hands with their father.
"Fine thanks Ted, the children are quite excited about the Pan
Pipes." Ted went straight on to the subject.
" I've been quite busy," he said "trying to find something, about the
small symbols."
Paul's father said "And, how did it go."
"Well l think there is something in this little book." He picked up
the very old book, and showed them a page of symbols.
"Each symbol is like a sentence, " he said, "and l think I've found
what it means."
Paul now entered into the conversation. "What does it mean Mr.
Brown?" "Well without sounding too fantastic,said Mr. Brown.
"l believe you've stumbled on a set of Pan Pipes belonging to the
small folk of the woods, they must have been lost.
The inscription on the pipes reads.
"Makes Lambs to leap.
Farmers reap.
Babies sleep.
But Do Not Keep.....PAN." said Mr. Brown.

" I think if you went back to the field where you found these pipes
and blew on them, you will find that they will again, play sweet music."
Jack said. "Well Ted now what do we do."
"Well my friend, l would advise the children to take the pipes back
to where they found them, as I feel some one must still be looking for
them." Jack said "l agree with you, l was thinking this tool"
The children by now were getting quite tired and rubbing their
eyes, so the adults said goodbye, and the children thanked Mr. Ted
Brown for all his help, and soon they were back home and in bed.
The next day was Sunday and Paul and Pearl had decided to take
the Pan Pipes back to the spot where they had found them.
After breakfast, the two children and Lady, went along to the field,
looked around saw no one, they put the small set of pipes down, with a
sigh from Pearl, who really wished to keep them.
But after the talking it over with their Mum and Dad, just before they
went to bed, they agreed it would be better to take them back.
Paul said to Pearl that later on in the day they would go back to see
if some one had taken them.
After lunch the two children told their parents they were taking
Lady for a run, and in ten minutes had arrived back at the spot where
they had left the pipes.
The little pipe had gone, but in it's place was two lovely new set of
Pan Pipes, with a small card attached to each of them, which had on
their names.
Thanking them for bringing the small set of pipes back, they were
so excited that they rushed home to show their parents. '
Their mother and father were quite taken back, but were also
pleased that everything had ended so well.
Of course you realise, that on holidays the children often visited
the spot, just in case they saw one of the small folk, as Mr. Brown had
put it, but to this day I have been told they haven't seen one.