Featured Extract (Fairy Tale)

1

Daisy Chain

    “Eye of newt, and toe of frog,” counted Robin carefully.

    “Go on,” prompted Isabella, since he seemed to have stopped.

    “Um, a daisy chain from a mortal’s neck,” said Robin in a small voice.

    His sister snorted.

    “Well, maybe one worn by a changeling?” he suggested, after some thought.

    “Maybe, but if it doesn’t say that, Robin—”

    “Hang on,” he said sheepishly, “I’ve turned over two pages at once. Um, bother.”

    Isabella came to look over his shoulder at the Book. “‘Eye of newt and toe of frog, bluebell dew gathered when fresh,’ nothing about daisy chains at all!” she cried.

    “Mm. I could swear I never turned the page, Isabella,” he said uneasily.

    “It was probably the wind,” said Isabella in a bored voice.

    “In that case, maybe it’s an omen,” said Robin fearfully.

    Isabella was just opening her mouth to say scornfully: “Of what?” when a thunderous voice boomed: “What are you children doing with the BOOK?” and it was all over bar the shouting. Well, that plus the thunder and lightning, Oberon was very good at those.

    “Sorry, Father,” said Robin at last in a very small voice.

    “Spells are dangerous when in the wrong hands, how many times do I have to tell you?” replied their father in exasperation.

    Puck had been keeping well out if it, but since the storm clouds appeared to have cleared—well, the kingly brow was no longer surrounded by shafts of lightning, one of His Faerie Majesty’s best effects—he danced up to them and squeaked: “One thousand and one, Great Majesty!”

    “Shut up,” replied his master disagreeably,

    Puck subsided. In fact he subsided very, very pointedly, winking at the two children as he did so.

    “And get out of my— No, wait.” The kingly eyes narrowed. Puck, valiant though he was, had to suppress a wince. “Put a girdle round the earth in thirty minutes,” ordered his master in an evil voice.

    “Not the girdle round the earth thing, sire!” he wailed.

    “GO!” thundered the voice.

    “I’m going!” Hastily Puck went.

    Silence fell, apart from the soft noise of assorted daisies, buttercups, hedgerow roses and the odd bluebell or two dripping in the wake of that storm. …

—From Isabella Down To Earth, https://isabelladowntoearth-anovel.blogspot.com/