The Fairy Godmother Part 9

With a swish of her wand the Head of the Fairy Council sat us on one of the higher branches of a Christmas tree in one of many Santa’s Grottos.

“It could have been worse,” I said looking up to the Fairy at the top of the Christmas tree.

“What are our instructions?” Enid, the Head Fairy asked stiffly. “Open the envelope,” she added when I looked puzzled.

“Oh, yes,” I muttered, carefully doing as I was told, I had heard about some non too nice surprises that had come out of envelopes given to people by the Fairy Council. This one didn’t contain one. Instead there was a card.

Santa is having problems

You two have been sent to sort them

in the next 4 hours.

Do not stuff up

You are there to observe Enid

See that you do so

I showed the card to the Head Fairy.

“I like the great detail they’ve gone into, not,” said Enid.

“So what do I do?” I asked.

“Use your initiative,” Enid suggested.

“OK, but you have been warned,” I said. “Where’s Santa?” I asked the Fairy at the top of the Christmas tree.

“The elves are on strike,” she replied.

“Why?” I asked.

“Used to be the kids that came to the grotto were all sweetness and light,” she sighed.

“And they aren’t any more?” I asked.

“One of the little dears thought that Don, one of the elves, had a false nose and tried to pull it off,” the tree Fairy said.

“Painful,” I said.

“I’ll say,” she replied. “He nearly managed, it was only when the nose started to bleed that the little dear stopped and then started to scream louder than Don and he was loud enough. The elves are demanding danger money.”

“Sounds reasonable,” I replied.

“Santa thinks that too, he’d like it as well,” said the Fairy

“How come?” I asked.

“It’s been the third time today that some little dear has set fire to his beard. Santa is supposed to have a long white beard, not a short white one that is singed at the edges,” the tree Fairy replied. “He’s leading the strike.”

“Can’t the store just throw out the disruptive elements?” I asked.

“You’d think so,” the tree Fairy sighed. “Instead they have brought in another Santa and he’s got some of his old drinking friends to help usher the children round.”

“Is that working any better?” I asked.

“That all depends if you think Santa should be sober,” the tree Fairy replied.

“Of course he should be sober,” snapped the Head Fairy.

“Right,” said the tree Fairy. “And I agree with you a hundred per cent. So it isn’t working at all.”

“I think we should talk to the original Santa,” I said.

“Then you’ll find him in the basement with the elves,” said the tree Fairy. “And much luck may you have talking sense into them.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, but the fairy was sitting very still and as I looked around I could see some children looking back at me.

“Now what do I do?” I asked the Head Fairy.

“Stay still, stay absolutely still,” she muttered, trying not to open her mouth as she spoke.

“That Fairy was talking to the other Fairy,” said one little girl.

“Don’t talk nonsense,” said one of Santa’s helpers, carefully taking a swig out of a hip flask and then slipping it back into his pocket. “They aren’t real fairies, they’re just decorations.”

“If my sister says one of the Fairies was talking to the other one, that is what was happening,” the observant one’s brother said. “You should apologise for doubting her word.”

“Or else,” said the helper looking the boy in the eye and burping whiskey at him.

“You, sir, are drunk,” the boy replied.

“And you are a prat,” replied the helper. “And Santa isn’t going to see you or your sister today or any other day, he added, pushing the boy and his sister towards the exit. The little girl let out one almighty scream and soon security men were running from all corners of the store convinced that, at the very least, a murder was taking place.

The store manager also came running to see what on earth was going on. He took one look at the children, who were being comforted by their Nanny and went pale.

“You are sacked,” he told Santa’s helper. “Collect your pay at the office and don’t come back here again.”

“If you are sacking my bother,” said Santa, then he hi-cupped, almost, and the store manager wore Santa’s lunch.

“I’m sacking you as well,” the store manager added. “And I’ll be deducting the cost of cleaning this lot up from your final pay, if there’s any left, it will be transferred to your bank account.”

“So who’s going to run this piss poor excuse for a grotto?” Santa’s helper asked.

“That isn’t your problem,” said the store manager. “Your problem is getting out of here before I send for the Police.”

“Don’t worry, we’re going,” Santa’s helper replied, guiding his brother to the door. “It was a crap job anyhow.”

The store manager stood and watched as Santa and his helper went up the escalator to the ground floor.

“I think someone needs a hand,” I said.

“You were supposed to help Santa, not the the store manager,” said Enid, following as I few down to a level with the store managers head.

“I think you could do with a little help from your Fairy Godmother,” I smiled.

“They must have put something in that drink I had,” the store manager said.

“Ice cubes is a usual thing,” I said.

“I was think something more than that,” he said.

“What makes you think that?” I asked.

“I am talking to a rather odd looking fairy,” he replied. “And she’s hovering in front of my face.”

“No need to be personal,” I replied.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you,” he said. “But, I’ve been having a rather stressful day.”

“All the more reason not to offend your Fairy Godmother,” I said, deciding that perhaps it was a height problem or the flying bit that was making it difficult for him to take me seriously.

“You were six inches tall and now you are over five feet tall,” he said and started to giggle.

“You are having hysterics,” I said. “Either that or you are as drunk as Santa and his helper.”

“This is the first time I have been put in charge of anything and I am making a complete mess of it,” he sobbed. “First one Santa and his elves walk out demanding danger money, now his replacement is drunk in charge of this, so I’ve had to sack him.”

“Can you get another Santa?” I asked.

“The owner of this place is bringing his grandchildren down here in an hour, they are expecting to see Santa and his elves all looking happy and and look at it, there’s diced carrot on the floor and no one in sight,” he started sobbing again. It’s hard watching a grown man cry.

“You could try talking to the original Santa,” I suggested.

“He wont answer his phone,” he sobbed.

“He’s in stores, with the elves,” I said. “The only thing that was annoying them was that some of the kids were being stroppy.”

“But what can I do, kids aren’t as well behaved as they were when I was little, we were in awe of Santa,” he said. “And unless I can sort that one out, I stuffed.”

“I think we may need a little magic fairy dust around here to get the children into the Christmas spirit,” I said looking at Enid.

“I’ll have to talk to the Fairy Council,” she replied and vanished with a wave of her wand.

“I bet she wont get told off for doing that,” I muttered.

“What?” asked the store manager.

“Don’t worry, you aren’t the only one to have problems,” I said. “Let’s go and talk to Santa and the elves.”

“Stores?” he said.

“Lead the way,” I smiled.

The Head Fairy was waiting for us when we walked down the stairs into the storage part of the shop.

“Do we have permission to use Fairy Dust?” I asked.

“Yes,” muttered Enid.

“Have you come to negotiate?” asked Santa, Don, the head elf was standing by his side looking like he was up to hitting someone.

“I can’t offer you danger money,” said the store manager.

“Then there is no point in talking then,” snapped Don.

“What you don’t like is the children threatening you, am I right?” I asked.

“And who are you?” he asked.

“I am the store manager’s Fairy Godmother,” I replied, rising a couple of foot into the air to add weight to my pronouncement, I’d have gone higher, but the ceiling was in the way.

“Oh,” said Don.

“Can you do something to stop them threatening us?” asked Santa. “And can you do something about my beard. I’m supposed to have a white beard, not one that’s singed at the edges.”

“I have been authorised to use Fairy Dust for this job and that will ensure that anyone walking into the grotto will be filled with the true spirit of Christmas and will not abuse any of the grottos workers,” I replied.

“Will that last for the whole of the season?” Santa asked.

I looked at Enid.

“It will,” she replied. “It will also clean up any mess, which does include your beard.”

“Thanks,” said Santa. “When can we start work?”

“Now,” said the store manager.

“I’ll get to work with the Fairy Dust,” said Enid with a quick wave of her wand.

Enid and I watched the owners Grandchildren enjoy the grotto from the safety of the upper branches of the tree.

“Why don’t all the children come here, it’s so magical?” asked the youngest of the Grandchildren.

“Good question,” I said.

“Have you not looked at the people in the shop?” Enid asked. “They are all rich.”

“So?” I asked.

“It is only the children of rich people that come to this grotto,” Enid replied.

“You are right,” said the store owner. “All the children should be able to come. Change the sign,” he told the store manager. “Santa’s grotto, free to all children.”

“That’s better,” said Enid and with a flash we were back at the Fairy Council.

By Janice Nye © 2019

The Fairy Godmother Part 8

The Fairy Council, something that is spoken of in hushed tones and only after all care has been taken to make sure no one is listening. They are the last people a fairy wants to be standing in front of and that was where I was now. The room was enormous, I’m sure there was a ceiling up there, but I couldn’t see it. The table at the far end of the room seemed to go on for ever, though I suppose it didn’t, just felt that way. There were fairies along the length of the table, but it was the one in the centre, who was busy reading something, who was the one in charge and she looked far from happy.

“I have been reading your report,” said the fairy when she finally finished and it felt like we’d been standing there forever.

“I can explain,” said the Head Fairy. “Or rather we can,” she added looking at me. I decided to say nothing. I wasn’t sure what to say, so I thought I’d better not make things worse and kept quiet.

“I should think so Enid,” the Head of the Fairy Council replied. “I am greatly disappointed with this report,” she added holding it up by a corner as if it was something repellent, that had crawled out from under a rock and died. “I expected better from you.”

“It was not an easy report to write,” Enid said, looking as if she didn’t know where to start. “My role in this project was to observe.”

“It was also to intervene if things looked to be getting out of hand,” the Head of the Fairy Council replied. “And where was your report?” she added glaring at me. My brain went blank.

“I,” I looked round trying to find inspiration and coming up with a blank. “I was busy composing it when the Head Fairy brought me here. I wanted to do a proper job of it. I didn’t want to rush it.” I stuttered to a halt.

“You were sitting on a deck chair on the beach, sunning yourself and waiting for someone to bring you a drink,” the Head Fairy snapped.

“It has been a busy few days and I went there to make sure the village was OK after the curse had been lifted,” I replied.

“And why wouldn’t it be OK?” asked the Head of the Fairy Council. “They have had a curse lifted, they can now carry on as per normal.”

“But can they?” I asked. “I don’t know how long they have been under this curse.”

“I don’t see that that would matter,” said the Head of the Fairy Council.

“Curses can last for a long time,” I said. “If they have been under a curse for a long time then it is going to effect their trade with other villages and they may not be able to pick up where they left off, they could face an economic disaster. I needed to check that this was not going to happen.”

“And what were you going to do if you thought there had been any detrimental result from the curse?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” I said. “I was planning on judging what the repercussions were and then working out what to do next.”

“And you were going to do that from your deck chair?” she asked.

“The man was talking about re-opening his hotel,” I replied. “I had to have some idea as to their level of service before I could judge if this was a good basis for the villages resurgence.”

“Sounds reasonable,” said someone on the table. The Head of the Fairy Council glared in their direction and they subsided.

“And if it wasn’t?” she asked.

“Then I was going to hang around and try to assess the situation, see what the economy of the villages was based on and see how that fitted in to modern life,” I explained.

“And did you plan to do that from the comfort of your deck chair?” she asked. “Or were you planning on waving your wand a bit more to make it all hunky dory for everyone?”

That’s when it crossed my mind that perhaps they thought I’d over done the wand a bit. It had seemed the best solution to the various problems, at the time.

“There is a time and a place for everything,” I said. “My use of the wand may have seemed a bit excessive.”

The Head Fairy started coughing and was offered a glass of water. Well, when I say offered, someone waved a wand and it appeared next to her.

“But sometimes it is necessary to speed things up,” I added as the Head Fairy took a sip of water to stop her coughing fit.

“I’ll take the glass to the kitchen,” the Head Fairy suggested once her cough had subsided.

“You will do no such thing,” said the Head of the Fairy Council. “You can place it on the coaster,” she added and a coaster appeared on the table in front of her.

“Thank-you,” said the Head Fairy.

“You can take it to the kitchen later,” the Head of the Fairy Council replied. “After the meeting is over. Carry on,” she added, glancing in my direction.

“Yes,” I said smiling. “The use of my wand my have seemed excessive, but it was mainly used to speed up the resolution of the problem as I saw it and the return to normal life for those effected.”

“So, cleaning the shoe makers house?” the Head Fairy asked.

“Loosing his wife, his sole mate, had been devastating for the shoe maker. She ran the house and the shop very efficiently, without her around things fell into chaos. The washing wasn’t done, the rubbish wasn’t taken out, he was living on take-aways because he had no idea how to cook and it didn’t help that he had no idea what to get when shopping. With her gone the place rapidly became a mess. Having her sort it all out and then get on with getting the business back in order seemed like a tall order, to me, the simplest solution was to give a hand with the house work. She still has the business to get back in order, but at least they have a start at getting their lives back on track,”

“I see,” said the Head of the Fairy Council.

“And the maid?” she asked.

“It wasn’t much of a job,” I said. “And she would have preferred to be near to her Mum, also, it meant that I would be there when the spell on the Head Fairy ended, just in case she was a little disorientated when it happened.”

“That was very thoughtful of you,” said a voice from the other end of the table. The Head of the Fairy Council glared in the direction of the speaker.

“Thank-you,” muttered the Head Fairy, but I knew she didn’t mean it.

“I retrieved the mirror and the Head Fairy was able to collect the Fairy gems and then we left,” I said.

“The Head Fairy flew off, you used your wand to get to the shoe makers home,” said the Head of the Fairy Council.

“I had been longer than expected in Sybil’s rooms,” I explained quickly. “I had arranged with the shoe maker, the ex doorman and the other man to meet them at the shoe makers house as soon as everything was sorted. I didn’t want them to get anxious and start thinking that something had gone wrong, so I used my want to speed things up,” I explained.

“Then, after you used it to clean up the shoe makers house, you went on to use it to transport yourself and the two men to the village on the coast,” said the Head of the Fairy Council.

“It was necessary to get them away from the place as quickly as possible,” I said.

“And why would that be?” the Head of the Fairy Council asked.

“Because Sybil might be after them,” I said. “She’d want to know what had happened to the mirror and the Fairy gems, for a start off and they were the ones likely to have any answers, them and the Head Fairy,” I added, looking at Enid.

“So you were getting them out of harms way?” the Head Fairy asked.

“Doing my best,” I said. “Also, the were anxious to find out how the village was coping with things, the best thing was to get them back there so they could see for themselves.”

“And how are you going to stop Sybil from following them there?” the Head of the Fairy Council asked.

“That’s a good question,” said the Head Fairy, turning to me. “Not that the Head of the Fairy Council asks any other sort of question,” she added hurriedly as she felt the Head of the Fairy’s eyes upon her.

“I spent a long time waiting for dawn to break the spell on the Head Fairy,” I explained. “I used that time checking through Sybil’s records and erasing all mention of the village, it’s going to be harder for her to get there if she doesn’t know where it is and what it’s called.”

“Well, it’s good to know you’d thought of that,” the Head of the Fairy Council admitted, through clenched teeth. “Do you have anything to add to this?” she added, turning to the Head Fairy.

“I did warn against excessive use of the wand,” the Head Fairy replied.

“You warned!” said the Head of the Fairy Council. “You should have taken over and sorted it all out.”

“I thought she had it under control,” said the Head Fairy. “All right, her methods were a little unorthodox, but they were getting things sorted.”

“You’re judgement has been a bit off, of late,” said the Head of the Fairy Council.

“I think that is a little harsh, if you don’t mind me saying,” the Head Fairy replied.

“Yes, I do mind,” said the Head of the Fairy Council. “Your decisions will have to be put for approval by the council for the next month after which time this judgement will be up for review.”

“But,” the Head Fairy stuttered.

“If you want to argue the case that can be increased to six months,” said the Head of the Fairy Council.

“Of course not, I bow to your judgement,” said the Head Fairy, bowing low.

“As for you,” the Head of the Fairy Council said turning to me. “You will leave your wand on the table before you leave.”

“How can I work as a Fairy Godmother without a wand?” I asked.

“That’s for you to work out,” the Head of the Fairy Council replied with a smile, tapping the table. I stepped forward and put my wand down in front of her.

“Here is your next job,” she said handing an envelope to me. “Get out of my sight and get on with your work, both of you,” she added with a wave of her wand.

By Janice Nye © 2019

The Fairy Godmother Part 7

“She’s coming,” the mirror hissed at me.

“What,” I mumbled, trying to wake up.

“She’s coming, Sybil is coming,” the mirror repeated ever more urgently.

“But, it’s nowhere near dawn,” I muttered looking at my watch. I must get a second hand for it, or rather one that tells you which hour it is. I held the clock to my ear, it wasn’t working.

“I had to get a Fairy Godmother with a non working clock,” moaned the mirror.

“I’ll hide you in the wardrobe,” I said grabbing the mirror.

“And what will you do?” it asked.

“I’m betting that someone like that wouldn’t be able to pick her maid out of a line-up of people in maids clothes,” I said. “I’ll put some of the maids clothes on.”

“She was a good six inch taller than you,” said the mirror. “You’ll never get away with it.”

“So, I’ll grow a bit,” I said. “I’m a Fairy Godmother, I can do this.”

“But,” said the mirror.

“I just need to keep her in the dark till after dawn,” I said.

“Good luck,” said the mirror as I shut and locked the wardrobe door and then put the key in my pocket.

It was easy to find the maids room, problem was it was the room for all the maids, so I had to guess as to which was the right uniform. I had just changed when the door to the suite of rooms was flung open.

“Where are you maid?” Sybil’s voice bellowed through the rooms. I dashed through to assist.

“My Lady,” I stuttered, the sight before me wasn’t quite the same as the one which had left only a few hours earlier. My Lady was carrying her shoes, they had been white, with thin delicate straps atop stiletto heels, the heels were broken as were several of the straps and they were covered in what I was hoping was mud, but the smell confirmed it was something a little less pleasant. Her dress was splattered with the same stuff and the hem was ripped badly. Her hair, which had been piled high on top of her head, was sliding down one side, hair clips were sticking out and the odd strand was making a bid for freedom. Her make-up, which had almost been a work of art, was running down her face making her look like something from a horror film.

“Don’t just stand there, do something,” Sybil shouted.

“Would you like me to run you a bath?” I asked, taking the shoes from her and putting them outside the rooms. Someone would have the job of doing something with them in the morning, but that was for them to think of what. I would have thought the bin would be a good solution, but My Lady would probably expect them to be cleaned and repaired.

“A hot bath would be a start,” she said. “I would like to complain about the car they sent for me. The idiot took me to a convent of all places and they were holding a vigil, a silent vigil,” she added with a shudder, following me into the bathroom, discarding what was left of the dress as she went.

“Tell the manager I want that cleaned and repaired for tomorrow, I hold him totally responsible for the state it’s in,” she shouted.

“Of course My Lady,” I smiled, putting in the plug, turning on the taps and pouring some heavily scented bath oil into the running water.

Once my Lady had got into the bath, I thought I could leave her to it, but first she wanted her hair washing, then her back scrubbing, her feet massaged. I thought she’d finished when she demanded clean hot towels, but then she wanted her dressing gown and she had to have her hair dried and brushed. I was beginning to think that a maid could die of exhaustion working for her, when.

“I want feeding,” Sybil shouted. “Get me some food.”

“Of course My Lady,” I smiled. “What do you want”?

“Something to eat,” she shouted. “You decide what.”

“OK,” I said ringing room service.

“My Lady requires food,” I told the reception.

“What would she like?” the receptionist asked.

“Good question,” I said.

“Like that,” said the receptionist. “We’ll think of something. It will be along shortly.”

“And I need a drink,” Sybil shouted, walking into the sitting room in her bath robe, which was somewhat wet.

“Of course,” I said, pouring out a stiff drink with a large dose of the sleeping potion in it.

“That’s better,” said Sybil after she’d taken a large swig from the glass. “You keep those coming and I’ll forgive you anything.”

It took half an hour for the drink to have any effect, but by the time room service had arrived with the food, she was fast asleep and snoring loudly on the sofa.

“I’ve brought some food for your Lady,” said the person from room service, standing with a trolley at the door to the suite.

“Thank-you,” I smiled. “I’ll make sure that she gets them.”

“I can push it into the room,” he offered.

“I can manage, thank-you,” I smiled, pulling the trolley into the room and closing the door on him. Then waved my wand to erase his memory and to put a large tip in his pocket.

The cock was just starting to crow when I finished the last of the food that had been sent up. Sybil was still spark out and looked to be staying that way for a while. I slipped into the bedroom and pulled the mirror out of the wardrobe.

“Where is the Head Fairy,” I asked the mirror.

“I’m right behind you,” I heard her say. “And where are my gems?”

“Sybil is wearing them but she’s out cold on the sofa,” I hissed.

“Then it should be easy to get them,” she said snapping her fingers. They flew through the air and into their box, pulling the lid shut behind them.

“You’ve got them well trained,” I said as she put them in her pocket.

“Where to now?” she asked.

“You’ve got the Jewellery and I’ve got the mirror,” I said putting it into a shoulder bag. “I think it’s time to make a quick exit before someone wakes up.”

“I’d like to give her a piece of my mind,” muttered the Head Fairy.

“But, I think we’d do better leaving,” I said.

“I have to get these gems back,” said the Head Fairy. “And we need to do something with that mirror.”

“I promised it a place of honour on the wall of the Fairy Hall,” I said.

“I think I can organise that,” said the Head Fairy, taking the bag with the mirror in. “I shall be in touch,” she added before flying out of the window.

“I’d better get back to the shoe makers house and see how everyone is getting on,” I thought to myself waving my wand and finding myself standing in front of the shoe makers house.

“What took you so long?” asked the shoe maker. “We’ve been here for hours.”

“He’s in a grumpy mood because his wife is angry with him for letting their home get in such a mess,” said the ex door man.

“Have you seen inside this place?” asked the shoe makers wife.

“It was a mess,” I agreed, waving my wand again.

“Look,” said the wife, opening the door to a clean tidy house.

“I hope that is better,” I said.

“It is,” she smiled, giving her husband a big hug.

“Now, you two,” I said turning back to the two men.

“I need a job,” said the ex door man looking hopefully.

“And I want to get back to the village,” said the other.

“I can understand that, it looked a nice place, peaceful,” I said.

“The best beach in the country,” he said. “Golden sand that goes on for miles. I have a hotel there, now the curse is gone I can do it up and reopen it.

“I don’t suppose you’ll need a door man?” the ex door man asked hopefully.

“Of course,” said the other man. “And if you’d like a holiday there,” he said to me.

“A holiday, I could really do with a holiday,” I sighed.

“All we have to do is get there,” he said.

“That could be a problem,” said the ex door man.

“Not really,” I said waving my wand and suddenly we were standing on a beach next to a rather run down hotel, but the sun was shining and there were deck chairs which didn’t collapse when I sat on them.

“You enjoy the sun,” he said. “We’ll get you a drink.”

It wasn’t the hotel owner or his new door man who returned with a drink, it wasn’t exactly a drink either, it was a bucket of ice cold water thrown at me by the Head Fairy.

“What do you think you are doing lolling around in the sun?” the Head Fairy snapped.

“I had to make sure all the loose ends were tied up,” I said, trying to ring some of the water out of my dress.

“Elucidate,” the Head Fairy snapped. “I see you sleeping on a deck chair, not tying up loose ends.”

“I had to make sure that everyone got back to the shoe makers house. Then I had to stop the row between the shoe maker and his wife,” I explained.

“It wasn’t necessary to use your wand,” she snapped.

“It speeded up the clean up job,” I said. “And then the two other men, one wanted to go home, he owns a hotel and offered the ex door man a job there.”

“Did you have to go back with them?” she asked.

“Had to check that the village was back to normal,” I said.

“And I have to explain all of this to the Fairy Council,” the Head Fairy snapped. “So you are coming with me to explain your part in this whole sorry affair.”

“Now?” I asked.

“Now,” she said and with one snap of her fingers we were standing in front of the Fairy Council and the looks on their faces looked anything but happy.

By Janice Nye © 2019

The Fairy Godmother Part 6

“Do you all know what to do?” I asked the shoe maker, the man who had been pretending to hold his wife in stasis and the ex door man of Sybil’s home.

“I slip a sleeping draught into the visiting King’s drink,” said the ex door man. I’d waved my wand and got him a job at the palace, if I could have, I’d have waved my wand to put the stuff in the King’s drink, but there was too much risk of it ending up in the wrong glass. He was to take the drink to the King before the ball, that way we’d know it went to the right person. If he slept through the whole thing, then there was no way he could meet Sybil.

“I have been taken on as an extra driver for the day and I shall collect Sybil to take her to the ball,” said the shoe maker. “I never thought my taxi drivers licence would come in useful, not after we opened the shoe shop.”

“And what do you do then?” I asked him.

“There’s some sort of do on at the convent, I think it’s a prayer vigil, or something, I take her there and leg it before she realises she’s in the wrong place. The Nun’s have taken a vow of silence, so that should make it hard for her to find out she’s in the wrong place. They don’t have any phones and even if she takes her mobile, they have something that will kill any signal within a ten mile radius of the place, so she wont be able to get a taxi, not for hours,” the shoe maker smiled.

“And you are the right one for that job because of your taxi licence and because she has never seen you before and so you shouldn’t raise any suspicions,” I said.

“That leaves you two,” said the shoe maker.

“We are going to search Sybil’s room to see if we can find the mirror and get some answers out of it,” I replied.

“Answers?” asked the ex door man.

“Like how to take the curse off the village, how to get the shoe makers wife out of stasis, what has she done to the Head Fairy how do we get the jewels back,” I said. “If all goes to plan we will meet back at the shoe makers after midnight.”

“And if it doesn’t?” asked the shoe maker.

“Then we probably wont be able to get back,” I said. “Good luck everyone.”

“We are going to need it,” muttered the man who was going to search Sybil’s room with me.

Half an hour before the ball was due to start, the ex door man walked through the corridors delivering drinks to all the guests. He knocked on the King’s door, the King answered.

“Is this important?” he asked. “Only everyone is very busy.”

“Complementary drinks,” the ex door man said, handing over a glass for the King to taste.

“Very nice,” he said as he knocked back the contents, the ex door man gave him a second glass, which was also laced with the knockout drugs and pushed the trolley into the room.

“It should help everyone to relax,” said the King, smiling and sitting down. He was snoring before the ex door man closed the door.

“That’s my part played,” he muttered and headed back to the shoe makers house.

The shoe maker knocked on the door of Sybil’s suite of rooms.

“What are you here for?” asked the maid.

“I’ve come to drive your Lady to the Ball,” said the shoe maker.

“It’ll be good to see the back of her for a while,” the maid muttered.

“Not easy to get on with?” asked the shoe maker.

“Do your job, speak when spoken to and you should be OK,” she said.

“Will she be long?” the shoe maker asked.

“Wait here and I’ll find out,” said the maid. “Five minutes,” she said a moment later.

“So what do you and the rest of her staff do whilst she’s away?” he asked smiling at the maid.

“Everyone else has the evening off,” she sighed. “I get to wait for her return and see to her every biding.”

“Tough Job?” he asked.

“Depends on how the evening went,” the maid replied. “If everything goes to plan, she’s happy and generous. If it doesn’t, then you’ll get the sack for just looking at her wrong.”

“Tough,” he said.

“Here she is,” said the maid as the doors opened and a tall thin woman stood there.

“My Lady!” he said bowing. “The car awaits to drive you to the ball.”

“I should think so,” she smiled. “There was some talk about making my own way there.”

“An error in administration,” the shoe maker replied. “A Lady such as you should never be expected to make their way anywhere.”

“This car?” she said.

“If you will come with me,” said the shoe maker, holding out his arm and bowing.

“Of course,” she said, taking his arm and leaving the room. Another maid followed in her wake carrying a coat and a bag.

I and my companion, co-conspirator, whatever you wish to call him, waited across the corridor and watched behind a cloak of invisibility whilst all this went on.

“What do we do now?” he asked as the door to the rooms closed and the shoe maker and Sybil disappeared down the stairs.

“You heard the maid say that all the other servants were getting the night off,” I said.

“Yes,” he replied.

“Then they will probably be going out,” I said, as the door opened and a group of servants left.

“It’s alright for you,” the maid muttered as she watched them leave. “I’ve got to stay here and pray that my Lady is in a good mood when she gets back.”

“She wont be,” muttered my companion.

“I know and I don’t feel too happy about that,” I sighed.

“So what do we do?” he asked.

“Wing it,” I muttered walking over to the door and knocking on it.

“My Lady is out,” said the maid when she opened the door. “As is everyone else,” she sighed.

“I know,” I smiled.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“I am your Fairy Godmother and I am here to grant you three wishes,” I said, holding my wand up as if that proved anything.

“Three wishes,” she sighed.

“Three wishes,” I repeated.

“My Mum is ill, I want her to be better,” she said. “And I’d like to be with her, not here.”

“And lastly?” I asked.

“I would like enough money to last us for the rest of our lives, to keep us comfortable, nothing fancy or anything,” she said.

“No sooner the word than the deed,” I said, waving my want three times and the maid vanished.

“Nice,” said my companion. “I was just reckoning on hitting her over the head with something.”

“We need to find the mirror,” I reminded him.

“Perhaps you should have kept the maid here, she might have known where it is,” he said.

“She wouldn’t be able to tell us if she were unconscious,” I said. “Anyway, people who consult these mirrors tend to do so when they are alone.”

“Start with the bedroom then,” he said.

“Of course,” I said walking off in the direction that Sybil had come from and opening the door to a very large stately bedroom.

“Talking mirror where are you?” I asked.

“Like it’s going to tell you,” he laughed.

“Over here,” a muffled voice replied. I opened the wardrobe and saw something at the back wrapped in an old sheet. I picked it out and unwrapped it.

“You aren’t Sybil,” the woman in the mirror said.

“Do you like working for her?” I asked.

“Look where she’s put me,” the mirror replied. “I should be on a wall for all to admire, not shoved in the back of a wardrobe.”

“How would you like to be the centre of attention at the Fairy Hall?” I asked.

“That sounds much better,” she smiled. “What do you want?”

“There is a village, she put a curse on it,” said the man.

“You want the curse lifted,” said the mirror.

“That would be good,” I said. “And the shoe makers wife, she’s in stasis.”

“He wants her back,” said the mirror. “And what do you want?”

“The Head Fairy, Sybil has her prisoner,” I said.

“That’s doable,” said the mirror. “But not easy.”

“So what do we need to do?” he asked.

“The curse on the village will lift if she sets foot in a religious house,” said the mirror. “She’s a Godless creature, so I don’t know how you will do that. The shoe makers wife will wake up when the King falls into a deep sleep and the Head Fairy will be released once the dawn breaks,” she added.

“I nearly forgot, we need the Head Fairy’s Jewellery back,” I added.

“If the Head Fairy opens the Jewellery box and tells them to come back, then they will,” the mirror added.

“How will you know when these things are done?” I asked.

“I am a talking mirror and I will know,” she replied as the shoe makers wife walked into the room.

“Where am I she asked,” looking confused.

“Well, that’s one,” said the mirror. “And now number two, I don’t know how, but she’s just walked into a convent.”

“Now we just have to wait till dawn,” the mirror said.

“Do we all have to stay here?” the man asked.

“There doesn’t seem to be much point,” I agreed, waving my wand over him and the shoe makers wife.

“What have you done to them?” the mirror asked.

“Sent them back to the shoe makers house,” I replied. “Till then we wait.”

by Janice Nye © 2019

The Fairy Godmother Part 5

“He can’t see you,” said the man as we headed back to the bus shelter.

“I can be small, very small,” I said.

“No, he can’t see you at all,” he insisted. “I’ve tried bringing people along to watch and follow him, but he always knows that they are there.

“I am under strict instruction not to let those gems out of my sight,” I said.

“But,” he stuttered.

“This is not negotiable,” I said as I got an angry look from the Head Fairy.

“If he notices something suspicious,” he said.

“He wont,” I replied, my fingers crossed behind my back.

“I saw that,” muttered the Head Fairy.

“I can be invisible,” I said looking at the Head Fairy.

“If you must,” she muttered.

“That might work,” he said, putting the box of jewels into his pocket. I waved my wand and slipped in the pocket alongside the box.

“How does this work?” he asked.

“Simple,” I replied, the Head Fairy joining me in the pocket. “You go along to the bus shelter, as per usual and act the same way as you normally do. Leave the rest to me.”

“OK,” he said. “And afterwards?”

“You go home,” I said.

“What about my wife?” he asked.

“We’ll let you know as soon as we find out anything,” I replied.

“But what do I do in the meantime?” he asked.

“You could start off by cleaning the house up,” I suggested. “There’s one thing feeling needed, but she’s going to feel like she’s the unpaid servant if she comes back to a mess like that.”

“I don’t know how to even start on it all,” he sighed.

“Chuck out the rubbish, wash the muckies, run a duster round things and sweep the floor, that would be a good start,” I said.

“But that’s women’s work,” he muttered.

“You make a mess, you clean it up,” I replied.

“But,” he started.

“Do you want her to take one look at that lot and decide to go elsewhere?” I asked.

“No,” he muttered as the bus shelter came into view and the man was waiting for him.

“He’s obviously interested,” I said.

“Either that or she knows what’s been offered,” muttered the Head Fairy.

“So we will get there quickly,” I said.

“Good luck,” he muttered.

“Have you got them?” the strange man asked.

“Here,” said our man, taking the box out of his pocket and opening it.

“They are more beautiful than even your photo led me to believe,” he sighed taking hold of the box and stroking the gems. The Head Fairy grimaced as if he’d stroked her and heaved a sigh of relief when he closed the box.

“My wife?” asked our man.

“Now why should I hand her over when you bring me things like this?” he asked, putting the box in his pocket, we went with it.

“Because you said you would,” our man whimpered.

“You know I am not a man of my word and still you keep hoping,” he laughed.

“What if I stopped bringing things?” our man asked.

“I know plenty of people who would pay a pretty penny for her,” he smiled.

“No, please don’t,” our man pleaded.

“No the best pleader I’ve heard,” muttered the Head Fairy.

“You keep on finding things for me,” the strange man said. “And I’ll think about it.”

“We’ve got to get the shoe makers wife back to him,” I said.

“Might be an idea to relocate them as well,” said the Head Fairy. “When we have the jewellery back.”

The dawn was just beginning to break when we got somewhere, not quite sure where, but he climbed out of his car checked his pocket for the box and headed towards a rather large and ornate door which looked as if it could hold back several hordes rampaging or otherwise.

The door opened wide and a rather menacing man stood in it.

“I believe you have something for my lady,” he said.

“Yes,” he stuttered, handing over the box. The man opened it for a quick glance.

“Those gems are not for your eyes,” said a voice from within the building.

“I recognise that voice,” muttered the Head Fairy. “Now what was her name.”

The door slammed shut and we slipped quickly into the building.

“What do you want me to say to him?” asked the man who opened the door.

“I don’t really care,” she said, then paused. “But I suppose he might still be useful, say something to keep him on side.”

“OK my lady,” he said smiling.

“I’m not sure that I like the look on his face,” I muttered.

“He isn’t the problem,” said the Head Fairy. “She is!”

“I know you are here,” said the woman. “That invisibility spell wont hide you from me Enid.”

“Enid!” I giggled.

“So, that’s my name,” the Head Fairy snapped. “It isn’t like a choose the stupid thing.”

“Of course not,” I said, trying not to giggle and failing.

“And that little friend of yours,” she added.

“Apprentice,” said the Head Fairy stiffly. “And if you let her go now, I wont tell her what your name is,” the Head Fairy added, her arms crossed and a look on her face that I wouldn’t want looking at me.

“Apprentice,” the woman said. “I hope you treat her better than you treated me.”

“I wouldn’t say you’ve done badly for yourself,” said the Head Fairy. “Do we have a deal?”

“Of course,” smiled the woman. “I have you, what use is an apprentice. Tell her she has ten seconds to get out of here.”

“Go,” the Head Fairy snapped. “No questions.”

“OK,” I said, waving my wand.

“I thought you’d been told to limit wand use,” said the woman.

“That’s my problem, not yours,” said the Head Fairy.

“That and a few other things,” said the woman. “Unless, of course, you help me and you’d better think about that carefully before you make any rash comments.”

“Sybil, you are the most,” the Head Fairy started to say.

“Remember what I said,” Sybil replied. “You don’t want to say anything rash, you might regret it later.”

“They didn’t want you in the college,” the Head Fairy replied. “But I went out on a limb for you.”

“Bet you wish you hadn’t,” Sybil laughed.

“It gets thrown back at me each time I back someone they don’t like,” the Head Fairy replied.

“That includes you,” the Head Fairy mouthed to me as I hovered near the window.

“I’m going to follow him,” I mouthed back. She nodded in my direction and I hurried away before Sybil noticed.

“Whatever you’re planning, it wont work,” Sybil said smiling at the Head Fairy.

“I am not planning anything,” the Head Fairy replied.

“I do believe you are not,” said Sybil. “This should be interesting.”

The man stood outside wondering what to do next.

“Your lady is not so keen on you as you are on her,” I said hovering just a few feet from him.

“This is your doing,” he snapped, spinning round.

“I wouldn’t say that,” I replied. “She didn’t even want to see you.”

“She can be like that sometimes,” he said walking back to his car. “It doesn’t mean anything.”

“It means she doesn’t feel the need to keep you onside,” I replied.

“I do everything and more that she asks of me,” he said.

“And yet she doesn’t seem to think that is enough,” I said. “What does she do for you?”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“You scurry round trying to find things to please her, but is she happy, no,” I replied. “So why do you keep doing it?”

“You wouldn’t understand,” he muttered.

“Then explain,” I said.

“Why?” he asked.

“It seems to me that we if we work together we could come up with a solution that would be equitable to both of us,” I replied.

“What has she got that you want back?” he asked.

“The Head Fairy and the gems in that box,” I replied.

“What’s she to you?” he asked and then shook his head. “Don’t bother, fairies are a bit of a law unto themselves.”

“So what has she got on you?” I asked.

“She has cast a spell on the village I come from, it is like a shadow, held is suspense, I can see them, but they can’t see or hear me,” he sighed.

“You want the spell raised,” I said. “Has she given you any clues on how that may be done.”

“No,” he sighed, starting the car up. “And try as I will, she says nothing about what I can do to free them from this curse.”

“Where is the shoe makers wife?” I asked.

“I brought her here,” he said. “She is the one who put her in stasis.”

“Stop the car,” I said, as the man who opened the door walked up to it.

“She’s thrown me out,” he said. “All these years of service,” he added as a bag flew from the door in his direction. “And this is all I have to show for my unquestioning devotion.”

“What happened?” I asked.

“That blasted mirror,” he said. “She told me to hang it on the wall, I did, just as she asked.”

“And?” I asked.

“The mirror told her about a ball at the palace tomorrow night, it is to be attended by a King from a near by country,” he said. “She saw his arrival, in the mirror and fell for him.”

“What about his wife?” I asked.

“She died a few years ago,” he said. “Anyway, with those gems she’s got he doesn’t stand a chance. He’ll fall for her and whisk her away to his kingdom.”

“Do you want to bring her down?” I asked.

“Just tell me what to do,” he asked.

“Get in the car,” I said. “We need to do a bit of plotting, we need to put a great big spanner in her plans.”

by Janice Nye © 2019

The Fairy Godmother Part 4

“So how did you come by this talking mirror?” I asked as soon as we got to his house.

“Don’t you think you should work around to that one?” asked the Head Fairy.

“No,” I said to the Head Fairy.

“Well?” I asked him.

“What do you know about the mirror?” he asked.

“I know that in the wrong hands it can do a lot of harm,” I said. “Now, what do you know about it and how did you get your hands on it?”

“It’s a long story,” he sighed. “I’m not sure where to start.”

“Try the beginning,” I said. “It’s best to start there, prevents unpleasant flash backs and the confusion they can create.”

“Where are my manners,” he said unlocking the door and showing me into the house. “Would you like a drink?”

“A cup of tea will be fine,” I said, waving my wand and a tea tray dragged itself out from behind a cupboard, the tea pot sprang into action the muck and mouldy tea bags flew out of it into the bin and the kettle began to sing. More tea bags appeared along with a couple of mugs, a sugar bowl and milk jug.

“I didn’t know I had a tea set,” he muttered, as they all gathered on the tray, along with a plate of assorted biscuits.

“Right,” I said. “Shall we go into the living room so we can sit comfortably whilst you tell me all about the mirror?”

“We can go there,” he said. “But I don’t know about sitting comfortably,” he added, opening the living room door.

The tray followed me into the room, but there was no obvious place for it to sit down, all the surfaces where littered with either dirty clothes or discarded take-away containers. With a wave of my wand I cleared some space for us and the tray, with a sigh of relief it sank down onto the coffee table.

“I could do with a wand like that,” he sighed.

“You could do with a cleaner,” I said.

“I could do with the money to pay one,” he said.

“What happened to your wife?” I asked, noting the wedding photo, about the only thing in the room that was clean.

“She gone, well been taken,” he sighed. “Since then, it has been hard motivating myself, things seemed to pile up and. She was always so good at organising.”

“Is that when things started to go wrong?” I asked.

“Yes,” he sighed.

“Then that is where you need to start,” I said. “I know it’s difficult, but.”

“I need to tell it all,” he said, looking at the photo. “Happiest day of my life, when we got wed and we had a good life together. She helped me set up the shoe shop, kept the books, did the ordering. I made them, she sold them, we were a team.”

“And then?” I asked, not sure that I really wanted to know.

“He turned up one day, about a year ago, asking where we got such good quality leather,” he said. “My wife knew good suppliers, she could talk them into providing the best quality at a good price. She always said it was my workmanship that made the shoes sell, but it doesn’t matter how good a craftsman you are, you can’t make a silk purse out of a sows ear.” He sighed and gazed at the fireplace. “I should light the fire, it’s cold in here. She always kept the fire built up, a warm welcome when I came in from the workshop.”

“So, this man turns up,” I prompted him, he seemed to have come to a halt, he wasn’t even standing up to light the fire and the room was getting colder.

“Should I light the fire?” I asked the Head Fairy.

“Might be an idea, because it doesn’t look as if he’s going to,” she sighed.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“We try to discourage too much wand,” she said.

“It isn’t like he’s noticing it,” I said. “And doing anything any other way would take rather too long.”

“OK, your call,” said the Head Fairy. In other words, if it goes right, I take the credit, if it doesn’t then you’re up to your neck in it.

I lit the fire and the heat and light from it seemed to bring him back from his wool gathering.

“He kept coming in to the shop asking where we got out materials from, my wife told him, but they wouldn’t deal with him and he got increasingly agitated,” he sighed. “My wife told him it was out of her hands, she couldn’t make them sell to him.”

“So what happened next?” I asked, trying to get him to continue.

“I came home one day to find her gone,” he sobbed. I handed him a hankie. He took it and blew his nose loudly. “There was a note on the counter, with a photo of my wife in something that looked like a glass topped coffin. The note said that she was in stasis and would stay like that until I did what he asked.”

“And what he asked for was the talking mirror?” I asked.

“No,” he sighed. “At first it was a load of fancy shoes, he said they were for his lady.”

“Sounds like he wants to keep her onside,” I said.

“The demands got greater and he still wouldn’t return my wife. The mirror was just the latest thing, he said it would be the last, but he lied,” he sighed. “Now it feels like I am going to be on a string forever and that I will never get her back.”

“Where did you get the mirror from?” I asked. “I mean your usual suppliers can’t have had one.”

“The brother of one of the people in the dispatches of our supplier lived next door to a widow and his son, he took their only cow into market to see what they could get for it. He knew a good hide when he saw it and was going to make an offer for the cow, but the widow’s son sold it before he got to market. Sold it for a bag of beans, his Mother was furious with him and threw them in the garden, I think she’d said there weren’t even enough to make a good meal in that bag, I think she was more angry with herself for leaving the job to him. Anyway, next morning the brother of the person in dispatches was up early and saw that the beans had sprung up over night and the stalk reached up into the sky, so he climbed it. At the top of the bean stalk he saw a palace and went to look round. The place was full of treasure and he was wondering how he could get at least some of it back down here when this mirror called to him. Well, he had to have it, wrapped it in a sack and took it down with him, promising himself he’d be back later for the rest, but when he got back at the end of the day, the bean stalk had been chopped off at ground level and lay withering on the ground. He told his the person in dispatches and they promised to see if they could find a buyer for the mirror. I mentioned it to him and he wanted it, for his lady. He promised me my wife back if I got it to him, but he lied. Now I have neither the mirror or my wife,” he sighed again and looked at me.

“Well,” I said to the Head Fairy. “Looks like the mirror supply line has been cut off.”

“That’s good,” she said. “But we are no nearer to finding the one that is out there.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” I replied.

“You sent a message to him about the mirror?” I asked.

“He’s always on the lookout for something good,” he said. “Something to impress his lady.”

“Then we lure him here with something that he can’t resist,” I said.

“For what purpose?” he asked.

“We need to do two things,” I replied. “Find out where the mirror is and find out where your wife is being kept.”

“So,” asked the Head Fairy. “Do you have any ideas as to what this lady will find irresistible?”

“You have some magic jewellery,” I said to the Head Fairy. “It isn’t mine, it comes with the job, personally I think it’s a bit gaudy. Why?”

“It makes the wearer irresistible to the man she chooses,” I smiled.

“I have no money left to buy anything that she might want,” he said.

“She seems to know her magic,” I told the Head Fairy. “It’s this or wave good bye to the talking mirror.”

“Fine,” the Head Fairy muttered, snapping her fingers, a fine leather jewellery box appeared. “But if you loose these,” she glared.

“I shall keep them in clear sight all the time,” I promised. “Anyway, you’ll be with me.”

“You bet I will,” she muttered.

“I think you will find that this meets the bill,” I said handing the box over. He opened the lid and took a photo of it’s contents and then sent it off.

“If that doesn’t get him running nothing will,” he sighed as his phone rang back to say he had a text.

“USUAL PLACE, TEN MINUTES.”

“He’s taken the bait,” I said.

By Janice Nye © 2019