The Rose Fairies

For many, many years there has existed a garden that is immeasurably near.
This garden is also the home of some fairies. You surely know that certain
fairies are very big, almost as big as a person, with long hair and wings
speckled with stars. But the fairies about whom I am going to tell you
today are as tiny and small as a big finger nail and they wear colourful
clothes and are happy all day long. But the smaller you are, the more
careful you need to be that you are not crushed by the animals and birds in
the garden. Not because the animals are bad or want to harm the fairies.
No, no, it is only through carelessness that the big ones sometimes hurt
the small ones. That is why the small ones always have to be careful and
find a safe place where they can live in peace.

Our fairies searched and searched, slid down wet leaves and almost drowned
in the dew drops of the big flowers, till finally, right in the middle of
the garden they found a beautiful flower that the humans called ROSE. And
what a fine thing it was to taste the honey from the buds and to hide among
the many petals! It was quite safe to sleep there because the petals were
firm and tight, and the little fairies could hold on fast and not fall out
when stormy winds shook the flower once in a while.

And so the little fairies were glad to have finally found a home in which
they were very comfortable and happy. They played hide and seek in the
petals, swung around and sang fairy songs. Their happiness would have been
complete but for the goblins, dark scoundrels who would shake the rose stems
every night till the little fairies fell out of the petals. And once the had fallen to the ground, the goblins could tease them and play mean tricks on them.
That was very unkind, but unfortunately there are always some
people who cannot bear the thought of others being happy.

The fairies sat down one day and discussed what they should do. Should they
leave their flower and look for another home? Should they allow the goblins
to succeed in their plan simply because they were stronger? No, that would
be unjust, and so the fairies thought of a plan:

The next day when the sun was up in the sky and the birds were singing,
they went into the forest and gathered chestnuts. With a lot of effort they
broke the sharp thorns off the shells and stuck them to the rose stems with
yew sap. It was a difficult task for the little fairies, but well worth it.

That evening, when the goblins tried to shake the stems to make the fairies
fall out of the flower, they cut their little hands and ran away crying
loudly. From that day on they left the rose fairies in peace.

And it is from that time that roses have thorns, and on some days it is
still possible to find a little fairy between the petals.

Let her sleep in peace then.

Für Lena L.

©P. Eitner