Fairy Stories & Other Tales

By Amelia Brown
Once, in a time of grave reasoning and careful logic, there was a child who laughed.She laughed wildly and stifled, with abandon and with gentle chuckles, often awake and sometimes asleep, and the sound was always like the pealing of bells. But, as it was a time of grave reasoning, the frowns upon the faces of passersby and the scolds of those of permanent fixture were frequent and sharp and came down like blows on the little heart. Then came a day when a ship filled with mysterious strangers arrived, flying on the air.Sounds of laughter could be heard ringing down and settling amongst the frowns and the scolds, drawing the child like a beacon.When a hand stretched down to her from the side of the ship deck, the child grabbed hold and let herself be swung aboard. The next day, the ship was gone, and the child too. For it was a time of grave reasoning.

By Amelia Brown One fine Saturday morning, a mouse sat looking wearily over the edge of a large pit.The pit itself was several fathoms deep and many more times wide, and the mouse, having need to cross the cavern at this very point and having already been on a very long journey that had worn him to the bone, simply stared at the pit with sad eyes. About midday, a hedgehog scurried by.Seeing the mouse sitting on the lip of the pit, he spoke up.‘A good day to you, Mr. Mouse.And tell me, whatever are you waiting for?’ ‘I’m waiting for this pit to be filled, Mr. Hedgehog,’ the mouse replied wearily. The hedgehog’s eyes went wide with surprised.He then let out a little laugh.‘Tut, tut.You’ll be waiting a long time,’ he said, and then went about his business. A few hours later, evening had just arrived, and a mole was ambling by the edge of the pit.When he saw the mouse staring forlornly at the giant chasm, he said chattily, ‘The sun is about to drop, young mouse.What is it that you’re waiting f…