The Fairies at the Fairydust-Castle E-Book

Karin Ordell

• Herausgeber: Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Serie: The Fairies at the Fairydust-Castle
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 200

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Welcome to the story of the Fairies at Fairydust-Castle and the Tooth Fairies who collect baby teeth from children all over the world if they remember to put them under their pillow at night on the same day, they lose them. Bitte did that. She was a quite ordinary human girl who, one night a few weeks after her seventh birthday, woke up in the Fairy world. That night, Bitte's life changed forever. Now you will hear how it happened and what further occurred. We follow her development from a small cautious and somewhat clumsy girl, until she gradually steps into character as a brave, determined and resourceful girl in a magical world. The book is written for children aged 6 to 12 years. The younger ones should have it read by an adult, but older children can easily read it themselves.

Leseprobe

Dedicated to my grandson Silas Aiden Pedersen with thanks for the idea for this adventure and inspiration and encouragement along the way.

Table of Contents

Chap. 1: Bitte

Chap. 2: The Fairies

Chap. 3: Tooth Fairies and their Magic

Chap. 4: Bees and Magic

Chap. 5: Biffer

Chap. 6: Harvey

Chap. 7: Bitte and Sigrid

Chap. 8: Strangers visit Fairydust-Castle

Chap. 9: The Tooth-Fairies

Chap. 10: Peter

Chap. 11: Suspicion

Chap. 12: Sigrid's Secret

Chap. 13: Black Clouds above Kantadius

Chap. 14: Thronaria: The Land of the Elves

Chap. 15: Visit from Thronaria

Chap. 16: Mystery of Tora’s Disappearance

Read more on The Fairies at the Fairydust-Castle website and Facebook page:

https://rio-ordell.dk/festoev-slottet

https://www.facebook.com/eventyrligehistorier

Chapter 1

Bitte

Deep in the countryside, close to both forest and meadow, a small thatched cottage overlooked a courtyard. The cottage had little windows, a crooked door, one cramped living-room, two bedrooms and a small kitchen. A small barn and chicken coop stood beside it. Fresh water came from a well in the yard. Behind the cottage, in the kitchen garden, lettuces, carrots, Brussels sprouts and many other vegetables were being cultivated.

A family of seven lived in the cottage. There were five children, one boy and four girls. The cottage was small and the family was poor but, nevertheless, it was a happy home. The parents did everything they could for their children.

Bitte was the eldest of the girls and her life was soon to change in a way that she could never have imagined.

After a long, hard day spent harvesting potatoes Bitte rested in her bed. She could not sleep. It was September and the nights were starting to get cold. To save fuel, the tiled stove had not been used that evening. The whole house was like ice. Bitte’s hands and feet were freezing and the tip of her nose was very cold. Her stomach rumbled. She was hungry and had only been given one boiled potato and a thin slice of dry bread for dinner. Without anyone noticing, she had cut the potato in half and shared it with her brother who had worked as hard as her father. Bitte had thought that Tom needed the potato more than she did. She lay in bed thinking about the day before.

What a wonderful day her seventh birthday had been! Her present had been a small cake with a candle on it. She remembered looking at the candle for a long time and savouring the precious moments as the flickering candlelight was reflected in the cake's pink icing. She thought she really ought to have shared the cake with her sisters and with her brother. After taking a knife from the kitchen drawer, she had divided the cake into five slices. Having already given one piece to three- year-old Sussi, another to four-year-old Hanna, yet another to six-year-old Maggi, she had given Tom, who was eleven, a larger slice. It had been difficult to divide the small round cake into five equal pieces.

Tom always worked as hard as his father whether in the field or tending the animals. He was tall for his age, heavily built, always hungry and enjoyed making fun and trouble with his sisters.

As Bitte’s brother and sisters had been eating their share of the cake, Bitte had looked at her own slice. She recalled how she had cut her own piece of cake in half and how she had given those portions to her parents. Bitte’s mother, Sophia, with tears glistening in her eyes, had gently consoled her daughter with these words:” Dearest little Bitte, it’s your birthday present. The cake belongs to you. Dad and I love cake but it’s not very often that you have such a treat. I don't know when I'll be able to bake a cake for you or the family again. As you know, money is scarce and the potato harvest only just covers our daily expenses."

Looking earnestly at her mother, Bitte emphatically replied: "This is my cake and I have decided to share it with you all. You work so hard and I cannot do much. I’m too young and I don't have much strength. You deserve a little kindness." She recalled how she had hugged her mother and her father in turn. Showing appreciation for her parent’s kindness, she had said, "Thank you for the cake and for a wonderful day."

Bitte’s father, Harold, was well built with black bristly hair. His large hands were roughened through hard work. He was a man of few words. However, on this occasion, taking Bitte into his arms he had suggested: "Let’s go into the storeroom together and find a small treat for you, my dear girl." Having put her head against her father’s chest, she had felt his worn jacket scratch against her cheek. In the storage room her father had settled her down in front of the shelves where flour, groats and other durable food were kept. Eager to discover a suitable treat, she had tried to find something simple that she would really enjoy.

Having carefully cast her eyes along the shelves, she'd chosen a large orange carrot that was fresh, crisp and ready to eat. She'd asked if she could save it for later in the evening as she'd wanted to enjoy it quietly by herself when she'd gone to bed.

As Bitte's birthday drew to a close the whole family had chatted and played games. Tom had climbed onto a chair and had sung a nonsense song to her. No one had understood a word of it but they had almost split their sides with laughter. One by one the children had said "Goodnight" and had been kissed by their parents. Bitte's sisters had gone to bed and had fallen asleep quickly.

Bitte shared a room with her three sisters. The very small room had just enough space for two beds. Bitte slept in one bed and her three little sisters shared the other. Tom had space to himself in the cow barn.

Bitte sat upright preparing to enjoy her treat. She rested her pillow on the bedhead. She kept the blankets tightly wrapped around her. She looked at the carrot, licked it, and then took a proper bite.

"Ouch!" exclaimed Bitte, as she spat the carrot into her hand. There was a small white tooth in the middle of the carrot pieces. Bitte checked her mouth with her fingers and, yes, she found a tooth missing from her lower jaw. It had been loose for a while but, as it had not pained her, she had almost forgotten about it. As she examined the tooth, she thought of a story her mother had told her. According to her mother, placing a baby tooth under the pillow before going to bed would result in a special exchange. The tooth fairy, as the story goes, would visit during the night, taking the tooth and leaving a gift in its place.

Bitte couldn’t quite make up her mind as to whether she believed the story, but then she said out loud: "It can’t do any harm," and put her tooth under her pillow. She ate the rest of the carrot carefully, using only the good side of her mouth. She wrapped the blanket tightly around her legs and all the way up to her chin to keep warm. Feeling comfortable and contented, Bitte fell asleep.

Bitte had a lovely dream which was disturbed by a sound in her room that woke her suddenly. She sat up and rubbed her eyes as she tried to pull herself together. She noticed something yellow, glistening on the footboard. It looked like a small doll, but it was moving and had little wings that fluttered. Bitte stared and said, "Who are you? Are you an elf?"

Bitte in her bed with the tooth fairy

The elf, which was in fact a fairy laughed and said: "Hello, Bitte. No, I’m not an elf. Elves do not exist. I’m a fairy and I have just picked up your tooth." The fairy stretched out her arm towards Bitte. Bitte saw a green bag tied with a gold ribbon. The bag seemed too big and heavy for the little creature, but the fairy lifted the bag easily and effortlessly.

"By the way, my name is Laas. I have a message from Mother Blue."

"Mother Blue?" Bitte enquired. "Who is Mother Blue?"

"Mother Blue is the Queen of all the fairies in Fairyland and she has decided to offer you a place amongst the fairies. She will explain later."

"I think I’m dreaming," Bitte said, rubbing her eyes once more.

"You are not dreaming, but try to go to sleep again now. Tomorrow you’ll remember what I said, but you’ll still think it was just a dream. Mother Blue will explain everything to you before long. Go to sleep now."

Bitte’s eyes closed and she fell asleep. She dreamed of elves, fairies and strange creatures that she had never seen before. When Bitte woke again it was dark and her sisters were still sleeping. As she got out of bed the blanket became entangled around her legs and she fell to the floor with a thud. Bitte remained completely still and thought: "I hope the little ones did not hear me or they will laugh and make fun of me. Perhaps they will call me "Humpty Dumpty," or some other stupid name."

Bitte found her shoes, put on her dress and went into the kitchen. Her mother, Sophia, was cooking porridge. She turned her head and said: "Good morning Bitte. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you," Bitte replied as she thought about the dream.

"My tooth!" she suddenly shouted and ran out of the kitchen, along the hallway and into her room. She lifted her pillow and looked to see where her tooth had been. The tooth had gone! "My tooth, my tooth!" she exclaimed. Her shrill voice woke the little ones who stared at her. Mother Sophia entered the room.

"What are you making so much noise about? You’re waking up the whole house."

"My tooth," Bitte said. "The fairy has taken it!" She put it in a big green bag. Her name was Laas and she was sitting on the footboard. Look!"

Bitte pointed to her mouth to show where the tooth had been. Her mother looked up and started laughing.

"Dear Bitte, you must have had a lively dream!"

"No, no. I bit the carrot and my tooth fell out. I remembered a story you told me about how the tooth fairy would come and pick up baby teeth. I put my one under my pillow and now it’s gone."

"It has probably fallen on to the floor. Have you looked there, and under the bed?"

Bitte threw herself on the floor and crawled under the bed. She hit the back of her head on the bottom of the bed. Her hair became entangled in the springs. "Ouch!

Ouch!" Bitte shouted, and moving her head sideways, she tried to free her hair. "There’s nothing under here.

I told you the fairy has taken it." She crawled out and noticed that her sisters were staring at her but they did not utter a word.

Bitte's mother shook the pillow and blanket. There was no sign of the tooth. As her mother smoothed the sheet, she observed a white object lying on the edge of the mattress against the wall. She picked it up and examined it. It was a small unicorn, seemingly made from ivory.

"Bitte, what’s this?" Bitte looked and said quietly, "It’s the gift that has been left in exchange for my tooth. Isn’t it lovely?" Her sisters came to see the gift.

Hanna held out her hand.

"Is it for me? Can I keep it?" she asked.

Mother Sophia frowned and appeared apprehensive.

"I’d better keep it until we can find out exactly what has happened. Bitte, are you sure that you haven't seen this unicorn before?"

Bitte was almost in tears.

"Mum, this is a gift to me from Laas. Will you please give it to me? Laas said that Mother Blue would come and explain things. May I have my unicorn, please?"

Mother Sophia looked somewhat frightened now.

"Bitte, you’ve always had a lively imagination but you are making me nervous. I must talk to Dad about this." Her mother left the room.

Silence reigned. Bitte stood looking at her bed. The three sisters looked at Bitte. Little Sussi said, "Me hungry," and walked out of the room. Bitte, Hanna and Maggi followed her to the kitchen. They had breakfast in silence. Tom and Father Harold had eaten earlier and had left to work in the field at sunrise.

Bitte in the cowshed

It was Bitte’s turn to muck out the cows in the barn. Then she had to collect eggs from the hens and, before her day's work was finished, she had to pull the remaining carrots from the kitchen garden and place them in the storage room. Bitte set out for the stable.

An old coat hung behind the stable door and a pair of wooden clogs lay on the floor. Bitte had two dresses, one for weekdays and one for Sundays and holidays.

The Sunday dress was wrapped in paper under her bed.

Bitte put the old coat over her everyday dress to prevent it from getting dirty. She removed her shoes and put on the worn clogs. Her foot slipped out of one of the clogs and, as she bent down to fix it, she fell and landed on her bottom. She felt something wet penetrate both coat and dress. As she struggled to get up, she noticed she had landed in a cowpat."Ugh!" she exclaimed. "I hope mum won’t be angry with me."

Bitte walked slowly towards the cottage. As she came through the kitchen door, she saw her mother looking at her. Noticing Bitte's dirty dress and coat, her mother said, a little sternly, "Bitte, you must learn to be more careful. You keep having mishaps. One day something really awful will happen to you." Bitte was about to cry. Her mother took hold of her and, kissing her on the forehead, said, "I’ll heat some water for a bath. In the meantime, take off your clothes so that I can wash them."

Before long Bitte was in the bathtub in the middle of the kitchen and her mother was washing Bitte’s clothes. "Bitte, the clothes will not be dry today. I’ll go into our bedroom to see what I can find. Make sure you give yourself a good wash." Mother Sophia left the kitchen. After washing, Bitte wrapped herself in a tatty towel and sat down as Mother Sophia returned with clothes in her arms. ”This is all I can find," she said, as she handed the clothes to Bitte.

Bitte put on one of Mother Sophia’s old petticoats and a green knitted jumper with holes in each elbow.

"These clothes will get dirty if I work in the barn without an overcoat," Bitte said.

Mother Sophia replied with a smile. "Then I’ll wash it this evening. Tomorrow your own clothes will be dry."

Bitte returned to the stable and completed her work. She was very careful about where she stepped. "I must try not fall over again or to be clumsy. I don't want to end up in tears or to give my mother more work," she thought. It was late in the afternoon by the time Bitte had finished her work. She returned to the cottage hoping to find something to eat. Her stomach rumbled and she felt a little dizzy.

Hanna and Maggi were sitting at the dining table as Bitte entered the kitchen. They looked intently at her.

Maggi kept her mouth closed but a laugh escaped.

"You look funny, Bitte!" Maggi said. Hannah also started laughing and pointed at Bitte. "Funny clothes!" she said. Bitte shrugged and sat down at the table. It had been a terrible day.

In the days that followed, Bitte was very quiet and thoughtful. Father Harold had decided to lock the unicorn in the desk drawer for the time being. No one dared ask for it. Suddenly, there was a tense atmosphere in the family. Father and Tom spent more time than usual in the field and with the animals. Mother Sophia was always busy with chores in the kitchen or in the laundry room.

Some weeks later, Bitte returned home in the afternoon from one of the neighbouring farms. She had delivered a basket of eggs. A family with nine children lived there. Despite their best efforts, the small farm was not able to produce enough food to sustain the family. Harold and Sophia offered assistance whenever they could, but it fell on Bitte to gather whatever they could spare - eggs and any other produce - to supplement their meals.

Bitte came into the kitchen with the empty basket and found a stranger there. The visitor, a lady, was tall and dressed entirely in blue. Even the ribbon in her hair was blue. Bitte approached her, and shaking hands with her, introduced herself.

"Hello, Bitte. I’m Mrs. Blue," the visitor announced.

"Yes, I can see that," Bitte said. "You're wearing blue clothes." Immediately it dawned on Bitte that she had probably come across as rude. "Sorry," Bitte said, "I meant to comment on what a lovely dress you’re wearing."

"Thank you," Mrs. Blue replied. "It’s nice of you to notice my dress."

Mother Sophia interrupted and said to Bitte, "Dad and I have had an interesting conversation with Mrs. Blue and there is something we both want to talk to you about." Bitte listened intently to everything that was said. Although she did not comment, Bitte understood that her life was about to change. Agreements had been made and Bitte had just two days to prepare. She packed her few belongings, played with her sisters and her brother, and had lengthy conversations with Father Harold and Mother Sophia.

The night before the big change was about to happen, Mother Sophia made Bitte her favourite dish: pancakes with white sugar and syrup. The last thing Father Harold did was to give Bitte the little unicorn. "Take good care of it," he said.

Next morning, when Bitte woke up, she found herself in another world full of brilliant light and bright colours.

Chapter 2

The Fairies

Far, far away in the Kingdom of Kantadius lies the hidden Fairydust-Castle. Tucked away from prying eyes, it remains concealed amidst the neighboring countries, known only to a select few. The fairies and their loyal subjects cherish their hidden existence; they really enjoy the peace and quiet when they do their daily activities. Nestled within a big evergreen forest, the castle stands tall, shielded by the towering trees that envelop it like a shiny treasure hidden in the trees. The snow-white castle boasts twenty towers adorned with golden plating. These towers are as a representation of the twenty baby teeth that all children have. When children lose their baby teeth, the tooth fairies collect and protect these precious treasures. In exchange, children are blessed with twenty-eight new, sparkling white teeth and they must take care of these for the rest of their lifes.

In order to gain entry into the Kingdom of Kantadius, there are two conditions to fulfill. Firstly, one must be under the age of ten. Secondly, one must place a baby tooth under their pillow as an offering. If you are lucky a fairy may visit you during the night, if you discover a coin or a small gift tucked beneath your pillow, you may consider yourself fortunate, for this token signifies that you have been chosen for a voyage to Kantadius, the Fairy Kingdom.

A visit to the Fairy Kingdom is great but visiting doesn’t always mean you'll be invited to become a fairy.

Fairies have many tasks and everything they do is of the utmost importance. The most important task is to collect baby teeth, as without them, the other fairies would have no purpose or work to fulfill.

Lulu is the ruler of Kantadius, and everyone calls her Queen Blue or Mothe Blue by the younger fairies. As the ruler of Fairydust-Castle, she presides over a community of one thousand and one fairies.

Queen Blue is known by this name as she wears shimmering, light blue clothes and has four transparent blue wings which move quickly as she flies. Her hair is light as honey, like many of the other fairies.

Lulu has been Queen and mistress for such a long time that no one can remember when and how she came to Kantadius. Some even think that Lulu has always lived there. However, this is not true. Lulu, like most fairies, once lived as an ordinary little girl. She came from a distant land where she had lived with her parents in a big city. Her home had been in the attic in an old house. She was an only child and a very nimble little girl. Her parents constantly worried that something would happen to her as their country was at war. As the war moved closer to her home, people had started talking about moving away.

Lulu's parents talked about sending Lulu to a safer place far away from the war. After speaking to other parents, they were advised to visit a wise woman who lived in the woods outside the city. The wise woman knew how to protect children.

After much consideration, Lulu's parents decided to visit her. They packed Lulu's bag and set off. As they walked, they told Lulu where they were going and why. Lulu was upset and so her parents explained that she would remain in the woman's care until the war was over when they would come to bring her home again.

Sometime later, they reached the forest and stumbled across a small red house with a black roof. Outside, a small black goat was gnawing at the leaves of a tree. Lulu went to pet the goat. She had never seen a goat before but she was not afraid of it. The goat brushed its horns gently against her and sniffed her hands. The door of the house opened and a short curvy woman stood smiling at the entrance. She welcomed them into her house as she knew not only why they had come but, also, how she could be of help. The wise woman spoke of a large tree in the forest that had been struck by lightning and died. A small earth cave had developed under the tree, the entrance to which was under one of the large roots that protruded from the ground. She gave directions to the cave and told Lulu that she should crawl into it and lie down. She would fall asleep and wake up in a safe and beautiful place.

Lulu was told that she could always visit her parents.

When in bed at night she only had to wish for it to happen. Visits could only last twenty-four hours because it would be too dangerous to stay any longer.

Only when their country was at peace would it be possible for the visits to be longer. Lulu could then decide if she would like to return to her parents. They thanked the wise woman and bade her farewell before setting out to find the dead tree.

They found the tree easily as the wise woman had given very accurate directions. Lulu hesitated as she began to crawl into the cave.

A sense of nervousness overwhelmed her as she thought about what might happen in the future. Her parents offered words of comfort, assuring her that she could return whenever she desired.

Lulu stuck to their promise and knew they would wait for her. She carefully went into the dark cave.