\u201cHello! Have you forgotten about me?\u201d Anne felt scratching in her pocket.
\nOh, the fairy! In the confusion, she had forgotten what or rather who was in her trouser pocket.
\n\u201cExcuse me! It’s just all so scary… And it’s still smoking\u201d Anne said, making room for the fairy to at least half climb out of her pocket.
\n\u201cMove over, it stinks in here! My wing still hurts, I’m hungry and thirsty, I don’t know where my peers are, and my home is on fire\u201d the sobbing made it hard to understand what the fairy was saying.
\nAnne looked around cautiously and ducked behind a blooming rose bush. She took the little creature in the palm of her hand.
\n\u201cShhhh! Look at all the people, they can’t see you!\u201d she shushed the fairy. \u201cI just realised I don’t even know your name. Do you even have a name?\u201d
\n\u201cOf course, I do! Every fairy has a name. Mine is Tulip. My friends call me Tuli\u201d.
\n\u201cAnd am I your friend?\u201d
\n\u201cI don’t know yet. Are you?\u201d” “\u201cOf course. I will not hurt you. I’m glad you exist. You said you were hungry. Get back in my pocket, I live nearby, I’ll take you home and feed you. What do fairies eat anyway?\u201d
\n\u201cI could have some fruit right now. And water! Thank you\u201d said Tuli, and then she slipped back into Anne’s pocket; by the time they got home, she had almost dozed off.
\nAnne hurried home.
\n\u201cI’m home!\u201d she shouted as they entered the door. Mum ran ahead of her.
\n\u201cI was so happy to get your text! An A in Maths, that’s wonderful! Come here, let me give you a hug!\u201d
\n\u201cI’m very hungry and tired,\u201d Anne moaned, \u201cI’ll quickly get something out of the fridge and go up to my room to lie down\u201d.
\nMum was shocked.
\n\u201cAren’t you happy with your excellent report card, Annie? I thought we could go and buy the scooter…\u201d
\n\u201cOf course, I’m very happy, and we’ll buy the scooter, for sure, but for now I’d rather rest,\u201d Anne said hurriedly. \u201cDo we have any fruit?\u201d
\n\u201cThere are apples and bananas in the fruit compartment. But… Annie!\u201d Anne didn’t even hear that, she ran into the kitchen to the fridge, then rushed up to her room and closed the door behind her or rather behind them.” “\u201cYou can come out now! I’ve brought some apples and a glass of water. Have a bite and a drink!\u201d
\nTuli was hungry, but the glass was too big for her. Anne quickly searched for a tiny set of dishes she had received for one of her dolls when she was little.
\n\u201cCan you tell me what happened?\u201d
\n\u201cThere is nothing more to tell. Me and a few of my companions were the last ones who stayed in the forest until the end\u201d Tuli said with her mouth full. \u201cWe were looking for food when all that rubbish caught fire. I couldn’t see anything through the thick black smoke, I don’t know where the others flew. Then suddenly you bumped into me… and here we are. I am worried about them\u201d. The fairy\u2019s lips began to quiver as she began to cry.
\n\u201cDon’t cry, Tuli! We will find them! When you’re well fed, we’ll go and see if the fire’s been put out. They must be hiding somewhere in the area\u201d.
\n\u201cBut what if they have all flown away? Or even worse… Oh, I dare not even think about it!\u201d Tuli was in floods of tears, which were pooling in her tiny palms with the apple juice.
\n\u201cIt’s going to be okay\u201d whispered Anne, and she was surprised to find that she actually believed what she said.” “\u201cAnnie, you’ve been in there a long time! Are you alright?\u201d Mum knocked on the door, as Anne flinched. She hid Tuli in her pocket and replied.
\n\u201cOf course, everything is fine! You can come in!\u201d
\n\u201cDad has come back from the doctor’s surgery. We have a big surprise for you! Come down and see\u201d smiled Mum, suggestively.
\nAnne suddenly remembered the excellent report card and her greatest wish: a red scooter. She stormed down the stairs, oblivious to Tuli sitting in her pocket. She had guessed right!
\n\u201cDad! Wow! How beautiful!\u201d And sure enough, there was a brand new, shiny red scooter with a ladybird bell on the handlebar, propped up next to Dad. A dream comes true!
\n\u201cCan I try it out?\u201d
\n\u201cOf course, since it\u2019s yours! Take it for a spin! Fortunately, the fire brigade has already left. But be careful!\u201d
\nAnne took the scooter to the front of the house and jumped on it. She ignored the scratching in her pocket, but Tuli didn’t stop.
\n\u201cAnne! Don’t go too fast, I might fall out!\u201d
\n\u201cDon’t be afraid, I’ll take care of you! Now we’re going to go and see what happened to the forest, okay? I’ll go slowly, I promise\u201d.” “Reaching the forest, the fairy cried out.
\n\u201cAnne, this is terrible! It’s worse than anything I could have imagined in my wildest dreams!\u201d Tuli sobbed as she stared at the blackened stumps of the burnt undergrowth.
\n\u201cThis was the clearing, we lived there, in the hollow of that tree, look, almost the whole thing has burnt down… And there, under the stones, is where my cousins lived, now everything is charred. Oh, even the stag beetle’s nest has burned down, the flames have devoured the whole pine tree at the base of which it was housed\u201d.
\nAnne watched in despair as Tuli’s unquenchable weeping continued. She had no idea what to say.
\n\u201cTuli… where could the others be now?\u201d
\n\u201cI don’t know! Boo-hoo-hoo… see, no one! I can’t even hear the crickets, and they were still playing even when the forest was burning. And everything is soaked, just look at the mud. I can’t fly yet because of my wings, but I can’t step on the ground either, because then I would sink. This is a tragedy!\u201d Tuli was crying so loudly that Anne looked around in fright: was there any fireman left here by mistake? Because if so, they would be caught.
\n\u201cDon’t be afraid Tuli… Everything will be fine,\u201d Anne said, but with much less conviction than before.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1208,"template":"","class_list":["post-1210","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n