The Penny Whistle

THE PENNY WHISTLE



Grandma’s Homecoming



         ‘Petra, Petra, where are you?’

         ‘Here Daddy, over here’.

Robbie went over to his seven year old daughter, who was hiding behind the Blackwood tree. She was trying to mount one of the lower branches.

         ‘Now Petra, you know how Grandma hasn’t been very well lately led , she is going to come and live with us’.

         ‘Will grandma sleep in the same room as me?’ asked wide eyed Petra.

Robbie moved a wisp of red hair away from her green eyes, ‘no, darling, she can have the spare room’.

         ‘When is Grandma coming?’

         ‘I’m going to the hospital to get Grandma later, why don’t you go inside and help mummy with her room, you can put some of your lovely drawings on her wall, I’m sure grandma will like that’.

Petra went inside to see if she could help with Grandma’s room.



         Later that afternoon, Robbie drove up the driveway with Jileena.

         ‘I didn’t want to put you out son’.

         ‘Don’t be silly mum, Petra is so excited, she wanted you in her room’.

         ‘Haha, darling Petra, I can’t wait to spend more time with her. Are you sure Jodie doesn’t mind?’

         ‘Of course not Mum, she suggested it’.

         ‘Grandma!’ Petra gave her Grandma a big hug.

         ‘Careful with Grandma, we don’t want her to fall’. Warned her father.

         ‘Oh nonsense, I’m not that frail, yet’. Jileena protested as she took Petra‘s hand.



After dinner, Jileena had settled into an armchair.

         ‘Can I read to you Grandma?’

         ‘Of course you can’.

         ‘I like reading Grandma, I’ll get you one of my books’.

         ‘What are you going to read to me?’

         ‘The adventures of the Wishing chair’, it’s a magic chair which flies, and there are pixies and fairies in the story’.

         ‘That sounds just like my type of story’.



Petra snuggled up on Jileena’s knee and began to read.



         ‘In strange old shop the adventures really began…’.

Jileena was listening to Petra‘s young voice, but her mind wandered to her old adventures the day her Aunt gave her that strange whistle.

After a chapter, Petra’s Mother reminded her about school the next day, and said, ‘grandma will love to hear more tomorrow’.

         ‘That was lovely, goodnight dear’, as she kissed Petra on the forehead.



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When Petra finally,  got to the end of the Wishing Chair book, she said to her Grandma, ‘Did you like that story?’

         ‘Very much Petra, I love tales about magic and fairies’.

         ‘Do you think fairies are real grandma?’

Before Jileena could answer, Robbie, Jileena’s Dad said, ‘I think you should go off to bed now Petra, I’m sure Grandma enjoyed it very much.

Jodie, Petra’s mother, was in the kitchen making some tea. Robbie said to Jileena, ‘No mum, no whistles, no fairies and no tales.

         ‘Come on Robbie, it didn’t hurt anyone, after all what child wouldn’t want an adventure like that?’

         ‘Perhaps she can stick to reading about the wishing chair’.

Jileena looked at her son, ‘Why do we have to grow old and forget about all of that?’

         ‘You won’t tell her will you Mum?’

         ‘I’ll tell her it was a fairytale’.

Robbie shrugged his shoulders and talked about Petra at school when Jodie came into the room with tea and biscuits.



Jileena was laying in the sun on a sun bed when Petra came in the gate.

         ‘Guess what Grandma we are going to the zoo next week. Grandma?’

         ‘Oh sorry dear, I was away with the fairies, now what was it you said?’

         ‘We are going to the Zoo next week. Where you really away with the fairies?’

         ‘Haha dear, it’s what you say when someone is thinking about something else while another person is speaking to them’.

         ‘Oh’.

         ‘Hello darling how was school, did you say hello to Grandma?’

         ‘Yes mum, but grandma was away with the fairies.’

         

The truth was, with listening to the story of the wishing chair, it was reminding Jileena about own childhood years and her adventures with fairies.

 



Some days later, Jileena imagined she saw something flying around in the flowerbed, ‘Oh you’ve come back’. Petra heard her grandma talking to herself, and asked, ‘Are you away with the fairies again grandma?’



Grandma laughed.



         ‘Can you tell me a fairy story grandma?’

         ‘I’ll tell you a story, it’s a fairytale’.

Jileena looked at her granddaughters expectant green eyes, and began to tell her a tale.

         ‘But in my fairytale, it’s about a little girl with the same name as mine, Jileena, and later about a boy with the same name as your daddy’s‘.







3



THE BIRTHDAY PRESENT





It all started the Jileena was a little girl and went flouncing into the living room, wearing her new blue dress. Her long, curly, ginger ponytail swung across her back when she walked. It was her ninth birthday party. She was so excited because her friends and cousins were coming to visit to celebrate her birthday. Her Father was the Park Ranger, so Jileena didn’t get many visits from her friends.



She looked excitedly out of the bay windows of her log house, to see if anyone had arrived yet. She noticed how pretty the garden looked. There was no garden hedge surrounding the house. Beyond the garden; the forest had lots of bush, wild flowers, birds, wild animals, and walking tracks.



‘Here Jilly, Hopper, Red and Rufus,’ she called to Kangaroos. Jileena talked to a koala; she’d named Jack, which lived in the Eucalypt tree. Sometimes the possums would come down from their tree hollows, and chomped on apples Jileena left for them.



Finally her friends arrived.



There were lots of nice things to eat. Green and red jellies, with a chocolate frog. Jileena’s favourite was the fairy bread; she licked the sweet, coloured sprinkles off the buttered bread. The Birthday Cake was in the shape of a Koala, because they were Jileena’s favourite marsupial.



The children played ‘pass the parcel’ and ‘guessing’ games.

Jileena got lots of presents. Aunt Nellie gave her a whistle. ‘What’s this?’ Jileena asked, giving her Aunt Nellie a quizzical look as she twirled the whistle around in her fingers.

‘It’s an original Penny Whistle, some people call it a Folk Flute. I knew you wanted a recorder, but this a special whistle.’ Auntie Nellie winked at her.

Jileena thought Aunt Nellie was special. Aunt Nellie was always talking about her garden gnome who looked after her vegie patch and the blooming fairies among the blossoms.



Jileena thought that Aunt Nellie looked a bit like a fairy herself. She always wore pink or yellow long dresses that covered her feet. She seemed to glide as she walked. Her long golden hair flowed down her back. Her eyes were the hue of two round sapphires that were almost too large for her delicate face. Her skin was smooth and milky and reminded Jileena of a porcelain doll she had. Her mother always told Jileena that she looked a lot like her Aunt Nellie. Jileena didn‘t think so, because her eyes were brown and her hair was red, not golden like her Aunty‘s.







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After everyone had left, Jileena took her presents upstairs to her room.

She placed them on her bed, so she could have a look at what she had. She put the flute down that her Aunt Nellie had given her.

Suddenly! She heard a strange whisper, ‘Play me.’ She thought she was hearing things, when it said it again, ‘Play me.’ Jileena stared at the whistle, ‘What will happen if I play you?’ she asked the whistle.



         

                                                   









Jileena looked at her Granddaughter wide-eyed.

‘Did Jileena really have kangaroos as pets? And what happened when she played  the whistle?’ Petra asked her grandma.

Well I’ll tell what happened next time.







Jileena continued her story to Petra over many days, even to what happened when Robbie, her father, was a boy…



















































5                              



THE MAGIC FLUTE



         Jileena picked up the whistle and tried to play it. It sounded quite different to a recorder, and she couldn’t quite get it to play a tune. It even sounded squeaky. Thinking she must have imagined the voice, she put it in her bag.



The next morning was Sunday. Jileena walked in the forest. It was a beautiful, sunny spring day and the sky was blue. The flowers smelt sweet and the breeze was warm on her face. The stream was tickling water. She passed a large silky oak tree. Its branches were drooped and looked to Jileena a big brown and green monster.



She came across a rather large, strange looking toadstool. It had a reddish brown dome shaped top with white spots on it and a brown trunk. She placed her hand on the top of it, and it felt cold and smooth. It was so big and strong she wondered if she could sit on it. ‘How odd, perhaps Dad built it for a seat’. she thought, sitting on the hard, toadstool top.



She reached for her whistle and began to play a tune. She hadn’t heard this tune before. She thought she was quite clever to have made it up

Suddenly! She heard a voice that startled her. She sprang up expecting someone to be behind her. But when she turned to look, no one was there.

From the toadstool where she was sitting came a voice, ‘Who sits on my house and wakes me from my sleep?’

Looking down she saw the strangest little man standing at a little door in the toadstool trunk. He had a funny pointy red Stetson hat on his head and the brim of it was almost hiding his dark eyes. His nose stuck  out from his face. His green jacket covered his waist and brown pants so short, she could see the top of his black boots. He looked angry, frowning at her and waving his stick at her. Flying around next to him, was a purple butterfly.

‘I…I’m s...sorry, I…I didn’t know it was your house,’ Jileena gasped in surprise hearing her heart pounding.

His voice softened but was still firm when he spoke to her again

‘You don’t need to be scared of us little lady, but you were sitting on my house. My name is Nomad, the Gnome continued, and this is Castel.’ He smiled a crooked smile at her as he pointed to the butterfly. Jileena’s eyes widened when she saw it was a tiny fairy fluttering her wings.

‘Hello, You summoned us with your flute.’ Castel had the sweetest voice





Jileena had ever heard.



Jileena gaped too amazed to speak. Then a bee came out of a flower. It buzzed towards her closer and closer, faster and faster until it perched on the end of her nose. She then realised it weren’t a bee but another small fairy.





6



‘Hello, I’m Tunia, it’s been a long time since we’ve heard our music in the forest.’ Tunia was yellow but her face was deeply tanned and she had deep brown eyes.







         Another tiny voice came from out of a sunflower; ‘I’m Osbeck.’ Jileena stooped forward peering into the yellow flower and saw a fairy in a pink dress with pink coloured wings sitting on a petal. Her cheeks were as pink as her dress. Jileena wondered why she wasn’t feeling scared. Instead, she felt quite calm.

‘Wow! I’ve taken lots of walks in the forest before, so why haven’t I seen you?’

‘You weren’t looking,’ replied the gnome.

Two more fairies flew past her. ‘Hello, I’m Olaria,’ one called out.

‘And I’m Zoonia,’ said the other one, flying closer to Jileena to get a better look at her.

Zoonia was a green fairy who said, ‘We wondered who the music maker was. The flute was only played when we were called before our Fairy Queen.’

‘Big Queen,’ giggled Olaria.

‘Not a Queen,’ said Osbeck, ‘but somebody who believes we are here and can see us.’

‘No, I’m not a Queen, and I didn’t call you, but…Oh, tell me I’m not daydreaming again,’ Jileena flopped back down and cupped her hands over her face still in awe of the fairies.

‘Off my house!’ roared Nomad.

‘Sorry,’ Jileena jumped up and walked over to a nearby log, plonking herself down.



She stared at them all. They looked so tiny, flying around, so carefree and happy.

‘I wish I could be a fairy. Then I can be happy and not have anything to care about, and I could fly where I want.’

‘Maybe you can be a fairy as well,’ suggested Dorea, who flew out from a nearby Callistemon bush to join them.

Jileena looked at the pink and white creature and said, ‘No, I can’t. I

can’t be a fairy. I can’t fly, nor do magic things like you do. And I’m too big to be a fairy.’

‘You don’t have to be small to be a fairy.’

To Jileena’s amazement, she saw Osbeck suddenly grow taller and taller until she became as tall as Jileena. Then she shrunk back again to the tiny size that she was. Then Osbeck said, ‘Everybody has some magic within them.’

         ‘Like what, what can I do?’

         ‘If you really want to do something, I believe you can make it happen,’ said Dorea.

         ‘You can get people to smile at you, if you smile at them first,’ said another fairy, Argonia, her lilac colour reflecting on her smiling face.

         ‘If you are kind, everyone will be kind to you,’ said Lanthus. Her lips and cheeks were the colour of a red rose. Jileena took a step back each time a

7



fairy came close to her face with their words of wisdom.

Olaria whispered gently in her ear, ‘Everyone is scared sometimes, just like you. So be brave. Don’t be afraid. Stand tall, and your fears will be small. All magic takes a bit of work for it to happen, you just have to believe in yourself.’



         Olaria took Jileena by the hand and led her to the stream. Her hand felt warm and tingly when the fairy held it. ‘Look in there you will see the fairy you can be.’ Jileena lay on her tummy and stared into the water.



‘I don’t see anything,’ said Jileena.

Olaria said, ‘Repeat this...

Look in and smile

Stare for a while

My image will reflect

And I’ll see...Well, who do you see?’

Jileena repeated the poem. ‘I don’t see anyone.’

‘Look closer,’ said Olaria.

‘If I look any closer, I’ll get my nose wet.’

‘But what do you see?’ asked Olaria.

‘I can only see a reflection of myself!’

‘Say that poem again.’

Jileena said the poem again.

‘Look in and smile

Stare for a while

My image will reflect

And there I saw...myself...myself?’

‘Yes, that rhymes.’

‘But I’m not a fairy.’

‘Believe in yourself.’



Jileena ran her fingers through her long red hair, and thought, ‘Perhaps I should smile a bit more. After all, it always makes me feel better, especially when someone smiles back at me. Maybe I could share my things. I know I could do better at school, if only I could stop daydreaming!’ She remembered the magical tune she had made up on her whistle.

‘Yes, maybe there is some magic in us all,’ she said.

‘Hey you! Whom are you talking to?’ someone shouted behind her.

Jileena swung around to see Big Bill and his brother Tom walking towards her.

Jileena didn’t feel afraid with her friends there. ‘Come and meet my little

friends,’ she said.

‘Friends, where? I can’t see anyone,’ said Bill.

‘My friends...These fairies c…can’t you see them?’

Bill and Tom looked at each other and smirked. ‘You’re mad.’

Tom made a looping motion with his hand and crossed his eyes. ‘Barmy.’

‘I am not!’ shouted Jileena.

‘You are too! You’re talking to yourself, fairies ha ha. I suppose you have a fairy Godmother too?’ said Bill mockingly, his hands on his hips, and his eyes glaring.

8



‘Fairies my foot,’ yelled Tom. They then both walked off, laughing.

Jileena thought it was them who were mad, or blind. She couldn’t understand why they didn’t want to talk to the fairies.





         She turned back to the fairies and said, ‘What’s wrong with them, didn’t they see you?’

‘They don’t believe in us,’ said Nomad.

‘Well, can’t you show yourselves to them, so they won’t think I am mad?’

‘Sorry! We don’t work like that, you have to believe in us to see us,’ Nomad gave Jileena a pitying look.

Jileena had a sinking feeling in her stomach. Feeling frustrated, she ran off crying. This was her one chance to be popular with Bill and Tom, and the fairies wouldn’t help her.





That night she was unusually quiet and only picked at her tea.

‘What’s wrong with you tonight?’ asked her mother.

‘Mum, do you believe you can see er…strange things sometimes?’

‘Like what?’

‘Like fairies, do you think they are real?’

Her mum looked thoughtfully at Jileena with her clear blue eyes, ‘If you really believe in your heart that something is real, then it is real.’

Jileena longed to see her Aunt Nellie and to ask her about her fairies in the garden she had often spoke about. ‘Surely she will believe me’, thought Jileena.



                                               







































9



                                       NOMADS REVENGE



         The next day, Jileena went back into the forest, wondering if she had imagined it all. When she started to play her flute, she noticed Castel sitting on a flower, ‘There you are. I thought you might have gone away after I was so angry with you,’ said Jileena.

‘It’s your flute, every time you play that magic tune, we will come.’

Only then, did Jileena realise that when she played the whistle, the same lovely tune was heard. When she put her fingers over the different finger holes on the brass tube, it was as if by magic, the same tune played.



Another dark creature with wings flew next to Castal. ‘Who are you?’ asked Jileena wide-eyed.          

         ‘Castel laughed, ‘This Aziz, she tugged playfully at Aziz’s green wing.

         ‘I thought all faires are girl fairies’ said Jileena.

         ‘Girl fairies! Ha!’ then he flew off toward Nomad, ‘does he look like a girl fairy?’ he asked pointing to Nomad.

         ‘well…er…no’.



She heard Bill and Tom from behind her, ‘Well, well. If it’s not ‘Mad Jil’ talking with her fairies. Where are they now? Show us and we’ll believe you.’

Nomad marched up in front of Bill. Sticking his foot out, he tripped Bill over, knocking him into Tom. Both boys lost their balance, and fell into a thistle bush. Thistles were sticking to them and prickling their hands as they tried to pick them off their clothes. Jileena giggled.

‘I’ll get you for this,’ Bill yelled at Jileena. His face was so red and angry that it looked twisted and his eyes nearly popping out from his head. Tom’s face was flushed and he looked bewildered.

Nomad pulled a face and stuck his tongue out at them. ‘We’ll show you. You boofhead,’ he scoffed. Jileena was pleased this time that Nomad had helped her.

Even though Bill and Tom still couldn’t see the fairies, Tom knew Jileena couldn’t have tripped them as she was too far away. He gave Jileena a curious look. As soon as both of the boys freed themselves from the thistles, they ran off. Jileena could hear them blaming each other, not quite understanding exactly how they had fallen over.



All summer long Jileena played her flute and talked with her newfound friends. They flew along side her as she walked. Sometimes they would make themselves grow the same size as Jileena and walked with her. She would tell them stories about her family. The fairies told her about how their Queen was sad because her sister had stole her tune-caller. They told her about where they came from, a land that is around them, mainly within the forest and other gardens and lakes.

‘‘Miridor’ which means ‘magic land’ is where most of us come from. ‘Hydrodor’ is where the water fairies and Mermaids come from,’ explained Dorea.

‘I would love to see this magic land,’ said Jileena.

‘Then you shall,’ said Olaria.

10



Suddenly, Olaria and Dorea took Jileena by her hands, and flew into the air with Jileena in the middle. The wind whooshed past her ears, and blew in her hair. The world suddenly changed. The air smelt sweet.

Water poured down a grey, jagged side of a mountain, and formed a river that flowed around the foot of the mountains.

The stream flowed through a land called ‘Miridor,’ and into a lake.

They flew over mountains and Dorea pointed to a deep canyon, ‘That’s where the Lords of Miridor live.’



         

‘The Lords?’ asked Jileena.

‘They are Rulers as well as the Queen.’

‘Look over there,’ said Olaria. ‘That’s where the Fairy Queen lives.’ Jileena looked to where the fairy was pointing, and she saw a silver castle in the distance. Flying around were fairies of all colours and sizes of men and women, girls and boys.



There were fairies flying everywhere. The sky was bluer than she ever seen, the flowers looked more colourful. They flew over a small lake, and resting on a rock, were two Mermaids, with golden hair and pink bodies and tails. Two grey unicorns were drinking from the edge of a lake. Jileena really felt like a fairy. She felt free flying around and looking in awe at all the different colours and creatures she had only seen in fairytales. The forest had been replaced, and instead was this colourful magic land. A vivid rainbow arched from one end of the horizon to the other. Soon they flew closer and closer to the ground.

Afraid that they would crash, Jileena shut her eyes tight. As soon as they landed, Jileena felt the ground beneath her feet again.

‘Here we are back on terra firma,’ said Olaria.

‘Terra firma?’ asked Jileena.

‘Yes, the ground…Earth,’ said Olaria.

‘Wow! That was the most fantastic ride I have ever had.’ She had to pinch herself to make sure she hadn’t dreamt it.

She thanked the fairies for her flight and showing her their land.

Jileena looked around her, the forest she knew, had returned to normal. She was secretly pleased nothing had changed in her world. Her mum would still be waiting for her to go home for tea. The Kangaroos would be eating their supper.



Later, that night she was wondering if she had fallen asleep in the forest, and it had all been a dream.

The next day, she asked the fairies, ‘Did you really take me for a fly yesterday, to show me your land?’

‘Don’t you believe that you saw our land and we took you flying with us?’ asked Olaria.

Jileena knew they had shared with her an experience she will never forget.

Jileena explained to them that she would be going back to school at the end of the summer holidays. The fairies said that they would be leaving soon too. Her memorable time was overshadowed at the thought of the fairies going away.



          11                                           





                                       THE NEW FRIENDS



One day, Tom was walking by himself along the path by the stream. Jileena was strolling towards her house along the same way. She saw him and smiled. Surprisingly, he smiled back at her then walked nearer to her. She hadn’t previously noticed how nice he was, with his wavy dark hair, brown eyes and friendly smile. He didn’t look like a bully at all.

‘You know, Bill still thinks it was you who tripped him over,’ he said.

‘Do you think it was me?’ Jileena asked.

‘I don’t know. Maybe yes, maybe no. If you want to believe in fairies or whatever, that’s cool.’



Jileena and Tom became good friends after that. They often walked and played together. They climbed up trees to see if any possums were in the tree hollows.

They discovered an old hut in the forest while they were out exploring. It became their favourite picnic spot. They never talked about the fairies, but Jileena didn’t forget them.

She didn’t blow her whistle quite so much any more.



A few days later Jileena went into the forest. Sitting on a log, she played her flute. The leaves had changed colour and were swirling around her feet. Her hair was blowing wild and free.

‘Who wakes me from my sleep?’ cried a familiar voice.

‘Have the fairies left?’ asked Jileena.

‘Most of them have gone. The others are finding beds for the last few animals before it gets too cold. Then they will be off to a warmer land to make sure all the animals there are awake there.’

‘When will they be back?’

‘In Spring, when the flowers bloom, and the leaves grow back on the trees.’





Olaria appeared and said, ‘If you play your flute Jileena, it will make our leaving happier, and lull the animals to sleep.’ Jileena noticed an echidna following the fairy.

‘Here’s a nice warm place for you,’ Olaria swooped down and moved some fronds of grass out of the way to reveal a burrow. The echidna scurried into the tunnel and disappeared.

Then Lanthus appeared with an antechinus. ‘I don’t want to go to sleep yet. I’m still hungry,’ the antechinus argued.

‘Yes you do, there’s plenty of food in the burrows,’ said Lanthus.

Lanthus found the burrow and said, ‘Ok, in you go.’

‘I will not,’ said the antichinus stubbornly.

‘Oh yes you will,’ said Lanthus, and kicked the small creature into the burrow. Jileena was laughing.



12



         ‘Come on Olaria, let’s go,’ said Lanthus.



Jileena waved to them as they flew off, and began to play her flute.

The forest seemed darker and quieter, except for a few chirping birds and the soft flowing tune from the penny whistle.

















         

Petra listened to everything grandma had to say.

         ‘Did Robbie ever get to see fairies?’’

         ‘Tomorrow, I will tell you what happened to Robbie, but you must go to bed now, it’s well past your bedtime’.



                                             

                             





















































13

                             RETURN OF THE PENNY WHISTLE



                                       ROBBIE





         Looking through a box of things his mother had stored for years, Robbie found an old Bible, some books, clothes and what looked like a small whistle. He thought it must some type of musical instrument. Robbie played the flute, but he didn’t know his mother had played any music.



         ’I didn’t know you played an instrument,’ he said.

         ’I used to play the recorder,’ answered his mother, Jileena.

         ‘’And this?’ Robbie held the whistle up.

         “Oh! Actually, that’s a ‘penny whistle’.’

         “A what whistle?’ asked Robbie.

         “That penny whistle was given to me by your Great Aunt Nellie, for my birthday one year. I used to be able to summon the fairies with that.’ She pointed to the whistle. “I can even remember their names. Let me think, there was Olaria, Dorea, Nomad and…’



         Robbie cut her off, “Oh, sure Mum, I think I’m a bit old for fairy stories. Anyway, what did happen to Aunt Nellie?’



         Robbie saw a far away look in his mother’s eyes, “I don’t know, nobody knows. She simply disappeared. She left a note to say not to worry about her. In fact, Nanna lives in what used to be her house. Aunt Nellie had always been a bit strange. I know she was adopted into Nanna’s family when she was quite young.’



         Robbie suddenly noticed the time on the clock, “Quick mum, we’ll be late for my basketball game.’ He was tall for his age, and could shoot those hoops. His mother had always said to him from a young age that he could do anything he wanted to. He just had to believe in himself. He tried hard at whatever he did. This wasn’t because he wanted to be better than anybody else is, but because it made him feel good.



         The next day, Jileena was tidying the house and eyed the penny whistle. She started thinking about what had happened all those years before. Had it been for real? Had it really all happened? What actually had happened? Had she grown up too fast, and forgotten all about the penny whistle, or had she dreamt it all? Jileena thought about all the time that she had as a child. Time to dream. Time to sleep. These days she barely had enough time to do what she had to. She pushed the thoughts of the penny whistle to the back of her mind.











14



                                       IN THE GARDEN





         Living on a large property, surrounded by natural bush, Robbie practiced his music with his friends in the garden, or sometimes he would practice alone.

Robbie saw the penny whistle on the coffee table where his mother had left it, and wondered if he could play it. He picked it up, and took it outside to the far end of the garden. When he played a few notes, he realised it would be quite easy to play a tune on it.



         Suddenly, he saw a bright yellow being, flying around him. It looked like a large, strange insect. He swung a fist at it, and yelled, “Buzz off, get lost!’ He missed it as he tried to hit it away. It disappeared into a yellow flower. Thinking it had been camouflaged, he slowly edged towards the flower, wishing he had his bug catcher so he could see exactly what kind of strange creature it was. Then, a golden ball emerged from the flower, and floated towards Robbie. Stepping backwards, he tripped over a log and landed flat on his back.



         ’Ahhhhhhh!’ he yelled. His heart beat fast. He could see the golden ball hovering over him. “Ahhhh, aliens. Help, get away from me.’ His eyes were wide with a mixture of fear and excitement. As he watched, the ball became clear. Inside it, he could see a lady with long golden hair and a crown on her head.

         ‘Silence,’ she cried as the ball backed away from him.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes. He started to feel calm again as he looked at her. She looked so tiny inside the ball. ‘W…who, what are you?’

         ‘I am the Queen of Miridor. A people who you know as fairies and other legendary folk.’

         ‘I must have hit my head or else I’m going mad,’ he mumbled to himself rubbing the back of his head where he had fallen.

The Queen continued, “You have my Tune-caller. When I play my Calling Tune, it is a call for a gathering of the folk of Miridor.’

         Robbie stared at the whistle. ‘Here, take it.’

         ‘It’s not that simple. My twin sister, Aster, stole it from me. She thought she should be queen, but I was first-born.’

Robbie was so enchanted, he forgot all about his disbelief in fairies. He listened to her, mouth open, eyes wide.



Now, in the ball, he saw a strange looking lady in a forest.

         ‘That is Aster,’ announced the Queen. Aster vanished, and the Queen reappeared in the golden ball. ‘After she stole my Tune-caller, she called the folk of Miridor to tell them that she would be their Queen. She also had it in her heart to overthrow me and banish me to another land. The Great Lords of Miridor were angry and so banished her from the kingdom. She was sentenced to live as a mortal. Go and tell her that the Lords have heard her cry, and that she is to come back to Miridor. But she, and she alone, must put



15



the Tune-caller back from where she took it.’

         



         ‘But, but, I don’t know her, or where to find her!’ Robbie cried.

         ‘You must, or else how would you have my Tune-caller? You will find her exactly where she was left, for Nomad the Gnome, to look after all those years ago. We have since learnt that a mortal family looked after her. You will find her. You must find her, before it is too late.’ The ball suddenly faded, and vanished.



Robbie was left sitting there wondering if he had been asleep and dreaming.













































































16



                                       THE DREAM





         Robbie got up and brushed the dust from the seat of his pants. He stared hard at the penny whistle, shrugged his shoulders and headed towards the house.

         His Dad was outside chopping wood. ‘That wasn’t you who yelled out before was it?’ he asked.

         ‘Er… I tripped over, that was all,’ Robbie mumbled as he went inside the house.

Robbie felt restless all that evening. He tried to do homework, but couldn’t concentrate. He tried to block out exactly what had happened in the garden. But the more he tried, the clearer it became.

         His mother popped her head around the doorway to his room, ‘Aren’t you hungry? You barely touched your tea.’

         ‘No thanks. But, Mum…Aw, nothing. Don’t worry about it.’

         ‘About what?’

         ‘Nothing.’ He waved her on, but Jileena gave her son a doubtful look and left his bedroom.

That night he had a restless sleep. He dreamed about had what happened earlier that day. Next morning he still tried to put it out of his mind and went to school.



As the days passed, he ventured once more out into the garden. He kept himself so busy that he didn’t have time to think about his strange meeting. Besides, it was only a few more weeks to finals in basketball, so the team had to try hard to win their games. His father was the coach, so he wanted to try his best. He was starting to think his adventure in the garden had only been a dream or in his imagination.



Then one night, he really did have a dream. The Queen of Miridor visited him.

         She said, ‘You must go to my sister soon. She is sick, and growing weak as does any mortal. She will soon forget all about us, and then it will be too late for her. Give her the Tune-caller.’

Robbie woke with a start, and his heart was racing.

         ‘Only a dream, it’s only a dream,’ he repeated to himself.

But he knew it really wasn’t just a dream. Who exactly was Aster? How will I know what she looks like? After all, he had only ever seen her in a tiny golden ball.

Later, he nibbled at his breakfast, not talking very much. Usually he never stopped talking.

         His Mother ran her fingers through Robbie’s thick dark hair, ‘A penny for your thoughts?’

         This jolted him, ‘Actually, I was thinking. Where exactly did your Aunt Nellie get that whistle from?’

His mother sat down. She still had lovely red hair but was greying a bit at the

17



sides. She kept her hair in a bun, with some frizzy bits hanging loose. Her soft

brown eyes looked closely at him.

         ‘I really don’t know. Maybe it was from a music shop.’

         ‘Would Nanna know?’

         ‘I was planning to visit your Nanna today, why don’t you ask her? Why exactly do you want to know, have you played it yet?’ she asked.

         ‘No, I mean no, I haven’t played it, I’m just curious.’ He said.

















































































18



                                                 FAIRY TALES



         ‘Come on Nan! You must know something about where Aunt Nellie got the whistle.’ urged Robbie.

         ‘I’m not sure. She always seemed to have it, although I don’t ever remember her playing it. She already had it when she came to us.’

         ‘What do you mean?’ asked Jileena, interrupting.

         ‘Aunt Nellie was adopted by us, after your Great Grandfather found her wandering in the forest. She would have been about two years old. She wouldn’t even speak until she had lived with us for a while. There was never any trace of her parents or family to claim her. It was all a bit odd! She was so tiny. Your Great Grandfather said, ‘Well, little lady Nellie, it looks like you will be staying with us’. So the name Nellie stuck. When she finally did start talking, she spoke about fairies a lot, but didn’t seem to have any memories of her Mother. When she disappeared, we all thought she must have gone off to find her family.’

Jileena sat with her mouth wide open.

         Robbie broke the silence, ‘Well, whoever really owned the penny whistle was a…’ He trailed off.

         ‘Was a what?’ quizzed his mother.

         ‘Oh, nothing,’ he answered, not daring to say more, in case his mother and Nanna thought that he had gone bonkers.

         Jileena then yelled. ‘Robbie! You’ve been acting very strange lately. I think you ought to tell us exactly what’s on your mind.’



Robbie felt a bit strange at first, telling them his fairy tale, but nobody laughed. He told them about his dream and about the Queen telling him that Aster was sick, and that that he had to find her soon.

After a long silence, Robbie said, “Hello, did anyone hear me?’



Jileena then told them both about her own strange, vague memories of herself talking to the fairies after she had also played the penny whistle. She didn’t tell them about her flight with them. ‘Aunt Nellie always used to remind me of a fairy that was in one of my story books,’ she added.



Robbie remembered his mum had said how that she had summoned the fairies with the whistle, but at the time he hadn’t believed her, always thinking it was a made-up fairy story.

         Nanna added, ‘When we were children, Nellie always spoke of magic. Everytime she said she was going to do something, she did it. Sometimes when she thought something was going to happen, it usually did. She could even tell when it was going to rain, even though the day could start off with a cloudless sky. She used to talk to the animals and they would act as if they understood her. She certainly was special. Perhaps she knew something about Aster.’

         ‘Or could be Aster,’ added Robbie excitedly.

         ‘Now just hold on, this all seems a little bit unbelievable. Yet somehow,

19



it all makes sense,’ said Nanna.





         Robbie looked at his Nan; he had always loved her. She had a soft round face, to match her round body. Her hair was grey, but her eyes were blue and clear.

Robbie was about to suggest something, but was cut short; ‘Maybe we can ask Dad?“

         ‘No,’ cried his mum and nanna together. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Just talk about basketball to your father, not fairies,’ said his mother.

         ‘Ok, ok, point taken,’ agreed Robbie.

         ‘Well, there’s only one thing to do. We somehow have to find Aunt Nellie and ask her the truth,’ suggested Jileena.

         ‘Where will go to find her?’ quizzed Nanna.

         ‘One place might be is the house where we used to live,’ replied Jileena.





































































20



                                                 THE FOREST



         That weekend, Robbie and his mother made plans to go away for a few days.

         Winking at Robbie she said to his father, ‘Just going to show Robbie the house where I used to live‘.

They stayed in an old guesthouse not far from the forest where Robbie’s mother lived as a child.

         ‘Tomorrow, we will try and find Aunt Nellie,’ Jileena promised her son.

Robbie did not sleep very well that night, partly because he was in a strange bed, and also because he was excited about trying to find Aunt Nellie.



After breakfast, they set out in the car and headed towards the forest. There were all new housing estates so Jileena was unsure at first if she was heading in the right direction. Eventually they came to a part of the forest were she was sure she used to live. But most of it had been cleared. Jileena drove on towards the forest where there was an information centre. She and Robbie got out of the car and went inside. There was a lady at the desk working on a computer.

         ‘Excuse me,’ said Jileena.

The lady looked at them both through thick rimmed glasses.

         ‘We are looking for the Ranger’s house,’ Jileena added.

         ‘There is no Ranger’s house. No Ranger has lived here for the past ten years. The house was cleared for new housing.’ She pointed to where the new houses stood not far from the main driveway into the forest.

         ‘Please, there must be another house or cabin somewhere here?’ Jileena begged.

Robbie noticed the pleading look on his mother’s face.

         ‘I’m sorry I don’t believe there is,’ the woman said, turning back to her computer.

         Jileena turned to Robbie ‘Well son, it looks as if we might as well go back home.’

         ‘No mum. Aunt Nellie has to be here somewhere. Why don’t we go for a drive around the forest? We might come across a cabin that she’s built somewhere else.’



They drove around to different picnic spots. There were many walking tracks to travel down.

         ‘I don’t think we are going to find her here. Which track do we start with first?’ Jileena saw a disappointed look on Robbie’s face, but the paths led in so many different directions.

Driving aimlessly, they came across a thicker part of the forest. Jileena slowed the car, ‘Wait a minute, I remember those two big silky oak trees. If these are the same trees, there should be a path leading to a creek. There used to be an old hut that we used to walk to. Aunt Nellie came with us one day. She

21



used to be such good fun. I doubt if she would be living there, but we could still go and see.’



They got out of the car, and walked over to the trees. Hiding behind them was a small winding path.

























































































22



                                       AUNT NELLIE



         Leaves were falling down all around them as the autumn breeze swished among the treetops. The sun was streaming through the trees. Robbie felt a growing sense of excitement as they continued on down the path.

         ‘Who else used to come to the hut?’ he asked.

         ‘There was Bill and Tom, two boys who used to live close by. Sometimes I’d bring my friends when they came to visit. It was our secret hide-out.’



The path started to wind downwards. It became narrower and narrower. The branches from the trees grouped together blocking out the sunlight. The path was covered over by grass and plants. They tripped over some tree roots as they walked along the darkened trail. Still, they could hear the trickling of the creek, and  birds chirping.

         ‘We’ll go down to the creek,’ Jileena said excitedly, pushing away the leafy overgrown branches that were like long outstretched arms trying to block the way. Stopping anyone from finding out what secrets the forest was hiding. The branches were scratching them both as they passed along through the shaded concealed track.

Robbie followed his mother down towards the creek. He hadn’t known that his mother had such an adventurous side to her.

Suddenly, Jileena stepped on a slippery rock that was covered with moss. She lost her balance and screamed as she slid down.

         ‘Mum, are you alright?’ yelled Robbie, trying not to slip himself, and go crashing downward toward the stream, as it was quite steep.

         ‘I’m alright, but this is too dangerous. I think we’d better head up there,’ she pointed toward the top of the wooded ravine.

A Kookaburra perched on a branch, laughed down at them.



Robbie looked up at the thick bush and tall trees. They both climbed to the top grasping onto small shrubs and plants to help them up. They then came to a level part of the forest, both of them panting and out of breath.

Robbie’s legs wobbled like jelly. He was glad to get on flat ground again. He could see dirt down the back of his mother’s clothes and grass stains from where she had fallen. He noticed she was limping but hobbled along on her twisted ankle. He reached for some water in his backpack. After they had a drink, they continued to trek through the bush.



Jileena suddenly stopped. Up ahead was a small wooden hut. Robbie’s heart began to beat faster. Jileena beckoned with her hand for Robbie to walk behind her as she slowly hobbled toward the hut. The hut had no windows, apart from one small round gap next to the front door. A chimney poked out from the roof.

         23





         ‘This is it, this brings back some memories. It even looks like someone has been here,’ Jileena whispered excitedly.

Then she called, ‘Hello, anybody home?’







She tried the door. It creaked open and she stepped inside. The room smelt damp and dusty. There were cobwebs cascading from the corners of the ceiling. A wooden table and a small stool stood in the middle of the room. On the table was a basket of nuts and wild berries. On the far side of the room was an open fireplace with a two large blackened cooking pots resting on the hearth. Robbie noticed another door. It seemed strangely familiar. Then he remembered. In the ball he had seen a place just like this. His heart was beating faster now, and his palms were sweating. He looked at his mother’s nervous face.

Her eyes widened as she slowly opened the door.

Robbie stared over her shoulder.



























































24



                                                 ASTER



         There on an old bed lay someone fast asleep. She had long thin grey hair and a pale face. Nothing like his Nanna’s soft round face thought Robbie.

He watched his mum draw near to her. ‘Aunt Nellie, Aunt Nellie, wake up. It’s me, Jileena.’

         The old lady slowly opened her eyes. ‘I must be dreaming, tell me I’m dreaming.’

         ‘You’re not dreaming,’ Jileena assured her.

         Aunt Nellie opened her eyes wide. She looked hard at Jileena, then Robbie. ‘Jileena, is it really you? How did you find me, why did you come?’ Aunt Nellie’s voice was low and husky.

         ‘It is me, and this is my son, Robbie. Why did you leave? We had no idea where you where.’

         ‘ had to be free. I wanted to live among the trees, flowers and the birds.’

Jileena then told her news about the family. ‘…And Robbie has a message for you.’

         The boy sat down on the bed and told her the story of how the Queen of Miridor was looking for Aster to have her return to Miridor with her. ‘She is to take this penny whistle with her,’ he added holding up the whistle.

         ‘That name means nothing to me now,’ Aunt Nellie hissed.

Robbie jumped off the bed and backed away from her.



         ‘What do you mean Aunt Nellie?’ Jileena asked.

         ‘I was Aster. It’s too late for me now. I chose to live like a mortal, I’ll die like a mortal. Anyway, fairies, they’re all childish stories. Maybe none of it was real, go away and leave me alone,’ growled Aunt Nellie.

         ‘No it wasn’t, you’re just forgetting. Remember how my Grandfather found you in this forest. You always talked about the fairies, and what about your sister, the Queen? You must have come from a beautiful world. Try to remember Aunt Nellie,’ begged Jileena.

She kept on talking; Aunt Nellie closed her eyes. A peaceful look came over her face.

Robbie felt sorry for her, and didn’t feel afraid of her any more.



When she spoke again, her voice seemed much softer.

         ‘Miridor. My sister, Dahlias I gave you the penny whistle because I had no use for it here. I didn’t think they would come for me.’

         Robbie stretched out his hand with the penny whistle, ‘Here Aunt Nellie. Play it and they’ll come for you.’

         ‘I can’t. It was never mine to play. You play it,’ Aunt Nellie replied.

Robbie tried, but no notes came. No tune would play.

         ‘Outside, we have to be outside,’ said Aunt Nellie, suddenly seeming so much more alive. Her eyes seemed to shine although she was very weak. Robbie and his mother helped her out of bed, and then they went outside.



They rested her on a nearby log. The sun was shining, but the wind was cool. Robbie shivered. When he played the penny whistle. He felt a warm feeling

25



inside him.



From the trees came a coloured mist. The mist then became a ball shape. It came closer and closer until they could see the Queen smiling radiantly, inside the ball with two of her guards. Robbie stopped playing and handed the whistle over to Aunt Nellie.

         ‘I think you’re going to need this,’ he said, smiling.

         Aunt Nellie gave them both a hug, ‘Thank you for finding me,’ she said.

Suddenly she seemed somehow to grow stronger.

         The Queen held out her hand to Aunt Nellie, ‘Aster, Come!’

The ball became larger and larger, and surrounded Aunt Nellie. She was suddenly inside the ball with her sister. Her hair became golden again, and her face glowed like that of a young lady. The ball became smaller and smaller. Jileena and Robbie watched in awe.

         Aster then turned to Jileena, ‘Tell your family, I thank them,’ she said, her voice soft now.

         Robbie said, ‘Wow. Don’t fairies ever grow old?’

         To this Aster replied, ‘We only grow wiser.’

The wind then wafted the ball away, and it was gone.

Robbie and Jileena heard a soft voice from the wind, ‘Whooooshh! Rememberoosh, we alloosh have magic within ussshh, you just have toooossh believe in yourself, ooosshh!’ Jileena noticed something else. Her foot no longer hurt to walk on.



















































26



                                       THE MAGIC LIVES ON



         Robbie played his hardest game of basketball at the grand final. By half time they were four points down.

         Robbie's father said, ‘O.K. guys, we can still do it! Four points are nothing! I believe you can do it! Do you believe it?’

         ‘Yeah, we can do it!’ they all shouted.

         One of the opposition came over to them and said, ‘We’re going to kick you.’

         ‘Oh yeah?’ said Robbie’s friend who played in the same team as him.

         ‘Yeah,’ the other boy replied.

         To this, Robbie’s father replied, ‘Ignore that, and just do your best.’



By second half, they were equal in score. Robbie was fouled right on the buzzer. He was given two free shots. He felt all knotted up inside. He knew he had to get one shot in to win. He lined the ball up. Threw the ball, but it missed. He was sweating.



He heard an inner voice, ‘Believe in yourself.’

         He mumbled to himself, ‘This one’s for you Aunt Nellie.’

He lined the ball up, willing it to go in. He threw the ball and it swished into the hoop. He could hear loud clapping and cheering.





                                                 ***













         ‘And that is all that happened all seems a very long time ago’ thought Jileena.

         ‘I wish I can see fairies’, exclaimed Petra.

         ‘Well sometimes if you believe they are there, perhaps they are, even if you can’t see them’.

         ‘Well who knows…there might even be a fairytale of a little girl with the same name as you’.





         















27



                                                 Petra



         Petra visited an old pioneering village with her father. They soon came across a music shop that had lots of old types of instruments. There was an old music machine, harmonicas, accordions and even folk flutes.

         ‘Can I help you?’ asked a voice from behind the counter.

Petra turned to see a most peculiar looking man. He had a funny pointed hat. Under the brim, Petra could see he had dark eyes and a big nose. His green jacket looked too small for him. She picked out a folk flute to buy.



But the old man pointed to another one, ‘What about this one. It’s an original penny whistle.’ He winked at her.

She looked at the price tag, which it also had written on it,

‘NOMADS MUSIC CORNER.’





Petra, came home with her parents and showed Grandma what she had bought from a very old shop at the village. Jileena raised her head from  where she was resting in the shade on a day bed.

         ‘Look grandma, I bet I can play it’, she held the penny whistle to her mouth and began to play it for grandma.

Then, a peculiar thing happened.



Two very small people appeared to Jileena and Petra.



Petra saw her Grandma suddenly sit up and take the two fairies by the hands.



Jileena was laughing as she was lifted off the bed and flown around the garden. Jileena was suddenly in another land. She felt young and alive with the wind blowing through her hair, and colours rushing below her.



         Petra ran into the house to her father, Robbie and her mum Jodie and panted, ‘It’…it’s grandma, sh…she’s away with the fairies.



         Robbie laughed at his daughter and said, ‘grandma’s always away with the fairies.



         ‘No…no dad, she really is with the fairies’.



They all ran to the garden and saw Jileena laughing as she was gently put back on the bed. They all laughed.



         Robbie laughed, ‘You’re right, Grandma really is away with the fairies’.



         Petra was excited, ‘Look Mum and Dad, fairies really are here, just like Grandma said in her story’.

         



After that; Jileena fell asleep with a smile on her lips.







THE END



8915 words.

Sandra Jones updated 2016.