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Needle Thieves.

Once a year in Fairyland Her Majesty holds an embroidery contest. The Fairies may choose what they will embroider and some wonderful pictures are shown on the day of the judging.

The previous year a witch entered an embroidery. The embroidery was considered with all of the other entrees but the stitches were found to be too large not fitting in with the fine stitching of the Fairies.

Armed with a most powerful magnet the witch went all around Fairyland and took all of the needles used for embroidery away with her. This was a hard blow for all of the Fairies and many were the pleas for me to go into the town and buy up as many needles as I could.

In town I trudged from one shop to the other there were no needles to be had, the witch had bought all of the needles in the town. I returned to Fairyland and told the Fairies my bad news. Many tears were shed and all hunted high and low to see if a forgotten needle had fallen out of the needlework boxes. Alas not a needle was to be found even in my own home the witch had with the use of her most powerful magnet taken all of my needles.

It was one of the Leprechauns that had an idea, He saw a group of hedgehogs all with their long needle like protection. He went to the leader of the hedgehogs and asked him to give him one of his prickly long covering protection. The hedgehog humped its back and two of the long prickly hairs came away and all the Leprechaun had to do was pick them up from the floor. Soon the Leprechaun had made a hole in the end of the protective hair that was nearest to the hedgehog’s body. He threaded the new needle and tried to sew a few stitches. Much to his delight the protective hairs were strong enough and did not bend or break while sewing.

The Leprechaun took his new needle to Her Majesty and showed her what he had done with two of the protective hairs or stickles of the hedgehog. Her Majesty was delighted and sent a flock of Robins to find all of the hedgehogs in Fairyland and ask them to come to the clearing by the old oak.

Soon Hedgehog after hedgehog arrived. The flash of light and the small whiff of smoke told all that Her Majesty would appear. Greeting the hedgehogs and thanking the robins her Majesty told of the needles that a Leprechaun had made from the hedgehogs protective stickles. Her next question was more of a plea, would all of the Hedgehogs be willing to give of their stickle protection so that the Fairies would have enough needles to be able to hold the embroidery competition.

Soon the floor of the clearing was full of hedgehog stickles. Only one hedgehog had any doubts, He spoke out Your Majesty what if we are attacked by our enemies if we have no more protective stickles. Her Majesty smiled and said. “You are of course right with a wave of her magic wand each hedgehog that had given his or her stickles for making needles suddenly felt the new strong stickles to protect them from their enemies. Which are many.

Leprechauns made needle after needle, all were tested before giving them to the eagerly awaiting fairies.

The day of the Embroidery contest came at last. Mushrooms in large circles were covered in small-embroidered squares most lovely to look at. Her Majesty went from Toadstool to toadstool. At one toadstool she stopped and picked up an embroidery that was very familiar. The large stitches were the same as the embroidery from the previous year. Taking her magic mirror from her robe Her Majesty placed the embroidery on the mirror. Picture after picture showed the witch making the embroidery and of her going around Fairyland with her most powerful Magnet stealing all of the needles from the Fairy Cottages.

 Her Majesty waved her magic wand, the witch appeared. Her Majesty told her that for stealing from the Fairies she would sit in Fairyland and stitch and stitch until her embroidery was as good as the worst embroidery from the Fairies.

Now the witch is quite an attraction many go see how she threads the needles and how she uses them. Over the years the Hedgehogs have given many of their stickles for the Leprechauns to keep the witch in needles. For the first years the witch deliberately broke the hedgehog needles now she really tries hard to make those delicate stitches that the fairies make when embroidering their small pictures of early spring flowers

The witch is till sitting in the middle of Fairyland in all wind and weather. The Fairies have taken pity on her and have made a roof over her head to stop her getting wet. The witch needless to say did not thank or appreciate what the Fairies had done for her.