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Tree Top Home.
Folder:
Bern's Fairy Tales.
- Treetop Homes.
- The year had started of with a January that was bitterly cold. February it snowed non-stop then in March came the rains. It was a bad start to the year and the summer promised to be wet as well. In April the showers were practically every day and all day. The little Folk were really worried the forest floor was flooded and the water could not soak in or even drain away. It was then that they decided to build their homes in the treetops.
- Leprechauns were called from as far away as America to come and help with the rebuilding of the new homes; The Leprechauns first built gangways from tree to tree. Then they started building the houses in the treetops. Leprechauns are known to work quickly and silently there was no noise to be heard apart from the sawing of wood and the blows of the hammers that were used to nail the planks of wood together.
- Trees were chopped down or with the help of the Beavers chewed down with their very sharp teeth. The wild deer transported the planks of freshly cut wood each had a plank tied to its back by a Leprechaun. When they arrived another Leprechaun untied the plank from the Deer’s back. Where it was hauled into the treetops on a long thick rope. One house after another was soon built and the Little Folk quickly removed their belongings into the new homes.
- The houses were built just in time as the summer months came along there was thunder and lightning and it rained and rained. The forest floor was completely flooded. The only good thing about the weather was that through the hot damp climate the leaves grew and grew and soon one could not see the houses from the ground or from the air. It was as if Fairyland had completely disappeared.
- The Leprechauns were paid for their work and all went back to their homes. The stream through the Forest was now a raging torrent and it was impossible to cross on the old stepping-stones that the Fairies had laid when the all lived on the ground. The Leprechauns had built a bridge across the stream in the treetops it was one of the last jobs that they did.
- The wild animals had with the help of the Fairies found new places where they could live and eat on the higher regions of the Forest. The only ones not to be upset by the weather were the beavers they had built a dam with a living apartment above the water level. The dam itself was made with the trunks of two Oak trees and it was a strong wall against which the water had to run around the edges to find its own level again.
- Each Fairy now had a cover for his or her magic wand and it was made from the finest leather by one of the Leprechauns. Wands and wings must not get wet it was one of the first things that the Fairies learned in the Fairy school.
- In October it was once again dry the sun had decided to show itself it had been hidden for a very long time in Fairyland. The fruit on the trees and the bushes were not worth collecting for the winter and it promised to be a hard year for the animals and the Fairies. All the Fairies were agreed that this bad weather could only have been wished upon them by one of their enemies a Sorcerer, a Wizard or a Witch. The Fairy Queen had been trying to find out who was responsible for such weather.
- In the fairy Queens home appeared one evening an Owl. It whispered just one word. Madrigopar. Madrigopar was a Wizard that had been taught at first by Merlin. Merlin dismissed him because he was dishonest and lazy and tried to poison him. He had gone from one Wizard or Sorcerer to another and from each of his teachers he picked up the bad spells. He was not interested in good spells he hated everyone. Humans, Fairies, animals, birds and yes everything that walked or flew on this earth.
- Madrigopar had sworn revenge on the Fairy Folk and on Queen Feeana in particular. It was Queen Feeana that had stopped him from taking over at King Arthur’s court. In an unguarded moment He had mixed a potion of poisons together and gave them to Merlin. Queen Feeana had caused Merlin’s hands to become weak and he had dropped the evil potion. Queen Feeana had at that time not punished the apprentice to Merlin, Madrigopar, she wanted to give him a chance to mend his evil ways, but he just went from bad to worse.
- Queen Feeana decided to punish Madrigopar this time and thought of all the harm he done to the Animals and the Fairy Folk by sending them such bad weather. Madrigopar came to the Forest disguised as an Imp; he was very surprised at not seeing any trace of the Fairies. In fact he saw none of the Little Folk as all life now was above the trees in the treetops. The Beavers eventually found him wandering around looking for the Fairies. Madrigopar was well known to all of the animals and other creatures he had meddled in their lives too often. The Beavers told him that there had been no Fairies here in this part of the Forest for years.
- A message was taken by one of the Beavers to Her Majesty who looked in her Magic Mirror just to make sure that it was the dreaded Madrigopar. Seeing the Imp she uttered a few words in the old language and the Imp turned into a hundred or more raindrops. Nothing more has been heard of Madrigopar and all went back as usual.
