Bobby Runs Away

In the last story we left poor Bobby standing in the corner, a situation which did not meet with his approval. During the night, which was suitably dark and stormy for this kind of story, he fidgeted around in bed, to the annoyance of his brother sprites, thinking dark and stormy thoughts. Finally he decided that he would run away and then they'd be sorry. The big door was bolted when he reached it, but it wasn't difficult to squeeze his little body under it. He ran as fast as he could into the night and did not become afraid until he was out of breath. An owl hooted, an insomniac crow cawed and the branches of the trees seemed to whisper warnings to him. Dark as the night was, it suddenly became blacker and he screamed, well squeaked actually, with fright. As well he might, for he had been covered by large cloak and he was now in the clutches of this wicked witch. The same who had long ago turned the sprites into fruit on a tree. She grasped him around the middle with her bony finger and popped him into a barrel. It was a special barrel designed for such a purpose and had in its bottom two holes through which poor Bobby's legs dangled.

Dangled, because she attached the said barrel to her broomstick and flew off with him. Ho ho fangle wangle, sang the witch in a voice as melodious as a chainsaw, up my tree is where you'll dangle. And so he did, but not in the peripatetic barrel, but in a larger one which covered his head. The witch flew round and round the tree still singing: Ho ho fangle wangle.......

When she had gone, Bobby realised that he could see through the cracks in the barrel down to the clearing below and as he watched the wicked witch returned with another catch, another sprite but not one like him, a special sprite known as Rex. And he came not in a barrel but towed behind her broomstick on an egg, a big golden egg, over which he was sprawled. Bobby had heard of Royal Sprites from the Wizard and oh how he longed to be back with him now, even though it meant being punished again by his rotten big sister sprite. If I get out of this I will be good for always and always, he promised to no-one in particular, but it was a promise reinforced by what happened below. The witch removed the royal red hat and the royal red cloak from the royal sprite and he was left still lying over the big golden egg. The witch held her broom high above her head and sang a new song This royal sprite I'm going to flog, before I turn him into a frog. Oh no thought Bobby not that spell and he remembered his own experience and thought again. I was turned into a frog....... maybe I'm really a royal sprite..... well my rotten sister won't be able to punish me now and then he looked again below, realising that even royal sprites were spared neither sartorial indignity nor repetitive pain. And in this case the pain of a large witches broom rather than the twigs his sister used. Ouch! he thought and covered his eyes. But then his attention was caught by the sound separate from those coming from below: A distinct but gentle whoosh. Looking over to the nearby pond he could just see, caught in the moonlight, someone was watching...........?

Not another sprite, but a fairy and she was laughing as fairies do on these occasions. Her laughing stopped however as the Witch stopped belabouring poor Rex and instead waved her broom around three times before bringing it down for the last time. There was the most enormous big green flash and Rex was a frog. The exhausted witch fell on her back and went fast asleep. Penny, for that was her name, flew around the frog and the witch several times and Bobby could just make out that she was saying to Rex Don't worry. Don't worry! thought Bobby, Don't worry? what about me? what is the witch going to do with me when she wakes up? Perhaps she will beat me, or even worse, eat me. And he began to cry.

Penny flew off and soon came back with another older looking fairy, Bella, who knew just what to do in these circumstances. First they tied up the witch, popped her in the peripatetic barrel and, holding it between them, flew off high above the trees. Then, what happened next made Bobby very jealous indeed. Bella kissed the frog. I didn't get a kiss when I was a frog he thought and he began to sulk. But his sulk soon turned into a chuckle as he realised that the kiss worked only for a second and then Rex became a frog again. He felt in his pocket and yes there was the ring that he had found just before this whole adventure started. He called out: Up here, up here. Little Penny looked up, while Bella carried on kissing the frog. Penny flew up to the tree, unhooked the barrel and lowed it to the ground with a bump. Out tumbled our hero, put the over-sized ring over his wrist and shouted at the top of his voice STOP. Well the coming and going of the frog did stop (fortunately with Rex sartorially as well as anatomically restored) but the kissing didn't and to Bobby's great delight Penny was kissing him.

The fairies fussily helped Rex back into his red cloak and hat, then he jumped on his egg and did a little dance. Show off thought Bobby until Rex pulled him up beside him. Then they all flew off to the river as morning was breaking. And there below, in the river, were two water sprites. One fast asleep and the other leaping about like a wild frog. Oh no not another one, like a wild hare. To Bobby's disappointment, they did not stop there, but flew on to the "Fairy Cupboards". Regal wounds were attended to and fairy hospitality knew no bounds.