Buy Fleur at my Etsy shop, Feather Angels
The Spring sun was shining brightly through the kitchen window, warming Fleur’s face. She was sitting in her favoured spot under Ivy’s Azalea plant, reading a book and enjoying the smell of mowed grass from up the lane.
“Aunt Ivy, shall we go out this afternoon?” she said suddenly. “It’s such a lovely Spring day.”
“Alright,” replied Aunt Ivy, “I’ll get my hat and a book and we’ll go out and enjoy the sun!”
Fleur buzzed with excitement “And I’ll pack my basket!”
It was a warm day for Spring, but not having stopped to pack anything for tea Ivy didn’t want to stray too far from the cottage. They agreed to set up Ivy’s deck chair beside the rockery. The bluebells were out and, Fleur’s pink sun hat not proving quite wide enough to shade her book, she set herself up beneath them.
After a short while Ivy announced she was thirsty. She disappeared into the cottage to fetch some lemonade and left Fleur in the sun. Engrossed in her book, when she first felt something tickling her feet she just brushed it away, but when she began to feel a persistent tickle to her calf she had to turn around to see what it was. Imagine her surprise when she came face to face with a mouse!
“What are you” he asked, “Some sort of fancy butterfly? I ‘aven’t seen a butterfly lookin’ like you before!”
“Actually, I’m a fairy,” replied Fleur. “And you are….?”
“A fairy, eh?” The mouse snorted. “Don’t see many of your sort about these days! Of course, my Dad used to tell us fairytales when I was a little’un, but as far as I was aware you was all gone now. Or make-believe to begin with. Though you’ve gone and proved against that now…” He would have continued had Fleur not held her hand out to him, pointedly. “Oh, yeah, sorry – I do get to talkin’ rather, don’t I? I’m Morris. Fieldmouse. Morris Fieldmouse.” Morris took Fleur’s hand in his paw and shook it. “Folks call me Mo.”
“Well, it’s lovely to meet you, Mo.” smiled Fleur, and she turned back to her book.
“Oh, yeah, lovely to meet you too,” muttered Mo, “It’s just that, well, ummm…”
Fleur turned back to face him. “Can I help you with something, Mo?” she smiled.
“Well, I was wonderin’. I mean, I’ve gathered a lovely pile of straw for my house, but it’s just so heavy. And my left paw, well, I got a thorn in it last week, and it’s still sore now, and what with you havin’ wings an’ all…”
“Of course I’ll help!” said Fleur brightly, “You really should just have asked!” And she emptied her basket onto the rock. “Now, where’s this pile of straw?”
The pile of straw was quite large (by mouse standards, of course), but with Fleur’s basket to help they were able to take several bundles at once, and with Mo directing from the ground they had soon stacked all the straw neatly next to his half-built home. Fleur was flushed wit the exercise but pleased to feel of use. She shook the grateful mouse’s hand and fluttered back to her spot on the rockery.
By the time Ivy returned and handed Fleur a cool thimble of homemade lemonade she was settled back into her book. Ivy watched her drink her lemonade greedily.
“Goodness, but you’re thirsty Fleur!” she commented, refilling her thimble, “Anyone would think you’d done an afternoon’s hard labour in this sun, not lazed about with a novel!”
Fleur smiled to herself. “They would, wouldn’t they?” she thought, “And they’d be right.”
Buy Fleur at my Etsy shop, Feather Angels
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