Once upon a time in the days of long, long ago there was a country far, far away. It was known as the Happy Land because everyone who lived in this land was very happy and content whether they were rich or poor. You see they all did their best at work or play, they did their best for each other. Not one of the inhabitants of this happy land envied their neighbour or set themselves up to be better than anyone else. The butchers, the bakers, the shopkeepers and tradesmen set themselves out to give as much value for the money in the goods they sold to their customers as they could. So it was a pleasure to go shopping. This spirit of doing as much as they could for each other was evident throughout all this Happy Land from King Good Heart to the most humble of his subjects.

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     It was a pleasure for a stranger to walk through the clean streets of the towns with their well tended lawns and tree lined avenues.The pleasant, smiley faces of the people who spoke to you quite pleasantly and listened to anything you had to say with great interest, who seemed to know your every need  before you had even given expression to it. They were the kindest, most hospitable people on this Earth and were ruled by the kindest and wisest King Good Heart and his consort, Queen Bertha Heart. Now the king's favourite name was (yes, you guessed it) Sweetheart because she was sweet and good to the king and everyone she met. Her servants adored her so did the animals and birds who would perch on her head or fingers. The songbirds such as the blackbird, the lark and the nightingale they gave their very best songs.



     Now in this wonderful land the doors were never locked and the windows were only closed to keep out the rain or snow in the winter. The palace where the King and Queen lived was just outside the largest town in the land. Halfway up the hill was surrounded on three sides by a forest of large trees of every kind. In this forest there were deer, rabbits, brown squirrels and hares. In pools there were all kinds of fish and frogs. Every kind of bird nestled somewhere and whisper it, there were also Fairies in this wood, it is said the Queen of the Fairies lived there. The ground under the trees was always carpeted with flowers in their season; snowdrops, crocus, daffodils, hyacinths, blue bells, asters and anemones. Each according to its season grew there in hundreds and thousands tended by the Fairies. No matter how many the children of the towns picked to take home to their mothers to make their homes look and smell nice, the next day the gaps were all filled and nobody could tell any had been taken.,

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     The children and townspeople spent many happy days picnicking in the Royal Fairy Forest because like the palace it was always open to everybody. The King and Queen only too pleased to share their pleasure and enjoyment in everything with their subjects and very often joined in a picnic or a game any party in the forest as the mood took them. It was a common sight to see the Queen playing "Ring o Roses" or "London Bridge is Falling Down" with a party of children as if she was a child herself. The King would lead a Treasure Hunt, climb trees or shoot for a goal in a game of football with a team of boys as if he were a boy himself, as indeed for the time he was. It was no wonder the Royal pair were greatly loved by their people. One monarch even sent four Lilliputian (that is small) cream coloured Shetland ponies drawing a beautiful decorated carriage. The  equerry who brought it also handed in a message which said: "please accept this small gift to the new born Princess. May the years soon pass in health and happiness till she is big enough and old enough to drive herself around in this carriage. Long life and Happiness to this new Princess of Happy Land."

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     There were thousands of presents and it made the King and Queen happy to read the messages and verses that accompanied each present. There were pleased that everyone held them in such esteem and shared this joy in having a wonderful baby girl. They kissed each other and their baby and felt so joyful and wanted everyone to share in their joy and happiness. The King made a declaration that the day of the christening should be a national holiday for all and bells should peel from all the churches. Parties would be given in all the schools instead of lessons. There were cakes, biscuits, chocolates, sweets, tea, cream and all sorts of good things. Bands would play and everyone would rejoice which they could not help doing anyway. The King would pay for it. There were lovely parties all over Happy Land, I wish you could have been there and joined in, you would have enjoyed  it I'm sure. After the christening the big reception in the Palace was over. The King and Queen were in the nursery admiring the cause of all this fuss who was sleeping comfortably in her cot.

 

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     It was twilight when there was a rustle of wings, just the nearest rustle like a gentle breeze stirring. the curtains and would you believe it the nursery was full of Fairies. They had come to give their gifts to the baby Princess. The room was simply full of them all flying and whirling round and round the cot, waving their magic wands. I am sure the baby Princess knew they were there for she smiled in her sleep. Though this seemed to have lasted only two or three minutes, it would take me hours to tell how wonderful it looked; the different colours and brightness of the different Fairies so I will only mention one or two.

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     The first to bestow their gift were the Moonbeam Fairies, all dressed in white and shimmering light, for it was they who polished up the Moon and guided the moonbeams down to Earth to light up the dark corners of the night. So as it was twilight it was nearly time for them to be at work they flew around and around the baby's head so fast it looked as if the baby Princess was wearing a silver halo. The leader gently touched the baby on the eyelids saying "may you only have pleasant dreams when you sleep your whole life long." Then all the Moonbeam Fairies flew out the window and went back to their work. 

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    In a like manner all the other Fairies gave their gifts and the Fairy Queen stood by to supplement their gift with one of her own whenever it was necessary for a Fairy gift cannot be taken away once it has been bestowed. For instance the Flower Fairies gave this as their gift: "May you grow in beauty and figure." and flew out the window. The Fairy Queen added: "and may your thought, personality and kindness grow to match!"For it's no good being beautiful if your heart and spirit are selfish and self-centred. It is the unselfish and sympathetic people who are most loved even if they are ugly to look at. One group of Fairies, I think it was the Dew Drop Fairies, said: "may your eyes be bright as stars." Others gave her a happy smile and another group straightness and strength of limbs. The Dancing Fairies gave her lightness of step, others fleetness of foot. So you can see with the Fairy gifts she would grow into a very accomplished and beautiful woman.

 

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     She would have every gift and accomplishment that any human being could possibly have. Beauty of face, form and posture, a lovely voice for speaking and singing. Good vision and starry eyes, be and exceptional and gifted dancer. There was nothing a human being could wish for themselves and their children. Mothers and fathers always want their children to be better and have more and better things in life than they had that the Princess has not got. Everything would have been alright and this story would not have been told only for something that happened as the last Fairy flew out the window. A very old fairy came fluttering in all of a DoDah, panting and gasping: "Oh I am late, don't say I am late! I did not mean to be late, I set out early and then forgot where I was going. I must be getting old."She fussed and mussed about all apologies, very worked up about being late. Fairies do not die like human beings and animals, they live forever for they are immortal. But they do get old and worn out and then they are sent out by the Queen of Fairies for a rest and a course on rejuvenation. Those fairies you see that look like children with wings are probably 200 or 400 years old and the Pixies and elves, those mischievous Fairies, are only 200 or 300 years old.

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