THE FAIRY PILLAR-BOX

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1076, 13 September 1930, Page 31

THE FAIRY PILLAR-BOX

I 1 Sita lived in the big- white house at ; ! the top of the hill. She was a lonely I | iittle girl, for her daddy was in the j j navy and mummy suffered with head- j i aches, as they lived in hot, tropical j India. j One day, when mummy had such a l bad headache that she had to bo quiet i all day, Sita wandered into the beautij ful garden surrounding her home. She ! took as her companion her dearly- ; loved doll, Mollie. As she gazed at 1 the bed of marigolds in front of her ! she imagined she was with daddy, far away on the ocean. She felt the rocking of the boat as it sailed over the sea; she saw daddy looking so fine in his uniform with its nice brass buttons; she heard the jolly sailors singing a sea chantey as they worked, but soon she was awakened from this dream by nurse, who was saying, “Miss Sita, there you are, day-dreaming again!" Now Sita had a firm belief in fairies and, hidden away among the branches of a beautiful tree, she had a wee pillar-box. Here Sita posted letters to the fairies, and sometimes she left a chocolate out of the big box daddy sent from England. How she longed for a reply but, as it was springtime, she guessed that the fairies were too busy to answer her letters, for they had to make new green frocks for the trees and pink and white blossom-cradles for the baby fruit. Every day she looked for a reply, but none came. After she had looked in the box this sunny morning, she was -wandering along the path, holding poor Mollie by the arm, when she heard a wee. piping voice say, “Hello. Sita!” Sita looked round, and there, peep- ! ing from behind a tree, was the daint lest wee person imaginable. “Oh, who are you?" Sita asked. “I am the fairy of Happiness, and l have come to thank you for the letters and sweets which you have been leaving for us. I come from Wonderland, where there is never any sorrow or unhappiness." “I wish I was always happy," said Sita. Then she explained to the fairy how lonely she was. The fairy was sorry for her, and she give Sita a berry to eat. It tasted delicious, just like strawberry, cream, almond and chocolate. It melted in her mouth. “Now," said the fairy, “you can speak with the birds and flowers, and they will understand you." Sita was over-enjoyed. She thanked the fairy, but she disappeared, and Sita ' saw her no more. * * * Next morning, as Sita was running round the garden talking to the flowers, she heard nurse say, “Look at that Miss Sita talking away to herself! I never saw such a child!" Sita smiled to herself. “Plow little nurse knows." she thought. —Valerie Wyatt, aged 14.