The fairies and goblins, as you know, are not always good friends because the goblins are a little jealous of the power that the fairies possess. Furthermore, they delight in playing tricks on the little fairies to spite them. One night, the goblins discovered that the fairies were planning a revel in a dell, and they were not invited. This realization prompted the goblins to devise a trick to frighten the fairies as retribution for not receiving an invitation.
The dell was filled with numerous flowers, which is why the fairies chose this location. The goblins pondered how they could scare the fairies, and one of them proposed, "Let's hide under the flowers." Another goblin questioned the purpose, stating, "What good will that do? We want them to see us." "No, we don't," chimed in another goblin. "Our goal is to hide and then frighten them. But how can we frighten them? That is the question."
"I can tell you," declared one goblin. "We can hide beneath the flowers, and when the fairies arrive, they will surely land on a flower. They always do if there are any. Then, all we have to do is jump up and carry them off to a dark place before they can summon their fireflies. Since it is moonlight, the fireflies will not accompany them. They are having their own picnic in a dark marsh far away from here." The goblins agreed that this plan was indeed clever. That night, they entered the dell and concealed themselves under the flowers.
Eventually, the fairies fluttered into the dell and, just as the goblin had predicted, they landed on the flowers and began to sing. Without delay, the mischievous goblins sprang up, each with a fairy on their shoulders, and hastily scampered away. However, the quick-witted fairies were not easily overtaken. Before the goblins could reach a dark spot, the fairy queen commanded her subjects to touch the goblins with their wands.
The queen sat in her tiny carriage and witnessed the goblins' actions. She promptly devised a plan. The goblins had not anticipated her presence and the consequences that awaited them. The first sensation they experienced was a sharp sting from the wands, and then darkness enveloped them. The goblins were transformed into stone, scattered throughout the dell, where the lovely flowers had once bloomed.
"You had a narrow escape, my dears," remarked the queen, addressing the fairies who had gathered around her. "Those cunning little goblins were out-tricked this time. They never anticipated my presence to guide you." The fairies swiftly departed, leaving the stones behind.
As the sun began to rise, it was astonished to find rocks instead of the beautiful flowers that usually greeted it. The sun smiled, assuming the flowers were playfully hiding beneath the rocks. Yet, despite its warmest smile, the flowers did not reappear. As night fell, the sun felt a sense of sadness, slowly descending in the hope of catching a glimpse of the fairies. It longed to implore their assistance in finding its beloved flowers.
Just as the sun's head disappeared from view, it caught sight of the moon and conceived a plan. "I'll send a message to Mr. Moon through one of the stars," the sun thought. Softly, the sun called out to a nearby star, requesting it to relay a message to the moon. The message detailed the rocks in the dell and pleaded with the moon to seek the help of its friends, the fairies, in locating the lost flowers. The star agreed to deliver the message and, that night, it informed the moon of the sun's request.
The moon's face widened with a smile, which soon turned into laughter. "Tell Mr. Sun that the goblins destroyed his flowers," the moon replied. "Those mischievous rascals attempted to play a trick on my little fairies, and they became the victims instead. However, I will see what can be done when the fairies emerge tonight. I, too, dislike the presence of all these rocks, just like Mr. Sun. I believe the fairies will consider the goblins sufficiently punished by tonight."
Thus, when the fairies arrived in the dell that night, the moon beckoned the queen to pay him a visit. The queen accepted the invitation, and a moonbeam created a path for her carriage leading directly to the venerable moon. Upon hearing the sun's request, the queen remained silent. However, when the moon added, "I also wish for you to bring back the flowers. They should not be blamed for the goblins' use of them as hiding places," the queen decided to ponder the matter.
Returning to her fairies, the queen found them huddled together, appearing forlorn and unhappy. One fairy expressed, "We miss our flowers, and these rocks look cold and black in the moonlight. I almost regret turning the goblins to stone." "If you feel that way, we will restore them to their natural forms," the queen declared. "The moon man sent for me and made the same request. He dislikes the rocks as much as we do. The sun also misses his flowers. Tonight, he asked us to attempt to find them. Naturally, he was unaware of what had transpired." "Perhaps if we send a message to him, explaining how the goblins trouble us, he will admonish them and persuade them to change their wicked ways," suggested a fairy. "Oh, please give us our flowers back!" exclaimed all the fairies, joyfully dancing around their queen.
"I believe the goblins have been sufficiently punished this time," the queen declared. "I will restore them to their original forms and allow the flowers to return." Each fairy flew to a rock and touched it with her wand. Suddenly, a goblin sprang up, looking bewildered and rubbing its eyes. Remembering what had transpired, the goblins rushed back to their rocks, stumbling over one another in their haste. That night, the fairies enjoyed their revelry without any trouble. When the sun peered into the dell the next morning, it was greeted by the sight of its beloved flowers, their radiant faces turned upward to welcome the new day.
