107. The Light of Understanding Award

                     

        “Up the road is coming...” sang the Leafy Frankie.

                  

       “Who’s coming?” continued the  blackeyed Leafy Tiburtius.

 “Who’s cooooming?” sang Vinny.

 And they sang the answer in unison:

“Up the road is coming...the Binky with a lantern!”

“And it’s lit,” said Frankie, now speaking. “In broad daylight. I would say this man is daft, but I would rather not talk politics today. The sky is such a beautiful blue and the almond trees are in bloom.”

Mr. Binky was indeed coming up the path between two rows of almond trees that had burst into frantic bloom. He was not advancing easily. In fact it looked as if he were walking backwards, like a shrimp. Perhaps that was because the bronze lantern he was dragging along was bigger than he was and he could barely haul it.

“Shrink it, Binky!” called out Vinny. “You can do that. You’re magical.”

Binky looked up at the flower filled branches and spotted Vinny after a bit of scrying.

“I’d love to shrink it,” he said. But I can’t remember the formula. There are so many.”

“You think of so many human things you forget the fairy ones,” said Frankie.

“Yes, Franciscus. He doesn’t even think of making himself bigger as an alternative to shrinking,” scolded Tiburtius.

“Is it an honest man you are looking for with that lantern?” asked Vinny.

“Why an honest man?” whispered Tiburtius suspiciously. “What would he want with one?”

“There was a Greek called Diogenes who went about in broad daylight with a lit lantern. When they asked him why, he said he was looking for an honest man. What he really wanted was to point out how difficult it is to find one,” explained Vinny.

“Why do you know that, Vincentius?” asked Tiburtius even more suspiciously.

“My friend, the lad who visits the forest and sometimes sits under the trees reading, told this to me.”

I am pleased to say that lad, yes, was me.

“I’ve found something better than an honest man,” said Mr. Binky. “A generous one.”

“Ah,” said Frankie. “He’s looking for a taxpayer. I know what those are. The humans have them.”

“No! I’m happy to inform you, and you are the first to know, that I now have the money for my dream school. Thanks to a donor. And I will take the opportunity to invite you to the ceremony during which I will give public thanks to the said taxpayer – I mean, benefactor, for so generous a gesture.”

Mr. Binky explained the lantern was “The Light of Understanding Award.” He was to award it once a year to whoever had done the most to favor mutual understanding between fairies and mortals during this period of time. The first to receive this award would be the person who had donated money for the school. He was dragging the lantern to a jeweler to have something fitting engraved on it.

“Hey!” he cried suddenly. “I’ve just remembered the words of the spell that will shrink it. Menguatus be, so carrius melior.”

And he went off happily carrying a much more manageable lantern.