Next morning, Alpin and I were in Minced Forest close to Michael’s tree house. We were not there by accident.Alpin wanted a word with his cousin.
Michael was so tired that year that all he wanted to do was sleep the whole summer. He even forgot to celebrate his birthday, and since he hadn’t sent anyone invitations to parties like he always did, only his cousin Garth, the Pookah, remembered to greet him and give him a gift on the twenty-seventh of July.
“I can’t thank you enough for your gift,” yawned Michael. “This hammock is the most comfortable thing I’ve slept on. And the yarnbombing you’ve done on my trees to surprise me is astounding.”
Garth knitted all kinds of things and his gift to Michael this year was a many coloured hammock. He had knitted suits on the trees the hammock was tied to as well, and two pillow covers decorated with shamrock.
“You’re an artist, Garth,” said Michael, to his cousin who was sitting close to the hammock hidden by some bushes and knitting for all he was worth.
But before Michael could fall asleep, the peace of that spot in the forest was shattered by one of Alpin’s screams.
“You! What is the meaning of this, you lazy bum? Get up at once and start celebrating your birthday. It’s not just cake I want.”
Michael didn’t even bother to open his eyes. He would have recognized Alpin’s voice any way.
“Listen, cousin Michael. Do you remember how the judges failed in your favor during the Curmudgeon trial and condemned Magpie to let you have your pick from her stores and warehouses for not having duly reported she had your lost leprechaun shoe in her power?
“Vaguely,” yawned Michael.
“Did you ever get down to choosing something? You leave everything
for the perpetual tomorrow, so chances are you haven’t.”
“That’s right,” muttered Michael. “I haven’t.”
“Well, give yourself a decent birthday present and go choose something now. Have a look at this pencil I have here. There are only four others like it in the world. And I happen to be wanting them. They say there is nothing you can’t find at Magpie’s. So she is bound to have one or more of these.”
“That’s not the way to do things,” explained Michael. “You don’t claim a fairy gift the minute you get a voucher for one. You wait until you have an emergency and ask for something you desperately need.”
“I have an emergency now,” said Alpin. “Get up or I’ll start screaming so you won’t get a wink of sleep.”
Garth, who had been sitting there in silence but frowning fearfully at Alpin pointed his knitting needles at my friend and said, “If you disturb the peace of this place, I will leap out of the bushes and stab my knitting needles into your eyes, you little stinking fart.”
Since I was there too, I thought it was time to make my presence felt.
“Erh...Alpin, Magpie is a shady person, unsafe to have dealings with. If we mention the pencils to her she will suspect we have one and this might end up with her stealing it from us instead of us getting hers. And I don’t think we need her to find the pencils. Mr. Ominous said to follow the white wall. I bet they have been lying somewhere in the grass by the wall all this while. I think we should return there before someone sees and claims them.”
As we moved away, I heard Michael thank Garth for frightening us off.
“People who disturb the peace of quiet places enrage me,” answered the Pookah. “Especially if they do it out in the country at night. They seem to think there is no one out there sleeping and there is. You are tired because you work like a human, Michael. You do things no fairy should. All we should do is protect nature and preserve peaceful rural environments.”
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