Pixie the Gnome & The Crystal Blue Water

Pixie the Gnome, like all good-natured creatures her age from the small town of Einhoven was always looking for new adventures beyond the outskirts of their cheerful little village. More than often, they will huddle together during the monthly bonfire and listen attentively to the adult gnomes who tells stories of the land beyond Forest Greenwood to the North of Einhoven.

Few have ventured further than they actually should during the wildberry picking season...but none returned. As the adult gnomes put it, naughty gnomes, who disobey their warnings, will fall into the evil and dark magical clutches of Plexine the Wicked Witch!

"Just another tall tale to deny us invigorating adventures!", Pixie thought to herself as she brushed away the idea of herself falling prey to Plexine. Pixie recalled during the last Autumn season how she and her brothers collected wildberries...of all shapes and sizes at the fringe of Forest Greenwood. The deeper they ventured, the bigger and juicier the berries got..some as big as fists, others as small as a silver sixpence.

As Pixie looked far beyond the rising smoke of the bonfire and across the village rooftops, she gazed upon the deep dark shadows of Forest Greenwood and vowed to venture further than she should into the never realms the very next day, without uttering a whisper of her intentions to her gnome friends and brothers. "What an adventure!", Pixie exclaimed to herself, with her bright eyes sparkling like faraway jewels.

Pixie woke up with an extra spring in her little legs the next morning. She barely slept the night before as she anticipated the fun and laughter she was about to have. "Goodbye Mum", Pixie waved to her mother as she skipped down the pebbled path. "Be careful dear Pixie. Do not go anywhere you shouldn't. You know how often you get yourself in trouble don't you. Come back before dark!", her Mother's voice trailed into the misty morning air.

As Pixie trampled on deeper into Forest Greenwood, Pixie marveled at sights she never saw before. The sunflowers, yellow as the very rays that cast its glow upon the land were humming the sweetest tunes. Flowers with colours beyond her wildest imagination had eyes and ears and a mouth just like gnomes had and they all said 'Hello Pixie!', as she breezed past them. "How did they know my name?" Pixie wondered. "My my...this really is an Enchanted Forest!", Pixie thought to herself.

The wood squirrels and playful monkeys were scurrying about from tree to tree as they played hide n seek with Pixie. Pixie was having so much fun that she grew totally oblivious to the time. Before long, all the forest animals and flowers bade farewell to Pixie. "Goodbye dear Pixie. It was fun playing with you. You should make haste now new friend. It's getting dark, and you wouldn't want to get caught by Plexine....she loves wondering naughty gnomes!", they warned her.

In an instant, Forest Greenwood stood silent like a haunted castle. The echoes grew louder as the winds grew stronger and seeped through the thick forest leaves. The setting sun cast long monstrous shadows across the forest floor and Pixie grew mightily scared! As she looked around, it looked the same everywhere...Pixie was tremendously lost!

Pixie wandered on till she came by a huge Oak tree, whose hollow opening was big enough for her to climb and nestle herself from the cold night wind. Pixie trembled at the slightest sound and closed her eyes in fear and regret. Just then, she saw the brightest blue light illuminating in the distance. "A fairy princess!", Pixie comforted herself. "I'll beg her to send me home", Pixie told herself. "I'm sure the fairy princess is kind enough to not leave a little cute Pixie like me alone in this enchanted forest in the night", Pixie exclaimed with a hint of eagerness in her voice.

As the blue light sparkled closer, Pixie jumped out from the Oak tree and waved frantically, beckoning for the Fairy Princess's attention. As it got closer, Pixie's jaw dropped at the beauty of the Fairy Princess. Never before had she seen a wonderful sight. It was just as how the adult gnomes described during the bonfires! And before Pixie could utter a word, the Fairy Princess waved her magic wand and in an instant, Pixie found herself bounded and gagged with silver chains as thick as the rusty metal ones wrapping her wooden gates.

"Pixie the Gnome...", an evil bewitching voice breathed from within the Fairy Princess. "I've been waiting for you!", it continued as it transformed into its true self. It really was Plexine! As hideous and haunting as those stories Pixie heard! "I love naughty pixies!", it cackled in the night. "It's been too long since I had one for dinner. My my you'll make a scrumptious meal for me", Plexine notioned as she scrutinized little Pixie from head to toe. "Perhaps I'll wait for you to grow a little bit more", Plexine muttered to herself as she licked her lips to whet her appetite at the thought of having a nice juicy gnome for a fine meal!

"Into the carriage you go", Plexine barked as she kicked Pixie into her carriage which was driven by huge black dogs with 3 heads growing from a single body and knives for teeth! Pixie shuddered each time Plexine roared with laughter and hoped this was really only a horrid nightmare.

After what seemed like hours, finally the carriage came to a halt and Pixie was dragged by a clench of hair by the top of her little head into Plexine's castle. Pixie's heels were scarred by the rough wooden flooring as Plexine dragged her to the dungeon which was unusually situated on the highest floor.

As soon as the heavy doors closed and the chains and bolts were fastened, Pixie's hands were magically unbound. Pixie took a few seconds to get accustomed to her dimmed surroundings. Pixie looked around petrified by the ghastly cobwebs plastered against the walls and ants the size of matchboxes crawling all over the floor. A small opening on one side of the wall let in a soft glow courtesy of the forgiving moon. Alas, the window was grilled and Pixie sat in the corner sobbing.

"Don't cry dear Pixie", mellowed a friendly voice from somewhere near Pixie's badly bruised feet. "Who said that?", Pixie beckoned in the darkness. "It's me Alfen", said a golden butterfly. "Alfen!?", Pixie exclaimed. "What happened to you my long lost friend? We all thought you were lost last autumn when you went to pick wildberries", Pixie continued.

"Yes it's me. I was captured by the evil Plexine, just like you. My brothers are gone...but I guess I was lucky to be turned into a butterfly. I'm made to run errands for the evil Plexine", Alfen lamented. "But what could a butterfly really do for a witch?", Pixie asked. "Well...Plexine needs the saliva of the forest silkworms for her magic. And only a butterfly is small enough to fly into silkworms' nest", Alfen explained. Pixie heaved in misery as she thought about the fate that awaits her.

The next day Pixie awoke by the singing sparrows sitting by her window. Her dungeoun was pretty bare, less for some old medieval furniture and a curious hand mirror sitting atop a table.

Vain like most girl gnomes, Pixie grabbed it and got a shock as she gazed upon her sorry reflection. Never has she looked this bad she thought to herself. Of all things to think about when her life was at the mercy of a wicked witch. Pixie got bored and stood by the window looking out, using the mirror to reflect the sun's rays into the forest beyond.

Elsewhere, but closeby in Forest Greenwood, a little gnome called Yvein from another village was busy. Like all boy gnomes, Yvein was mischievous. In fact, he was so mischievous that he never escaped a day without being apprehended by the elder gnomes. But Yvein was bright as he was witty and smart.

Yvein crept up the huge oak tree as he rummaged the forest squirrels nest for nuts that they have painfully scoured and stored for the coming winter. Never one to spare a thought for the poor squirrels, Yvein only had one thing in mind and that was to fill his brown sack to the brim with nuts.

As young Yvein was trying hard to balance atop the oak branch, a curious glow of blinding light caught his eye and he dropped to the ground below with a loud thud! "What in the world was that?", Yvein thought to himself as he adjusted his cap. He crept closer toward the direction of the light and finally came across Plexine's castle.

Now Yvein was smart and knew the danger he was in. But he also knew how lazy Plexine was for she only wakes up in the late afternoon, when all other creatures were preparing to make way for home. Plexine was fat and lazy as she was evil and that made Yvein a little more brave.

Yvein looked curiously at the strange reflections from the top window but could not make out what it actually was. He reached for his pocket and took out his pet blue sparrow. "Riez my friend. Can you fly up there and tell me what you see?", he asked his friend. Riez the sparrow flew without hesitation from the Yvein's palm and sat on the window sill.

Riez came back in a few minutes and related Pixie's story to Yvein. "We must help her!", Yvein exclaimed. "Tell me...what else do you see my friend", Yvein demanded of Riez. "Well the room is pretty bare except for some old furniture and cobwebs and a strange looking hand mirror that was causing all that blinding light. It looked like the ones the fairy princesses carry", Riez informed his master.

A bright spark suddenly glittered in Yvein's head as he whispered some instructions for Riez to convey to Pixie. Riez flew back up to the window and instructed Pixie in soft hushed whispers. Pixie's eyes glowed as she listened attentively.

That afternoon, as soon as Plexine awoke, she went straight for the dungeon. "I'm hungry!", she moaned. "Be you skinny or be you fat, I'll have you for tea you little brat!", Plexine exclaimed. "Now how shall I kill you?", Plexine asked Pixie rhetorically.

"Shall I boil you in frog's blood...or shall I bake you into Pixie pie?", Plexine continued. "You can boil me or bake me so long as you don't drown me in that crystal blue waters surrounding your castle!", Pixie rebutted.

"Shall I burn you on a skewer...or shall i just let my lovely dog with three heads just savour your pixie meat?" went Plexine. "You can skewer me or feed me to your dogs with knives for teeth so long as you don't drown me in that crystal blue waters surrounding your castle!", Pixie rebutted.

"Well you seem pretty afraid of drowning don't you. Maybe I shall just do that to spike you!", Plexine laughed and dragged Pixie out of the dungeon. She draggeed Pixie out into the garden and toward the crystal blue waters. Like the night before, Plexine gave Pixie a hard kick into the water and Pixie sank and sank and sank deep into the river as Plexine chuckled to herself.

Now Plexine was not very smart for Pixie, like all gnomes were indeed brilliant swimmers! In an instant, Pixie swam like a dolphin toward the other side. Furious beyond imagination at the thought of being tricked by a little gnome, Plexine transformed into a hungry shark with razors for teeth and swam after Pixie!

SNAP! SNAP! when her razor teeth as she bit of the fur off Pixie's cute buttom. Pixie swam harder as she was nearly there. She saw Yvein waiting for her on the far bank and sprang out and tossed the hand mirror in the air.

In one swift motion, Yvein pulled Pixie out and grabbed the mirror with his other hand and mumbled some magic before tossing the mirror hard into the crystal blue waters! Just as Yvein thought, it was indeed a Fairy Princess's mirror! And Fairy Princesses mirror had good magic in it.

The mirror caused the crystal blue waters to solidify into real hard crystals, trapping the shark, which was really Plexine in disguise beneath it. Plexine remained motionless as she froze under the crystals.

Pixie breathed a huge sigh of relief before hugging Yvein tightly. "You look strange for a gnome", exclaimed Pixie. "Who are you and where are you from?", she asked. "Thank you!", she exclaimed almost forgetting to thank her saviour as she pecked Yvein on his rosy cheek. Yvein blushed and wiped his cheek with the back of his hand as his face grimaced in embarrassment.

"I'm Yvein from a nearby village. Do you know your way home?", Yvein asked. "Not really. Im really lost", Pixie replied. "Well let me take you home then. But first, we need to break the spell that Plexine has casted on all those enchanted animals in her castle", exclaimed Yvein as he trotted forward.

"But I'm tired!",Pixie heaved to herself as she trailed not far behind and a whole new adventure awaits them...only they do not know it yet!