Lilac Fairy Book

Chapter 25 The "Fairy" of Luke Island (2)
Although Heon stopped talking, he was not as happy as before.Something seemed wrong, and then suddenly he remembered Bella.

"How did I forget her so quickly? I'm really not a thing!" He thought to himself.He stayed away from Groach and watched her pour the fish onto a plate for him to eat first while she went to the wine cellar to get the wine.

Hearn sat down and took out the knife Bella had given him.No sooner had his knife touched the fish than the magic was broken, and the four men stood before him.

"Huen, we beg you to save us, and save yourself!" They dared not speak loudly, so they pleaded softly.

"Oh, it must be you who were crying in the pot just now!" Hearn exclaimed.

"Yes, that's us," they answered, "like you, we came to this island to make a fortune, and like you, we agreed to marry Groach. As soon as the wedding was over, she turned us into fish, just like The same as the people before us. Those people are still in the fish pond, and you will be going to them soon."

Hearing this, Heon jumped up, as if he had been boiled in a golden cauldron.He rushed for the door, hoping to escape, but Groach overheard their conversation and stopped him at the door.Immediately she put the netting over his head, and the little frog's eyes looked out through the mesh.

"You go play with the others," she said, leading Heon to the fishpond.

At this moment, Bella, who was skimming the milk at the dairy, heard the ringing of the magic bell.

She turned pale when the bell rang, and she knew it meant Hearn was in danger.She hastily changed out of her overalls and left the farm with a magic wand in hand.

Her legs were shaking, but she ran to the crossroads as fast as she could, stuck her magic wand into the ground, and read a poem her mother had taught her:

little apple tree branch,
Over the mountains and seas,

lead me through the air,

to where I want to go.

As soon as the words were spoken, the wand turned into a pony with a feather on its head and a rosette on each ear.The pony stood still, waiting for Bella to climb on top of her body, and then started off, faster and faster, until the girl could barely see the trees and houses passing by.But although the horse was running fast, Bella felt that it was not fast enough, so she bent down and said, "The swallow is not as fast as the wind, and the wind is not as fast as lightning. But you, my little horse, if you love me, you must outdo me." They're faster because part of me is hurting—the best part of me is in danger."

After hearing her words, the pony ran like a straw in a strong wind until it came to a cliff called Deer Jumping Rock.There it stopped, for no horse or donkey in the world could scale that cliff.Bella knew this, and she began to sing again:

Send me Leon's horse,

Over the mountains and seas,

lead me through the air,

to where I want to go.

No sooner had she sung than the horse's front legs shortened and became wings, its hind legs became claws, and its body was covered with feathers.She sat on the back of the big bird, and the bird sent her to the top of the cliff.She found a clay nest lined with dried moss at the top of the cliff.In the bird's nest was a little man, dark and wrinkled.The little man saw Bella and let out a scream.

"Ah! You're the pretty girl who came to save me!"

"Save you?" Bella asked back, "Who are you, my little friend?"

"I am the husband of Groach of Luke, and it is because of her that I am here."

"What are you doing in this bird's nest?"

"I'm sitting on six stone eggs that must be hatched to be free."

Hearing this, Bella laughed.

"Poor little cock!" she said, "how can I save you?"

"Rescue Huon from Groach's hands."

"Ah! Tell me what to do, and I'd like to crawl all over Britain!"

"Oh, you've got to dress up as a lad first, and then go to Groach. When you've found her, try to get the iron net that hangs around her waist, and keep her in it ever since."

"Where can I get the boy's clothes?" she asked.

"I'll tell you," he replied, tearing out four red hairs and blowing them away, muttering something.In the blink of an eye, the four hairs turned into four tailors, the first holding a cabbage, the second holding a pair of scissors, the third holding a needle, and the fourth holding an iron.They didn't wait for orders, and sat down comfortably cross-legged in the nest, ready to make clothes for Bella.

They used one cabbage leaf for Bella's coat, another for a waistcoat, but two for the bloomers that were then in fashion.A hat is made of cabbage hearts, and a pair of shoes is made of cabbage roots.When Bella puts this outfit on, you'd mistake her for a gentleman in a green velvet gown lined with white satin.

She thanked these little people repeatedly, and then asked for advice, then jumped on the back of the bird and flew to Luke Island.When she arrived, she made the big bird change back into a magic wand, and with the magic wand in hand, she walked into the blue boat and was taken to the Shell Palace.

Groach was overjoyed to see Bella, and said she had never seen such a handsome young man.She quickly led the visitors into the hall, where fine wine and fruit had been prepared, and the magic knife left by Heon was placed on the table.While Groach was not paying attention, Bella hid the knife in the pocket of her green coat, and then followed the hostess to the garden, to the fish pond, and saw the fishes emitting a thousand different lights from both sides.

"Ah! It's beautiful!" she exclaimed. "I'm sure I can never get enough of it." She sat on the edge of the pond with her arms on her knees, her chin in her hand, and her eyes on the passing fish .

"Don't you want to stay here forever?" Groach asked.Bella replied that this was exactly what was hoped for.

"Then all you have to do is marry me," said Groach, "oh! don't say no, I'm deeply in love with you."

"Well, I won't say no," Bella replied with a smile. "But first you have to let me catch a lovely fish with your net."

"It's not as easy as it looks," Groach said with a smile. "Take it and try your luck."

Bella took the net that Groach offered her, turned sharply, and draped it over the witch's head.

"Heart and body!" she cried, and as she spoke the lovely fairy changed into a hideous toad.She struggled desperately to tear the net, but it was in vain.Bella drew the net tighter, then threw the witch into a hole, blocked the opening with a large stone, and turned away.

As she approached the pond, a large school of fish came to meet her, calling hoarsely:

"This is our master, the one who rescued us from the iron grid and the golden cauldron!"

"In addition, I will restore you to your original form." Bella took out the magic knife from the bag and said.Just as she was about to reach for the front fish with her knife, her eyes fell on a green frog kneeling beside her, with its front paws crossed across its chest.Bella felt as if someone had put a hand on her throat, but she cried out anyway:
"Is that you, my Hearn? Is that you?"

"It's me." The little frog croaked.As soon as Modao got on his body, he immediately turned back into a young man, stood up, and held her in his arms.

"We can't forget about the others," she said, starting to restore the fish to its original form.There are lots and lots of fish here, so it took a lot of time.No sooner had she finished than the Dwarf from the Deer Jumping Over the Cliff came back in a chariot drawn by the six scarabs which had hatched from the six stone eggs.

"Here I come," he cried, "you have unwounded me, now come and get your reward." He alighted, and led them to a cave full of gold and jewels, where Bella and the waiting You can take as much as you want.

When their sacks were full, Bella made the wands into winged wagons big enough to carry them and all they rescued back to the village of Lanieris.

The next day, they were married.But instead of buying the cows and pigs they had been hoping for, they bought the surrounding land for miles and gave each person they rescued from the Groach a small farm to live happily ever after. end of life.

(End of this chapter)