War comes to Pook's Hill
by Robert Davidson
[ fiction - february 04 ]
"There are fairies at the bottom of our garden, Daddie!"
"Now, Richard", Mama called from the drawing room. "Let your father settle before you start telling him your stories. Fairies!"
"That's all right, darling", Daddie said mildly, ruffling his son's hair. "Fairies, little man? Are you sure?"
"Yes, Daddie! Oh, do please believe me. No one ever believes me."
"I believe you, little man. Fairies. Gad!"
Richard watched his parents from the drawing room door as they exchanged a kiss. "Does Nannie put these ideas in his head, darling? If so, she'll have to go."
Mama pressed him down into his chair by the fire and poured him a whisky. "No, I don't think it is Nannie", she said. "He doesn't get out enough, I think. If he had more friends of his own age it might help. Perhaps if we sent him to the local school, instead of having him educated here at home, things would be different."
"There are so fairies." Richard in a sulk would not be corrected.
"No, Darling", said Daddie. "I will not have him associating with the local children. In due course he'll go off to my old school. Straighten out there. Mean time he has his toys and his books and visits every week from his cousins. Don't worry about our Richard, he'll grow up into a fine young man. Won't you, Richard? Join the Army? What? Credit to the Empire!"
Richard ran across and leapt on to his father's lap and hugged him with all his might.
"What's this, little man? House full of women, is it? Deprived of manly company, are you?"
He misses you when you're away", said Mama. "We both do. How are things in the City now? Are they settling down at last?"
When Daddie crossed his legs Richard felt himself tipped forward agains his waistcoat. He let his head settle on Daddie's chest and listened to the soft boom of his heart, felt his large hand rest on his shoulder.
"Not really. Sorry to say. Old Smythe thinks war is a certainty, and before the year is out. I'm not so pessimistic. So long as nothing unexpected happens the Germans will just keep staring at us and we'll keep staring back and business will continue as always. Provided things don't get out of control no one would be so foolish as to actually start shooting. Is that some ash fallen on the grate, my love?"
Mama rang and when Elsie appeared nodded toward the fire. The girl dropped to her knees, swept the ash up, dropped it back into the fire and left without a word.
"And what if some one is so foolish?" Mama asked. "How long will it be before the fighting starts? Could it be over before they call on you? Oh darling, sometimes I just feel so frightened."
Richard sat up. "Are you going away again, Daddie? Please can I come with you?"
"See what you've done, my love? You really shouldn't mention such things in front of the boy. No Richard, I'm not going off to fight. Dash it, I'm probably too old anyway! Listen, has Mama been reading to you while I've been away? Not today? Well, I have our book here by my chair. Go and get your friend and I'll read."
Richard jumped from Daddie's knee and ran upstairs to the nursery and his little bookshelf by his bed. Elsie had tidied up earlier so Sam the Golliwog and Minnie the Rag Doll were already tucked up in bed. He took the golliwog by the arm and pulled him out.
"Come on, Sam. Daddie wants to read to us. You wait there, Minnie. We'll tell you all about it when we come back to bed. You too, Jack-in-the-Box." He looked about the room. "You too, clockwork train. You too, wooden soldier. You too, sailing boat. You too, fairies at the bottom of the garden."
Back in the drawing room Daddie was speaking to Mama very earnestly. "You know, darling, this is the finest summer I can remember in my life. That anything evil might come from such a season, why, it's unthinkable. But look who's back!" He held out his arms and Richard climbed back onto his lap.
"And who is this with him?" he laughed, grasping the doll by the arm and the back of the neck. "It's our old friend Coal Black Sambo and his ever-present smile. Well Sam, have you been looking after young Richard while Daddie was away?" The doll nodded its head. "And has he been a brave boy in the long watches of the night?" Again the doll nodded.
"The long watches of the night", Richard repeated, gazing up into Daddie's face. "The long watches of the night."
Daddie picked a book out of the paper rack and opened it in front of Richard. "Now, what have we here? Puck of Pook's Hill, by Rudyard Kipling. Darling! Have you moved my footstool?"
"Your footstool? Why no, darling. Elsie must have taken it and forgotten to bring it back. I'll ring for her."
"No, don't bother. We'll be all right if I just cross my legs like this. Comfortable, little man?"
Richard nodded and sat up straight on Daddie's lap. "Where is Pook's Hill, Daddie?"
"Pook's Hill, Richard, is this place. It's right here in Sussex, a country town with large, comfortable houses and well tended gardens where Daddies go off every few days to the City to keep the great wheels of Empire turning and Mamas stay home to bring up generation after generation of good little children, where everyone has a place of his own and where everyone is safe and happy. It has an ancient history and an assured destiny and Puck is its Brownie spirit. What does Puck say about fairies?"
"Don't know."
"He says he's not to be confused with that painty-winged, wand-waving, sugar-and-shake-your-head set of impostors. Ha!"
"Is the war coming to Pook's Hill, Daddie?"
"We hope there won't be any war at all, little man. But if there is it will never come to anywhere as peaceful and important as Pooks' Hill. I won't let it, Richard. That's a promise. And look, old Sambo here promises as well. Don't you, Sam?"
Sam nodded.
"Yes, Richard, and there are many more Sams all over the world who have good cause to bless our Empire. If old Kaiser Bill gets up to any of his tricks they will rally round the flag as they've always done. And Jock will come marching down from Scotland. And Taffy will come riding on his dragon. And our own bold yeomen still have their strong right arms. D'ye hear, lad? Kaiser Bill has all those brave men to face before he can ever strike Home. Now, look to our book, Richard, and you shall see what you shall see..."
"...and you shall hear what you shall here", Richard laughed.
"Tonight we shall hear of the Norman knight Sir Richard Dalyngridge. It's the Normans we spring from, y'know. They were the last to invade us and they are us."
"My name", said Richard, but as Daddie read he became sleepier and sleepier and soon his head was rising and falling on Daddie's chest. When the dinner gong sounded he was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open at table. Nannie gave him his bath and helped him into his pyjamas and into bed between Sam and Minnie. Mama came through with her kiss and then Daddie who put wooded soldier to stand scowling by the open window.
"He'll keep you safe, little man."
"G'night, Daddie", said Richard, turning on his side to place an arm around Minnie while, outside, the day waned and a golden moon stood low in the sky.
Gradually the house settled. Elsie delivered the evening tea to the drawing room where Daddie and Mama read in silence, before placing a screen across the dying fire and slipping off to bed. After tea Mama retired and, last of all, Daddie turned the gas light down in its mantle and followed. All was silence.
"Time to get up, Richard!" It was Sam leaning across his shoulder and speaking in his special, secret voice that was so very like the gardener's.
"Oh no, Sam. I'm much too tired. You kept me up all last night and I was exhausted when Daddie got home."
Daddie doesn't believe in the fairies, Richard. Don't you want to look again" Don't you want to be sure?"
"I'm too tired. Tell him, Minnie. Tell him I don't have to go."
"I think you should, Master Richard." Minnie's voice sounded just like Elsie's. "You did so enjoy yourself last night. You were ever so excited."
"That's right, and I couldn't get back to sleep and today..." Richard's words got tangled up in a yawn.
"You're awake now", said Sam. "Come on. Let's go over and look."
"Go on, Richard", said Minnie. "You won't be long and I'll keep the bed warm."
Richard sat up and rubbed his eyes with his fists. "Yes, I'm wide awake now", he agreed and, taking Sam by the arm, climbed out of bed and carried him over the the window. Richard sat Sam up on the sill and sat on his little rocker.
"Look at the moon, Richard."
"It's huge!"
"And look down at the bottom of the garden."
Richard looked down the lawn, past the beech trees and the roses to the azaleas beneath the wall. Flitting between the plants were three firefly knights, one red, one blue and one green. He pressed hard against the window ledge, his heart beating wildly in his chest.
"It's the fairies!" he said. "I knew they were real. I'm going to fetch Daddie."
"They may be gone by the time you come back. What would Daddie think then?"
"He would think I was telling fibs."
"That's right, Richard. Now, do you remember what we left out there this afternoon?" Richard smiled. "Just wait", said Sam. "Wait until morning."
Richard folded hid arms on the window ledge and leaned forward to rest his head while he gazed. The tiny lights wandered between the azaleas and occasionally rested on a flower. Sometimes they came almost as close to the house as the roses and once climbed almost to the top of the garden wall. Richard watched and, as he watched, his eyes grew heavy again. His eyes grew heavy and his breathing deep and regular and the firefly lights danced on the flowers and between the leaves all through the long, warm night.
"Richard!" Sam whispered in his ear. "Richard, wake up!"
"I must have fallen asleep", said Richard, rubbing his eyes again. "It's day."
The moon was gone and the sun had taken its place. A dewy sheen had appeared on the lawn and a watery layer of mist that lapped at the roots of the beeches. Richard pulled on his slippers and, taking, Sam by the arm again, peered through the window. The firefly lights were gone.
"Lets go downstairs now", said Sam. "And don't forget the lid."
"All right, Sam." Richard crossed the room and opened his toy chest. Inside, among tin railway carriages and spinning tops and half forgotten teddies was the lid of the box his best Sunday shoes had arrived in. Taking Sam by the arm he carried him quietly downstairs and into the boxroom. Then he climbed out of the open window and on to Daddie's footstool that he had placed there in the afternoon. Suddenly it was cooler.
"Better hurry, Richard. Elsie will be up soon."
Richard ran across the lawn, the mist parting around his legs as he went. Past the beeches. Past the roses. Into the azaleas.
"Look, Sam", he gasped. The body of the shoe box was lying upside down by one of the shrubs with the twig he had used to prop it up lying to one side. "It worked! The trap worked!"
"Quickly then!" said Sam. "Put me down and slip the lid underneath."
Richard laid Sam on the grass and eased one side of the box up. Very quickly he pushed the lid under and pressed the box down tight. "That's it!" he cried excitedly.
"Good! Pick me up and runback to the house."
Richard laughed the laugh of the hunter and took Sam by the leg. Hugging the box to his tummy with both arms, the doll flapping between his legs, he ran back across the lawn to the house. Approaching Daddie's footstool he tripped over the doll and fell and, though he was holding the box very carefully and very tight, almost let go. His lipe pushed forward, his eyebrows formed a frown and he almost began to cry.
"No!" said Sam. "There isn't time for that and, besides, it isn't really sore."
"That's right. It isn't really sore." Richard picked himself up and climbed onto the footstool and through the open window. Back upstairs in the nursery he put Sam on the bed beside Minnie and carried the box over toy the toy chest. It was dark in this corner. He put the box down but kept his hands pressing on the lid while he called out to Sam.
"What now?"
"Don't you want to see which one you've got?" asked Sam.
"And just what fairies really look like?" added Minnie.
"Yes, yes, yes!" said Richard, edging the lid off the box. Blue light streamed onto his hands and along the arms of his pyjamas. "It's the Blue Fairy!"
He put the lid on the floor and leaned forward on his knees. Inside was a tiny naked girl no bigger than the finger of his hand. Her hair was blue-black and her eyes as deep and dark as the enchanted well in his book of nursery rhymes. She tiptoed quickly back into the corner of the box and looked up at him through tears almost as big as her hands.
"She's got no clothes on."
The Blue Fairy dropped to her knees and covered her ears with her hands.
"Sorry", he whispered. "Too loud. Please don't be frightened. You're perfectly safe here in the nursery with me. I'm going to look after you for ever and ever."
The blue Fairy tiptoed forward and looked up again. From behind her back and to either side beautiful wings reached slowly out. They were pale blue like the sky with white patches like clouds and when she stretched them to their utmost the trembled delicately.
"Like butterfly wings!" Richard gasped, and she bent her knees in a dainty curtsey.
"Careful she doesn't fly off", called Sam.
The Blue Fairy sprang and, without a moment to think, Richard brought his hand down across the top of the box. When he looked inside again she lay unmoving in the corner. He reached in and picked her up.
"She feels nice and soft, Sam. I do so love her."
"She mustn't be allowed to fly away, Richard", said Minnie. "Daddie will never believe there are fairies at the bottom of the garden if she flies away."
"Do you know what to do?" asked Sam.
"Yes." Richard turned her over on his hand and took the first of her wings between his thumb and forefinger, easing it sideways across her back. When it came away she kicked against his palm but did not otherwise stir. She kicked again when the other wing came away but still did not wake up.
"There are two red marks on her back", said Richard, returning her to the box and replacing the lid.
"Quickly!" said Sam. "Nannie's coming. Can't you hear her in the hallway?"
"Yes, I can" Richard said, dropping the box into the toy chest and rushing to pop the fairy's wings into his trouser pocket and jump back into bed. He was just in time. Nannie pushed the door open just as he laid his head on the pillow.
"Good morning, Master Richard. Time to rise and shine."
Richard rose on one elbow and yawned. "Is Daddie up yet?"
"Daddie's been up for ages. He and Mama are almost ready for breakfast."
"Oh good!" Richard jumped out of bed and rushed to take off his pyjamas.
"What's this?" Nannie asked, looking at his legs. "Have we had a little accident?"
She put her hand on the bed. "The mattress is dry. Never mind. I'll drop your pyjamas into the washing basket on the way past. Bath, sir!"
When he was dressed Richard ran through to the drawing room to find Daddie standing with his back to the fire, reading his favourite newspaper, The Telegraph. There were big, black headlines on the page folded down in front of him and Daddie was in sombre mood.
"Mark my words", he said to Mama, in her seat by the window. "This assassination could be the match that starts the whole conflagration going. Poor Archduke; blown to pieces."
"Daddie, remember I told you about the fairies?"
"Fairies? I tell you, Darling, if Russia should move now Germany would not be far behind and there would be British soldiers across the Channel in an month."
"Can it be so bad, darling?"
"Daddie, remember the fairies?"
"Richard", said Daddie crossly, "will you kindly refrain from interrupting when I am in conversation with your mother?"
Daddie had never spoken to him so sharply before. Richard felt his breath come in bursts and hot tears start in his eyes.
"Oh, I'm sorry, little man. You're not responsible for our adult follies." Daddie picked him up in the crook of his arm and drew his head down onto his shoulder. "Now, what is all this about fairies?"
"It's the Blue Fairy, Daddie. She lives at the bottom of the garden with her friends but I've got her safe in a box upstairs where she will have her very own place and where Daddie will keep her safe with the yeomen and their strong arms."
Daddie laughed. "Little man, where do you get these ideas from. You have the Blue Fairy upstairs in a box, d'you say?"
"Except for her wings that are here in my pocket."
"Are they, Richard? Perhaps you should let me see them."
Richard squeezed his hand past Daddie's arm and into his pocket. The wings were dry and brittle and had already lost much of their colour. "There!" he said.
"Let me see", said Daddie. "Well, they look like butterfly wings. Common Blue at a guess."
"No, Daddie!" They are fairy wings. They belong to the Blue Fairy, the Blue Fairy. Oh do please believe me. Just this once."
Daddie opened his mouth to reply but was arrested by a piercing scream from the other side of the house. "Elsie!" he said. "And it sounds like she's in the nursery." The screams continued, over and over, louder and louder. "Quick!"
Daddie reached the nursery first, then Richard and lastly Mama. Elsie had both hands to her mouth and was screaming hysterically. Daddie took her by the wrists and shook.
"What is the meaning of this, Elsie?"
"T'wasn't me, sir. I mean, I don't know, sir. It was like this when I came in, sir."
"Darling", said Mama, looking about. "The room is in chaos."
Mama was right. The covers had been pulled from Richard's bed and his toy chest knocked over. Broken toys were everywhere, teddies had the stuffing ripped out from inside and the carriages of his toy train were crushed and broken. The shoe box lay empty at the foot of the bed.
"They came for her!" Richard exclaimed, looking through the window. At the bottom of the garden the three firefly lights, the red, the green, with the blue held close between, ascended by the garden wall.
"Look there, Daddie!" Richard shouted, pointing.
Daddie stooped to look but as he did the three lights topped the wall and were lost against the sky.
"I don't see anything, little man. Are you sure you did?"
"They've gone away."
"It's cold", said Mama, taking Richard's shoulder and pulling him to her. "And look, isn't that strange, the curtains billowing in when there isn't a breath of wind outside."
It was a breeze so cold it suggested summer was gone forever, and that made an uncanny match with the battlefield the room had become. As well as the bedding and toys that were scattered everywhere Jack was out of his box, bouncing and shrieking all about, and it looked like he could never be replaced. Richard put his hands over his eyes and looked out through his fingers. The room reeked of animal and the expressions on the toys' faces had changed as though they were horrified by it, none more so than Sam Na Minnie. They still sat up in bed but Sam's warm, open smile had turned his face into a mask of sullen, barely contained resentment and Minnie's homely face was wet with huge tears that could never, ever be dried. Only Wooden Soldier seemed happy, standing proudly and eagerly by the window as if in gleeful anticipation of some imagined feast about to be served.
