Once upon a time, when the world was young, and Ireland was populated only by Celts, five little fairies were sent out into the world to gather dew for the queen's breakfast. They were each given a little white cup, and they promised faithfully, on their honor, to return at dawn with their cups full.
They left early (as fairies never know what will happen en route) and, as luck would have it, they arrived with plenty of time to spare. They tied their cups to a blade of grass and frolicked in the field, having a grand time. They were quite little girls, and none of them had any idea how to tell time, so of course, they played too long.
Suddenly, the sun appeared in the eastern sky in all his glory, and the fairies rushed back to collect their cups. Alas, the cups were stuck fast to the blade of grass, and no matter how hard they pulled, they could not break them free. Luckily for the little fairies, they had a godmother who loved them, and she brought each of them a new cup before the dew dried, and tied a big green leaf to the blade of grass to hide the cups that were stuck fast.
The little cups on the blade of grass looked like a ladder to the little girls, and they could not resist coming back, night after night, to play on it; climbing up the ladder and sliding down the great, green leaf. Sadly, after a couple of weeks, the little cups fell off the blade of grass and their game was over.
Until next spring, when the entire field was magically filled with lilies of the valley, just waiting for the littlest fairies to come and play.
© 2011 Cynthia Newcomer Daniel The pattern for this bangle is available in my Jewelry Tales shops.
