Welcome back. I’m Dash. Come along with me on another fairyland adventure. Today we join Petunia the fairy who is not enjoying the summer heat. Oh my, what will she do to cool off?

Petunia the Fairy

It was a bright summer’s day with a small scattering of clouds. No rain was expected. The heat hung in the air like honey, dripping onto everything. It caused every single thing to wilt including Petunia the fairy. Lying on her tummy, Petunia was flopped over a mushroom, hands and feet dangling over the sides. With a sigh, she spoke to her pet beetle, Fluff.

‘Fluff, this heat is horrid. I feel like I’m melting.’

Fluff nodded, as he hid from the sun’s bright beams. Under a blade of grass, beneath the mushroom, he scratched into the dirt with his thin beetle legs, hoping to find some coolness. When he had made a beetle size hole, he snuggled into it.

‘Oh Fluff, I know you enjoy lying in dirt all day.’

Fluff nodded with a big happy smile on his face.

‘But fairies don’t. Maybe if I was a brownie, it would be fun, but I’m not, so it isn’t.’

Shrugging, Fluff yawned before drifting off to sleep. Petunia sighed again, unsure of what to do with herself in this horrid heat. So, she stayed motionless, flopped over the mushroom. Shortly after, her friend Rex arrived.

‘Hey Petunia, I see the heat has wilted you too!’

‘Hey Rex, this summer is surely hotter than any other. I don’t know what to do with myself. The heat makes me floppy. Fluff burrowed into the ground.’

The two fairies looked towards Fluff who was snoring away happily. Rex jumped up on the mushroom next to Petunia. Surely together, they could come up with an answer. And they did. Well, Rex did.

‘Let’s go to the creek. Surely the water will cool us down.’

Petunia squealed. ‘What an excellent idea Rex! Should we ask Fluff to go?’

Both fairies peered over the edge of the mushroom. Fluff was still asleep and he had a smile on his face.

‘Nah, I think he’s fine.’ Stated Rex

Petunia and Rex jumped off the mushroom and flew towards the creek. About halfway there, they heard a plea for help.

‘Did you hear that?’ Petunia asked.

‘I think so,’ responded Rex.

They both landed and waited for another cry. It wasn’t a long wait.

‘Help!’

‘This way!’ Rex grabbed Petunia’s hand and ran off in the direction of the cry.

They dodged a few prickly pear plants and ducked under a lilly pilly branch. Finally as they rounded a wattle tree they saw who was crying for help. It was a young brownie called Pip Pip. He was caught in something gooey on the ground.

‘Please help me? I was heading to my friend’s house when a great big glob of eucalypt sap landed on me. I have been stuck for ages.’ Pip Pip looked sad.

The heat of the day had softened the sap, which the tree uses to fix it’s own cracks and owies, and allowed it to fall to the ground. Unfortunately, this had all occurred while Pip Pip was walking past. Poor Pip Pip, he’s now stuck in a sap puddle.

Rex turned to Petunia. ‘He looks pretty tired, from trying to get out of the sap. The sap still looks soft, do you think we could pull him out?’

‘It’s worth a try.’ Was all Petunia could say.

Rex grabbed a wattle branch and cleared the leaves from it, until it was a long smooth branch. Next, he passed one end to Pip Pip to grab.

‘Do you think you can grab it tight?’ Rex asked.

‘I’ll try,’ responded Pip Pip.

Rex and Petunia grabbed the other end, and when Pip Pip was ready, they pulled with all their strength.

At first nothing happened. Then, ever so slowly, Pip Pip started to move towards the edge of the sap puddle. Petunia and Rex pulled as hard as they could. It was tiring work, especially in this heat. Sweat was flowing down their faces and their arms. Suddenly, the two fell backwards. Looking up they saw that Pip Pip had let go of the branch.

‘I’m sorry. I have no strength left to grip the branch.’ Apologised Pip Pip.

‘No problem,’ yelled Rex as he looked at Petunia. He gave her a shrug as if to ask ‘what now?’

Petunia thought about it. Pip Pip was a lot closer to the edge of the sap puddle than before. She suggested they go over to see if they can reach him. Her aim was to grab his arms and yank him out. Sadly, he was still too far away. Petunia’s stretched fingertips could barely touch his. As she continued to think about it, Fluff walked up next to her chewing a very long piece of grass.

Smiling at Fluff, Petunia got an idea. ‘Can I borrow your grass for a second?’

Taking the piece of grass from an unhappy Fluff. Petunia told Pip Pip to wrap it under his arms and give one end to her and the other to Rex. When Pip Pip had done that, Rex and Petunia pulled the grass hard. Pip Pip moved a little and was excited. Rex was excited. Petunia was excited. Fluff was not.

Without warning the grass snapped. Pip Pip fell backwards into the sap. Rex fell back. Petunia fell back. Fluff squealed in anger, for his piece of grass looked gone forever. 

Glaring at Petunia, Fluff moved towards the sap puddle and his lost piece of grass. He touched the sap with a skinny beetle leg.

‘Keep away Fluff. I don’t want you stuck too.’ Petunia yelled.

Fluff ignored her and raised his sappy foot to his mouth.

‘Ugggh.’ Said Rex.

Fluff smiled the happiest smile Petunia had seen in a long time. Then he spread his wings and flew off. Petunia could hardly believe it. ‘Fluff?’ All Pip Pip and Rex could do was watch him fly away.

‘What’s that about?’ Rex asked Petunia.

‘I don’t know.’ Was all she could say.

As the pair stood, staring at an even more stuck Pip Pip, they had no idea what to do. They looked around for answers. They rubbed their chins. They rubbed their heads. Yet no answers came. All of a sudden, Fluff landed next to the sap puddle. He waved his thin beetle legs. Out of nowhere came a swarm of beetles. They were all chattering excitedly.

Flashing Petunia a smile, Fluff then put his head down and started sipping the sap puddle. The other beetles excitedly joined him. It wasn’t long before the beetles had drank the puddle all the way to Pip Pip, yet they didn’t stop there. They kept going until the whole sap puddle was gone, and Fluff was once again holding his long piece of grass.

Ever so full, most of the beetles stumbled off, as they could no longer fly due to the extra weight in their tummies. Happy with himself, Fluff waved to Petunia and carried his piece of grass back to his dirt hole.

Petunia and Rex ran over to Pip Pip and helped him up. None of them could believe what just happened. Pip Pip couldn’t stop thanking them.

‘We are going to the creek to cool off.’ Stated Rex.

‘Want to join us?’ Asked Petunia.

Pip Pip did. Mostly because he was hot, but also because he wanted to wash the horrid sap off. So, the trio slowly headed towards the creek. All exhausted. All hot.

On the way, they bumped into Mr Piggles who ran the academy library. They explained to him what happened. He was fascinated on how the beetles had helped them. Handing them a bottle of lemon zinga drink each, he hurried off to the library to write notes about the beetles. All the while muttering to himself, ‘fascinating.’

The lemon zinga was cool and refreshing. It also perked Pip Pip up, so they could move quicker towards the creek. As they approached the water, they could hear squeals of delight coming from all directions. They were not the only ones who had thought of cooling off in the creek. It looked like the whole wee folk village was there. Brownies, pixies and fairies alike were all having fun in the water. Splashing and playing games.

Perched on a nearby branch, a water sprite acted as a lifesaver, watching over the younger wee folk, or those who couldn’t swim well. She waved to them, and they waved back, before jumping into the water. Pip Pip was happy to wash the sap from his body. Petunia and Rex were happy to be in the water as it was so much cooler than the air. 

Everyone had a delightful afternoon, even Fluff who slowly ate his juicy piece of grass, then had another nap. His tummy was the fullest, and happiest, it had been in a long time.

Oh, I do like a swim to cool off. Do you? It took me a few years to learn how to swim but with practice I got there. Are you learning to swim, or do you already know how to? Not everyone has a creek or pool nearby. When I was little my mum used to let me swim in the bathtub. That was fun. And one time we had a mini pool, the water barely covered my feet, though it was still fun. Sitting in it, I’d splash around for ages. Pretending the splashes were waves and that sticks were boats.

Anyway, take care and I’ll see you next time.