Welcome back! I’m Dash, and today we are peeking into the lives of Mavis and Myra the moon fairies. Are you ready to come along on a Fairyland Adventure with me? Let’s go!

Mavis and Myra the Moon Fairies.

Mavis and Myra are sisters. They do everything together; they pick herbs together; they splash in the pond together; they even run a beautiful shop together. I’m sure you’d know it if you saw it. It is that wonderful crystal shop in the middle of the village. It’s a smidgen past the Ogre Ornament shop, but just before the Sunflower Seed Bakery. Have you seen it? And all of the magical trinkets it holds?

The shop is full of wonderous crystals, in an assortment of shapes, sizes and colours. To some, crystals may look just like stones, yet in Fairyland they are incredibly special as they hold magic. Any rock or stone can hold magic, yet Mavis and Myra’s crystals are the most magical because the sisters are moon fairies.

Moon fairies have many magical powers. The most notable is their ability to catch moonbeams in jars. Why catch a moonbeam you may ask? There is not one single answer to that, there are many reasons to catch them.

Mushroom fairies use the moonbeams to feed mushrooms, mosses and fungus that grow in deep dark caves. It helps them to grow quicker, taste yummier, and to infuse them with their very own magic. Mushrooms, mosses and fungus are important ingredients to the wee folk as they are used in many recipes. And the wee folk, with the right training, can use them in potions.

Moonbeams are also very important in healing injured unicorns, or those with owies. The Fairy Unicorn Nurturers, the caretakers of unicorns, use the moonbeams like medicine. Over seven days, they give the injured unicorn a sip of moonbeam every night before they go to sleep. By the eighth day the unicorn is fully healed and ready to go play again.

It's not just unicorns that the moonbeams can heal, but many animals. It can even restore animal magic if it is lost. Though, to do that, you would need a trained Animal Carer, for they know how much moonbeam to give and when.

Plus, I must say, that it is always handy to carry a jar of moonbeams, or sunbeams if you prefer, when you are going on an adventure. Especially if you have not yet learnt how to make a glow ball. A moonbeam jar is a great source of light on the darkest of nights, or if you fall down a deep hole. Trust me, it happens.

Each month, on the day of the full moon, Mavis and Myra close their shop, and take every crystal they have to the open paddock nearby. Here they lay them out in circles. In the centre of each circle are open and empty moonbeam jars, just waiting to be filled.

After they have done this, Mavis and Myra take their baskets to collect ingredients. You see, they invite the whole village to join them during the full moon. It’s a monthly party that everyone enjoys. And like any party, there needs to be food and drinks. Once Mavis and Myra collect all their ingredients, they take them home to bake up some special treats.

Their close friend Sunny, the social fairy, prepares the drinks. He makes the tastiest of drinks, like homemade lemon zinga, strawberry marsh milk, blueberry ripple and coconut squeeze. And the other wee folk often bring extra food and drinks, just to make sure everyone has a full and happy belly. Plus, if there are visitors from faraway places, they too can have a full belly.

The full moon party is a big event for the village. The night is not just about eating and drinking, as there is plenty of dancing too. Wee folk, even the unco-ordinated ones, love to dance.  Dancing is about expressing your joy in whatever way makes you happy. 

As a bonus to the sisters, all of that happiness guarantees that only the brightest and most magical moonbeams are caught. By working together, everyone benefits. Plus, it’s always great to hang out with friends!

With the tables loaded with food, and the sun setting in the background, the sisters welcomed everyone as they arrived. There were many familiar faces, from their village and those from nearby places. They also welcomed some new faces, other wee folk from far away, who would be new friends by the end of the night.

As the last rays of the sun vanished behind the mountains, the beetle band started to play music. Mavis and Myra mingled with the crowd. Some wee folk started to dance, while others snacked on the tasty treats or sipped the sweet drinks. The young ones played games and laughed heartily together.

Off to the side of the party, a young brownie sat alone. Mavis asked Myra if she knew him. She didn’t. Neither did Mavis. As the two walked towards him, in the hopes of welcoming him to the party, some clouds cleared, and the moon shone down brightly. It was so bright, everyone stopped to look at it.

‘Quickly,’ yelled Mavis. ‘Everyone into position!’

All the local wee folk moved towards one of the crystal circles. Some grabbed the hands of the visitors and encouraged them to follow. The beetle band paused for a moment, and as circles formed around each moonbeam jar, they began to play an upbeat song. The music just made everyone want to dance, and they did. Moonbeam jars sat quietly in the circle of crystals, which were circled by dancing wee folk.

As the music got faster, so did the dancing. From above each circle would have looked like a spinning wheel. The beetle band started to play even faster, so the dancing got faster too. Some fairies and pixies couldn’t keep up, so they tumbled from the dancing wheel. Laughing all the way.

With all of this feverish dancing the moon got brighter and brighter. The wee folk cheered and danced even faster. When it felt like they could not dance any faster, and the moon could not be any brighter, some moonbeams started to stretch down towards the crystals. As a moonbeam touched a crystal, it quickly bounced to the next in the circle, then the next, and the next. When it had touched every crystal in it’s circle, the moonbeam jumped into the jar. As soon as it did, Mavis or Myra, quickly shut the lid of the jar, capturing the moonbeam. When the jar glowed brightly, the wee folk of that circle would stop dancing. For them it was now time to celebrate with food and drinks.

Slowly all of the moon jars filled and were capped. All except one. Mavis and Myra stood waiting. Myra looked over at the young brownie who held something in his hand.

‘No!’ She screamed yet it was too late.

The moonbeam approached the circle and bounced from crystal to crystal. Everyone waited for it to enter the jar, yet it couldn’t. One crystal was missing. As she screamed, all eyes turned to Myra. Her eyes were focused on the young brownie. In his hands was one of the crystals which had been set out in one of the circles. This circle.

The young brownie panicked and stood up while the moonbeam searched for the last crystal. Before another word exited Myra’s mouth, and before the brownie could apologise, the moonbeam shot over to the crystal in his hand. Hitting it, the moonbeam shot off in an odd direction. 

Thinking quickly, Mavis darted to the last jar and swooped it up. Then she looked around to see where the moonbeam was heading. It had just bounced off a gumtree, waking a koala, and was heading towards the beetle band. Bouncing off each of their shells, the moonbeam changed their shell colours from brown to a rainbow of colour. This made the beetle band very happy. Mavis was not. She had failed to catch the beam.

Wee folk dived out of the way as the moonbeam passed the food table. It splattered through a lovely cake, showering cake pieces all over the place. The wee folk cheered as they opened their mouths skyward to catch the yummy cake rain.

Mavis looked at Myra and Myra looked at Mavis. Both had a panicked look on their face. Neither knew what would happen if the moonbeam wasn’t caught. This had never happened before. The young brownie trailed behind Myra, apologising for taking the crystal which he still had in his hand.

‘It was just so beautiful,’ he said. ‘I just couldn’t resist. I’m sorry.’

He did look sorry, and terrified. Myra told him it would be all okay, that her sister just had to catch it. Mavis had no idea if that was even possible. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the moonbeam head towards the lemon zinga table. As quickly as she could, she followed it. The jar ready in her hand. The beam hit a few bottles before heading straight upwards.

‘Oh no,’ yelled Mavis. ‘I hope it doesn’t go back to the moon.’

‘Surely not,’ replied Myra.

As the beam shot upwards, with a clear run through the sky, everyone held their breath and stared. No one knew what would happen next. Suddenly a streaky blur shot across the sky. It was a fruit bat heading home after having a feed of pawpaw from a local farm. His little eyes were half shut as the moon was too bright for his sensitive eyes. He didn’t even see the moonbeam shooting up from below him, until it hit him and bounced back towards the ground.

Mavis tightened her grip on the jar and ran to where she thought the moonbeam was heading. Holding it out, she hoped to catch it. She didn’t. Instead, she heard a splash and saw that it landed in a bottle of lemon zinga. Quickly she put the lid on the bottle. Lifting it up and peering inside, the bottle shone out the most amazing yellow light. Mavis laughed. The crowd cheered.

Myra, breathless, ran up to her and looked in the jar.

‘Well done, sister.’ She said, patting Mavis on the back.

Beside her, a young brownie, peered upwards towards the jar. ‘That looks tasty.’ He said.

Both sisters just looked at him. A soft ‘sorry’ was all he could say as he held out the crystal he had taken.

‘It’s okay,’ said Mavis. ‘Keep it. If it drew you in that much, it was meant to be yours.’

The young brownie smiled and hugged the crystal. A small tear dripped from one eye. ‘That is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.’

Myra hugged the brownie, as he told them about how he was lost and alone, having nowhere to be. He had stumbled upon the party in his wanderings, and just wanted to be close to others, even for a short period.

Mavis liked the brownie, even though he had turned the night upside down. No one had been hurt and that was the main thing. She invited him to come stay with her and Myra. And that they would help him find his home, and if that wasn’t possible, would allow him to stay and learn about crystals. The young brownie, Roscoe, thanked them and said he would be delighted to stay. Belonging somewhere was his dream.

The rest of the wee folk had such a wonderful night too. Everyone spoke about this particular night for years to come.

I’m so glad Roscoe, the pixie, found somewhere to belong. Sometimes you need to travel far and wide to find the right place. And that surely is worth the energy, to feel like you belong.

It’s also nice that Myra and Mavis share their work with those around them, by turning it into a party for everyone to enjoy. In that way, it wouldn’t feel like work. Whatever you do, if you make it fun, and share the experience, it won’t feel like a chore. Whether you are dusting your room while dancing or playing ‘the floor is lava’ while taking something to the bin. There is always a fun way of doing things. All you need to do is use your imagination!

I enjoyed that story. I hope you did too. See you next time.