The Ten Little Fairies

A Day in the Clearing

One sunny day, long ago, ten little fairies went for a walk in a clearing they knew well. They were surprised to hear the sound of crying. Sitting on a stool in front of a cottage was a little girl, tears streaming down her face as she cried loudly.

The Encounter

“Good morning, little girl,” the fairies said. “Good morning, fairies,” she replied between sobs. “Why are you crying?” the fairies asked. “Because I am bored and I don’t know what to do,” said the little girl. She explained that her mother could not play with her and that she had no one else to keep her company. The fairies were very surprised by this.

A Mother’s Worry

Just at that moment, a sad sigh emerged from inside the cottage. “What will happen to my daughter, who does not know what to do with her ten fingers? I have made myself ill doing all the work so that she has nothing to do,” lamented a woman lying in bed.

The Fairies’ Plan

The ten little fairies peeked into the cottage and saw the worried mother looking very pale. “This poor mother is very ill, and her daughter’s laziness is worrying her so much that she cannot get better. We must help her,” the fairies decided. They contemplated the problem for a moment before one suggested, “We must make her daughter do something. There are ten of us—we will hide in her fingers.” Quickly, they leapt onto the little girl’s lap, and she fell instantly asleep.

Magic at Work

When the girl woke up, her fingers began to move by themselves, setting to work straight away. They picked up a needle and thread, sewing a torn dress and mending a split pocket. The little girl was very surprised to discover she was doing these tasks. Happily, she took the sewing to show her mother, only to notice that her mother’s bed was creased and crumpled. Immediately, she set about making her mother comfortable, plumping the pillows and smoothing the sheets. Her mother was surprised but very pleased. Before she could speak, the little girl said, “I think I’ll go and get something for us to eat. You’ll feel better then.”

A Joyful Lunch

Both the little girl and her mother enjoyed the lunch together. After they finished, the mother turned to her daughter and said, “Thank you very much; you must have worked very hard.”

Finding Joy in Work

“I liked doing it. Working is fun; it gives me something to do,” replied the little girl. Soon, pots and pans were washed and polished. As she polished and swept, she sang. The sound of her voice and her helpfulness made her mother feel better. The little girl’s fingers seemed to work all on their own.

A Happy Ending

That night, for the very first time, the little girl felt truly happy and fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow. One by one, the fairies crept out of their hiding place, so pleased with their day’s work that they began to dance. Dawn was breaking, and as they made their escape through the window, they passed sunbeams streaming into the room.

Life After the Fairies

The mother soon got better, and from then on, she would often say with a smile, “My little girl has fairy fingers.” If you had passed the cottage, you would have heard the little girl singing happily as she worked. Now that there were two of them working, the mother had time to play with her daughter, so she was never bored again, thanks to the ten little fairies.