The Sand-Fairy

The gravel-pit is very large and wide, with grass and dry stringy wildflowers of purple and yellow growing around the edges at the top. It is like a giant's wash-hand basin. And there are mounds of gravel and holes in the sides of the basin where gravel has been taken out. High up in the steep sides there are the little holes that are the little front doors of the little sand-martins' little houses.

The children dug and dug and dug. Their hands got hot, sandy and red, and their faces got sweaty and shiny. The hole was getting so deep that Jane told the others to stop.

"What if the bottom of the hole suddenly gave way and we fell into Australia?" she asked.

Cyril and Anthea knew Australia wasn’t that close, but they agreed to stop digging with the spades and switch to using their hands. The sand at the bottom of the hole was soft and dry, just like the beach.

"Let’s go look for shells," said Cyril. "That little cave looks interesting and I think I see something sticking out like a ship’s anchor. It’s too hot in this hole."

The others agreed, but Anthea kept digging. She liked to finish what she started and she didn’t want to leave the hole without getting all the way to Australia.

The cave turned out to be a disappointment, with no shells and the ship’s anchor just being part of a broken pick-axe handle. They were all about to head home for lemonade when Anthea suddenly screamed.

"Cyril! Come here, quick! It’s alive! It’ll get away!"

They all rushed back.

"It’s probably a rat," said Robert. "Dad says they live in old places like this."

"Maybe it’s a snake," said Jane, shivering.

"Let’s see," said Cyril, jumping into the hole. "I’m not scared of snakes. I like them! I’ll tame it and it will follow me everywhere."

"No, you won’t!" said Robert. "I share a room with you!"

"Let’s just look," said Anthea.

"I swear it said something. It really did!"

"What did it say?" asked Robert.

"It said, ‘Leave me alone,’" Anthea said.

Cyril just laughed. "You’re hearing things! We’ll dig with the spades."

As they dug, something started moving in the hole. Anthea knelt down and scratched at the sand like a dog digging for a bone.

"I felt fur!" she cried. "I really did!"

Then, suddenly, a voice from the sand made them all jump.

"Leave me alone," the voice said. They all looked at each other. Did they really hear that?

"We just want to see you," said Robert, being brave.

"Please come out," said Anthea.

"Well, if that’s your wish," the voice said. The sand started to stir and something furry and brown rolled out of the hole. It yawned and rubbed its eyes with its hands.

"I must have fallen asleep," it said, stretching.

The children stood around the hole, staring at the creature they had found. It had eyes on long horns like a snail, ears like a bat and a body shaped like a spider. Its fur was soft and it had hands and feet like a monkey.

"Well," said Anthea, "who are you?"

"You don’t know?" the creature said, looking shocked. "I’m a sand-fairy. Don’t you know one when you see one?" the creature said.

It looked so grieved and hurt that Jane hastened to say, "Of course I see you are, now. It’s obvious now that I look more closely."

The creature began to curl up again in the sand. "Please don’t go," begged Robert. "I didn’t know you were a sand-fairy, but now I do, you’re the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen!"