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'This!' Mildred held up a silver spoon 'And the strange thing is, it's just like the ones my mother had, which vanished ht! I've kept it safe ever since!' This was adrandchildren asked: 'What were the fairies like, Grandht about this 'Not as pretty as you ht expect,' she said at last 'But definitely one there was a sound like-' ArrrrrrrrrgggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhPeople in the King's Legs (the owner had noticed that there were lots of inns and pubs called the King's Head or the King's Arap in the market) looked up when they heard the noise outside After a ht to ye, fellow bigjobs!' roared a figure in the doorway The roo in every direction, the scarecrow figure wove unsteadily towards the bar and grabbed it thankfully, hanging on as it sagged onto its knees

'A big huge wee drop o' yer finest whisky, me fine fellow barman fellow,' it said from somewhere under the hat 'It seeh to drink, friend,' said the barel he kept under the bar for special custoure, trying to pull itself up That's fightin' talk, that is! And I havenae had enough to drink, pal, 'cos if I have, why've I still got all this ed into a coat pocket, came out jerkily and slaold coins rolled in every direction and a couple of silver spoons dropped out of the sleeve The silence of the bar became a lot deeper Dozens of eyes watched the shiny discs as they spun off the bar and rolled across the floor 'An' I want an ounce o' Jolly Sailor baccy,' said the figure 'Why, certainly, sir,' said the barold coins He felt under the bar and his expression changed 'Oh I'm sorry, sir, we've sold out Very popular, Jolly Sailor But we've got plenty of- ' The figure had already turned round to face the rest of the rooi'es me a pipeful o' Jolly Sailor!' it yelled The room erupted Tables scraped Chairs overturned The scarecrow rabbed the first pipe and threw the coins into the air As fights immediately broke out, he turned back to the bar and said: 'And I'll ha' that wee drop o' whisky before I go, bars can shut up right noo! A wee pint of whisky'll do us no har Man, eh? Listen, ye scunner, oor Rob is in there! Aye, and he'd have a wee drink, too!' The custoet at the coins, and got up to face a whole body arguing with itself 'Anywa', I'e I dinnae ha' tae listen to a bunch o' knees! I said this wuz a bad idea, Wullie, ye ken we ha' trouble getting oot of pubs! Well, speaking on behalf o' the legs, we're not gonna stand by and watch the heid get pished, thank ye so veerae much!' To the horror of the custoure turned round and started to walk towards the door, causing the top half to fall forward It gripped the edge of the bar desperately,totally oot o' the question?' and then the figure - - tore itself in half The legs staggered a few steps towards the door, and fell over In the shocked silence a voice from somewhere in the trousers said: 'Crivens! Time for offski!' The air blurred for a moment and the door slammed After a while one of the customers stepped forward cautiously and prodded the heap of old clothes

and sticks that was all that remained of the visitor The hat rolled off and he ju onto the bar fell onto the floor with a thwap! that sounded very loud 'Well, look at it this way,' said the barman 'Whatever it was, at least it's left its pockets-' From outside came the sound of: The brooe hard, and stuck in it Feegles fell off, still fighting In a struggling, punching uerrilla warfare all the way up the stairs and ended up in a head-butting, kicking heap in Tiffany's bedrooirl and Miss Level joined in out of interest Gradually, the fighters became aware of a sound It was the skirl of the h the battle like a sword Hands stopped gripping throats, fists stopped in mid-punch, kicks hovered in mid-air Tears ran dof'ly Wee Billy's face as he played The Bonny Flowers, the saddest song in the world It was about hoer there The Feegles let go of one another and stared down at their feet as the forlorn notes wound about the of pro the pipe drop out of his mouth 'Shame on ye! Traitors! Betrayers! Ye shahtin' for her verra soul! Have ye no honour?' He flung down the mousepipes, which wailed into silence 'I curse my feets that let me stand here in front o' ye! Ye shame the verra sun shinin' on ye! Ye shaans! What ha' I done to be aht? Then fight ht me! An' I swear by the harp o' bones I'll tak' him tae the deeps o' the sea an' then kick him tae the craters o' the moon an' see his! I tell ye, th of the storinYan, as almost three tionnagle stood in front of hile would have raised a hand at that le was a dreadful thing to see A gonnagle could use words like swords Daft Wullie shuffled forward 'I can see ye're upset, gonnagle,' hedaft I shoulda remembered aboout us and pubs' He looked so dejected that Awf'ly Wee Billy calmed down a little 'Very well then,' he said, but rather coldly because you can't lose that ain But ill re shape of Tiffany 'Now pick up that wool, and the tobacco, and the

turpentine, understand? Someone tak' the top off the turpentine bottle and pour a wee drop onto a bit o' cloth And no one, let les fell over the noise as 'the bit o' cloth' was obtained froht,' said Awf'ly Wee Billy 'Daft Wullie, you tak' all the three things and put the's chest, where she can smell them'

'How can she smell them when she's oot cold like that?' said Wullie 'The nose disnae sleep,' said the gonnagle flatly The three s hut were laid reverentially just below Tiffany's chin 'Noo ait,' said Awf'ly Wee Billy 'We wait, and hope' It was hot in the little bedrooles It wasn't long before the smells of sheep's wool, turpentine and tobacco rose and twined and filled the airTiffany's nose twitched The nose is a big thinker It's good at ood that a smell can take you back in memory so hard that it hurts The brain can't stop it The brain has nothing to do with it The hiver could control brains, but it couldn't control a stomach that threhen it was flown on a broomstick And it was useless at nosesThe smell of sheep's wool, turpentine and Jolly Sailor tobacco could carry a mind away, all the way to a silent place that arm and safe and free from harmThe hiver opened its eyes and looked around The shepherding hut?' it said It sat up Red light shone in through the open door, and through the trunks of the saplings growing everywhere Many of the the setting sun behind bars Around the shepherding hut, though, they had been cut down This is a trick,' it said 'It won't work We are you We think like you We're better at thinking like you than you are' Nothing happened The hiver looked like Tiffany, although here it was slightly taller because Tiffany thought she was slightly taller than she really was It stepped out of the hut and onto the turf It's getting late,' it said to the silence 'Look at the trees! This place is dying We don't have to escape Soon all this will be part of us Everything that you really could be You're proud of your little piece of ground We can res with a wave of your hand! You could , and you could decide which is which! You will never die!' Then why are ye sweatin', ye big heap o' jobbies? Ach, what a scunner!' said a voice

behind it For a ed, many times in the fractions of a second There were bits of scales, fins, teeth, a pointy hat, clawsand then it was Tiffany again, slad to see you,' it said 'Can you help us-?'

'Dinnae gi' e 'I know a hiver when I sees one! Crivens but ye're due a kickin'!' The hiver changed again, became a lion with teeth the size of swords and roared at hio awa'!' He ran a few steps and vanished The hiver changed back to its Tiffany shape again 'Your little friend has gone,' it said 'Come out now Come out now Why fear us? We are you You won't be like the rest, the duether-' Rob Anybody returned, followed bywell, everyone 'Ye cannae die,' he yelled 'But we'll les had the advantage inenemies If you're sht back by changing shape, all the tis - it whirled across the turf, growling and screales were hard to kill They bounced when thrown, sprang back when trodden on and easily dodged teeth and claws They fought - - and the ground shook so suddenly that even the hiver lost its footing The shepherding hut creaked and began to settle into the turf, which opened up around it as easily as butter The saplings trean to fall over, one after the other, as if their roots were being cut under the grass The landrose Rolling down the shifting slope, the Feegles saw the hills cli towards the sky What was there, what had always been there, beco into the dark sky was a head, shoulders, a chestSo turf, their ar up They reat stony slowness,around the reen arer than houses reached down, picked up the hiver and lifted it up into the air Far off, so fro froirl, ignored them 'She tells the land whut it is, and it tells her who she is,' said Awf'ly Wee Billy, tears running down his face 1 cannae write a song aboot this! I'h!'