Once upon a time, a very long time ago, a rabbit family lived in a lovely green field very close to a forest. Daddy and Mammy rabbit had three little babies. Mammy rabbit smiled when she looked at her beautiful babies sleeping, they looked so easy and comfortable. Daddy rabbit arrived with the food for the family. He bought some carrots, cabbage and some lettuce.
“Thank you,” said Mammy rabbit, “the babies love to eat the lettuce and chew the carrots. But we can’t call them babies anymore, we must give them names!” So they thought for a long time, and decided the biggest would be called Topsy, the next biggest would be called Tricky and the little one Fluffy.
Just then the babies woke up. As they were 3 boys Mammy and Daddy were going to be very busy looking after them.
It was a hot May day, and Topsy, Tricky and Fluffy were playing a game on the grass. Their Mammy always told them to stay close to their burrow just in case the fox came and he was hungry. A rabbit would be a very nice lunch indeed for Mr Fox.
“Let’s play hide and seek” said Fluffy, “I will be on, and you go and hide.” There was a forest very close to where the rabbits lived. They weren’t allowed to go there but today it looked so cool and shady the three little rabbits couldn’t resist and went off to play. It was great fun. So many places to hide! But soon they were tired and sat down on lovely green moss at the foot of a very large oak tree. Soon all three were fast asleep.
Suddenly, all three of them woke up and rubbed their eyes and they remembered they were in the dark forest and far away from their cosy burrow. They were worried and knew their mammy and daddy would be looking for them.
They got such a surprise as there beside them, sitting on the moss was the prettiest little fairy. She was crying so they asked her what was the matter. “I need help,” she said. “Tomorrow is the Fairy Queen’s birthday and all the fairies would like to give her a special party but there is so much work to do and we fairies are so small,” said Matilda. That was the fairy’s name.
“Don’t worry we will help you, we are big and strong, but will you tell our mammy and daddy that we are safe?” Said Topsy.
“Of course I will, thank you” said Matilda and she stopped crying. “Now I will say the magic words and you will be in fairy land. Close your eyes and off we go.”
They opened their eyes and found themselves in the most beautiful place they had ever seen. There was a beautiful castle with gold and green ivy covering the wall and all around the most beautiful flowers – all colours and perfumes. All round the castle there were lawns and ponds with pretty water lilies floating on top. What a beautiful place the fairies lived in!
The three rabbits sat down on the grass and made a plan. “We must do our best to make the party really wonderful” they said. They called Matilda and had a chat and she organized the fairies to help.
The three little rabbits gave each fairy a job to do. “We need a very long table beautifully decorated with a nice flower arrangement in the centre where the fairy Queen will sit.” They said. So some little fairies gathered acorn shells and petals, some seeds and fruit and berries and the bees brought honey. The fairy mixed the honey with dew from the flowers to make a lovely sweet drink.
The Fairies who worked in the bakery made a delicious cake and biscuits decorated with different berries. How tempting they looked. The three boys thought they would like to give the fairies some rides in a boat or carts and have some fun after all the hard work.
They looked around and found three pieces of bark perfect for 3 little boats and some sticks as oars. They found a box and some wheels “Great – a cart!”, so they fixed the wheels to the box and then got some lovely soft moss to line the cart. They asked two dragonflies if they would pull the cart and give the fairies lovely rides. “Yes we will help make the Fairy Queen’s birthday the best ever” said the dragonflies. Each little rabbit said they would give the rides on the pond so everything was organized.
Matilda sat on the grass and smiled. “I know it’s going to be a great party, thank you boys for all your help.”
They set the table and put out the delicious food, they filled the acorns with the honey drink to drink a toast to the Fairy Queen. They gathered chestnuts and used them as chairs for each little Fairy. The boy fairies were so excited they were looking forward to having the rides and having a great time.
All was ready, it was getting a little dark so the fairy light came on. The lights were between the flowers in the beds, hidden in the bushes and in between the leaves on the trees. A real Fairyland.
“Hip Hip Hooray! Hip Hip Hooray! Hip Hip Hooray! Happy Birthday Dear Queen!”
She was overcome, tears came into her eyes. What a lovely surprise! The Queen sat down with all the fairies at the table, and the fairy band played sweet music and they all tucked in to the wonderful feast. The 3 rabbits served the Queen of the Fairies her food so that the fairies could enjoy the party.
The Fairy Queen stood up and thanked all the Fairies and the 3 little rabbits for the best party she ever had.
“And now everybody, have fun and enjoy yourselves. It’s a beautiful evening and the moon and stars will be in the sky soon, and the stars will twinkle and we will all make a wish.”
The three rabbits put their boats on the pond and soon there was a call of
“please can I have a ride, me too, me too!”
Very soon the little boats were full and each rabbit started to row around the lake and in between the water lilies. The Fairies laughed and clapped their hands in excitement. They had never been on a boat before and they were enjoying such a treat.
At 8pm, the Fairy Queen clapped her hands and there was silence. She thanked everybody for making her birthday so special, and then she said,
“Matilda had the party idea but without my 3 little rabbits all this would not have happened We all have had a marvellous day, so I would like to thank our 3 friends.”
They went to the Fairy Queen and bowed before her. She spoke, She presented them with three medals which she put around their necks.
“Now,” she said, “these medals are magic so I will give you the words and if ever any of you are in trouble just rub the medal and say “I wish I wish I wish I wish I wish I was back in Fairyland” and no fox will touch or harm any of you, my wonderful friends.”
“Good night all” and with that the Fairy Queen tapped the 3 medals with her magic wand and all at once, indeed by magic, they were back home and tucked up in their own comfortable and warm beds. The 3 dragonflies lifted the fairy Queen’s chair high in the sky and carried her back into fairyland Castle while the band played beautiful music.
They woke up in their own cosy beds. They rubbed their eyes. They all wondered if they had been dreaming about Fairyland but they had not been dreaming because they still had the medals around their necks. They knew the big, bad fox couldn’t hurt them when they wore their medals.
Mammy and Daddy rabbit had known where their babies were as Matilda, clever and thoughtful as always, had sent a robin with the message. They were so happy they were home again but so glad their three boys helped the fairies give a great party to the Fairy Queen.
The end.
