Bluebelle.
Bluebelle was a fairy that stayed out in the old oak wood. All day she flew about among the flowers and the trees, with the butterflies and the bees.
She was weary of the evil magic creatures in the wood, such as witches, trolls and goblins. They were known to capture fairies, and use them in their potions. But she was not afraid of the good magic creatures of the wood, like elves and giants. They were known to be kind and had, as far as she knew, never harmed a fairy.
So when she saw a jolly gaint walk by one day she greeted him. "Hello giant. The giant noticed her hovering next to a daisy and said "Hello little fairy, what is your name?
"My name is Bluebelle, what is yours? she said.
"I am Bigtoe, the giant. He answered. They talked for a while and Bigtoe the giant invited her over to his house in the middle of the wood for some afternoon tea. He looked a very friendly and harmless giant, and she had nothing else to do today, so Bluebelle agreed. They went through the magic forest with the giant giving huge strides, and Bluebelle flying through the air alongside him.
At his house he opened the door for Bluebelle and she flew in. He put the kettle on to boil and Bluebelle went to sit on the table. As she was sitting there the giant suddenly pulled a string above his head, and a little cage fell over Bluebelle, trapping her inside.
"Hey, what did you do that for Bigtoe? she asked. Then Bigtoe explained, "I am a very lonely giant. I live here on my own in the magic forest, and all the other giants have left, in search of fairer lands. So I need company, and have always liked little fairies, so I captured you.
"This little cage won't hold me. Said Bluebelle the fairy "I have magic powers.
"Oh, but that is a very special cage you are in, it has had a magical spell put on it by a powerful old evil witch, and no fairy can escape its bars once it is caught inside. No, you will be my little companion for as long as we live, if you like it or not. Laughed Bigtoe.
He was a very merry giant all evening, and was very talkative, but Bluebelle was not. So eventually he switched off the light and went to sleep. While he was sleeping Bluebelle thought of a plan to escape, because she knew she would not be able to break the bars of the little magic cage. She came up with a good idea, and transformed herself magically into a little blue bird. Then she went to sleep and waited for dawn.
Early in the morning Bigtoe awoke to talk with his new companion. But when he looked in the cage he saw that there was no little fairy, only a little blue bird.
"Little blue bird, where has the fairy gone that was in this cage last night?
But the bird only sang back a tune "Toodle-toodle, toodle-loo.
The gaint tried several times to ask the bird where the fairy had gone, but each time the little blue bird just sang back "Toodle-toodle, toodle-loo.
The giant gave up, deciding that Bluebelle must have escaped the cage, and that the cage was not magical after all. He realized that he had no need for a little blue bird that could not speak, and that only sang one tune, so he took the cage outside, and opened its door. The little blue bird flew off into the forest.
Then the giant went to the house of the witch that had sold him the cage, knocked on the door, and when she opened it he beat her up. "Don't sell me phony merchandise again. He said, when he had eventually stopped beating her, and left.
Bigtoe, the giant, became more lonely than ever, and often wondered through the wood looking for Bluebelle. But she always evaded him, not wishing to be caught again.
Yet sometimes, he would look up high in the branches of an old oak tree, and there he would see a little blue bird singing "Toodle-toodle, toodle-loo.
