And the rain fell.. as it always did in the spring. Throughout the forest, eyes, sheltered as best they could watched the rain in its relentless falling. The drops of water slid down the bark of the trees, dripped from the leaves and crawled across the toadstools.
In every tree the dryads hummed as they drank the sweet rain, and in the glades the fairies danced their rain dances.
However, there was one who danced faster than the fairies, and who hummed, nay, sang louder than the dryads. This was Pitterpat the rain sprite. Mistress of the may showers. Who slept all the year round from spring to spring, every year she awoke to dance on the forest floor, and awaken all the sleeping plants and animals and to bring the message of spring to all the forest.
As the rain drops splashed around her feet, Pitterpat giggled merrily and sang her fastest tunes. Every now and again she danced into the air, moving so fast she used the descending raindrops as steps, until she reached a branch, upon which she danced, stopping to kiss the twigs, where upon tiny little buds broke forth at her lips touch. The dryads smiled, for they all loved Pitterpat, almost as much as they loved the Sun, and their mother, the life spirit Gaia, with whom they had slept through the cold winter.
As she met the tiny fairies dancing in their rings, Pitterpat would stop and curtsy, and with much giggling and nudging, the fairies would respond, for they to loved Pitterpat who brought the green back to the world each year.
In fact, in all the forest, there was only one who cared not for Pitterpat, and that was the Gnome.
The Gnome was a Grey Gnome, and so all the lands around him rested on a bed of granite. On this particular day, the gnome was sitting on the surface for once. He had come up hoping to find the silent beauty of winter, when the surface was more like the quiet underground he was used to, and instead he found all this raining, and dancing and singing going on.
The Gnome was very fond of music, but the beautiful echoes of the underground kingdom were nothing like the tinkling laughing sounds from the forest around him. However, despite being a Gnome he was not to bad tempered and he was pretty hungry since it was years since his last snack.
Hungry? you ask. Well yes, even Gnomes must eat, and they do. They eat sand, pebbles and mud for snacks, and boulders and rocks for dinner. Of course they eat so slowly, that a boulder will take them ten years to eat, but they can gobble up a lot of sand and mud in only few hours.
Now, whilst this was going on, Pitterpat had danced across the entire forest, had reached the eastern edge and was dancing back again. She hopped across a small stream, waving at the fish who stared up at her in surprise and landed on the other side. Her tiny feet sinking into the soft mud.
The Gnome was shovelling the gravel into his mouth when the Sprite landed beside him. He froze at once (as is the wont of Gnomes when surprised) and since Pitterpat had never seen a Gnome, she didn’t know he was there (Gnomes being much given to resembling rocks). So the Gnome watched from the corner of his eyes, mud oozing from his mouth, as the sprite high stepped through the grime to the stream to wash her feet.
” eek my feetses ” she piped, and sat on a fallen branch. She splashed her feet in the water, and gurgled with laughter as the fish shied away.
The Gnome stared in amazement as she dipped her delicate feet into the water and let the mud wash away. Slowly an idea formed in the Gnomes mind, and a sly smile spread across his face. Gradually he reached across to the end of the branch near him and suddenly tipped it, upending the startled Pitterpat into the stream.
The Gnome roared with laughter and stomped across to the edge to look closer. Peering over the edge he found no sign of the sprite, and confused he looked down stream, but there was no sig of her.
” Hey! ” he rumbled at the fish, ” Where’d she go?” the fish shrugged and...
what? You don’t think fish can shrug? Well, you have a lot to learn!
I assure you, these fish shrugged, though they were lying of course, as they knew where Pitterpat had gone. They could see her, dancing along the rain drops behind the Gnome and frowning down at him, trying to see where he began and the mud stopped.
” Who dis muddy fuddy? ” she wondered, ” he needses a wash much much more than meses and the fishy’s ”.
She landed with a slight spring, and clicked her fingers one, two, three! There was a flash behind him and the Gnome leaped into the air with a start.
” Wha! ” he cried, then missed his footing and fell into water with a splash.
All the fish bubbled with laughter and Pitterpat sat down with a ‘plomp’, laughing so hard at the Gnome, who sat up to his waist in the cold water with a strand of weed draped from his nose.
” Har har ” he said and splashed the Sprite with his hand.
” Don’ts you knows me is a Spwite? ” she giggled
” Eh? ” he grunted and peered at her. She was not very big, only half as big as him and she danced back and forth from toadstool, to rain drop and petal.
” What’s a spwite?”
” A rain spirit ” said a large fish ( a carp ) that had poked his head over the surface to peer at the dancing sprite.
” yes yes, that’s me!” giggled the Sprite, and she launched into the air, and danced down among the long grasses.
” What you a dancing about for? ” demanded the Gnome crawling out of the stream.
” What you thinking she a dancing for? ” asked the incredulous fish.
” Not dancing? ” asked Pitterpat floating to the ground.
” You can dance if you like, I’m not going to stop you, please to carry on, by all means ” grunted the Gnome ” I was just a wondering as to why you was dancing is all ”
The Sprite considered for a moment whilst the fish also tried to think of an answer.
” Well ”, she began, ” Me dancing to wake up the twees and flowers and little sleepy things ”
” that’s right ” agreed the fish.
” And all the little bees and mices, and the birdses will all come back.. ”
” that’s right ” agreed the fish.
”And all and one will be happy as spring is in the air!!” she exulted.
” that’s right ” agreed the fish.
The Gnome sniffed. It sounded like a lot of hot and bother to him, all this jumping around and singing, but he couldn’t help being interested in the Sprite, there was something rather refreshing about her, something his cold stone heart very rarely felt.
” Every ones loves the spwingtime ” laughed Pitterpat.
” Not every one ” corrected the Gnome.
” Not? ” whispered the Sprite, her eyes wide. (Here was a new thing indeed).
” No not at all.. ” said the Gnome.
” Why not? ” asked the Sprite, her head to one side.
” Well.. er.. ” the Gnome considered,” perhaps its because, some people prefer a more quiet and beautiful place than springtime ”
” More beautyful? Than spwing?? ” she snorted ” No such thing!!”
” Oh yes my dear ” grinned the Gnome, who had begun to have an idea in his own slow fashion, ” there are places much more beautiful ”.
” me doesn’t believe it ” she stated
” No? ”
” Not! ”
” What if I was to show you such a place? ” inquired the Gnome, ” would you then take to believe it? ”
” well...” she began.
” Its not very far I assure you ” he interrupted.
” not? ”
” no ”
” how not vewy far? ” she demanded, doing a little quick step around a dry thistle, which instantly perked up.
” Just down the stream to the rocks there ” he pointed.
” A more nicer place, over there? ” she hopped up nine rain drops to see better, but it looked just like spring to her.
” Yes, you can come and see it if you like ”, said the Gnome, beginning to waddle towards the rocks.
The Sprite watched him shuffle away, thinking loudly to herself. She had no time to be looking at nicer places, the dance must go on!, but, looking around, she saw the forest could manage forty heart beats with out her, so she clenched a quick downpour onto the giggling trees and flitted after the Gnome.
The Gnome watched her from beneath his long dark hair, and when she scampered after him, he felt the funny feeling again, but pretending not to notice her, he shambled up to the rocks where a tiny waterfall bubbled and sang. He ducked into it and disappeared.
” Where did he go?” gasped the startled Sprite.
The Carp, which had been following them poked his head up from the stream.
” Where did he go?” Asked the Carp.
” Me knows it not ” said Pitterpat.
The Gnome thrust his face out from the waterfall.
” Well? ” he asked, ” are you coming or not? ”. He disappeared again, and Pitterpat peering closer saw there was a hole behind the water fall.
” There’s a hole behind the waterfall ” said the Carp.
” Yes yes ” she sang and hopped through.
” Who would have thought it ” thought the Carp.
Inside the hole it was dark and cold.
” Here is no nice ” muttered the Sprite looking around. There was no sign of the Gnome.
” Where is you? ” she asked the darkness.
” Its down here ” said an echo from before her. She frowned impatiently, and clicked her fingers, one, two, three, and tapped her foot One, two, three.
