Foxglove was a very happy little fairy; she lived at the bottom of a beautiful garden in the hollow of an old oak tree. When she flew by all the flowers opened their petals just to say hello and the butterflies came out to greet her, for she was as sweet as nectar.

She loved to grant wishes for all her friends by using the magic powers in her fairy wand, especially if her friends were not feeling well or just having a bad day, Foxglove would instantly cheer them up by waving it and sprinkling a bit of fairy magic.

One sunny morning she woke up as bright as a button, washed, dressed and put on her favourite red and white stripy tights .She had the most delicious breakfast of fruit, berries and a large spoonful of sweet golden honey made by her friends the Bumble family who lived in the tree next door She went to fetch her wand as she was about to set off around the neighbourhood spreading a little magic but it was not there…….where could it be. She had definitely placed it carefully under her bed as usual last night. She looked under her Toadstool table, moved her fluffy dandelion cushions but it was nowhere to be seen. There was a large brown spiky stick……..where on earth that had come from she didn’t know but not her precious wand.

Feeling puzzled, Foxglove sat down trying to remember what she had done last night. It was Twinkle’s birthday and everyone in the neighbourhood had been invited to her party. The fairies and pixies, hedgehogs and squirrels, mice, butterflies and rabbits. It had been a great party as Twinkle was a very popular fairy.

The singing and dancing went on until the early hours as everyone was having such a good time.

Foxglove remembered at the end of the evening saying thank-you to Twinkle for such a wonderful party, kissing her goodnight before flying up into the night sky back home to her own garden…………..and yes she had definitely got her wand with her then.

Ooohh ……. then it came to her, she remembered how, as she was flying one of her shoes fell off so she swooped down to the ground to fetch it, she placed her wand on the floor as she searched, moving leaves and flowers while trying to spot it. Luckily it didn’t take long for Foxglove to find the shoe; she picked up her wand and flew home.

Placing it safely under her bed before a very tired fairy climbed in…………..BUT WHAT IF IT WASN’T HER WAND………what if it had been that large, brown, spiky stick she found in its place this morning.

It was all starting to make sense now, as it was very dark on the ground last night and Foxglove, in her eagerness to get home, must have grabbed at the stick instead of the wand. That means the wand must be on the ground somewhere between her house and Twinkle’s……….

She can’t afford to lose anymore time, this is an emergency she must get out and find it as a fairy’s wand in the wrong hands can be a dangerous thing.

Foxglove darted out from the oak tree at great speed, flying low to the ground making it easier to spot if the wand was hiding amongst the leaves and flowers. She passed through her own garden (which was looking particularly beautiful this bright sunny morning) she looked very carefully. The flowers were in full bloom which made it difficult to spot…..but no, she was sure it wasn’t there. She passed through next door where the Bumble family lived; they were already hard at work collecting the pollen from the centre of the flowers to make their delicious honey.” Have you seen my wand anywhere this morning” Foxglove shouted over.”Buzzzzz no Buzz,Buzz we haven’t Buzzz, but we will keep our Buzzzy eyes peeled for you Buzzed Mr Bumble .

She passed over several gardens asking many of her friends, The Hedgehogs,Squirrels,Mice and even Wilbur Worm but no one had seen it.

Foxglove was starting to get worried as she had flown quite a long way and she was almost at Twinkle’s house when she spotted her friend Bluebell Butterfly fluttering her wings, hovering above something. What was it? She couldn’t quite see, she flew lower and ……….yes, yes it was her wand…….thank goodness. Foxglove breathed a sigh of relief.

Bluebell Butterfly called her over, she had been up very early that morning to wash her wings in the fresh dew when she had seen Foxgloves wand. The little Butterfly had tried with all her might to pick it up but it was much too heavy…..so she thought the best thing she could do was to stay with the wand to protect it and make sure it didn’t get into the wrong hands.

Foxglove was delighted to see it again and couldn’t thank the little butterfly enough. “Oh it was so good of you Bluebell to stay and look after my wand all morning, what can I do to repay you? I know,” said Foxglove, “to show you how grateful I am I will grant you the first and most special wish of the day………………..what would you like?”

The little Butterfly thought for a moment and then asked Foxglove if she could fly high in the sky with her, as fairies can go much ,much higher than butterflies ……….

They spent the whole afternoon together flying around the neighbourhood high, high in the sky.

…………….that’s why fairies are so hard to spot and butterflies aren’t….