littlewoodspage6

The Sock Stealers

Written and Illustrated by
Idris O'Neill

The Little Woods was covered with a misty fog. The Wee One wondered what to do on such a day as this. She perched on a majestic Goldenrod that swayed gently in the breeze. “I know,” she thought to herself, I shall visit Dima and see how her mushroom garden grows.” Carefully the fae fluttered far to the other side of the Little Woods so that she would not bump into trees hidden by the fog.

It took some time to find Dima for the fog was still floating in wisps close to the ground. As she neared the mushroom faery’s home, she heard a giggle and knew at once it must be Dima. As the Wee One approached she saw that Dima was talking to two tiny imps.

Dima greeted the Wee One warmly with a hug and introduced her to Diss and Peare the two mischievous imps. The mushroom faery put on her most serious look, which wasn’t very serious at all, and began to lecture Diss and Peare again. The wood nymph giggled herself when she found out what the two imps had been up to, for they were sock stealers.

“This will never do! This will never do!” Dima said, as seriously as she could to the two imps. They smiled a silly smile and continued to play with their stolen socks. “Climbing through windows into children’s rooms in the middle of the night to steal socks is just not nice,” Dima scolded. “You are making the children late for breakfast, which is very bad for them. Why, by ten o’clock their tummies rumble and they get cranky.”

The imps smiled a guilty smile but said nothing. Diss pulled his stolen sock over his head to hide his embarrassment and made Dima and the Wee One giggle again. Not to be outdone Peare crawled into his stolen sock so that only his feet could be seen. “What am I to do with the two of you?” The mushroom faery sighed.

Diss uncovered his little head and said in a squeeky voice. “Are the children really hungry, Dima?”

“Indeed they are Diss and you are to blame with all of your silliness.” Dima replied with a glimmer of hope in her eye.

“Socks are fun to play in!” Peare said, in a muffled voice that came from inside the sock he had crawled into.

“I know! the Wee One said excitedly. Faery Godmother knits socks and baby booties and other things. She might give Diss and Peare their very own socks.

The sock stealers seemed to think that having their very own socks to play in might be rather nice if Faery Godmother made them. “We like striped ones best!” The two imps chirped in unison. Will it take a long time?”

The friends had talked for so long that the fog had lifted. The forest floor was now splashed with dappled sunlight. “We shall bring back your very own socks made by Faery Godmother if you return the socks to the children’s bedrooms.” The Wee One giggled.

“As good as done!” Diss and Peare said, all smiles and happiness. Soon the socks were rolled up. The two imps disappeared in a flash to return the stolen socks to their rightful places. The two faeries disappeared with a *poof. In a twinkle they returned with two pair of beautiful striped socks that Faery Godmother had knitted with her magic knitting needles.

When Diss and Peare returned they were delighted to find their wonderful new stripped socks. The Wee One stayed just long enough to say good-bye to Dima and invite her for tea. In a flutter of golden wings the wood nymph set off for home, sure that the two sock stealers would leave the children’s socks alone. Dima smiled to see the two imps proudly holding up their socks.

“Away the two of you go now, Diss and Peare! I have a whole forest full of beautiful mushrooms to look after, now shoo.”