The busy fairy Rhama was known throughout the land as a fairy who could get a job done. She was also very intelligent, and was considered one of the more beautiful of the fairies – as her larger than average wings would glitter like sparling clusters of diamonds, particularly at night and under the direct glow of the bright moon. Why the harvest moon itself would make Rhama’s wings glow like a jack o’lantern set ablaze.
She attributed her intelligence and beauty to her work, and one of the things she loved to do was to plant flowers and berries in her garden.
One particularly beautiful spring morning she decided to plant a flower garden that would make the whole forest sparkle. She gathered seeds that she bought and saved for seasons, and some were very old and rare. She dug up her garden and tilled the soil. Eyes watched her from in the dark of the forest. Next, Rhama lovingly placed the seeds in their planned out spots and built trellises so that they would grow tall. Eyes and whispers came from the forest. She paid no mind. Then Rhama sprinkled the ground with dew and some dust from her wings, and then she waited.
It took many weeks but the flowers began poke through the well-manicured garden. Rhama smiled and flitted about, pulling up weeds and watering and sprinkling dust where she could.
Soon, the flowers began to grow, and as they grew and bloomed, the forest came alive as colorful birds and busy little bees came by.
One day, after feeling very pleased with her work, Rhama decided visit the berry farmer, to purchase some malloberries for a pie. She picked some of her beautiful flowers to give to the farmer in exchange.
While she was gone, the eyes that watched her from the forest appeared once again. They were fairies as well, but they were grey and their faces though full and round were very plain and miserable. Slowly and deliberately, these grey fairies picked Rhama’s flowers.
When Rhama with her hands full of berries, saw them.
“Get away from my flowers!”
And the grey fairies moved and fluttered away, but they yelled mean words to her. Calling her selfish and greedy.
One day, after Rhama had trimmed and fed the flowers, there was a knock at her door. A fat fairy stood with his wings held wide behind him.
Rhama answered the door, and when she did the smell of her malloberry pie wafted through the door after her.
“I represent the fairies you chased off of this property. They demand those flowers!”
“Why? They did not lift a single finger to help me. They did not save a single seed. They did not ask for them before they took them. Why should I give them my flowers?”
“Because, like you, they are part of the forest. And it is part of a new forest mandate.”
Behind the fat fairy, the greys took all they could and flitted back to the forest. By the time they were gone, all of the flowers had gone with them – leaving Rhama with nothing. Her pie was gone as well, the fat fairy turned with a smileful of malloberry pie. He tipped his hat and went off in pursuit of the greys.
The following year, Rhama stood in her garden. Weeds had poked through the dried up ground. She was no longer pretty and her wings had grown withered and gray. And as the eyes watched from the surroundings Rhama decided to never plant another garden again.
