Tricky Nixie the Pixie

             Tricky Nixie the Pixie

Suzanne Marsh

Nixie watched quietly as the lightning bugs danced around her head. Time seemed to stand still while she sat there. She loved the odors of the green forest; she loved adventure and mischief. She thought of her friend Dixie; wondering what she was doing on this warm summers eve. Nixie decided to walk around the forest to see if she could find Dixie. Dixie, had chosen to leave the forest to see how humans lived. The more Nixie thought about it the more her wings began to tingle, a sign that she was about to begin an adventure. The lush green forest where the pixies and fairies dwelt always seemed so fresh and clean to Nixie. Was she ready to enter into the world of humans? Her home on the Isle of Skye in Scotland was rugged and engaging, she watched humans wondering if they were friendly. Could she leave her beloved Isle of Skye fly to Edinburgh, rescue her friend Dixie and return?

Pixies are known pranksters; Nixie excelled at pranks. More than once she had taken on the Master Trickster Gambie, he had taught her a great deal about mischief. She circled Gambie’s shelter; her wings felt as if they would fall off if she did not set down soon. Gambie saw her by the light of the fireflies:

“Nixie, what are you doing here?”

“I want to see my sister Dixie, she is living with a mortal.”

“Yes, I have heard. What is it that you want?”

“I want to bring her home where she belongs in the forest. I don’t understand how she could be

so foolish with a mortal.”

“Nixie, do you have any idea how you are going to persuade her to return?”

“No Gambie, that is why I came to visit you. How should I go about it?

A spell or incantation?”

“No just pixie sense.”

“Thank you Gambie; Dixie and I will be back.”

Nixie, with a small smile on her sweet face lifted off the ground feet first; her wings fluttering like

a hummingbirds wings. Nixie gathered as much momentum as she could in coolness of the night. The Isle of Skye is damp all year round; sometimes very cold. She thought about the lone piper she had heard earlier in the day; why was he in the forest playing his bagpipes? They sounded so lonely. Nixie shrugged her shoulders and headed toward Edinburgh town. She had no idea where to look for Dixie but she would try her hardest to find and encourage her sister to return to the forest.

Dawn was there before she knew it. She had to find a place to sleep, no self respecting pixie would be caught out in daylight. The night time belonged to the Pixies, Gnomes; all creatures of night. She spotted a big spreading oak, time for sleep; she concluded. She hoped Dixie would at least return with her for a short while; there was so much she had missed. Dixie was so adventurous and fun to be with; Nixie could understand why a human would be intrigued.

Night came slowly that first night in Edinburgh, Nixie hoped it would darken soon so she could begin her search for Dixie. The town of Edinburgh seemed huge to her nothing at all like the village where she lived. She wondered what Dixie did during the day; did her human have a quiet place for her to sleep? Well she would find out; maybe even create mischief while she was there; yes that would be fun. She thought about stealing the human’s hair thus making him bald or perhaps she could plant a wart between his toes. There were so many choices but first she must find Dixie. She tried flying in and out of windows but that was to no avail. She saw the castle, it was the last place left in Edinburgh to seek out Dixie. Nixie entered the castle through an open window; much to her surprise she found Dixie secured in a glass jar; her light almost gone. Nixie fluttered around the jar tapping frantically to gain Dixie’s attention. She thought that if Dixie remained in the jar for to much longer her light would go out forever. She had to rescue her sister. She found a huge stick thinking that if she shattered the jar she would free Dixie.

Finally a small light came on Dixie peered out of the glass jar, she was so dejected that she would not even smile at Nixie. Suddenly the creaked open; there stood King Duncan and his son Alpin. Nixie took one look at Alpin and Duncan, one was just as bad as the other and both would pay for the imprisonment of Dixie. She quickly hid behind a curtain as she heard Duncan speak:

“Alpin, laddie you are not takin verra good care of the pixie. If we are to win we must take

care that nothing happens to her dee yen ken?”

“Eye Father I ken. But what can I do?

“Take the wee lass out of the jar, be sure to close the window first.”

Nixie waited for Alpin to open the jar. He held Dixie in his hand. Dixie, attempted to cringe back into the jar. Now Nixie understood that Dixie was being held captive. She quietly followed Duncan and Alpin to their rooms. Once the rooms were located she could begin her mischief, but first she must return to where Dixie was being held captive. She flew into the room, Dixie was out of the jar:

“Dixie, I came for you.”

“Thank you Nixie, I don’t think I could have lasted much longer in that jar. This is the first time I have been out since I was captured.”

Well then what are we waiting for? We should go make as much mischief as we can.”

“Yes, I want to do that. I need to recharge however.”

“Problem solved I brought extra pixie dust from Gambie, he said it would help you.”

Nixie sprinkled Dixie with sparkling pixie dust. She revived to her old self. Now it was time to create mischief.

They entered King Duncan’s chambers first. They sprinkled pixie dust up his nose. He sneezed, they snickered. Then they began to whirl around the room making it seem as if the wind were howling. They moved the cauldron from one side of the room to the other. They magically sewed Duncan into his bedclothes. They almost forgot to sew his mouth shut. Then just for giggles they painted his cheeks one pink and one green.

Dixie, alone decided what she would do to Alpin for kidnapping her in the first place. Dixie, first set about magically building a huge glass jar. Once the jar was complete she swiftly moved the sleeping Alpin from his bed to the jar. Nixie, like a good sister helped Dixie create a different type of bed clothing, They wove him into something similar to a shroud. Then they sealed him in the jar, just as Dixie had been sealed in the jar by Alpin. Next they turned gold into stone. Silver into hair that draped across the jar. Jewels were turned gummy.

Once they were done they scooted out the open window of Alpin’s room. They giggled as they flew around the room several times to make sure they had not missed any jewels, gold or silver. The treasure that Dixie had given to Alpin was now dissolved. They flew back to the Isle of Skye. Gambie was most pleased to see both of them. He asked if all went well. With loud voices they yelled:

“All is well that ends well.”