Page 54 - The Black Deer and Charlie Rabbit

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The Black Deer and Charlie Rabbit
‘If the doll is going to be Sophia, resting in a hammock, shouldn’t we try to bend its body so it looks as if it’s fast asleep?’ suggested Paris.
With a lot of giggling and fooling around they succeeded and now the figure moved like a rocking chair.
‘Stop laughing, Paris. Look, it will work! Go and see if your curls have dried and I’ll paste the hair to the head,’ smiled Fay.
It was dark before Sadie and the girls left for home and in the moonlight, the figure lying on the workshop floor looked real. ‘Yuk!’ said Fay. ‘That’s spooky.’
***
Inside Sophia’s residence, it was stifling, and she longed to open the windows, but she knew that it was dangerous. Instead, she went outside the glass door to where Edward Badger and Bryony sat talking.
‘May I sit with you?’ she asked. ‘I need some fresh air.’
Edward looked at the fairy queen, who was looking tired and nervous. ‘We’ll take you to the enchanted garden shortly; the fairies are waiting for your instructions.’
‘I’m not sure that I can keep up this pretence much longer. Why doesn’t something happen?’
‘Like what?’ asked Bryony inquisitively. ‘What do you want to happen?’
Sophia gasped. Edward looked at her and said: ‘You must tell the gnomes and fairies. They need to know now, Sophia.’