spindle and the feast
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spindle and the feast |
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One day a long time ago, lived a tree gnome, he
lived in the deepest part of the forest in a very big oak tree, his name
was Spinderly Brinderly his friends called him spindle. He lived with his wife Dwindley .Now spindle wasn't a very nice gnome, he was always grumpy and he was at his worse this time of year, Christmas time was a time he hated he couldn't stand everyone being so happy and cheerful. One morning his wife woke him up to go and find the tree elves as she needed them to help with the Christmas feast they were having for all in the forest, "come on spindle get out of the bed" said his wife, "I need you to go find the elves, we haven't got much time to get everything ready" Spindle didn't move, he stayed curled up in his bed,” now spindle get your lazy self out of that bed before I hit ya with this pan" "Ohhhh woman leave me alone, I want to sleep" said spindle "you can sleep all you like after you find those elves" she said with that she bought the pan down on spindles head, " ooowwww what you do that for? I was getting up". |
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| Spindle pulled his self out of bed, moaning and
rubbing his head he got dressed "Why its me that has to find these
elves I don't know" he moaned under his breath "because I’m
busy" said his wife looking at him with the glare he knew meant he had better get going or there would be trouble. He grabbed his hat and made his way to the door” why the rush anyway there's four days before the feast" said spindle "you really are the limit spindle we have the decorations to get ready and all the food to cook and get ready, I cant do it all myself now can I, it would help if you spent less time in bed and helped" " me!!! you wont catch me in the kitchen its women's work" said spindle, he ducked just as a pan came flying across the room at him missing him by a mouse’s whisker, He ran out the door before Dwindle could take better aim. "wretched woman, why did I ever marry her" but deep down he knew he couldn't do without her but he wouldn't tell her ohh no. |
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He walked of deeper into the forest not really
knowing where to look first, as he walked he was mumbling away to his self
so much so he didn’t see the deer standing on the path and walked straight in to it, "Hey look where you're going" said the deer "what you doing laying on the path anyway, if you don’t want people walking into ya get off the path " said Spindle in his gruff voice, “ well if you were looking where you were going you would have seen me laying here, anyway can you help me, as you see I have hurt my leg I need the forest elves they will know how to mend it” “ what do you think I am your servant, why cant you ask someone else” “ well you’re the first one I have seen but if you wont help then ill just have to wait till someone else will” “ I didn’t say I wouldn’t help did I” said spindle “ as it happens Im looking for them myself so when I see them I’ll tell them about you so stop looking at me like that” “ well I hope you find them soon its really hurting” said the deer. So Spindle set off again, he came to the stream and had to jump from stone to stone to get across “ all this fuss over what, that’s what I want to know, all that singing and dancing and fussing about over someone’s birthday, what did he do for me” moaned spindle as he walked on not knowing where to look next, he came to a clearing in the trees and could see some rabbits scurrying about looking really busy “ hey do you know where I will find the forest elves” he shouted not in a very polite way, the rabbits looked at him and run off “ well how stupid can you get” he said “ only asked a question” so he walked on, by now he had had enough, he was dreaming of his bed and if it wasn’t for that wife of his he would be nice and warm in his bed right now instead of running around in the cold looking for these stupid elves. He came across some mice running about collecting wheat grains and berries ready for this so called feast, “ hey you lot, have you seen the forest elves”“ who’s asking” asked one of the mice “ me that’s who” said spindle the mice eyed him up and down then ran away, “what’s up with everyone” he said, more to his self than anyone else but a voice piped up “ if you were a little more polite you may get the answer you are looking for” Spindle spun around to see where the voice came from but couldn’t see anyone “ up here you daft gnome” said the voice, Spindle looked up into the large birch tree that was just in front of him, there sitting on one of its branches was an owl, “ who you calling daft” said spindle “ you” said the owl “ you really are a rude gnome, have you no manners” Spindle waved his fist at the owl “who do you think you are” said spindle “I was asking a perfectly civil question, so what’s it to do with you, who asked you to stick your beak in “o well please yourself” said the owl as he spread his wings ready to take flight, “I was only trying to help but if you want to walk the forest all day and night that’s up to you” with that the owl flew off, Spindle watched as it sawed about the tree tops “interfering bizzy body” said spindle, he turned on his heels and marched on mumbling to his self “ I’ll prove him wrong, I’ll find those elves and before it gets dark”. Spindle walked and walked but there was no sign of the elves anywhere, every time he asked someone they ran away, he really had, had enough , he was tired and hungry, he ran out so quick this morning he didn’t have any breakfast and his stomach was thinking he had died, he just had to sit down for a while before he fell down, just up in front there was an old tree trunk laying on its side so he walked up to it and using the last bit of energy he had, he jumped up on top. |
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Sitting there looking about him he suddenly caught sight of something in the tree opposite him, he squinted his eyes up trying to see what it was, “who’s there” he asked, no one answered “ see Im so tired Im seeing things” “where are those pesky elves anyway, I’ve walked my poor feet off and still no sight of them” it was starting to get dark and he knew he had to get moving or he would never find them, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye, startled he jumped up and there peeping out from one of the branches was the owl he had seen earlier in the day, “ so it were you I saw, why didn’t you answer me just now instead of jumping out on me and giving me a scare and why are you following me” “ for starters I didn’t jump out on you I was sitting here before you got here, secondly yes I was following you in a way well watching you and going on ahead” “but why” said spindle “ just to see if your manners improved” “ but they haven’t so you will probably walk the woods all night looking for the elves just because your so bad tempered” said the owl “I am not bad tempered” said Spindley most indignantly “just don’t like all this cheer and good will” “ why don’t you” said the owl “it’s a happy, joyous time” “ I just don’t that’s all” said spindly “ is it because of your parents” asked the owl “ what do you know about my parents, who’s been talking” said Spindley “ everyone knows what your parents were like Spindley, that they hated Christmas and all the laughter and fun people had” said owl “ I remember you as a small gnome not much more than 6 years of age, laughing and looking forward to Christmas, always polite and happy, everyone loving you, what happened to him?” “He grew up” said Spindley , turning around he couldn’t look the owl in the eye, because deep down inside a part of him remembered that little lad too and a tear came to his eye. “we all have to grow up Spindley but we still keep the child inside us, the one that loves to laugh and sing” said the owl, “why do you hide from this child, why do you push it away”, Spindley looked at the owl now with tears running down his face “ because I have lived most of my life believing what my parents said that it was a waste of time, that it was foolish to laugh and enjoy Christmas, that he, meaning Jesus didn’t do anything for us so why do we hold a feast on his birthday and because its been so long I have forgotten how to let that little child out now” said Spindley “even if I wanted too” “ are you going to bring your child up to feel the same Spindley?? to not know what its like to laugh and sing to love and be loved” said the owl “now you don’t know what your talking about I haven’t got any children and never will have we have tried so long 100 years we been married and nothing so it won’t happen” said Spindley “ooohhh but that’s where your wrong Spindley you will have a son come spring” said the owl “ what!!!” said Spindley at this he jumped of the log “how do you know” “ I just know” said the owl “and you have Jesus above to thank for it” at hearing all this he felt something bubbling inside of him, at first he didn’t now what it was but slowly he started to recognize it, a feeling he hadn’t had for a long time, one of joy and happiness, suddenly it burst fore and he was laughing and dancing. |
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“ I must get home to dwindle” said spindle “you have to find the tree elves first” said owl with a laugh “ oohh yes I had better hurry please owl do you know where they are” said spindle “ yes spindle I do and because you said please ill tell you in fact ill take you there” said the owl so it was that the owl lead spindle to an opening in the forest and there were the elves, funny looking little people with pointed ears, they all turned as spindle and the owl entered the clearing. spindle thanked the owl for all his help and promised to be a better person from now on. Spindley walked up to the elves “ please can you help, my wife sent me to fetch you, said you would help with the feast” “ you must be spindle, Dwindles husband” said the oldest elf “that I am sir” said spindle “ ok tell dwindle we will be there by morning ok” “ok” said spindle he was just going to turn for home when he remembered something, turning back he said “ please I almost forgot there’s a poor hurt deer laying in the forest, its hurt its leg and needs your help its in a lot of pain” the oldest elf looked at spindle with a smile “its ok my friend, we found the deer a little while ago and its now healed, but thank you for your concern” Spindle turned about and started walking back the way he came, he thought about all the owl had said and his heart filled with happiness, he walked and then ran on, he couldn’t wait to get home, he came across the mice that he saw earlier and stopped “ excuse me do you remember me from earlier” “yes we remember you, you’re that rude gnome that has no manners” said the mice and turned to leave “please I want to apologies to you, I was very rude to you and im sorry” said spindle, the mice looked at each other and said “well ok we forgive you” with this a big smile broke out on spindles face “thank you, it wont happen again I promise” with this he walked on as fast as he could, hopping and skipping as he went, for the first time in years happy and content, he was going to be a father and he couldn’t wait, “ I promise you I wont be like my parents, my child will know all the happiness and love I and my wife can give and being I have stored it up so long, it’s a lot” said spindle looking up to the sky “ and I want to thank you for giving me this chance too change and show you what a good father I can be”. Spindle walked on it was getting dark now and so he got a move on, he wanted to get home to dwindle. As he went he also saw the Rabbits that he scared in the morning so he said his apologies and carried on. He could see his home now as he walked into the clearing, smoke coming from the chimney must mean dwindle is still hard at it, “ silly woman she should be resting” spindle muttered to himself, he got to his front door and took a deep breath, turning the handle and slowly peeping in, he saw dwindle cooking away over the stove, as he watched a great surge of love came over him. |
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“leave that woman you have done enough for today” Dwindle jumped shocked that there was someone behind her, “you silly gnome you scared me half to death sneaking up on me like that” “ well im sorry I didn’t mean to scare ya but you need to rest the elves will be here later so go put your feet up” “ who opened their mouth, you know don’t you” said dwindle with a smile “ it don’t matter who told me, but why didn’t you” said spindle “ I was going to surprise you at the feast” said dwindle “ Well I know now” said spindle with a smile “ now put that pan down will you” spindle went to take it of her “ but I have to get this started or we will never be finished in time for the feast” said dwindle “ well you sit and ill sort it out” “ you !!!!” dwindle was amazed “ but you don’t know what your doing” she said with a smile “ well you can tell me from there” “ now woman what’s the first thing I have to do”. Well as it happened spindle turned out to be quite good at cooking and to his amazement he was enjoying his self and by the time the tree elves turned up all was under control. The day of the feast arrived and everyone was in a cheerful mood including spindle, he was helping everyone to get things laid out on the tables, laughing and joking a totally different man to what he was the week before. He had surprised everyone the day before, he went out and found the best tree anyone had seen and dragged it back, he put it up and even made the decorations to go on it. Now as dwindle looked at him laughing with the deer and the owl she smiled, she always knew he was a good gnome deep down but life had been a little hard on him and the one thing he always wanted were children so now maybe his luck was changing. The feast went of really well and spindley was the life and soul of the party, he had everyone laughing, so much so they were in tears. “ Wife come here” said spindle, as she came over to him he put his arm around her and in front of everyone at the table he gave her a kiss and thanked her for making him the happiest gnome in the forest. |
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