Elidor and the Golden Ball

Long ago in Wales, there was a boy named Elidor who was learning to read and write. His lessons were hard, and his teacher was very strict. One day, Elidor ran away from school and hid in a hollow under a riverbank. He stayed there for two whole days, and he grew hungry and tired.

Then two tiny men appeared at the mouth of the hollow. “Come with us,” they said kindly, “and we will take you to a land full of games and fun.” Elidor took their hands, and they led him down a dark path under the ground.

At the end of the path was a beautiful country, with meadows, rivers, and woods. But it was never bright there, because there was no sun in the sky and no stars at night. The people were very small, with long golden hair, and they rode horses no bigger than dogs. They never ate meat, and their favorite food was milk mixed with golden saffron. Best of all, they never, ever told a lie.

Elidor stayed with the little people and played with the king’s son. Their favorite toy was a shining golden ball, round and bright like the moon. After a while, Elidor began to miss his mother. The little people showed him the secret path, and he went home to visit her.

His mother was so happy to see him! Elidor told her all about the hidden land, and about the golden ball that shone like the moon. He went back and forth many times, and each time his mother wanted to hear more.

One day, when nobody was looking, Elidor picked up the golden ball and ran up the path with it. He wanted to show it to his mother, but he had not asked if he could take it. He reached his house so fast that he tripped on the doorstep and fell. The golden ball rolled across the floor, and two tiny men came running after it. They picked up the ball, looked at Elidor sadly, and hurried away without a word.

Elidor searched along the riverbank for a whole year, but he never found the secret path again. In time, he went back to his lessons and studied hard, and he grew up to be a wise and gentle man. When he was old, he still remembered a few words of the little people’s language. They called water “udor,” and he never forgot it. And from that day on, Elidor never took anything that was not his, and he always told the truth.