My Own Self

Long ago, in the north of England, a mother and her little boy lived in a tiny cottage on a lonely hill. Every night after supper, the mother made a good fire and went to bed early. But the little boy never wanted to go to bed. He liked to stay up and play by the fire.

One windy night, the mother called, “Come to bed now, because it’s very late.” “No, I want to play,” said the boy. “If you stay up, the fairies might come,” said his mother. The boy just laughed. “Good, I would like a fairy to play with!” he said. So his mother sighed and went to bed by herself.

The boy sat alone on his little stool by the fire. Then he heard a fluttering sound in the chimney. Down dropped the tiniest girl he had ever seen. She was no bigger than his hand, with silver hair and bright green eyes.

“What is your name?” asked the boy. “My Own Self,” said the fairy girl in a squeaky little voice. “And what is your name?” The boy thought for a moment. “My name is My Own Self too!” he said.

Then the two of them played together. The fairy girl made tiny animals out of the ashes, and they walked about like real ones. She made little trees and little houses, with little people who talked and laughed.

But the fire was getting low, so the boy poked it with a stick, even though his mother always told him not to. Out jumped a tiny spark, and it landed right on the fairy girl’s foot. “Ouch, ouch, ouch!” she squealed, so loudly that the boy covered his ears. Then he heard another sound in the chimney, so he ran to his bed and hid under the blanket.

A voice called down the chimney. “What is the matter, my little one?” It was the fairy girl’s mother. “My foot is burnt!” cried the fairy girl. “Who did it?” asked her mother. “My Own Self!” said the fairy girl. “Well, if you did it your own self, then there is no one to be cross with,” said the fairy mother. She reached down, took her little girl by the hand, and carried her back up the chimney, out of sight.

The boy stayed under the blanket for a long time. And the next night, when his mother said it was bedtime, he went to bed straight away. “My goodness, what a good boy you have become!” said his mother with a smile.