'Hello' said Lois to her cousin Joe, as he joined her in their grandparent's garden. The sun was shining brightly and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was a perfect day to have lunch and then play in the paddling pool. 'What would you like for your lunch?, asked Mamma 'Can I have pasta, bacon and cheese please' said Joe 'And I would like cheese, crackers and cucumber' chimed in Lois. 'Coming up' said Mamma, 'I just want to look for my ring. I haven't seen it for a little while'. After a little while, Mamma called out to say that lunch was ready. Poppa, Joe and Lois came in to sit at the kitchen table and start their lunch. 'Did you find your ring Mamma?' said Lois. 'No I'm afraid I haven't yet. I am beginning to get a bit worried. Poppa bought me it for me even before your two Daddies were born and I would hate to think that it has gone for ever’. 'We'll all look for it after we have been in the pool and it is a little bit cooler.' Lunch was finished and they went out into the garden where Poppa filled the paddling pool with water. Some hot water went in first and then cold water was added until it was ready for them. The weather was even warmer by then and the sun was shining so brightly that the water shimmered. The sails on the stone windmill at the bottom of the garden went round very slowly and lazily and the spotted toadstool that stood nearby looked fat and satisfied with life in the warm weather. Even the fairies that guarded the front door of the toadstool seemed to look much brighter. The hot day continued and when they had finished playing in the pool Lois and Joe changed into tee shirts and shorts and laid back in some garden chairs. Everything was very quiet except for the buzz of the bees and the singing of the birds. Suddenly Lois nudged Joe and said ‘Look at Mamma and Poppa , they have gone to sleep'.ÌýJoe giggled and said 'What shall we do?' 'We could play a game of hide and seek' said Lois. 'OK' said Joe ‘I will count to thirty while you hide somewhere. He closed his eyes and began to count. One.. two.. three.......... Lois started to walk towards the part of the garden where the toadstool and windmill stood, and as she got nearer she was surprised to see that the toadstool was getting bigger and bigger and the steps which led to the front door were getting wider and wider. The biggest surprise of all was that the fairies moved and then spoke to her. 'Hello Lois' said the fairy 'My name is Columbine' 'Hello' said Lois 'How do you know my name?' 'We know all your cousin's names. We know that you have a little brother called Reece and that Joe has a brother called Thomas. You also have two big cousins called Hannah and Ashley. 'Would you like to come inside?' asked the other fairy. 'My name is Crystal' Lois went into the toadstool. It was much cooler and darker than the garden but she gradually began to see shapes and figures. One was a little figure dressed in green. 'Hi, I'm Terry and I live in here with my little brother Tommy, Freddy the frog, Harry the hedgehog and Slowcoach the tortoise. The toadstool looked so much bigger inside and Terry proudly showed Lois around. 'This is the kitchen where we cook and eat' he said. 'What do you eat' asked Lois. 'Porridge and soup mostly but sometimes we find sweet things in the garden to eat. We make porridge from seed and soup with nettles and the sweet things are berries. Sometimes we find little sweets that you children have left in the garden!' The little bedrooms were so sweet, thought Lois. The covers had been made with bird feathers and looked really cosy. Suddenly the doors were pushed open and in came a hot looking little elf. He was Terry's little brother Tommy. 'Where is Slowcoach?' asked Terry 'He is on his way' said Tommy 'We found lots of food today and he is being even slower than usual' Then he noticed Lois. 'Who are you?' he said. 'Don't be rude' said Terry 'This is Lois and I am showing her around'. Then the door opened with a big bang as Slowcoach came lumbering in laden down with food. 'Let's all help this poor tortoise' said Lois 'it's too hot for him to carry all that food around. When Slowcoach had beenÌý unloaded Lois spotted something caught in one of his claws. 'Lets have a closer look' she said to the others. Terry picked up his foot and something sparkly fell off with a tinkling sound. 'It's a ring' said Lois, 'I wonder if it is the ring that Mamma lost'.ÌýÌýÌý
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'Who is Mamma?' said Terry 'She is our granny who makes nice lunches and gives us lots of cuddles' answered Lois. 'I wish I had one' said Terry 'I'll bring her with me next time I come' said Lois. Terry smiled to himself. He knew that grownups couldn't see fairies and elves. 'Can I take the ring and see if it is the one that Mamma lost. I can come back later'. Lois closed her eyes tightly as Crystal led her to the door and out into the bright sunlight. 'Mamma look what I have found!' 'Wherever did youÌý find it' asked Mamma 'Over there' said Lois, looking over her shoulder, 'in the toadstool' 'In the toadstool?' said a surprised Joe. Lois looked again at the toadstool and saw that it had shrunk back to its normal size. Lois went quiet and wondered whether she should say anything to anyone about her adventure. Perhaps she would tell Joe when they were sitting quietly one day. | 
