Our tale this week takes us near to Wigmore where a young woman called Mary Powell lived. Mary just loved dancing and every chance she got she would excitedly head out and trudge across the fields to the nearby villages to enjoy the one thing that made her heart sing. Mary’s mother Sally worried about her constantly. She would sit up at night in front of the fire waiting for Mary to return. Her father on the other hand was more free spirited. Sally dressed in her beautiful blue gown was very popular at the dances. The boys would compete for her attention, whirling her around the dance floor. The night would fly by and before Mary knew it, it would all come to an end. Dancing shoes off, boots back on Mary would set out across the muddy fields excited to tell her Mother all about the wonderful evening that she had just had.
One particular night Mary had been dancing in Kington and on her way home she suddenly heard some of the most beautiful music ever. Curious and still full of the joys of the night Mary decided to take a closer look. As she gazed over the hedge she saw a group of fairies dancing. They looked so glorious with their delicate wings. There was something quite intoxicating about them as they danced and Mary moved in closer but the fairies did not react to her being there at all. As she stood watching, entranced by the sweet music she was hearing, one of the fairies finally turned and looked her straight in the eyes. As if hypnotised by his gaze she took his hand and before she knew it she was dancing alongside them. Time seemed to slip away and so did Mary for that matter.
Mary’s mother Sally sat waiting for her daughter to return as she always did, however the wait had been a long one and she had fallen asleep in her chair. Waking with a start, the room now cold she realised that Mary had not returned. A local search of the fields was carried out and everyone at the dance was spoken to but no-one knew where Mary had gone. She had vanished without trace.
The weeks and months passed but Mary’s mother kept searching for her. There were sightings but as quick as Mary was seen, she disappeared again. Sally decided to visit a wise man in the area, one Jeremiah Price, surely he would give her some answers. The old man knew what had happened straight away. “She’s away with the fairies”, he said. Thinking she had lost her daughter forever Sally’s heart sank until Jeremiah informed her that all was not lost. He told her to keep looking and that when she did see Mary to seize her and hold onto her but in no circumstances was she to be the first one to utter a word. Sally was advised not to loosen her grip until Mary spoke, otherwise Mary would be lost to her forever.
The old man explained that the sightings of Mary happened when Mary was thinking about her old life, but the longer she spent with the fairies the less sightings there would be and she would disappear forever. Determined that this would not happen Sally set about her search with a reignited passion. There were sightings but never by Sally herself. A year passed and she continued to walk the paths between Wigmore and Kington. Finally her tenacity paid off. As she was searching one day she caught a glimpse of Mary. Wasting no time she ran to her and grabbed her tightly. She uttered no words even though her heart was bursting to say something. Finally the silence was broken as Mary spoke asking her Mother where she had been. Mary thought she had only been away for a day and could not comprehend that it had been more than a year.
Sally and Mary returned to Kington, local folk were pleased to see her but they seemed to be wary of her too. Upon her return Mary went to work for her cousin in her dress shop in Kington and life seemed to return to normal. Except for the items that kept disappearing, lace, pins and pieces of cloth. The finger of suspicion was immediately pointed at Mary. Mary was not the thief but she did know who was. Since working at the shop the fairies would regularly pop in, make faces at her and take things. Unbeknown to them Mary could still see them. While she had been with the fairies, she had watched them putting ointment on their eyes. Wondering what it did, she took some when they weren’t looking and had rubbed it into one of he eyes. Immediately the world looked vibrant and full of wonder plus it had given her the ability to see the fairies now too. Mary knew that she had to rid herself of her fairy visitors but she could not let them know that she could see them as they would blind her.
When they appeared again in the shop laughing and causing mischief, she pretended that she was busy but was talking to herself just loud enough for them to hear. She muttered about the fairies taking things and that her mistress had gone to purchase a fairy trap. On hearing this the fairies stopped what they were doing, became distraught and ran from the shop. All except one, the one who had captured her gaze when she first saw the fairies so long ago. He moved around her hoping for a sign to prove that she could see him but Mary did not give anything away. Finally he too left and Mary took a deep breath, relieved to be on her own and happy that her fairy adventures were now behind her.
So if you’re out in the fields of Herefordshire and are drawn to some enchanting music playing in the distance, you may want to think twice before you pop your head over the hedge to see what’s going on.
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