# Little Sunny Stories/Way to Fairyland

The Way to Fairyland
David ran out to the gate. Towards the village, the road lay beautifully white and smooth in the sunlight, but towards the mountain, it was rough and uneven.
“That must be the road,” mused David, “for the roads to Fairyland are generally hard to travel!” And David turned his face towards the mountain.
The sunlight, touching the mountain peaks, made them look like the golden spires of a fairy castle rising high in the clear air.
​“It must be the castle of the Fairy Princess!” exclaimed David as he hurried up the road. He had not gone far when he met an old man tending a flock of sheep. One had strayed away from the rest and the old man asked David if he had seen it as he came up the road.
David shook his head. He had seen nothing but the tall golden spires of the wonderful fairy castle, he told the old man.
At this the old man began crying. “Do not cry!” David said, “I will help you find the sheep!” So he ran down into a deep woods at the side of the road and presently came back with the sheep.
When the old man had thanked David he asked, “Can that really, really be the fairy castle?” The old man nodded and smiled.
David hurried up the mountain side until he came to where an old woman was trying to carry ​a huge bundle of fagots on her back, but the load was so heavy she could not budge it.
David ran up to her, “Let me help you, Grandmother!” he cried and he undid the bundle of fagots and, taking the larger part, he carried them to her hut farther up the mountainside.
“Little boys who are good and kind to older folks will never have any trouble in finding Fairyland!” the old woman said when David asked her about the golden mountain peaks. “And, besides,” the old woman called to him as David started up the path, “they are expecting you!”
David's heart gave a great bound. They were expecting him in Fairyland. “Perhaps the Fairy Princess will make me a Knight or a Prince!” David thought as he climbed higher.
There on a throne of gold, sat the Fairy Princess, her face covered with a silver veil, and around her hundreds of beautiful fairies danced and sang in rhythm to beautiful melodies of fairy music.
Near the Fairy Princess David saw the old shepherd and the old woman whom he had met on the mountain-side. It had not occurred to him, when he had helped them,that they might be fairies.
“One can never tell, David, by peoples’ appearance what may be in their hearts,” said the Fairy Princess, as if reading his thoughts, and she pointed to the old man and woman.
David wondered where he had heard that sweet voice before, but as two fairies drew aside their Princess’ veils, David gave a glad cry and ​held out his arms, “Mamma! Mamma! how did you get here?”’ he cried.
A soft, cool hand touched David's cheek.
David opened his eyes and threw his arms around his Mamma’s neck and told her of his beautiful dream.
“And your ‘Fairy Princess’ thought her little ‘Knight’ would never open his sleepy eyes and awaken,” laughed Mamma, “for the sun has been up a long time and the ‘spires of the lovely fairy castle’ are all golden with the morning sunshine.”
Through the window they saw the tall mountain peaks and the “Fairy Princess” drew the “Knight” to her breast and kissed him.