Little Tad stood on the back porch of
the pretty white cottage where he, his
mother and daddy, and his dog, Jock, were spending the
warm, beautiful days of summer. And, by
the way, we must not forget to mention Arabella Ann.
Arabella was the cook. Tad could always
coax a cookie from Arabella, and she made
the nicest turnovers that any five-year-old boy could
wish for.
Just now, however, he wasn't thinking
of either cookies or turnovers; he was thinking
of something else. He had overheard a friend of Arabella
telling her about an echo that could be
heard from the seashore near the house. Now Tad liked to
know about everything, and he
wondered what an echo could be. So that night, when his
mother had tucked him into bed, he
said, "Please, Mother, tell me. What is an echo?"
"An echo, little son," repeated Mother.
"Where did you hear about an echo?"
"I heard someone telling Arabella about
one that could be heard from the seashore,"
replied Tad.
"0h, I see," laughed Mother. "Well,
Tad, an echo is a fairy, and a fairy usually lives in
a big, empty cave or building."
"A fairy. Oh! Mother, did you ever see
one? What do they look like? And what do
they do?" cried Tad.'
"Answer to question one," replied
Mother with a smile. "No, I never saw an echo. No
one can, we only hear them. What do they do? Whenever
anyone calls out near his home they
always answer by repeating just what is said."
"But that is rude," objected Tad.
"Oh no," gravely answered Mother,
"because they do it in such a nice, friendly way."
"I wonder," Tad remarked, his eyelids
beginning to droop, "I wonder if I were to go
down by the seashore, and sit very still, if an echo
fairy wouldn't just happen along."
"I'm afraid not, lad," his mother said
as she darkened the room. "Now sleep tight and
pleasant dreams."
The next morning, Tad and Jock stood
outside. "I think, Jock," Tad said reflectively,
"that we might go down and look for one of the echo
fairies. Don't you?" he gravely asked. Jock
replied in the affirmative by briskly wagging his tail.
Jock was such a comfortable companion; he
always agreed, no matter what was proposed.
So the two set forth, quite forgetting
to mention their destination. They soon reached
the seashore, but didn't know just where they would find
the fairy. They wandered on and on. At
last it was Jock who found her. He paused to bark at a
saucy red squirrel, who at once began to
scold him soundly. Tad didn't notice this, for as Jock
barked, from somewhere back of them came
the sound of more barking.
"It's the echo fairy, Jock," cried
Tad. "You found her. You found her."
Then Tad called as loudly as he could,
and at once the sound came back to him,
sweetly and clearly, as only a fairy could send it. Tad
called and called, but still the fairy didn't
seem to grow tired or impatient.
"Oh Jock," cried Tad, "How I wish she
would come out so we could see her! Perhaps
if we keep very still, she will think we are gone and
come out. Let's try it."
So the small boy and the big dog
curled up under a willow tree and waited. They kept
very still. It seemed a long time; it was quite warm and
soon the small boy's head began to nod. It
was almost more than he could do to keep awake.
Then something happened, for coming
toward him, under the trees, was the prettiest
little creature that one could wish to see. She was so
tiny, no larger than one of Tad 's toy
soldiers, and was dressed all in russet brown. On each
shoulder were wings of a delicate shade of
green, her head was covered with golden curls, and on her
feet she wore tiny, golden slippers.
Tad was sure this was the echo fairy
and he didn't dare move for fear she would
disappear, but when she came near, she waved her wand,
then said gaily: "Well, Tad, so you and
Jock were waiting to see me. I am the echo fairy."
"Oh! I knew you were, I was sure of
it, cried Tad, "and we thought you might come
if we waited. You don't mind, do you?" he asked.
"Why should I?" laughed the fairy, as
she saw the anxious look on the small face. "I
knew you were here; if I had not been willing for you to
see me, you wouldn't have."
"But tell me," said Tad, "are there
many echo fairies, and are they all as pretty as
you?"
Again the fairy laughed, and her
laughter sounded like the ringing of silver bells.
"Yes, there are many of us," she told him, "and we all
look alike. If you were to see any of the
others, you couldn't tell us apart."
"What are the other fairies called?"
Tad wanted to know.
"They are called Echo; we all have
the same name. Now I am going for a ride.
Would you like to come? You may if you wish."
"I don't see anything to ride in,"
Tad told her. "And where are you going?"
In answer, Echo placed a golden flute
to her lips and sounded a clear, sweet note.
Tad's eyes were large and bright with
wonder. What a splendid time he was having!
Then he saw a big turtle swimming toward them through the
waves.
"Oh! what a big turtle," he
exclaimed. "I never saw one so large as that."
The fairy smiled: "That is our steed,"
she told him. "What a nice ride we shall have."
Tad looked at her in astonishment.
"Why, I can't go with you, I am too big.,'
"You must leave all that to me," Echo
told him, "and trust me."
Then she touched both Jock and Tad
lightly with her wand; they at once began to
grow smaller till they too were the size of the fairy.
How queer it did seem, and the turtle, who all
this time had been quietly waiting, looked larger than
ever. He was so large that Tad was just a
little afraid of him, until he saw a merry twinkle in his
eyes as he looked at them.
Echo took Tad by the hand and started
for the water, but still Tad hung back. "I'll get
wet," he cried, "and both Jock and I may be drowned."
But the fairy smiled and said again:
"You must trust me. I will see that both you and
Jock get safely back."
Then all three climbed upon the back
of the turtle, who slowly swam out to sea. All
at once he dived, and Tad found, to his surprise, that
both Jock and he could breathe just as easily
under the water as above it.
What marvelous things Tad saw! They
passed large fish, who looked at them
curiously; some of them came up quite close; they saw
enormous caves, all hung with beautiful
seaweed. The floors of these caves were strewn with
stones of all colors, and all through them
could be seen numberless little fishes, playing together
as happily as little children do.
Once they passed something that loomed
large and dark. This, the fairy told Tad, was
a shipwrecked vessel. Tad knew all about shipwrecks, for
Arabella Ann 's brother was a sailor,
and when he came to visit her he often told Tad marvelous
tales of shipwrecks and foreign lands.
All this time the turtle was swimming
along, guided by the fairy, who would touch
him lightly with her wand whenever she wanted him to turn.
"We had better go back now," the fairy
said to Tad. "We have come quite far
enough."
She turned the turtle around and they
started back, but just then something happened.
The turtle stopped and refused to go farther. "I must
have something to eat before I make the
return journey," he said firmly, and in spite of all the
Echo could and did say, he refused to take
them back before he ate his dinner.
"Oh dear, what shall I do," grieved the
fairy. "I simply must get home soon and I must
also see you and Jock safely back. How dreadfully selfish
of the turtle. I will never trust him to
carry me about in the water again. Let us walk on and see
if we can't find someone who will help
us."
As they walked along the ocean floor
Tad said, "Please tell me, Echo, why is it that
Jock and I can breathe under the water? And why don't we
get wet?"
Echo held out her wand. "It is this,"
she told him. "When I touched you with this, you
became the same as I. As soon as we return I am going to
change you both back as you were."
Just then they walked around a big
rock and saw before them a large castle.
"Oh, here is where the ripple fairies
live," cried Echo with relief. "I am quite sure they
will help us."
"Who are the ripple fairies?" asked
Tad. "And what do they do?"
"They are the ones who on still days
make the ripples that you see on the surface of
the water," replied Echo. "But let us find out if any are
at home. It is time we were starting back."
She knocked on the door as she spoke.
It was opened by a fairy about the size of
Echo, only this one was dressed all in green, and Tad
just couldn't decide which he considered the
more beautiful.
"Oh, Ripple," cried Echo. "I am so
glad you are at home, we are in a lot of trouble. I
do hope you will help us."
"Of course I will, "laughed Ripple,
"that is, if I can. But who is this with you?" she
asked, giving Tad and Jock a welcoming smile.
"These are two little friends of
mine," replied Echo. "I brought them for a ride." And
then she told how badly the turtle had treated them.
"That was very naughty of him,"
responded Ripple. "I am going to tell my sisters
about it and we shall have to punish him. But come
inside, and I will try to find some way to help
you."
Tad, Jock and Echo went inside and Tad
looked about him wonderingly; they were in
a large room and here were more of the colored stones he
had noticed in the caves. They sat
down on a huge pile of soft sea-moss, and watched with
much interest the tiny goldfish which
flitted here and there, darting from one corner to
another and peeping out curiously from behind
curtains of sea-weed at the strange guests.
Just then the ripple fairy entered the
room. "Our chariot will be ready in a moment,"
she said. "But I wish you might stay longer, for there
are many wonderful places down here that I
am sure Tad and Jock would like to see."
"I know there are," replied Echo,
"but I must return as soon as possible, for I must
have Tad and Jock back before they are missed."
Tad was wondering what the chariot
would be like when it drew up before the open
doorway. It was an immense pearl, shaped like a boat, and
attached to it by ropes of seaweed,
were six beautiful goldfish, driven by a tiny fairy,
about half the size of Ripple. She gave them a
friendly little greeting, then quickly disappeared.
"You will soon be home now," Ripple
said. She had climbed into the chariot with
them and carried a wand with which to guide the goldfish,
who were restless and eager to start.
How short the journey seemed to Tad!
He thought they had only just started when
the ripple fairy stopped the chariot in the shallow water
at the exact spot where they had
embarked on the turtle's back.
They climbed out and watched her as
she drove away with a merry smile and a
friendly wave of the hand.
"Well, Tad, did you and Jock have a
good time?" the echo fairy wanted to know.
"I did," replied Tad, "and I am sure
Jock enjoyed it too. Didn't you, Jock?"
Jock jumped up and down and barked
such a funny little bark; he was so very, very
tiny.
The echo fairy laughed and extending
her wand, touched each of them with it, then
quickly disappeared in the direction of the cave where
she lived.
The sunlight, falling on Tad's eyes
awakened him. He sat up and looked all about.
Jock was standing close beside him, whining softly.
"Oh! Jock," cried Tad, "didn't we
have a nice time? I just know it wasn't all a dream.
Let's hurry home now, so I can tell Mother about it."
They started off, then paused as Tad
noticed the ripples in the sunlight, on the
surface of the water.
"See, Jock," he cried, "Those are
the ripple fairies, aren't they?"
Jock put his head on one side in a
very wise way, one of his ears standing straight
up; then he wagged his tail and barked assent. And as he
did so, from the hillside behind them,
came sweet and distinct the reply of Echo.
This web page has been edited and/or excerpted from reference material, has been modified from it's original version, and is in conformance with the web host's Members Terms & Conditions. This website is offered to the public by students of The Rosicrucian Teachings, and has no official affiliation with any organization.
