EIGHT
by Rose Fyleman
The Fairies and the Moon Penny
Once, tiny Fairies lived in a green forest. They loved pretty things. They looked up at the big, round Moon. The Moon looked like a big gold coin. The Fairies wanted many pretty things.
The Fairies could not wait. They wanted new things now. They flew up to The Moon. They gently unhooked the big coin. They took it to go shopping. They were very happy.
Every night, they spent some Moon. They bought many new things. The Moon got a little smaller. They put the smaller Moon back. They did this every night.
The Moon got smaller and smaller. It got tiny after many nights. Then, no Moon was in the sky. The big gold coin was all gone.
The Fairies saw the empty sky. They knew The Moon was gone. They felt very scared then. What if The Moon did not grow? They were very worried.
The Fairies hid in the forest. They stayed there many nights. They were too scared to look up. They did not want to see. The sky was dark and empty.
One Fairy was very brave. She slowly looked up at the sky. She saw a tiny bit of Moon. It shone softly in the dark.
The brave Fairy shouted with joy. "The Moon grows again!" Fairies came out fast. They danced and cheered for The Moon. They were very, very happy.
"We will not take Moon!" Fairies promised. "What if it did not grow?" They were scared.
Soon, some time passed by. The Fairies' pretty things were old. Their ribbons looked quite worn. Look! The Moon was big and round. It shone bright in the sky.
The Fairies wanted new things. The Moon looked so big and gold. They thought, "Just a bit!" They took Moon. They did the same thing.
This happens again and again. The Fairies always forget their promise. They think The Moon will always grow. They do not worry anymore. They just expect it.
The Fairies are a little silly. They take The Moon for granted. But what if The Moon does not grow? What if it is gone forever?
Original Story
EIGHT
The Moon
THE moon, of course, is a big golden penny hung up in the sky. Every month when it is at the full the fairies stand in the fields and gaze at it and feel in their empty pockets. There are so many things they want to buy. Rainbow ribbon from the weather clerk for sashes, silken thread from the spider for weaving into shawls, pearl varnish from the snail for doing up their wings, and little red feathers from the robin for wearing in their Sunday bonnets.
At last they can bear it no longer. They all go flying into the sky and unhook the moon and carry it off to go marketing with. And when they’re tired of spending they hang what is left of it up again in the sky and go home to bed. But the next night they fetch it again and spend a little more.
They go on doing this night after night for nearly a fortnight, and the moon gets smaller and smaller, till at last there’s nothing left of it at all. And when the fairies realise what they have done, they get frightened.
“We’ve spent all the moon,” they say. “Suppose it never grew again! Wouldn’t it be dreadful?” And they all hide away in the forest and don’t come out for several nights.
But at last one of them takes courage and puts his head out, and he sees a little tiny bit of moon shining in the sky. Whereupon he gives a shout and claps his hands and goes running round to the houses of all the other fairies to tell them the good news.
“The moon’s growing again,” he says. “Come quick and look.” And they all come out to look at it, and caper about and are as pleased as pleased can be.
“We’ll never take it again,” they say. “It might not grow next time.” But at the end of a fortnight they have worn all their pretties a little shabby, and they want some more. And by that time the moon has grown so big that they feel that they *must* spend a little of it. And—would you believe it?—they end up by doing all over again just exactly what they did before.
They’ve been going on like this for ages, and what’s more, they’re beginning to take it for granted that the moon will grow again, and so I don’t suppose they’ll ever get cured. But it’s very tiresome of them.
We could quite well do with all the moon always. Besides, some day it really might not grow again. And what then...?
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Moral of the Story
Reckless consumption of resources, even if they seem to replenish, can lead to unforeseen and potentially dire consequences.
Characters
The Fairies ★ protagonist
Small, delicate beings with translucent, iridescent wings, similar to those of a dragonfly or butterfly. Their bodies are slender and ethereal, with a faint glow. They are light enough to fly effortlessly.
Attire: Simple, natural attire woven from spider silk, dew-kissed flower petals, or fine moss. They wear sashes made of rainbow ribbon and bonnets decorated with little red robin feathers, which they acquire through their 'shopping'.
Wants: To acquire beautiful new accessories and adornments for themselves, driven by vanity and a love for shiny objects.
Flaw: Their insatiable desire for new 'pretties' and their short-term memory/lack of foresight, leading them to repeat their mistakes.
They repeatedly learn a lesson about scarcity and then forget it, demonstrating a cyclical, unchanging nature. They never truly change their habits.
Impulsive, materialistic, easily frightened, forgetful, joyful, mischievous, and somewhat irresponsible. They are driven by a desire for pretty things.
The Moon ◆ supporting
A large, perfectly round, flat disc of pure, glowing gold, resembling a giant penny. It hangs suspended in the dark sky, radiating a soft, warm light.
Wants: To exist and fulfill its natural cycle of waxing and waning.
Flaw: Its vulnerability to being 'spent' by the fairies, though it always regenerates.
It undergoes a cyclical transformation from full to new and back again, driven by the fairies' actions, but always returns to its full state.
Passive, resilient, and consistently regenerating. It is a silent provider, enduring the fairies' repeated exploitation.
Locations
Open Fields under the Full Moon
Vast, open fields, likely covered in short grass or wildflowers, bathed in the brilliant, full light of a large, golden moon. The ground is soft and undisturbed, with perhaps a few scattered wild plants.
Mood: Magical, longing, slightly mischievous, illuminated.
Fairies gather to admire the full moon and feel the desire to spend its 'money'.
The Night Sky
The vast expanse of the night sky, initially dark with stars, becomes the 'marketplace' where the fairies unhook and spend the moon. It is a boundless, ethereal space.
Mood: Whimsical, adventurous, boundless, later anxious.
Fairies fly up to unhook the moon and carry it off for shopping, and later re-hang the diminishing crescent.
The Forest Hiding Place
A dense, ancient forest with thick undergrowth and intertwined branches, providing ample hiding spots. The trees are tall and provide deep shadows, making it a secluded and safe haven.
Mood: Anxious, fearful, secluded, later hopeful and joyful.
Fairies hide in fear after spending all the moon, then one peeks out to discover the moon's return.
Story DNA
Moral
Reckless consumption of resources, even if they seem to replenish, can lead to unforeseen and potentially dire consequences.
Plot Summary
Fairies view the full moon as a golden penny and, driven by their desire for pretty things, unhook it from the sky to spend. They gradually consume the moon over several nights until it disappears entirely, causing them great fear that it might not return. To their relief, a tiny sliver of moon reappears and grows back to its full size. Despite promising never to spend it again, the fairies' desires soon lead them to repeat the cycle, taking the moon's regrowth for granted, much to the narrator's exasperation and warning.
Themes
Emotional Arc
carefree to fear to relief to cyclical recklessness
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Rose Fyleman was a British writer known for her whimsical fairy poems and stories, often reflecting a gentle, innocent view of nature and magic popular in early 20th-century children's literature.
Plot Beats (13)
- Fairies see the full moon as a golden penny and long to buy things like ribbon, thread, varnish, and feathers.
- They decide they can't bear it any longer and fly up to unhook the moon to go marketing.
- They spend some of the moon, then re-hang what's left, repeating this nightly.
- The moon gets smaller and smaller over nearly a fortnight until nothing is left.
- The fairies realize they've spent all the moon and become frightened, fearing it might not grow back.
- They hide in the forest for several nights, afraid to come out.
- One fairy bravely peeks out and sees a tiny bit of moon shining in the sky.
- The fairy shouts the good news, and all the other fairies come out, celebrating the moon's return.
- They promise never to take the moon again, fearing it might not grow next time.
- After a fortnight, their pretties are shabby, and the moon has grown full again.
- They decide they must spend a little of it, falling back into their old habits.
- The narrator explains this cycle has been going on for ages, and the fairies now take the moon's regrowth for granted.
- The narrator expresses annoyance and warns that someday the moon might not grow back.
