Village Shepherd

Praxis the colourful pixie was a bright shining pink, with a tinge of orange around the edges. He not only felt extremely well and healthy, but he was also very excited, because the wise old pixie was coming to visit. Praxis had a special relationship with the wise old pixie, who was the only other pixie in the whole world (as far as Praxis knew) who changed colour according to his feelings. The wise old pixie was so old and so wise, that mostly he was a radiant shining white, unlike Praxis who could be any colour of the rainbow.

Praxis was so happy he found himself skipping and dancing in the woods. But unfortunately, he was so excited that he didn't notice where he was going. Before he had a chance to turn round, he found himself deep in the woods, and he didn't know where he was. Praxis stopped dancing and began to feel a little frightened. The trees seemed taller here, and the undergrowth was thicker and more scratchy. It was quite dark, and very silent. Praxis shivered. Then he heard a twig crack behind him and he jumped round in alarm. He noticed that his skin was turning a delicate shade of purple, a sure indication of his fear.

Then he saw a shadow emerge from amongst the trees, and he began to tremble. The shadow moved silently towards him, and was soon joined by a number of other shadows all flitting silently from tree to tree until they were ranged in a circle around Praxis.

As they emerged from the darkness of the trees into the sunlight, Praxis saw that it was a band of goblins. Now he was really scared, for he knew that all goblins were bad, and a crowd of goblins together were ten times worse. All the pixies had been warned to keep well away from goblins, for goblins were no good.

Praxis tried to inch slowly away from the goblins, pretending that he hadn't noticed them, but it was hopeless, for the goblins had certainly noticed him. Praxis tried to tentatively smile, but his skin gave him away. It refused to change into a welcoming pale pink, and instead stubbornly remained a terrified purple.

"'Ere," began one of the goblins, belligerently. "You from that pixie village in the glade?"

For a fleeting moment, Praxis wondered whether he could bluff his way out of the situation. Suppose he admitted to living in the pixie village, and the goblins came and burned down the village or beat up his friends or trampled down all the toadstool homes? Yet they knew he was a pixie, so how could he deny where he lived? Everyone knew there was only one pixie village in the wood.

Praxis decided attack was the best form of defence. "Who wants to know?" he asked. Then the goblins started to laugh and jeer at him.

"We're the goblin outcasts," they cried, and they made it into a sort of song. "We have no homes, and no friends, and everybody's afraid of us!"

Praxis felt worse than ever. He felt sure his last moment had come. But he wasn't about to give up without a fight, so he growled at them, "What do you want?"

"We want to see the wise, old pixie," said the leader of the goblins.

Praxis stared at him. He hadn't realised that the wise old pixie was famous throughout the woods. He'd always thought of the wise old pixie as belonging only to the pixies. Other folk, Praxis thought, like fairies and elves and especially goblins, shouldn't be allowed near the wise old pixie. He didn't belong to them. Besides, what might they do to the wise old pixie if Praxis allowed them near?

Then it occurred to Praxis, that if the goblins had wanted to harm him, they'd had plenty of opportunity to do so. But none of them had touched him, and although they were a rough and tumble lot, perhaps the wise old pixie wouldn't mind seeing them just this once.

So he brought them to the wise old pixie. As they walked through the woods together, Praxis began to get to know them a little, and his purple shade quietened down. By the time they reached the pixie glade, he was a warm and gentle pink.

All the pixies came out of their toadstool homes to see the goblins, but nobody came near. Although they could quite clearly see that Praxis wasn't afraid, the pixies kept their distance. Praxis was a little worried and wondered whether he'd done something terrible. But when they reached the wise old pixie, his anxieties disappeared, for the wise old pixie beamed a glorious smile and held out his arms. He was a brilliant, shining white, and the goblins crowded round, talking to him and listening to him and touching him.

Praxis slipped away. After all, he could see the wise old pixie almost any time he wanted, and these goblins might never have another opportunity. As Praxis went off to play with his friends, his skin became a warm and contented orange colour, for somehow or other he knew that for once he'd done the right thing.