The Elves That Came From a Tree

Old Mr Gardiner needed a rest after a hard day’s work tending his garden. He sat down heavily on the nearest bench and slowly nodded off. Not long afterwards, his old, tatty-eared dog padded over. He sniffed at Mr Gardiner, then lay down at his feet. Soon enough, they were both sleeping peacefully.

All of a sudden, something plonked against the old man’s forehead. He opened his eyes and looked around, but he couldn’t see anything unusual.

It was probably just a dream, he said to himself, settling down again and closing his eyes. But just then, something hit him on the belly. It all but winded him!

Old Mr Gardiner jumped up with such a start that he woke the dog under the bench. The dog noticed the old man’s feet twitching and wondered what was going on. He craned his neck and saw Mr Gardiner brandishing his walking stick, ready to send any enemies packing. However, he couldn’t see any intruders anywhere. The garden was just as peaceful as it always was.

Did I actually hit myself in my sleep? the old man pondered. What could possibly have happened otherwise? Then he looked up. “Aha!” he exclaimed with a laugh. “I’ve been sleeping under the nut tree! If I stay here, nuts will be falling on my head all the time. I’d better find a better place to have my snooze.” And off he went.

The dog under the bench stirred. He didn’t want to get up, it was so pleasant down there in the shade. Just then, he heard a rustling noise in the grass — he turned round to see what it was. A little nut was rolling towards him. All by itself!

From the inside of the…