Storybook Guide/Key

Author: Sarah Tucker

The Council, after many hours of deliberation, was still unable to agree upon an appropriate punishment for Hefeydd. Elder Foster, who was temporarily in charge of the Council, had an idea of how to end the stalemate.

"Head Elder Titania, I propose that we allow Elf Hefeydd to address the Council and ask what he believes his punishment should be. This was we may determine if it was through inattention or malevolence that he allowed the cup to fall into human hands."

"I think this is a wise decision but to change Council procedure we must take into consideration the opinions of all the Council members. Elder Oberon, what do you think of this proposal?"

"I think it will help the Council reach a decision," Oberon replied.

"And what do you think, Elder Luella?"

"I also believe it is a wise decision but we should be careful and not forget that Hefeydd will most likely try to receive the least amount of punishment possible" said Luella.

"We are unanimous," said Head Elder Titania, "Radella, please bring Hefeydd back into the Council's chambers."

As Hefeydd and Radella enter the chambers, Head Elder Titania rises and addresses Hefeydd and the Council. "Hefeydd the Council wishes to know what you believe and an appropriate punishment for your crimes would be, please come and address the Council."

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After the Council makes its decision, Elder Foster addresses Hefeydd.

"Elf Hefeydd, the Council has taken your opinions into consideration and decided that the punishment for the crime of losing the cup of Ynys-Witrin is Státseirbhís for one hundred nights. This punishment must be completed in one year."

"Radella, please remove Hefeydd and bring in the accused for the next case," Head Elder Titania orders.

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While Radella is bringing in the accused, Orin begins, "The pixies Nyx and Brucie are accused with practicing malevolent magic and memory modification on humans and exposing the magical world to humans."

The two pixies, Nyx and Brucie, were under investigation due to a complaint of placing humans under magical control. While investigating the original complaint, the investigators uncovered more misconduct than originally believed to have happened.

Nyx and Brucie lived on the outskirts of Tavistock, a small trade town. While living there, the two pixies allowed themselves to be seen by two young human servant girls. Nyx and Brucie performed low-level tricks to entertain the human girls and, in return, the girls provided Nyx and Brucie with "fairy water." Our investigation uncovered that "fairy water" is a thin syrup made from lavender, sugar, and water. One night the human girls did not give Nyx and Brucie the "fairy water." The pixies went inside the girls' home and began creating a ruckus trying to wake the girls, therefore exposing our world to more humans, to try and coerces the girls into creating more "fairy water". One human girl, Molly, stayed in bed while the second human girl, Devon, made more "fairy water" for Nyx and Brucie.

Later the human girl, Devon, overheard Nyx and Brucie talking about how they were going to punish Molly. Nyx and Brucie saw the human girl going to tell the second girl about what they were going to do, so they modified Devon's memory of the cure for Molly's punishment. Then they cast a spell on Molly giving her a lame leg for seven as punishment for not providing them with enough "fairy water." After the seven years required by the spell, Devon's memory was returned and she then cured Molly's leg.

Nyx and Brucie were able to escape the consequences of their actions because they used magic to modify the witnesses' memory. They exposed the magical world to humans and cast malevolent spells on humans for over seven years."

Orin concluded, "This crime was not an accident but was premeditated. And while some might argue that memory modification is allowed to preserve our world from human knowledge, Nyx and Brucie did not use the spell for that reason but rather to cover up their illegal use of magic on humans."

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After the recounting of the alleged crimes, Head Elder Titania addressed the Council, Nyx, and Brucie.

"The Council will deliberate and return with a decision. Radella, please keep Nyx and Brucie in the chambers until we return."

Author's Note:

Most of the changes I made from the original story were changes of point of view. I have made this change in all of the stories in the storybook. I also left off some details about how Molly was cured from her lame leg and what happened to her after her 'condition.' I did not feel that these details were necessary for the retelling and would, in fact, take away from the detached, courtroom type feeling of the stories. I enjoyed reading the original story "Pixy-Vengence" by Thomas Keightley. The characters in the story felt like the typical kind of mischievous pixies and other magical creatures. This story was one of the main reasons I chose the topic of "Mystical Mischievousness" for the storybook.

Image Information:

"The Servant Girl" by Amedeo Modigliani (c) 1918
Website

Biblography:

Title: Pixy-Vengence
Author: Thomas Keightley
Book and Year: The Fairy Mythology (1870)
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