Praxis' Special Job
Children's Story
Praxis, the pixie whose skin changed colour according to his moods, was a beautiful, bright orange. He was very excited. The pixie king had just told Praxis he had been chosen for a very special task.
"What is it? Do tell me, I want to start straight away!" cried Praxis, jumping up and down in his excitement.
The pixie king smiled at Praxis' enthusiasm. The king mostly spent his time reprimanding Praxis for some mischief or another, so it was very good to see his little pixie so ready to work.
"I want you to clean out the visitors' toadstool," said the pixie king. "Just so that it's ready if anyone should come to see us."
Praxis' face dropped. His bright, orange colour faded very quickly and was replaced by a pale blue, and his shoulders drooped. "Do I have to?" he asked dolefully.
The pixie King noticed the change in Praxis and his eyes twinkled. But he simply nodded seriously, handing Praxis a bucket and a mop.
Praxis stuck out his lower lip, and his blue colour began to change into a dull red. He opened his mouth to argue, but after looking at the pixie king's face changed his mind and contented himself with flouncing off towards the visitors' toadstool.
The toadstool hadn't been cleaned for ages, and it took Praxis a long time. He had to keep stopping in order to refill his bucket with clean water, which meant that the job took even longer. At first, Praxis was angry and resentful and bright red. He felt fairly sure he'd been conned by the pixie king, for this job felt more like a punishment than a very special task, and Praxis didn't think it was fair.
But he managed to work his anger off by scrubbing and mopping, washing and cleaning, dusting and polishing for all he was worth. Gradually his scarlet skin changed again, this time into a pale, healthy pink, but not the rich colour of excitement!
Hours later, when Praxis had just reached the end of his awful job, the toadstool door opened. Praxis looked up, expecting to see the pixie king coming to check up on his work. But to his amazement, framed in the doorway was an elderly pixie who was pure, radiant, glistening white from head to toe.
Praxis' eyes widened. It was the wise, old pixie! Praxis loved the wise, old pixie, for he was the only other pixie Praxis had ever heard of, who had colours. But because the wise, old pixie was very much at one with himself, his colours were rarely seen, for he was so together that his colours had mostly blended into a brilliant white. Praxis always felt well and at peace and deeply loved on those rare occasions that he met the wise, old pixie.
As Praxis ran and flung himself into the wise, old pixie's arms, he reflected that it hadn't been such a bad job after all. In fact, he was now very glad that the pixie king had invited him alone to prepare the visitors' toadstool, and he was so thankful that he had cleaned it properly.
Praxis smiled up at the wise old pixie, and his heart was so full of joy and contentment and happiness that he turned a bright, shocking pink for three whole days!
"What is it? Do tell me, I want to start straight away!" cried Praxis, jumping up and down in his excitement.
The pixie king smiled at Praxis' enthusiasm. The king mostly spent his time reprimanding Praxis for some mischief or another, so it was very good to see his little pixie so ready to work.
"I want you to clean out the visitors' toadstool," said the pixie king. "Just so that it's ready if anyone should come to see us."
Praxis' face dropped. His bright, orange colour faded very quickly and was replaced by a pale blue, and his shoulders drooped. "Do I have to?" he asked dolefully.
The pixie King noticed the change in Praxis and his eyes twinkled. But he simply nodded seriously, handing Praxis a bucket and a mop.
Praxis stuck out his lower lip, and his blue colour began to change into a dull red. He opened his mouth to argue, but after looking at the pixie king's face changed his mind and contented himself with flouncing off towards the visitors' toadstool.
The toadstool hadn't been cleaned for ages, and it took Praxis a long time. He had to keep stopping in order to refill his bucket with clean water, which meant that the job took even longer. At first, Praxis was angry and resentful and bright red. He felt fairly sure he'd been conned by the pixie king, for this job felt more like a punishment than a very special task, and Praxis didn't think it was fair.
But he managed to work his anger off by scrubbing and mopping, washing and cleaning, dusting and polishing for all he was worth. Gradually his scarlet skin changed again, this time into a pale, healthy pink, but not the rich colour of excitement!
Hours later, when Praxis had just reached the end of his awful job, the toadstool door opened. Praxis looked up, expecting to see the pixie king coming to check up on his work. But to his amazement, framed in the doorway was an elderly pixie who was pure, radiant, glistening white from head to toe.
Praxis' eyes widened. It was the wise, old pixie! Praxis loved the wise, old pixie, for he was the only other pixie Praxis had ever heard of, who had colours. But because the wise, old pixie was very much at one with himself, his colours were rarely seen, for he was so together that his colours had mostly blended into a brilliant white. Praxis always felt well and at peace and deeply loved on those rare occasions that he met the wise, old pixie.
As Praxis ran and flung himself into the wise, old pixie's arms, he reflected that it hadn't been such a bad job after all. In fact, he was now very glad that the pixie king had invited him alone to prepare the visitors' toadstool, and he was so thankful that he had cleaned it properly.
Praxis smiled up at the wise old pixie, and his heart was so full of joy and contentment and happiness that he turned a bright, shocking pink for three whole days!
