There once lived, not far from a Narra tree, a fisherman, and his son. The flowers of the Narra tree have a bad smell, but strange to tell, fairies make their home in Narra trees although they are such dainty people.
Every year whenever the tree bloomed, the fishermen want to cut it down. But he was afraid that the fairies living in the tree would harm him, and so he had his son patiently endured the bad smell.
One year, however, he grew so sick with the smell that he decided to cut down the tree. He sharpened his axe and proceeded to the foot of the tree. “I do not care what will happen to me when I do this,” he told himself “I must chop down this tree!”
But when he swung his axe, a pretty fairy as small as a two years old child, came down from the tree. Her hair almost reached her feet, and on her feet the toes were behind and the heels were before. Her skin was as white as snow, and her teeth were pure gold. She held a hat in her hand, and she turned to him and said:
“Old man, spare my tree and I will give you this hat.”
“Of what good is it?” asked he.
“Nobody will be able to see you as long as you have it on.”
“Then I certainly will take it,” said the fisherman. He took the hat, thanked the fairy and left. On his way home he wore the hat and found that no one, not even the wild birds, could see him.
I shall not tell my son about this hat till he is a grown-up man,” thought he, hiding it. “He might do unwise things with it if he gets it before he is old enough.”
The next year when the Narra tree bloomed again, the fisherman grew sick with the smell and set out to cut down the tree. “Perhaps the fairy has found another home.” He said.
But just as before, when he swung his axe the fairy came down. She was sitting on a chair suspended in the air, and, “Good man,” said she, “spare my tree and I will give you this chair.”
“Of what good is it?” he asked.
“You only have to sit on it and it will take you wherever you wish.”
The man took the chair, sat on it, thanked the fairy, and ordered the chair to take him home; and sure enough, the next moment he found himself right at home.
Likewise He hid the chair from his son, saying, “I shall wait till he is a grown-up man, for otherwise he might do wrong things with the fairy’s gifts.”
Then blossom-time came again and the fisherman took his axe and set out to cut the Narra down. But just as before, when the man swung the axe, the fairy appeared, and this time she held a purse. “Good man,” said she, “spare my tree and I will give you this purse.”
“How much good is it?” he asked
“Every time you put your hand in it, it will come out full of gold.”
“Give it to me,” said he, and thanking her, he went home with the purse. And just as before, he hid the purse from his young son.
Beforemany years the fisherman was bent with age and he knew it would be soon be time for him to live his son. He called for the boy and asked him to bring the hat, the chair and the purse to his bedside. He told him about their virtues, and added: “You are a man now, son, and I am going to leave you these Fairy’s Gifts. May you be happy!”
