Joy in Australia

With enough of action done in the rest of the continents, Joy and Sid were ready for the “Land down under” – Australia. A new boy, Ron, had joined school, and he was an Australian. Ron was very fond of Australia, and couldn’t stop raving about it to everyone in school. It didn’t take long for Joy and Sid to decide to check out the island-continent-country themselves.

But the Blue Fairy had different news for them. The Fairy Land renovation was almost over, and the Fairy King had sent a special invitation for them. The shimmering, soft, silver envelope was addressed to the “Fairy Rescuers”. The name sounded pretty good to the boys. Inside the envelope was a sheet of translucent rainbow-coloured paper; only that it probably wasn’t a paper at all! Golden letters danced on it, inviting them to the Fairy Lands’ inauguration ceremony next weekend. Just after the boys finished reading the invitation, it disappeared.

The kids were so excited about the fairyland party, that the next weekend seemed really far. Only when the fairy reminded them that they ought to bring some gift for the king, they got worried. What could be good enough for a king? That too, a king of fairies, no less!

It was in this state of mind, that the Blue Fairy urged them to make use of the present weekend, and they flew for Australia.

Australia has many unique wonders. It is the land of Kangaroos and Koalas, It is the land of vast outback and native aboriginals, It is also the land of Sydney and Melbourne. May be the boys can pick up something special for the Fairy King from their Australian voyage…

As the kids flew over Australia, its’ majestic shoreline caught their attention. The vast coral reef seemed to be calling out to them.

“You know, The Great Barrier Reef is even visible from the space. It has an amazing variety of life on it. ”The Fairy said.

“I wish we could touch it” said Sid.

“Of course you can.” The Fairy replied, and they began their descent on to one to the many islands scattered around the Australian coastline.

The Fairy got them some snorkeling equipment, and the kids dived into the warm waters of the ocean. What they got to see was truly amazing. There were so many different types of fish, that both of them lost the count several times over. The colours underwater were more vivid than the best of the springs. The corals surpassed their imagination. They stayed in the waters for long and enjoyed every moment. While coming out, the kids got an extraordinarily multicoloured coral along.

They knew that the Fairy would not allow them to take the piece of coral back. “What if your parents see it and question you about it?” she would say. They had never brought anything back from their voyages till now. So they hid the coral in Sid’s shirt pocket for the return journey. It was going to be their present to the Fairy King next weekend.