Where to Find a Pixie

Once the world was full of the Fey folk which roamed free and untethered throughout this dark land. Concentrated in the west-country were the Pixies (Piskie's in Cornwall) who were small mischievous creatures.

Have e’er you seen the Pixies, the fold not blest or banned? They walk upon the waters; they sail upon the land, They make the green grass greener where’er their footsteps fall, The wildest hind in the forest comes at their call. They steal from bolted linneys, they milk the key at grass, The maids are kissed a-milking, and no one hears them pass. They flit from byre to stable and ride unbroken foals, They seek out human lovers to win them souls.

The Pixies know no sorrow, the Pixies feel no fear, They take no care for harvest or seedtime of the year; Age lays no finger on them, the reaper time goes by The Pixies, they who change not, nor grow old or die. The Pixies though they love us, behold us pass away, And are not sad for flowers they gathered yesterday, To-day has crimson foxglove. If purple hose-in-hose withered last night To-morrow will have its rose.

Poem by Nora Chesson

Pixies were small green creatures who lived in fairy mounds, hollow hills where the fey folk are said to dwell. They were said to be childlike in nature, they loved dancing, horses and having fun. Typically they wore green, the colour of the fey folk. Reputedly they wore stockings, waistcoats and shoes so polished they gleamed.

Some fey creatures were good, some were bad but the Pixies were both. They would lend a helping hand to humans helping with farming tasks, blessing the lands and its animals. They would teach us not to tale life too seriously and not to forget that having fun should be a number one priority.

But they could become quick the trickster due to their mischievous nature. On Dartmoor they would ride the wild ponies leading them astray as well as any traveller crossing through the wild lands of Devon and Cornwall. One trick to literally get them off your back  was to turn your coat inside out in order to confuse them.

About the Author

S.J.Budd is a writer of all things weird and creepy. Previously her tales have been featured on Deandman's Tome,  Sanitarium Magazine, Dark Gothic Resurrected, Liquid Imagination, Aphotic Realm, Aurora Wolf, Aphelion, Blood Moon Rising Magazine, The Wild Hunt, Danse Macabre, Shadows at the Door, Inner Sins, Bewildering Stories, Siren's Call and many more.

She lives at www.sjbudd.co.uk  and  @sjbuddj 

Spells and Persuasions, her debut collection of short stories of horror and dark fantasy is available now in paperback and kindle from Amazon