Throwback: My Pet Fairy

Summary

Summary of "Throwback: My Pet Fairy" Episode
Stories Podcast: A Bedtime Show for Kids of All Ages
Release Date: April 29, 2025
Host: Amanda Weldon

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Introduction

In the "Throwback: My Pet Fairy" episode of Stories Podcast, hosted by Amanda Weldon from Starglow Media in collaboration with Wondery, listeners are transported into a magical forest where young Nellie embarks on a heartfelt adventure. This detailed summary captures the essence of the story, highlighting key moments, character interactions, and the profound lessons conveyed throughout the narrative.

Story Overview

The episode narrates the tale of Nellie, a spirited young girl with a deep fascination for fairies. Set in an ancient forest that exudes an air of magic and mystery, Nellie's dedication to capturing fairies leads her on a journey of discovery, empathy, and understanding the true essence of freedom.

Characters

• Nellie: A determined and imaginative girl who believes in the existence of fairies. Her quest to catch a fairy showcases her curiosity and passion for the magical world.

• The Fairy: A delicate and enchanting creature adorned in flower petals. Her interactions with Nellie reveal themes of freedom and the importance of respecting others' autonomy.

• Nellie's Father: A wise and supportive figure who provides guidance to Nellie, encouraging her to see beyond her own desires and understand the fairy's need for freedom.

Plot Details

Setting the Scene

The story begins with Nellie engrossed in setting "fairy traps" in the old woods, an environment described as a "church of low limbed pews and towering pine steeples," which lends a serious tone to her whimsical endeavor. Nellie's method involves creating gentle "fairy beds" intended to lull fairies into a peaceful sleep, allowing her to capture them without harm.

The Capture

After persistent efforts, Nellie's patience pays off when she finally catches a fairy. At [02:03], Nellie exclaims, "I did it," as she carefully places the fairy into her trusty glass jar, referred to as her fairy catcher. The moment is filled with triumph and excitement, symbolizing the culmination of her dedicated efforts.

Parental Guidance

Upon showing the fairy to her father at [03:28], Nellie's joy is met with a thoughtful response. Her father advises, "It's a shame to see it bottled up. You should let her free" ([03:41]). He emphasizes that fairies, much like humans, thrive on freedom and exploration, urging Nellie to reconsider her approach.

The Fairy's Decline

Despite her father's advice, Nellie chooses to keep the fairy, leading to noticeable changes. The following morning, she observes that the fairy appears "sadly in the center of her jar" with colors that have "lost a lot of their luster" ([03:28]). The fairy vocalizes her distress, stating, "Unappreciated, undervalued and betrayed..." ([05:44]), revealing the emotional toll of captivity on her.

Attempted Solutions and Realization

Determined to rectify the situation, Nellie attempts to improve the fairy's living conditions by creating a more elaborate cage. However, the fairy's condition worsens, highlighting that material enhancements cannot substitute for freedom and emotional well-being. Her father's request for Nellie to empathize by imagining life in confinement becomes a turning point ([08:18]).

Embracing Empathy and Freedom

Nellie's heartfelt empathy leads her to release the fairy back into the wild. This act of kindness restores the fairy's vitality, symbolizing the healing power of understanding and letting go. The fairy's gratitude is evident as she exclaims, "Fly, fly, little fairy" ([13:19]), before soaring into the forest.

Key Themes and Lessons

• Empathy and Understanding: Nellie's journey underscores the importance of putting oneself in others' shoes to comprehend their needs and desires.

• Respect for Freedom: The story highlights that true magic lies in allowing beings, magical or otherwise, the liberty to live as they choose.

• Growth through Guidance: Nellie's father plays a crucial role in her personal growth, demonstrating how guidance and wisdom can lead to meaningful transformations.

Notable Quotes

• Nellie expressing triumph:
  "I did it." [02:03]

• Father's wise counsel:
  "Fairies are like humans, you see. They don't do well in captivity. They're like the best of us. They yearn to be free, to see what's around the next bend in the forest." [03:57]

• The fairy's expression of feeling undervalued:
  "Unappreciated, undervalued and betrayed. Truly unacknowledged, overworked and underpaid..." [05:44]

• Father's empathetic request:
  "Tonight when you lay down, I want you to imagine what it would be like to live in a room where every wall's a window and you never have a second of privacy..." [08:18]

• Nellie's realization and act of kindness:
  "You're free." [13:16]

Conclusion

"Throwback: My Pet Fairy" is a beautifully crafted story that interweaves magic with profound life lessons. Through Nellie's adventure, listeners are reminded of the value of empathy, the significance of freedom, and the beauty of letting go. Amanda Weldon masterfully narrates a tale that is both enchanting for children and insightful for adults, making it a cherished addition to any family's bedtime routine.

Transcript

[Nellie]

Hello.

[Amanda Weldon]

Welcome to Stories Podcast. I'm your host, Amanda Weldon. Today's story is a throwback episode. Tune in to hear one of our classic stories from the archive that you might have missed the first time around. We have Stories Podcast merch, [e-mail] shop. We're also on cameo for all of your personalized video message needs. And don't forget to follow us on Instagram Stories Podcast. If you send us a drawing of your favorite scene or character, we'll share it on our feed. Now, here's a word from our sponsors.

[Nellie]

Thanks. Enjoy the episode My Pet Fairy Once upon a time, a young girl was out playing in the forest. Well, it looked like playing, but the girl would tell you it was actually very serious business. Her name was Nellie, and to tell you the truth, she was setting fairy traps. Now, that might not sound that serious to you, but her woods were old woods, a church of low limbed pews and towering pine steeples. It was the kind of place that let magical things feel serious, if only just a little. So there Nellie was, on her hands and knees in the dirt, singing her fairy trap song. It was kind as far as traps went. More of a fairy bed, really. They'd come, fall asleep, and then Nellie could catch them napping. At least that was the plan.

[Fairy]

Lay a ring of twigs or sand big enough to hold your hand. Fill it full of something soft, something sweet for winds to waft flowers three to make the bed fairy come and lay your head.

[Nellie]

She did this most days, and even though she knew it was fantastically, incredibly, impossibly unlikely she'd ever catch a fairy, she wasn't all that surprised when she finally did. It was there one morning, curled up, sleeping on the bed Nelly had laid. She crept up, careful not to disturb it. Closer, she could see the fairy was a girl. She was wearing a dress of flower petals, her peaceful face resting on a bed of moss. A fairy, Nelly whispered to herself. A girl fairy. Every day for years, Nellie had carried with her an old glass jar with holes in the lid to allow for air. She called it her fairy catcher, and it had been waiting for the day there'd be a fairy to scoop inside. Today was finally that day, easy as she could, like the fairy was a soap bubble that might pop. Nellie slid the fairy into the jar and screwed on the lid. I did it. She cried, holding the jar aloft. The sunlight streamed through and the little fairy inside sat up, wiping the sleep from her eyes. I need to go and show my dad. She ran home, clutching the Fairy bottle tight when she got home, her father was sitting at his desk, going over some papers. Dad, I caught a fairy. Can you see?

[Amanda Weldon]

Do you see it?

[Nellie]

He turned, smiling. Busy as he was, he always made time for her discoveries.

[Dad]

Hmm. What do we have here?

[Nellie]

He said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

[Dad]

A fairy in a bottle. This is an old piece of magic you have here. It's a shame to see it bottled up. You should let her free.

[Nellie]

Just let her go. Nelly was aghast. Her father nodded.

[Dad]

Well, fairies are like humans, you see. They don't do well in captivity. They're like the best of us. They yearn to be free, to see what's around the next bend in the forest.

[Nellie]

I like her close, said Nellie, smiling at the fairy as she flitted about the jar. Her father looked at her for a long moment.

[Dad]

Well, all right, my mighty fairycatcher, he said. I've said my piece. It's up to you what to do now.

[Nellie]

Nellie went back to her room and set the fairy on the table next to her bed. She watched it as it curled into a little ball and yawned widely. She watched it until her eyes grew heavier and heavier and she couldn't help but fall asleep. The next morning she woke up excited to see her fairy again. She sprang from bed and peered into the jar. Oh, no, she said. Something's wrong. The fairy was sitting sadly in the center of her jar. Her bright colors and gossamer wings had lost a lot of their luster. The flower bright hues were now drab and dusty. Nellie tapped on the glass, trying to get the fairy to fly or dance, but it just sat there like a lump. She brought it to her father, who was sitting at the table reading, steaming mug of coffee in hand. Dad, my fairy isn't bright anymore. She isn't flying. He set down his mug, bending to peer into the jar.

[Dad]

Well, why do you think that is?

[Nellie]

I think she doesn't appreciate the nice jar she's in. Her father laughed.

[Dad]

Oh, is that so?

[Nellie]

I'm feeling.

[Fairy]

Unappreciated, undervalued and betrayed. Truly unacknowledged, overworked and underpaid. No one's listening to the words coming off my tongue. And if I wasn't single singing it, I'd always go unsung. After all the work I've done, why won't she appreciate me?

[Nellie]

Her father, used to Nellie's frequent bouts of song, just laughed again.

[Dad]

You know what I think?

[Nellie]

What?

[Dad]

I think she just wants to be free.

[Nellie]

How could she like the walls of glass. When she's used to leaves and sprigs of grass, Father wasn't above the occasional rhyme himself. Well, I'm not letting her go, but I can at least try to make her happier. True to her word, Nellie spent the day preparing the best fairy cage she could. She started with an old fishbowl from the attic. Inside she laid grass and flowers and pebbles and even a little hollow made of bark. It was beautiful. And when she moved the sulking fairy from the jar to the bowl, she was certain she had fixed the problem. It was a very nice bowl, after all. After she had the fairy tucked into the bark hollow, Nellie tied on a thick cloth cover and set the bowl next to her bed. That night she fell asleep watching her fairy cautiously explore her new home. The next morning, she once more sprung from bed. Peering into the fairy bowl, she felt her heart sink. The fairy was sitting in the bark hollow, hugging a buttercup in her arms. Her color was even worse today. She looked like she had been dusted with ash, the faded colors of her dress and wings barely showing through. Nellie ran to her father, grabbed him by the hand, and dragged him into her room to look.

[Dad]

Well, you know what I'm going to say, he said.

[Nellie]

I decorated her cage. It's a big bowl, way bigger than the jar. And look, I added some grass and flowers and even a little bark house. She stomped her foot.

[Fairy]

I'm still feeling unappreciated, undervalued and betrayed. Truly unacknowledged, overworked and underpaid. No one's listening to the words coming off my tongue and if I wasn't singing it, I'd always go unsung. After all the work I've done, why won't she appreciate me?

[Nellie]

Father shook his head, a small smile on his lips.

[Dad]

I need you to do me a favor tonight, Nelly.

[Nellie]

What? She said, still sulking.

[Dad]

Tonight when you lay down, I want you to imagine what it would be like to live in a room where every wall's a window and you never have a second of privacy. Where there's no going outside to play, there's no visiting friends, there's no going to Grandma's, there's not even a breeze. Just the same little room. You need to do that for me. Promise?

[Nellie]

Yes, nellie said, but she didn't really mean it. She spent that day collecting the prettiest flowers, the shiniest stones and the juiciest berries and laid them inside the bowl all around the ferry. Dad's wrong. She just needs a nicer cage.

[Fairy]

She.

[Nellie]

She said to herself, if this doesn't make her happy, nothing will. When she laid down to sleep that night, she found she couldn't help but think of what her father had said. She imagined living in a tiny room. Glass walls, no breeze, no cookies at Nana's. Her sleep was restless that night, full of claustrophobic dreams and tossing and turning. It seemed to go on forever. And she woke up just as tired as she was when she had laid down. Of course, she went to the fairy first thing. She was sure that her extra decorations would make a difference. Unfortunately, the fairy looked worse than ever. She was ashy all over, not a hint of color about her. She laid still on the floor of the bowl. Only her little chest was moving, and that was rising and falling rapidly. It looked like she was struggling to breathe. Oh, no. Cried Nellie. She worried about what she had done. She'd wanted to keep the fairy, her own personal bit of wild magic. She'd wanted it so badly, so badly that she hadn't let herself see what it was doing to the little creature. I'm gonna make you better, she said to the fairy, suddenly determined. Her dreams of being trapped weighed heavy on her, and she wished she had listened to her father from the start. Carefully, she lifted the fairy's bowl and brought it outside.

[Amanda Weldon]

Fast as her little legs would carry.

[Nellie]

Her, she ran to her woods, her old woods, her magic woods. She found the spot where she had first caught the fairy and tore the cloth lid free of the bowl. Come on. You're home. Go free. Fly away, she said. Inside the bowl, the fairy laid still, her breathing wild. The color was gone from her now. She was all ashy grays and blacks, her wings frail and brittle. No. Look.

[Fairy]

You're outside.

[Nellie]

Nellie reached in and gently lifted the fairy. She was so light, her breathing so fluttery it was like holding a butterfly. She laid the fairy down gently on a patch of moss. Still, she didn't seem to get any better. Nellie panicked. What could she do? What did fairies like? Wait. She knew what fairies liked. She began to build, her hands as shaky as her little voice. Loud in the quiet forest lay a.

[Fairy]

Ring of twigs or sand big enough to hold your hand.

[Nellie]

As she sang, the wind began to blow. She gathered twigs, laying them in a circle around the fairy. A swirl of flower petals whipped by, curling up and then bursting like a firework.

[Fairy]

Fill it full of something soft, something sweet for winds to waft.

[Nellie]

She tore up handfuls of grass and laid them under the fairy. Something sweet there. Blackberries on the ground. Then color. Color began to bloom in the fairy's skin. The grays gave way to muted leaf greens and flower pinks and nut browns. Her eyelids fluttered. Her wings flapped once, soft as blinking flowers.

[Fairy]

3. To make the bed, fairy, come and lay your head.

[Nellie]

She plucked three dandelions, fat and yellow. She laid them in a row and then, gentle as a mother's kiss, she rolled the fairy onto them. For a long moment nothing happened. Then the fairy gasped. She drew in a deep breath and the color surged through her. She flashed sudden and bright like the first rays of the sun. Her eyes snapped open. Her wings buzzed to life. She drifted into the air like a dandelion puff on the wind.

[Fairy]

Yes.

[Nellie]

Cried Nellie. You're free.

[Fairy]

Fly, fly, little fairy.

[Nellie]

She hollered and cheered until the fairy disappeared into the forest. And then she cheered some more. That night, the fishbowl went back to the attic and she filled her fairy catching jar with old coins and buttons. She wouldn't need it anymore. Her fairy catching days were over. Still, on golden afternoons when she wanted an excuse to be outside, Nellie would go out and set up the fairy beds. Not because she wanted to take one home. She just thought they deserved a comfy place to sleep. The end if you would like to.

[Amanda Weldon]

Support Stories podcast, you can leave us a five star review on iTunes. Check out all of our merch [e-mail] shop or commission a special video on Cameo. Follow us on Instagram Stories Podcast or simply tell your friends about us. In case you missed it, Dan and I have a new show on Stories rpg. We play games just like Starsworn with all your Max Goodname friends and Gigacity Guardians featuring the brilliant Firefly. Click the link in the episode description or go to patreon.com storiesrpg to get ad free episodes.

[Nellie]

Play along games and coloring books.

[Amanda Weldon]

We've already got a bunch of episodes over there so check them out now. Thanks for listening.