A Hat Full Of Sky

on the floor like a dead person, but she’s cold as ice and sweatin’ like a horse! She’s fightin’ the beast inside her, mistress! And she’s losin’!” Rob peered into Miss Level’s face and shook his head. “Auchtahelweit! She’s swooned! C’mon, lads, let’s move her!”
    Like many small creatures, Feegles are immensely strong for their size. It still took ten of them to carry Miss Level up the narrow stairs without banging her head more than necessary, although they did use her feet to push open the door to Tiffany’s room.
    Tiffany lay on the floor. Sometimes a muscle twitched.
    Miss Level was propped up like a doll.
    “How’re we gonna bring the big hag roound?” said Big Yan.
    “I heard where ye has to put someone’s heid between their legs,” said Rob doubtfully.
    Daft Wullie sighed and drew his sword. “Sounds a wee bit drastic tae me,” he said, “but if someone will help me hold her steady—”
    Miss Level opened her eyes, which was just as well. She focused unsteadily on the Feegles and smiled a strange, happy little smile.
    “Ooo, fairies!” she mumbled.
    “Ach, noo she’s ramblin’,” said Rob Anybody.
    “She means fairies like bigjobs think they are,” said Awf’ly Wee Billy. “Tiny wee tinkly creatures that live in flowers an’ fly aroound cuddlin’ butterflies an’ that.”
    “What? Have they no’ seen real fairies? They’re worse’n wasps!” said Big Yan.
    “We havna got time for this!” snapped Rob Anybody. He jumped onto Miss Level’s knee.
    “Aye, ma’am, we’s fairies from the land o’—” He stopped and looked imploringly at Billy.
    “Tinkle?” Billy suggested.
    “Aye, the land o’Tinkle, ye ken, and we found this puir wee—”
    “—princess,” said Billy.
    “Aye, princess, who’s been attacked by a bunch o’ scunners—”
    “—wicked goblins,” said Billy.
    “—yeah, wicked goblins, right, an’ she’s in a bad way, so we wuz wonderin’ if ye could kinda tell us how tae look after her—”
    “—until the handsome prince turns up on a big white horse wi’ curtains roound it an’ wakes her with a magical kiss,” said Billy.
    Rob gave him a desperate look and turned back to the bemused Miss Level.
    “Aye, what ma friend Fairy Billy just said,” he managed.
    Miss Level tried to focus.
    “You’re very ugly for fairies,” she said.
    “Aye, well, the ones you gen’rally see are for the pretty flowers, ye ken,” said Rob Anybody, inventing desperately. “We’re more for the stingin’ nettles and bindweed an’ Old Man’s Troosers an’ thistles, okay? It wouldna be fair for only the bonny flowers tae have fairies noo, would it? It’d prob’ly be against the law, eh? Noo, can ye please help us wi’ this princess here before them scunners—”
    “—wicked goblins—” said Billy.
    “Aye, before they come back,” said Rob.
    Panting, he watched Miss Level’s face. There seemed to be a certain amount of thinking going on.
    “Is her pulse rapid?” murmured Miss Level. “You say her skin is cold but she’s sweating? Is she breathing rapidly? It sounds like shock. Keep her warm. Raise her legs. Watch her carefully. Try to remove…the cause….” Her head slumped.
    Rob turned to Awf’ly Wee Billy.
    “A horse wi’ curtains roound it?” he said. “Where did ye get all that blethers?”
    “There’s a big hoouse near the Long Lake, an’ they read stories tae their wee bairn an’ I got along an’ listened fra’ a mousehole,” said Awf’ly Wee Billy. “One day I snuck in and looked at the pichoors, and there was bigjobs called k’nits wi’ shields and armor and horses wi’ curtains—”
    “Weel, it worked, blethers though it be,” said Rob Anybody. He looked at Tiffany. She was lying down, so he was about as high as her chin. It was like walking around a small hill. “Crivens, it does me nae guid at all ta see the puir wee thing like this,” he said, shaking his head. “C’mon, lads, get that cover off the bed and put that cushion under her feet.”
    “Er, Rob?” said Daft Wullie.
    “Aye?” Rob was staring up at the unconscious Tiffany.
    “How are we goin’ tae get inta her heid? There’s got tae be somethin’ tae guide us in.”
    “Aye, Wullie, an’ I ken whut it’s gonna be, ’cuz I’ve been usin’ mah heid for thinkin’!” said Rob. “Ye’ve seen the big wee hag often enough, right? Well, see this necklet?”
    He reached up. The silver horse had slipped around