The Wee Free Men

complicated,” said Tiffany. “Er…do you remember much?”
    “It all seems like…a dream…” said Roland. “I remember…the sea, and we were running, and I cracked a nut which was full of those little men, and I was hunting in this huge forest with shadows—”
    “Dreams can be very funny things,” said Tiffany carefully. She went to stand up and thought: I must wait here awhile. I don’t know why I know, I just know. Perhaps I knew and have forgotten. But I must wait for something.
    “Can you walk down to the village?” she said.
    “Oh, yes. I think so. But what did—?”
    “Then will you take Wentworth with you, please? I’d like to…rest for a while.”
    “Are you sure?” said Roland, looking concerned.
    “Yes. I won’t be long. Please? You can drop him off at the farm. Tell my parents I’ll be down soon. Tell them I’m fine.”
    “Weewee men,” said Wentworth. “Crivens! Want bed.”
    Roland was still looking uncertain.
    “Off you go!” Tiffany commanded, and waved him away.
    When the two of the them had disappeared below the brow of the hill, with several backward glances, she sat between the four iron wheels and hugged her knees.
    She could see, far off, the mound of the Nac Mac Feegle. Already they were a slightly puzzling memory, and she’d seen them only a few minutes ago. But when they’d gone, they’d left the impression of never having been there.
    She could go to the mound and see if she could find the big hole. But supposing it wasn’t there? Or supposing it was, but all there was down there was rabbits?
    No, it’s all true , she said to herself. I must remember that, too.
    A buzzard screamed in the dawn grayness. She looked up as it circled into sunlight, and a tiny dot detached itself from the bird.
    That was far too high up even for a pictsie to stand the fall.
    Tiffany scrambled to her feet as Hamish tumbled through the sky. And then—something ballooned above him, and the fall became just a gentle floating, like thistledown.
    The bulging shape above Hamish was Y-shaped. As it got bigger, the shape become more precise, more…familiar.
    He landed, and a pair of Tiffany’s pants, the long-legged ones with the rosebud pattern, settled down on top of him.
    “That was great !” he said, pushing his way through the folds of fabric. “Nae more landin’ on my heid for me!”
    “They’re my best pants,” said Tiffany wearily. “You stole them off our clothesline, didn’t you?”
    “Oh aye. Nice and clean,” said Hamish. “I had to cut the lace off ’cause it got in the way, but I put it aside and ye could easily sew it on again.” He gave Tiffany the big grin of someone who, for once, has not dived heavily into the ground.
    She sighed. She’d liked the lace. She didn’t have many things that weren’t necessary. “I think you’d better keep them,” she said.
    “Aye, I will, then,” said Hamish. “Noo, what wuz it? Oh, yes. Ye have visitors comin’. I spotted them out over the valley. Look up there.”
    There were two other things up there, bigger than a buzzard, so high that they were already in full sunlight. Tiffany watched as they circled lower.
    They were broomsticks.
    I knew I had to wait! Tiffany thought.
    Her ears bubbled. She turned and saw Hamish running across the grass. As she looked, the buzzard picked him up and sped onward. She wondered if he was frightened or, at least, didn’t want to meet whoever was coming
    The broomsticks descended.
    The lowest one had two figures on it. As it landed, Tiffany saw that one of them was Miss Tick, clinging anxiously to a smaller figure who’d been doing the steering. She half climbed off, half fell off, and tottered over to Tiffany.
    “You wouldn’t believe the time I’ve had,” she said. “It was just a nightmare! We flew through the storm! Are you all right?”
    “Er…yes…”
    “What happened?”
    Tiffany looked at her. How did you begin to answer something like that?
    “The Queen’s gone,” she said. That seemed to cover it.
    “What? The Queen has gone ? Oh…er…these ladies are Mrs. Ogg—”
    “Mornin’,” said the broomstick’s other occupant, who was pulling at her long black dress, from under the folds of which came the sounds of twanging elastic. “The wind up there blows where it likes, I don’t mind telling you!” She was a short fat lady with a cheerful face like an apple that had been stored too long; all the wrinkles moved into different positions when she