It was such a pretty river, the most beautiful Ella had ever seen.
Running deep and clear, it curled around the hill at the bottom of her garden like a massive sparkling caterpillar. She loved the way its waters danced and glistened in the sunlight like a princesses’ jewels. Occasionally silver fish would jump out of the water as they searched for food or played with their brothers and sisters.
To Ella it was a magical place, a place where amazing things happened.
A few weeks after she first visited the river, she met Lewis.
It was a beautiful July day, one of the finest of the summer. Awakening early to the sound of the birds chattering in the garden, Ella rolled out of bed and dressed quickly in her favourite t-shirt and jeans. She tip-toed cautiously downstairs into the sun-filled kitchen.
The house was incredibly peaceful, almost silent like an underwater cave. Snacking on a hot bowl of porridge, Ella hummed contentedly to herself. It was going to be a beautiful day.
As she wandered slowly down to the river she took deep breaths of the sweet smelling air and sucked in the scent of wild flowers through her nostrils. The sun’s rays beat down upon her back through the gaps in the trees and she longed to catch sight of the river.
Gradually it began to appear through the undergrowth.
Watching the birds as they swooped down low over the water, she heard a loud splash.
It was coming from downstream, around the next bend in the river. Ella ran quickly down the path towards it. She was curious as to what it might be. Perhaps it was an animal, a deer maybe.
As she rounded the bend, she was amazed by what she saw. A tiny man, perhaps a foot high, was wading slowly through the water to the bank. He was muttering to himself and shaking drops of water from his white hair and beard. Bending down he scooped a long wooden fishing rod out of the water and examined it closely. He frowned, obviously annoyed with what he saw. Then he continued up the bank and sat down on a rock, wiping his face with a large green rag.
Ella watched him for several minutes, fascinated by his actions. She wondered where he came from and whether he had a family.
