Lucy and the Magpie

Lucy was playing in the garden on a beautiful summer’s morning when she heard something flutter behind her.

“Hello,” said a strange voice.

Lucy turned around, and to her amazement, saw a magpie looking at her inquisitively.

“D— d— did you just speak to me?”

“Indeed, I did. My name is Mr Magpie. What’s your name?”

“I’m Lucy,” she replied emphatically.

“Nice to meet you,” said the magpie, holding out a wing. “Would you help me with something?”

“Help a talking magpie? Of course I will!”

“Excellent. Then I need you to bring me the shiniest thing you can find. It’s very important.”

Lucy jumped up, raced indoors, and ran upstairs into her parents’ bedroom. She fumbled around on top of the dressing table before finding a silver bracelet adorned with glimmering purple gems. She grabbed the bracelet, put it in her pocket, and scrambled back outside.

“Mr Magpie!” Lucy cheered. “Here you go,” and gently dropped the bracelet near his feet.

“Now this is shiny! But unfortunately, it’s not quite shiny enough.”

“Oh,” said Lucy, sadly, then hurried back inside. She scanned the dressing table again and found a long, golden necklace with three ruby pendants. She grasped it excitedly and bustled down the stairs and into the garden once more.

“Mr Magpie, is this shiny enough?” Lucy asked eagerly.

“Beautiful! It’s so long and shi— shinier than last time, but still not shiny enough.”

“Hmmm.” Lucy pondered for a moment, then remembered there was something extremely shiny above the fireplace in the dining room. She sprinted inside, snatched the item, then scampered back out to the garden.

“Mr Magpie! These are the shiniest things I could find!”

Lucy opened a frame and dropped five beautiful medals onto the grass. “These were my grandfather’s. He was a great man, so every year we march in his honour. They are as special as he was brave.”

“Oh my, Lucy, you really have outdone yourself this time! These are the shiniest things I have ever seen! Your grandfather would be very proud of how you’ve helped me.”

“Thank you,” she beamed.

“Mr Magpie?”

“Yes?”

“Why do you need shiny things?”

“Just because I’m a magpie,” he shrugged before scooping the shiny bracelet, necklace and medals in his beak and flying high into the sky, glistening out of sight.

Lucy immediately felt strange. “Mr Magpie?” she muttered before trudging indoors, sniffling.

“Darling, what’s wrong?” her mother asked.

“I– I think I’ve done something terrible.”

“What could you have possibly done? You’ve only been playing in the garden.”

“I gave a magpie some of your jewellery.”

“And Grandad’s medals,” she added slowly.

Lucy’s mother was shocked but kneeled down and wiped a tear from Lucy’s cheek.

“It’s okay, sweetie. A naughty magpie will do whatever it takes to get shiny things, including deceiving young children. You weren’t to know; you thought you were being helpful.”

“But don’t worry,” she added calmly, “we’ll find a way to get everything back. We just need to give the magpie something it can’t refuse.”

Giving her mother no time to think, Lucy dashed to the playroom to work out how to make up for her mistake.

“If Grandad could figure out how to save his friends in the war, then I can work out how to save his medals!”

At that moment, Lucy noticed her craft box and toy kitchen. She had an idea!

She squirted glue all over a plastic plate, then stuck three forks, two spoons and a knife to it. Next, she opened four tubes of bright, gold glitter and shook them all over the gooey plate of cutlery.

A messy Lucy rushed to the garden and placed the plate in the brightest spot on the grass, where it twinkled and danced in the beaming sunlight.

“Mr Magpie,” she called, “I have something for you! It’s the shiniest thing in the world! But you can only have it if you return my other things”.

Lucy waited impatiently, then, out of the corner of her eye, saw something flying towards her. Mr Magpie had returned, decorated in her mother’s jewellery and her grandfather’s medals.

“Hello, Lucy. You have something for me?”

“I do! Look at this!” she said while pointing at the glittery treasure.

Mr Magpie shook off his decorations in astonishment. “It’s magnificent!”

He couldn’t contain his delight and dived headfirst into the plate, laughing and giggling with glee. “So shiny! So shiny!”

Then suddenly, he yelled. “Argh! It’s sticky! What have you done?!”

Mr Magpie squawked and flapped wildly as he stumbled and tossed in the glitter.

“That’s for tricking me!” shouted Lucy, grabbing her family’s items.

Mr Magpie vaulted angrily into the air. “I’ll get you for this!”

He was just about to swoop when he realised he was shimmering in the sun and leaving a sparkling trail of fairy dust.

“Look at me! I’m beautiful! I’m shiny!”

“Oh, thank you, Lucy!” he bellowed as he flew off into the distance. “Your grandfather would be so proud!”