The Tales of Tiptoes Lightly Read Online Free PDF

“But Karnak, King of the Gnomes, found it and learned its
secrets. Now gnomes know how to grow crystals and make them in every shape and
color. And if you look carefully inside crystals you’ll see flames glittering
and glistening. That’s because they remember the fire that once burned in the
crystal bowl, long, long, ago.”
    “And that,” said Tiptoes, “is the end of the story.”
    Then she folded her wings, cuddled up next to Jeremy
Mouse, and fell asleep.
The Midnight Garden
    Pepper Pot woke in the night. It was dark, and a
bright star shone in his window. The star was calling. She was telling him it
was time to get up and work in his garden.

    Pepper Pot unwound his beard from around his
head—gnomes sleep with their beards wrapped round their heads—tucked it in his
belt and pulled on his red boots. Then he opened the cellar door and climbed
down the stairs.
    Down, down he went. The cellar steps were cut into the
rock and wound round and round. Far underground the stairs ended and he
followed a narrow passageway. First the passage went up a bit, and then it went
down a bit; at last it opened out into a cave. Here Pine Cone and Pepper Pot
grew their crystal garden.
    The cave was wide, but not very high. If you stood on tiptoe
you could almost touch the ceiling. The floor and walls, even the ceiling, were
covered with crystals of all kinds: blue ones and green ones, sour yellow ones
and purple ones called amethyst. Some were big and some were small, some were
wide and some were very, very tall.
    For us it would be dark in the crystal cave, but
Pepper Pot could see by crystal light. For him the garden was filled with
lights of many colors and hues. Pine Cone and Pepper Pot are crystal seeders.
They grow seed crystals in their underground garden. Then other gnomes come and
take the seeds when they need them.
    Pepper Pot stood in the middle of the cave and hummed.
As he hummed he stood stiller and stiller, and the stiller he stood the
brighter he shone. The brighter he shone the more the stars in the sky could
see him and the cave became filled with starlight and crystal light. Pepper Pot
wove the starlight into the crystals with his singing and the crystals grew.
Where there was space new seed crystals sprouted on the rock—just like seeds in
soil. At last Pepper Pot stopped humming, and only crystal light glimmered and
glinted in the air.
    Up, up the stairs he climbed; round and round he went
till he came to the cellar door. Then he pulled off his boots, climbed into
bed, wrapped his beard around his head, and fell fast asleep.

Jack Frost Pays a Visit
    In the morning the Sun shone brightly through the
forest. A sunbeam reached in and touched Jeremy Mouse on the face.
     “Wake and rise, Master Mouse,” said the Sun. “It’s
time to wake the sleepy heads in this house.”
    Jeremy Mouse yawned and stretched. He reached over and
held Tiptoes’ hands till she opened her eyes.
     “Good morning, Tiptoes,” he said. He loved Tiptoes
very much.
    Jeremy Mouse went to Pine Cone and Pepper Pot. They
were snoring in bed. Their beards were still wrapped round their heads, and
only their noses stuck out. All he saw were bushy beards, sticking up noses,
and red caps. Jeremy Mouse pulled their toes, and said, “Wake up, you lazy
legs. It’s time to get up.”

    Pine Cone and Pepper Pot grunted and groaned. They
stretched their arms over their heads and yawned. Then they unwound their
beards, put on their boots, and washed their faces in icy cold water.
    “Look!” cried Tiptoes from the window. “Jack Frost
came last night. It’s his first visit.”
    Sure enough, frost covered the ground, and ice
crystals glittered in the morning sun.
    “Is Jack Frost a gnome or a fairy?” asked Jeremy
Mouse.
    “A gnome,” answered Pepper Pot.
    “A fairy,” said Tiptoes at the same time.
    “He’s certainly a gnome,” declared  Pepper Pot, “he
makes crystals.”
    “He’s definitely a fairy,” said Tiptoes. “He