A little girl was crying in a corner, hugging to her chest an old red book. The other children in the orphanage, not knowing what to do, found a nun in the hallway.

"A little girl is crying, and we don't know what do do." said the children, as they lead her to the corner.

"Come, my child. Do stand up" said the elderly nun, as she perceived the tears rolling down her rosy cheeks. "What is wrong? Why do you cry like so?"

"My book is wet" the girl sobbed, showing to the nun her old red book. Indeed, there was a dark patch on the cover, slowly spreading through the pages like an invasive parasite. "It was my father's book, and I don't know what to do."

"Do not cry, my child. Here, walk with me" the nun said. They slowly walked away from the children, down the hallway, towards the dormitory of the orphanage. As they walked, the nun began "Have you heard of the book faerie?"

The little girl shook her head, clumsily wiping off her tears with her hands. She hiccuped and looked up at the nun with wide, watery eyes.

"Why then, let me tell you. The book faerie is a small sprite, no bigger than the size of your hand. She is kind and cheerful and loves children, but above all, the book faerie has rosy cheeks, just like yours."

"Just like mine?" asked the little girl.

"Yes" said the nun. "Rosy and chubby, just like yours."

The little girl giggled.

"Every night, when children are sound asleep in their beds, the book faerie looks for children with damaged books and fixes them. She takes out her little wand which she stores in her hair, and gives the book three taps, saying "hokity pokity rolly polly, this book shall be fixitied up!"

"And then the book will be magically fixed, good as new."

The little girl was enthralled, hanging onto every word of the nun's story. However, they had reached the dormitory.

"Now then, inside are some warm water and towels. I want you to wash your face, and go to bed early tonight. Who knows, maybe the book faerie will visit you!"

The little girl nodded enthusiastically and rushed inside.

"Thank you very much, Missus nun!" she exclaimed "Thank you very much!"

The elderly nun smiled warmly, and walked away.

As night came and all the children are sound asleep in their beds, the nun tip-toed into the dormitory and took the red book from the bed side table where the little girl had placed it. She worked all night, carefully drying the wet pages by basking them before a fire, then dabbing any remaining patches with a towel. The water had ruined the ink, which were smudged and fading, so the elderly nun rewrote the words in her best handwriting. When she was finally finished, the nun tip-toed back inside the dormitory and placed the book at the bedside table once more, just as the little girl had placed it.

The next morning, there was an excited squeal from the dormitory. The little girl rushed out with her red book clutched tightly to her chest and ran around the orphanage barefooted until she found the elderly nun.

"Look, missus nun, look!" she shouted happily, jumping up and down in her joy. "The book faerie visited me last night and fixed my book. Look, look, it's as good as new!"