Once upon a time there was a small family of stags living in a high field near the borders of a forest in the country of Morris. They were very special stags, because they were red, and had a bag of magic sticks. All day long the forest would be filled with the gay sounds of Stags clashing their sticks and singing merry songs about how far from home they were, and how every Man was an enemy. Other Stags would come from all over the world to join in their games - even Mike&Clare Stag all the way from Australia, and Sam&Marco Stag from a different planet.

Without their magic stick dances Stags get very grumpy and horrid things start to happen. One time the Stags went on holiday together and forgot to do their dances every day. A Curse descended on them all and, to avoid complete disaster, everyone had to sing jolly songs with almost no deaths in them. Even David Stag had to join in, no matter how much he hated to. But that is another story.

One fine Spring day, to celebrate the end of April, a small group of Stags made a pilgrimage to Hastings with their magic sticks to protect them. There was Sue&Andy Stag, Ian Stag, Pete&Kim Stag and Chris&Theo Stag who lived near the forest's gate. David Stag was most upset because he could not go owing to his part-time job as a Wood Elf.

The day was filled with fun and frolics and eventually the Stags got very tired and went in search of their sleeping medicine, except for Chris&Theo Stag who only ever drinks the finest apple juice, and only at special times of year. The Stags got so tired and sleepy that they did not see the the magic sticks being stolen!

In the morning all the Stags were grumpy and miserable. David Stag arrived to find them all drowning their sorrows in forgetting medicine, except for Chris&Theo Stag of course.

The Stags searched the Town low and high looking for the sticks - none of the Innkeepers had seen them, and neither had the Goblins from Hammersmith who kindly lent the Stags some of their very own sticks as the Stags' dancing was some of the finest in the land and a wonder to behold. But the magic was different and did not work properly, so the Stags went home early to break the sad news to all of their other friends in the forest.

The following day all the Stags, with their friends the Flowers and the Bells, joined together to dance in the forest, sing and not be grumpy at all. Sue&Andy Stag had found some old sticks, but their magic had almost worn off and they did not work for the baby Stags Lucy, Neil and Julian. Not even the singing could hold back the Curse this time. Chris&Theo Stag found the gate to the forest locked and could not get out to her home on the other side. So she drank too much apple juice and got very, very tired and had to be carried home.

The sticks had to be found or the Curse would become permanent and the Stags would be miserable and grumpy for ever and ever!

The first place they looked was in Devon, near to the home of their kinfolk, the Harts. They tried some sticks belonging to the local Strawberries - but nothing was as magic as their own sticks, and all the Stags' fine plumage fell off and they were just like normal people as they danced with the new Steve&Ali Stag. The wicked King John mocked the Stags, and Morris became a darker place.

The story of the Stags sticks went around the Universe, spread by wise old Matthew Stag in Ireland who has powerful spells for sending messages to anyone and everyone. He knew that Helen the barefoot Gypsy, who goes everywhere, had looked in her crystal ball and found the sticks in the Goblins cave at Hammersmith. So Matthew Stag spake unto the King Darryl of the Goblins, who knew nothing of the actions of his subjects, but declared that they would be punished immediately, and the sticks returned.

Matthew Stag gave the Goblin King a spell for leaving messages for David Stag, as Sue&Andy Stag had gone to look for the sticks in Germany. The Goblin King remembered that Queen MaryJo had a brother who also lived near the forest. Brother Peter was well known to the Stags as a fine musician. Morris is a very small place.

So MaryJo Goblin fetched the sticks from the cave and gave them to Brother Peter. Brother Peter brought the sticks back to the forest. Everything was put right, and the Stags lived happily ever after.

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