The Unruly Sprite: A Partial Fairy Tale

"The Unruly Sprite: A Partial Fairy Tale" by Henry Van Dyke is a charming story that falls into the category of fairy tales, exploring themes of creativity and the fanciful nature of companionship in the early 20th century. A writer finds himself entwined with a charming group of sprites who provide him with inspiration for his writings; one of these sprites ends up being a source of aggravation to a female friend of the writer who finds the sprite’s attention annoying. The writer then decides to take on the task of attempting to "educate" the sprite, with disastrous consequences. The writer realizes that the sprite’s wildness is interconnected with his own inspiration. The short tale concludes with a sweet twist, highlighting the mysterious magic that creativity brings.