As a kid, he just hated fairies.
This may not readily explain why inquisitive neighbours may have heard violent noises coming from the old man’s shed in the early hours, but for him, this activity needed little in the way of explanation. As for the fairies, well, he was fully aware of the fact that most people regard them as quaint little supernatural creatures that possess magical powers and flit around doing all sorts of really nice things. It was as a result of this fact that he made it a lifelong pledge to never reveal his nightmares. In these nightly episodes he would see them crawling out from under the bed as soon as he fell asleep. Scary little buggers with their wands, smug expressions and their creepy hairdos! They would sneak up under the sheets, no matter how much he tried to tuck them in all round, and poke at him savagely with their magic sticks until he woke shaking and sobbing.
These terrifying dreams were visited upon him regularly throughout his childhood years and although this was several decades ago now, he often had the uncomfortable thought that they could one day return. It was the recent significant incident that served as a reminder of this horrifying possibility.
Now, with his wife’s passing, and living alone in a much smaller and more manageable house, his ongoing preoccupation had been to carry out his plan to create a small flower garden in the limited area between the back door and the back fence. When it was finished, several members at the local pensioner’s club, who had shown an interest in his project, had called in to see what he had done. It was both unexpected and disturbing when, a no doubt well-meaning lady visited, bringing with her a gift for his garden. When unwrapped, it was a rather large garden fairy!
Over several hours he allowed himself a self-congratulatory pat on the back for holding his emotions in check. This admirable restraint was let go in the early hours that followed the woman’s visit. In the shed, with the door closed, it all went away the moment the mallet came down on the figurine, and even further away with each subsequent blow.
He still hated fairies.