A -- Absent

Invisible Fairy Party

If my camera took photos of what I really saw, there would be about fifteen fairies in this picture.  When the morning chores were done, everyone got together at this itty bitty stream and played.  I had to pack up my things.  Really, all that included was the iPad which somehow was able to shrink to fun size along with me on my first day.  So, since I've been trying to capture my impressions with a photo or two every day, I snapped this one.  If any of the fairies actually appeared in the photo, Thumbelina would be on the far right making a monster face I showed her how to do -- like I taught my little sister at age four.

I didn't really expect that the fairies would show up in the photo.  They never have before.  Why would they now?

Then, suddenly, I realized something.

I'm still human -- although I may be temporarily very small.

Why not have someone take a photo of me with my fairy makeup and little wings?

Here's what Thumbelina got:

Self Portrait In Absentia

I'm hovering above the stream with a goofy smile on my face, and posed sort of like a star fish.  Like a big "Surprise!" type posture.  Only, as you can see . . . or rather, as you can't see -- I am about as invisible as any of the fairies.

I guess what I wrote before about fairies shrinking down to tiny sizes when humans are around was nothing but a outsider's beginning assumption.  We really can't see them.  At all.  Maybe they have been shrinking down only when I'm around and full-sized humans come into the area.  Or maybe It's just a safety precaution in case certain humans have a different kind of vision.  Who knows?

There's so much I learned about fairies in the last month, and at the same time, there are hundreds of questions still waiting for answers.  There are thousands of other questions I haven't even begun to imagine I could ask.  It's so disappointing I have to go back home tomorrow.  I'll never get the chance to think up those questions and ask them.

So, in case my iPad doesn't grow back to normal size, or in case I'm too busy to blog on the last day of June, here's my summary of the most important lessons fairies taught me:

• Being around someone new is great fun.  You don't have to try so hard to impress a fairy because she has probably already decided to like you.

• Getting the work done doesn't have to feel painful.  Fairies get up and do their chores because that's what life is built of.  They enjoy the part of their life I call "work" as much as the part I call "play."

• Having something to look forward to (or something to dread) keeps life interesting.  Still, the future events I anticipate are totally separate from the happiness of a normal moment along the way.

Now, here are some of the less important things I learned:

• Lightening:  it's good for fairies, bad for people. (See D for Drool entry.)
• Badgers can't really hurt a fairy, but seeing an ill-tempered badger scared out of his wits is about the funniest thing they can imagine.  (Also D - day.)
• Fairies think lame human jokes are hilarious.  (S - day.)
• An orb is the best sleeping arrangement in the universe.  Better than a bed.  Better than a hammock.  Better than any sleeping bag, futon, or yoga mat.  (See Y- day.  I think.)
• Watching another person disintegrate seems a lot less traumatic when you figure out the change isn't permanent.  (U - day.)
• Fairy makeup is permanent, but fairy hairdos aren't.  My own hair will probably never be the same, but I'm going to keep all the makeup I've got right where it is.
• Fairies hardly eat anything because their most commonly seen "fun size" form is not their real body size.  Intrinsically, fairies are the size of a bean.  I was the biggest glutton in the grove even though I never blogged about it.  Maybe back at home, I can fill in a few more details.
• Hummingbirds may be fast, but Thumbelina's really going to kick some birdy tail when she has her big race next month. (H - day post.)
• Size is relative.  Shape is unimportant.

This is about the best vacation ever.  Making new friends, learning new attitudes, helping out around the grove, and enjoying the natural setting did more for me than a good laugh does for Thumbelina.  I'll probably feel great for a whole year just because of my fairy vacation.

And, since I know how much it means to my buddy, here's a little message:

"Thumbelina, I'll be eternally grateful for all the fun we've had together.  Thanks for being my friend."

-- Sabrina

I had a great time being your guide.  Who knows?  If I keep reading magazines in the doctors offices I visit, maybe I'll figure out a way to make vacations like this into a fairy industry -- sort of like a miniature eco-tourism package.  I doubt the queen would ever go for that.  Still, it's fun to think about.


May your aster always amaze you.


-- Fresh


PS.  Forget Me Not