"Aren't they slimy?" you ask.
Yes, indeed they are. When you're playing around with fairies, though, things don't seem all that bad if they're slimy. Textures are just another fact of life -- a thing to know about and maybe enjoy. So, we were playing (also working) down by a brook where newts live. I was watching them catch bugs.
Thumbelina came up and said, "Newts are pretty fun to ride. Want to try?"
There are a few attitudes I still need to get over. Like, for me at home, it's all about how fast I can travel. I'd rather drive to a friend's house than walk. I'd rather fly to New York than drive. So, for a person who just got fairy wings, and is getting really fast with these babies, I couldn't see any advantage in riding a newt. Wings are awesome.
So, being as open-minded as possible, I just asked a question. (I do call her Fresh when speaking to her face. It bugs her a little to hear the word Thumbelina out loud. I'll keep writing about her as Thumbelina, because I can't help thinking she looks exactly like the Thumbleina illustration from my story book as a little girl.)
"Why do you like riding a newt, Fresh?" I asked, ready to hear anything.
"Because they're slimy."
"What's fun about a slimy ride?"
"Come and find out," Thumbelina said, with an impish grin.
So, we dove into the brook, scaring the newts out of their little newt-wits. We held really still for a while, though, until they calmed down. Pretty soon, the newts were swimming around us, under our legs, all over the brook, and ignoring us completely. Thumbelina showed me how to catch a bug and dangle it down at knee level. We both did this, and as luck would have it two newts who could have been twins came swimming along. They went between our legs at about the same moment. Thumbelina gave me the signal.
"Now!" she said.
I couldn't say anything back, because as you already know, we were under water. I'm still human. I don't know if I was modified enough to allow for under water speech, and I was too busy thinking about newts to try it out.
| This is a newt |
We wrapped arms and legs around our little newt friends.
They were so startled, they acted like they were fired from a rocket.
It was a hilarious, wet and slimy ride. As you might expect, Thumbelina stayed on a lot longer than I did. I got swirled to the side and cracked my head against a tree root. Not enough to really hurt. I just got dizzy for a second. I watched Thumbelina swish from one side of the brook to the other.
A panicked newt can be very nimble.
Thumbelina finally let her newt go. It went to a sheltered nook between two rocks and quivered.
"Nice riding, Tex," I told her. Newt riding is better than bucking broncos.
| This is a salamander |
"Aw, shucks. T'weren't nothin'."
While we dried our wings in the sun, I asked her if salamanders were as fun to ride.
"Not quite. They're a lot smarter, and they can actually hurt you when they buck you off."
So, if I ever get the chance again, I'll stick with newt riding.
-- Sabrina
She did amazingly well for a first try. I won't be able to ride the same newts in that brook for at least a week. They forget pretty quickly, but I also want to give them a chance to rest up. Another thing about salamanders: they come in more vivid colors. I always wanted to ride them because of the color-thrill factor. Then, I tore a wing and spent three months recovering. Now, I always stick with newts.
May your rose be redolent of relaxation.
-- Fresh
