“Did you remember the cupcakes?” said my best friend Jenny, twirling her braids and chewing her day old gum.
“Yep,” I said, proud of myself for not accidentally-on-purpose forgetting and then gobbling them up like a belly-happy beast.
“And what’d ye tell your mom?”
“That we were looking for four leaf clovers. Same as I always do. What’d ye tell yours?” I kinda knew, but it was what we always asked each other. As if to be sure neither one of us had been forced to reveal even a smidgen of our secret.
“Nothing much. Going outside to play. She isn’t like your mom. She’d probably make me stay inside if I told her we were hunting for—“
“Shhh—someone might hear you!” One could never be too safe.
“Thanks, that was close. Good thing your brother wasn’t around. He’d probably have me in a head lock by now. ‘Say it! Say it, Jenny, or I’ll rip it off….’” Jenny rubbed her neck, her eyebrows peaked over her bright brown eyes. “He’s a bully, that brother of yours.”
“I know. Come on, though. Twilight is comin’ fast and you know we only have a little bit of time before dinner.”
“Our dinner or theirs?”
I giggled, “Ours, silly. Fairies don’t eat like us. They just nibble on forest treats all day long. And anyway, I’m sure they’ve been watching us for the past few minutes. Bet you my favorite purple pen that their stomachs are rumbling right about now. Once a fairy gets a whiff of these cupcakes, they won’t be able to focus on anything else.”
“Ya,” said Jenny with a grin, “I bet you’re right. I know I can’t.”
I giggled right back, “I love you, Jenny. And I love trying to find our real kin together. Not another person in the world I’d wanna do it with.” I reached for her hand and squeezed it good 'en hard.
“You mean you wouldn’t wanna meet your first fairy holdin’ hands with Jon Foster instead?”
I made a barfing noise and within seconds we were a mess on the forest floor, me throwing leaves and Jenny huckin’ acorns, the two of us bursting at the seams.
* * *
Sometimes we come across a magic in our lives, either in our imagination or in our waking world, that changes everything—lightens our heavy. For some of us it’s an afternoon of fairy hunting with a wide-eyed imaginative little friend but it can also be as simple as an idea for a book, or a painting, or a new business. For others it might be a belly-flutter when someone walks by, or a lovely heart-pounding when a certain reminder happens upon our path. But no matter what it is, we must always—always—remember one important thing. We must protect those magics in our lives. We must keep them growing and even thriving. Like a fairy in the wood or a whisper in the breeze, magic can be elusive and if it is not treated with the utmost care, it can slip through our fingers, leaving us once again with a heavy load upon our backs. Protect your magic. Give your magic room to flourish. And share with others only when you no longer need to defend what you know to be true.
10 comments:
This was beautiful Brynne, and so well written. I always know when I start to veer from my path and the mundane world encroaches on my dreams. I know it, because I start to lose the beauty and magic that is there everyday, If I only see. That magic always brings me back, as did these words.
Brynne,
It was more than beautiful. I agree with everything John said. And if I lose it for a moment I come here to find my way back to it again. :)
Ahh, you two. Thank you for righting me today. I didn't know how much I needed your support until I read your words, both of your words...and started to cry. Thank you. Thank you for reminding me of so many beautiful things. Its great to have you here, John. And Jo...you are like a soul sister to me. Love to you both.
Brynne, seriously, your blog posts feed the idealist in me. Whenever I think I'm getting too cynical for my own good, I know I'm past due a visit to your blog. What a beautiful story! It makes me want to protect my magic, at all cost! When I grow up, I want to be just like you! Or maybe I should say, if I'm ever a child again, I want a best friend just like you! :)
I really liked your post. So many people dismiss magic as not real--but it's just because they can't see the subtle signs of it everywhere.
Feeds the idealist in you, dear Bella? Hooray!! Many people think 'idealist' is a bad word but not me! To me its filled with hope and promise...and it breeds magic! Anything wonderful in this world happened because someone upheld their ideals! So if I can even help a smidgen with that, its worth taking the time to write here. Thank you, Bella!:) You made my day!
And Julie...so true...the subtle signs, indeed! But its funny, as we look and look and look again, suddenly those subtle signs become as big as billboards! Then--- we twirl:) Thanks for your comment, Julie!
Did you and Jenny save any cupcakes for me? What color are (were) they? Orange, like fall leaves?
I learned to protect my magic the hard way ;-(
That time I traveled all the way to the moon… then came back to earth and had to go and blurt out everything to my Aunt Beulah. Of all people. Who then goes and tattles to my mother about my adventure to the moon and back. Reporting how I claimed it’s overgrown with tangled vines and wild roses of every color, and has a green cheese surface just as real as the speckled linoleum on the kitchen floor.
Yep, I learned to protect my magic from then on…
Of COURSE we saved some for you! You were waiting for us in our tree fort with even more surprises!! Our dear Debra...
What a precious story...you are just as you have always been...pure magic. Didn't she know the moon was like that? How did she forget so fast? She must have been SUPER old with tiny eyes that poked when you looked at 'em. What a meanie. Your magic was just too strong, my dear. Just too strong. And thank heavens it was. Yes, thank heavens.:)
Oh, and p.s. definitely orange. My favorite color. And with sprinkles, of course. Rainbow sprinkles but heavy on the pink:)
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