Captured Faerie ;-)

 

"I found mayonnaise bottles and poked holes on top

To capture Tinker Bell

And they were just fireflies to the untrained eye

But I could always tell . . .

Because I was taught to dream . . ."

~ 'Fireflies' by Faith Hill

 

Full Lyrics

This song always makes me think of my Parents ~ Dad used to catch fireflies for me and leave them on my bedside stand, when I was a kid. I would wake up in the night and see the glow from the jar and then lay and watch them flit around until I fell back asleep. In the morning I would hide under the covers with them, and try to make out their waning shine in the dim light.

I remember asking them if fairies were real? They were sitting in lawn chairs in the front yard, while I laid in the grass reading a storybook. Dad answered "Some people say they've seen them." My Mom added, "You'll just have to watch closely, and maybe some day you'll know for yourself." Have you ever seen them, I asked? "I thought I might have once, but it flew away so fast I couldn't be sure. But I have seen what are called fairy rings, where mushrooms grow in a circle on the ground, it is said that fairies dance in them."  

Ooooh, really?

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I doubt that I would ever be so cruel as to trap a fairy, without good reason. Especially since I've heard that they can be quite the tricksters if you cross them. But this found fairy is missing a wing, and has two injured ankles as well. Otherwise I'm sure I would never have been able to secure her in the pickle jar, if it wasn't for her weakened state. I felt she needed a safe place to stay, for protection against predators and such. Even a house cat at play could be very dangerous for her, let alone the many woodland creatures she might encounter. I've done everything I can to make her as comfortable as possible, providing a nice log seat and a bed of moss. A pool of water to soak her ankles in, a bouquet of flowers to cheer her and tiny seashell bowls of honey and fresh water for her sustenance. The lid is riddled with many airholes, and I've even spruced up her dress, hair, wing and face with paints, since she was so very pale. Though she seems sad and hasn't spoken, I think she knows that I have saved her from total destruction. She remains quite inactive, but sits on a ledge on the porch of my creekside shack, where she can enjoy the morning sun but is nicely shaded in the heat of the day and her perch looks out over a flourishing bit of nature which fairies are known to love. I just hope that she uses her magic to bring happiness to those who look upon her with favor.