Samantha and Julia were spending the week up at Piney Point
and decided to go exploring farther than any of the girls had gone before. They set out through the woods bright and
early.
They went along the shore of Goose Lake, past Mount
Charlotte and Mount George, and went up the slope of the unnamed mountain
beyond it.
They crossed through a narrow pass and descended the far
side. At the bottom of a deep valley
they found a rushing stream across their path.
Not wanting to turn back so soon they took off their shoes and stockings
and waded across the swift running stream.
On the far side they noticed the opening of a cave right in
front of them.
“I don’t remember seeing this cave before we crossed the
stream,” said Julia. “It is very strange.”
“Perhaps we were too focused on taking off our shoes, or it
was hidden behind shrubbery,” said Samantha.
“I see light at the end,” said Julia, “Let’s see where this
tunnel leads!”
“If you’re sure it’s safe,” said Samantha, cautiously.
They came out the other side of the tunnel and found
themselves in a steep, narrow ravine, the walls of which were covered with moss
and strange twisted roots grew over the boulders.
“There’s something uncanny about this place,” said Julia, “I
can sense it.”
“You’re just tired from this long hike,” suggested Samantha.
“No, I’m not,” Julia went on, “My studies in Theosophy have
convinced me that there are other worlds, unseen, all around us; maybe nested
like the layers of an onion, or all jumbled together like jackstraws. There are thin places between the worlds
where they touch, and I think we may have passed through one of them.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Samantha was openly skeptical, “You
just need to sit and rest for a minute.”
They went on and came to a place where the wall of the
ravine was pocked with holes and crevasses.
“The other-worldly feeling is getting stronger,” said Julia
with mounting alarm, “I get the feeling we are being watched.”
“Well, I’m watching you,” said Samantha, giggling.
Little did they realize how right Julia was!
“The sheer gall of these human girls entering our realm
unbidden!” said one fairy to the other, “We must teach them a lesson in
manners!”
“The red-head suspects we are here,” said the second, “and
could see us easily if she tried, but the brunette doesn’t believe in us and
we’d have to make an effort to show ourselves.”
“Neither one is carrying any iron about their persons . . .”
“They cannot harm us!
We fairies cannot abide iron.”
“They haven’t eaten any food we have offered them . . . “
“We haven’t offered them any.”
“Right. So, we cannot
keep them here against their will, but we can work mischief on them!”
“Let’s do it!”
The two fairies manifested themselves. The girls shrieked in surprise and fright.
“How dare you enter our realm without permission?!” The first fairy’s voice was high and squeaky
but had an effect on the girls like nails on a blackboard.
“You must be taught a lesson!” squeaked the other one.
“Let’s get them!” screamed the first.
The fairies flew at them, buzzing like angry
dragonflies. The girls shrieked and ran,
not knowing which way to turn.
The next thing the girls knew, they were sitting on a high
ledge atop a steep cliff. They had no
idea how they had gotten there, or what had become of their hats.
“I know where we are,” said Julia, “I remember seeing this
ledge on our way up the mountain. The
trail home is right down there.”
“Now all we have to do is figure out how to get down to it.”
The girls staggered back to Piney Point before dark.
“None of the other girls will believe us when we tell them
this adventure,” said Samantha.
“Oh, I don’t know” responded Julia, “Jane and Gila probably
believe in fairies, and little Clarice certainly does. And Kelly understands about the thin places
between the worlds.”
“So, we should warn them against going there again,” said
Samantha.
“Or at least make sure they carry some iron with them if
they do!”
