Magical Caoimhe

She felt the morning air warming from the sun as she walked the familiar dirt path through the woods. Nina was trying to shake the glum feeling that had been hanging on her for months. She hoped the walk and the Spring air might help revive her soul. Not only had it been a harsh Winter, but the sad events of the past few years had worn her down. She was tired. Thoughts and memories rambled through her mind, depressing her even more. She could feel the buildup of tears coming. Nina looked up and down the path and into the surrounding woods and saw no one. It would be safe to sit somewhere and cry.

It was early Spring and easy to find a secluded spot off the path to sit. There was something about plants, trees, and wildlife that gave her calming strength. She sat and leaned against a budding, older tree as her tears began to flow. During the past few years, she had not allowed herself to feel the pain of the issues that each felt like a brick upon her shoulders. There was always someone else to care for, something else that needed tending. And her problems were no larger or more painful than others. So, she would shove down her emotions, because someone else was certainly having it worse than her.

But not this morning. This was her moment, her grief. So, she cried. She imagined the tree bending down and wrapping herself in love with its branches. Embracing her as the grief poured out of her body and soul. Each tear was removing moments of pain from the recent past. She continued to cry until she felt empty of them.

Nina looked at her watch and realized an hour had passed. She leaned against the tree, exhausted yet somehow feeling renewed. This release of tears was just what she needed. She began to look at her surroundings and appreciate the leaves that were unfolding to begin the new season. The Spring Beauty flowers were poking their heads through the dirt in search of the warm sun. She smiled, thinking she needed to feel like the plants. Look forward and search for her warming sun.

Nina was in no hurry to leave her spot in the woods. She sat quietly observing, listening to the birds and the rustling of fallen leaves on the ground. Nina watched the squirrels and birds busily making noise as they went about their business. In one particular spot, she heard a little creature diligently working among the leaves. Curiosity turned Nina’s head to watch the animal. She made a slight gasp when Nina realized it was not an animal but a small girl! Not a girl, but a woman! No taller than Nina’s shoe!

A multitude of thoughts raced through Nina’s brain at once! Was she hallucinating, was this a fairy, a joke, an elf, a dream? She did not know what to think when she looked upon the gentle, smiling face of the woman. Nina held her breath, not wanting to scare away whatever reality this may be. She studied the figure, who was busy working the dirt. She could see the imp’s long brown hair tied to one side, her clothing made of fabric similar in greens and browns of the forest. And then Nina saw them, wings! They were translucent, with tiny touches of color. Nina was doubting herself, that this could not be! She was seeing a fairy!

Nina had always believed in such things. But doubted she would ever see such magical, perhaps mythical beings! Nina did the obligatory pinching of herself to see if she was awake. Awake she was! She dared not move, wanting to take all the details of this moment in to comprehend that she was watching a fairy. The tiny woman continued working with a shovel, unearthing an object. Nina’s curiosity kept her staring at the nymph as she labored.

As Nina watched, the woman looked up and smiled at her. Nina’s eyes became large. This was not to be! The stories she had read about magical beings, they did not want to be seen let alone interact with humans! She feared the fairy was not smiling at her but something beyond her. Then she would realize Nina was there and run off. This is not what happened. The imp continued to gaze at Nina and smile. The tiny woman motioned for Nina to come to her. Again, Nina thought this cannot be, asking for interaction? She thought this cannot be real so she chose to follow the path of the dream to see where it would lead.

Nina stood and carefully made her way towards the nymph. She wanted no sudden movements that could scare away the fairy. The woman motioned for where she was to sit. So, Nina sat. She could not help but stare. It was hard to tell the age of the woman. Her face was gentle and radiated love from her eyes. She could be 12 or 30, Nina could not tell. Slowly the fairy placed her minute hand atop of Nina’s hand and began to speak. It was not a language that Nina had heard before. But oddly she understood.

She began to calm Nina’s nervousness and explain in a gentle tone why she was here. Her name was Caoimhe (pronounced kee-va) and she and her tribe had been watching over Nina for some time. They were aware of her tiredness from all that life had been giving her. They could see her gentle heart and loving ways. Caoimhe shared how there was usually a fairy always near her, watching and protecting her during the past years. They genuinely loved Nina and wanted to openly embrace her with their devotion. The two sat for several hours, uninterrupted, as Caoimhe answered all of Nina’s questions. Nina felt a clarity of love from Caoimhe and the members she had not seen, like any other. She felt overwhelmed that anyone, especially those of a magical, rarely seen kingdom, could have taken her to heart. It was hard to comprehend but Nina knew this was real.

Caoimhe pointed to the ground where she had been working. “We have a gift for you. I was able to uncover most of it, but if you please can you bring it up out of the ground?”

Nina moved over to the spot which she could reach by moving on her knees. She looked down and could see the corner of a small black book. She understood why Caoimhe had problems moving it, as it appeared to be almost the size of the fairy! Nina was able to push back the dirt and raise the book out of the hole. It appeared to have been there for quite some time. It was ragged on the edges, with golden, weathered writing on the cover. Nina could not read it and guessed this was the written language that Caoimhe spoke. She moved back to sit next to the nymph.

Caoimhe put her hands upon the book, looked up into Nina’s eyes, and smiled. “This book is full of adventures that we wish to share with you. With your permission, we would like you to join us. This will be no easy task, for you must keep it all a secret. We will show and share with you a world you cannot currently grasp. Adventures and magical creatures await you!”

Nina opened the book and saw handwritten paragraphs, drawings of fairies, dragons, and lands. She did not understand the contents but knew it was safe to venture into the pages. She looked in the beautiful, mystical eyes of Caoimhe “I do not grasp what or why all of this is happening, but my trust lies with you and your tribe. I very humbly accept this gift.”

Nina felt as if she had just spoken an oath, that would put upon her a sense of loyalty and life that she could not currently fathom. She continued looking through the book admiring the beauty of the handwritten words and drawings. As she reached towards the end of the book, Caoimhe reached out and stopped Nina from going further. “We want you to understand that this journey with us will take your complete life. My tribe and I know you will need to exist in the human world, but we want you to have no concerns about such worldly needs. Please continue looking through the book.”

Nina did as she was told and came across a thick envelope. She opened it only to discover a large amount of money. Nina was unsure what to think. “This is for you to take care of the human needs you have in your world” Caoimhe stated. “It’s a large sum, $20,000. That should take care of any of your human needs at this time. And when you need more, we will provide it. You never need to worry about such matters again. All we ask is that you travel with us in your world and ours. You will see a life that one can only dream!”

Nina felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. She looked deeply into Caoimhe’s eyes. Magically she could see moments of the future and all it holds. She could feel the love and trust Caoimhe was giving her. Breathlessly, Nina replied with a faint “Yes, I will join you.” As she spoke, movement caught her eye. They were surrounded by other fairies, men, women, children. All bearing the same love and trust in their eyes.

And so, the adventure began.