Winter Fairies

Most people past the age of 5 don't believe in fairies. Well, I'm not most people. While you may be rolling your eyes, I don't think that I necessarily turn my back and have fairies fluttering around me, only to disappear when I turn back around. However, I don't necessarily not believe in them either.

Pressing my nose against the window, I stared into the early winter morning sky. The sky was dark with a few streaks of yellow splashed against it. In the morning dawn, the faint sunbeams danced over the frost covered lawns and plants. The frost touched the leaves so delicately it almost didn't seem possible it simply settled there late in the night.

Stepping out onto the patio, I knelt down to examine a leaf. Delicate swirls and lines graced it's soft surface, as the warmth from my fingers began to melt the thin layer of ice. In an instant, I knew what exactly had occurred.

In the dark of night, just before the dawn, the Winter Fairies come. They fall gently from the cool wind that blows against houses, rattling shutters and stripping trees of their leaves. As they reach plants, they skate against the leaves, touching tip to tip. In their tiny fingers, they grasp a large paintbrush which they press against any foliage they pass. As they pass, the brush leaves a thick texture of frost, creating patterns of ice crystals that could not be produced by the greatest artist. To our simple eyes, all we see are swirls and shapes.

As they skate on lawns, flowers and down the branches of trees, the outdoors begin to change. Seeds retreat deeper into the thick soil, burying in it like a blanket. The sunshine waits a few hours to appear, admiring the icy wonderland that lays before him. Ice in the Pond? How can it be?

Sidewalks turn into small swimming pools, in which the fairies swim and play. As soon as they step on the stone banks to shake off the water, the shallow water immediately freezes. When the morning sun emerges, the Fairies take their last bow. They float on the breeze to bus stops, where they paint children's cheeks pink and their breath to steam. Eyes water as they admire themselves in the reflection of hair barrettes, and hands are shoved deep into pockets as they mischievously twirl on the tender tips of fingers. The Fairies run through hair that blows in the wind, swinging from strand to strand, and laugh as they fog up the windows of cars with condensation. For this brief time, the world is their playground. For awhile at least, we live in a winter wonderland.

And as Christmas approaches and mentions of Santa and elves grow, be sure to pay your respects. The Winter Fairies have something to do with the pink in your cheeks and the brisk walk of your step. And though you may not be five, maybe, just maybe, you'll think about the fairies. Maybe when you're walking to the building you work in, or taking out the trash and notice the frost on the ground. After all- the Winter Fairies worked hard decorating your own winter wonderland.