56. A Fairy Likely Story!
What Jacqui Lester saw as a child has remained with her for over thirty years. At the time, in the '70s, she was a child living at Manor Park in the London Borough of Newham. It took place one morning as she stirred from slumber and glanced towards the bottom of the bed. Standing there was a sight she will never forget, a creature... no, a human... around eight-inches in height, that looked just like the archetypal fairy. It was female, with blonde flowing hair, wore a silvery flimsy dress, had transparent wings and held what appeared to be a wand.
After a short time the small being loped across the bed and leapt towards the sink that Jacqui had in her room. The fairy then proceded to disappear down the plug-hole, leaving Jacqui stunned by its presence. Thinking it was just a dream she rubbed her eyes, but remained convinced that what she'd observed was the perfect specimen of a fairy that she thought only existed in fantasy.
Whilst such beings have often been considered mythical, and their legend confined to childhood beliefs from the bottom of the garden, it is interesting to note how throughout the centuries such alleged creatures have featured strongly in folklore, and could well have connections to reports of many other small beings such as sprites, gremlins, brownies, boggarts, elves, gnomes, pixies and even alien beings. Our need for such forms are vital to our existence and so they will always be here, even if we push them to the outer edge so as to rarely see them.
Photo by aussiegall on flickr.
