An Elf in the Woods
When I was seven years old in Dover Massachusetts, October
was a time of bayberry candles, pumpkins, and black cats. Debbie Chandler, the little six year old girl next door,
and I spent many days looking for the legendary Witch Silver Stones, and as our courage grew, even for the
dreaded Witch Blood Stones. Both were very scarce, but we found them anyway, and cherished them in secret pouches.
One night we were discussing elves at the old Pilgrim gate-leg
table in my living room. I was attempting to draw a picture of how I thought an elf would look. Debbie
corrected me about the style of the shoes and I asked how she would know.
She told me she had seen and exchanged greetings with an elf
in the woods which extended for many miles behind our houses. She had learned honesty from her parents and was quite
adamant about the elf, so I believed the story and asked her to draw what she saw.
Debbie's elf was male, about two feet tall with normal human
proportions, although somewhat portly. He wore brown pointed shoes, dark orange trousers, a forest green Edwardian style
coat, and a pointed red hat. His face was a plain human face with a long pointed European nose and medium length
light brown hair. His aspect was quite genteel. Debbie was a good
artist.
I don't remember any subsequent conversation about this. I suspect
it was all just imaginary kid talk, but who knows? One is reminded of the nanocephalic dwarfs who wore pointed hats and lived
in small communities in the forests of Southern Europe during the Middle Ages. They were thought of, and called,
elves in that realm.
March 29, 2006
1:48 PM
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The Faerie Ring
The following summer Debbie told me another story about winged nymphs dancing outside in
a circle every night since the warm weather began. She said they were only six inches tall and used fireflies
in tiny cages as lamps. At the end they would let all the fireflies loose for a grand finale.
I asked why they didn't fly away. She said they didn't see her because she watched them at a
distance with her father's old military binoculars. She said that the big lenses allowed her to see like an owl
at night.
I asked her to show me where this happened. She took me to a far corner of her back yard near
the woods. There was a hydrangea bush with a large clear area beneath. She pointed to the spot. I could see a lightly
trodden circle about two feet in diameter.
March 30, 2006
9:32 AM
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Dover Massachusetts has many strange secrets.
Visit my home town and see for yourself:
