Taking her small hand in mine I turn and ask, "What manner of creature are you?"
"I am a border faery" she said with a radiant smile.
"What is a border faery?"
With a little laugh, she replied "A border faery is a faery that inhabits the border zones of the world. Beaches, the edge of a forest, where the flat land ends and the mountains begin, the boundaries of a swamp...these are all places where we thrive. Our most energetic times are the border temporal zones. Dawn, sunset, the transition of seasons, the time between the rain and the reemergence of the sun...times like that are when we are most active."
"And you are a beach faery?"
"This shore is one of the places I live. From time to time I move to other border zones. My family is quite extensive and spread out, and I like to visit them often." Her face grew serious...at least, as serious as the face of a small, beautiful, and joyous faery was able. "I would like you to meet my family, but that is not my function at this time. I am here to guide you on the first leg of your tour of this land...and into the Chapel of Entry."
"What is the Chapel of Entry?"
She pointed at the structure on top of the cliff, that I first noticed as I approached this land. "That is the Chapel. It is where the Avatar will arrive. We must go there, but not yet. First I would like to show you a bit of my home in this place."
Her radiant beauty was soothing to my weary soul and I found that I could not easily muster the energy to resist. Besides, it was clear that she took her duty as my guide seriously and I did not wish to hurt the feelings of such a gentle and lovely creature.
"Lead on." I said.
She smiled her tiny sun smile and her wings began to flutter. Faster and faster they moved, until they were like the blur of a hummingbird's wings. I found that her magick extended to me through our clasped hands, and I was lifted off the ground as easily as if I was weightless. There was no sensation of fear within me as we began to fly to my left, down the rocky shore towards the near cliffs.
Quickly we reached the area of the cliffs and flew around them. The sight that greeted my eyes was nothing short of astounding. A beach of pure white sand, its shore line, though softly undulating, moved in what was mostly a strait line as far as I could see. Waves of crystal clear water crashed upon the sands. Sea birds of all kinds plied the air currents above the beach. There was a profusion of life here, from dolphins and fish frolicking in the waters just off shore, to crabs scurrying across the sands. Shells of so many varieties dotted the beach that it appeared to be speckled with jewels that gave off scintillating glints in rainbow hues. The water, once it became deep enough, took on the lustrous shimmer of a flawless emerald, sparkling with points of light as it broke free of the waves into spray. The sky was a vivid blue with a scattering of pure white clouds that did nothing to obscure the rich sunlight. A short distance from the shore, the sands gave way to soft, deep green moss and patches of short blue green grass. As my eye moved even further from the shore I saw small trees...saplings...begin to spring up from the green carpet. As the distance grew, the trees grew, until, in the distance I beheld the beginnings of a mighty forest. The trees were of a kind I knew well...Aspens. Their green/white bark so similar to human skin. Their awareness quick and vivid...for a tree. The beauty before me was so spectacular that I lost my hold on the faery's hand and dropped down into the waters near the shore.
The water was warm and soft. It had none of the odor I remembered from the sea, but instead, had a purity I had never sensed before. Sweet and without the bitter salt of the oceans I had known, it would have made gourmet fair on any upper scale restaurant table back home.
Laughing with pure sensual joy, I waded through the waves and onto the beach. The sand was fine grained and firm, yet soft the bare soles of my feet. Laughing, the faery lit beside me and took my hand once again.
"I see you like my waters" she said to me.
"Very much, they are like no waters I have ever touched"
"I am pleased and flattered" she said.
"Are there anymore like you?"
She giggled, "Yes of course, just look around you with eyes that desire to see faery's"
I looked around me, at the waters, at the sands, at the green carpet of moss and grass...and sure enough, I did see. Concealed but not hidden at all. Faery's all around me. None over five feet tall, none under three. Male and female, they moved all around me. To my left were a couple of male faery's engaged in what resembled a game of chess, but with a board made out of seashell and pieces carved out of coral. To my right, three females weaving cloth out of moss, seaweed and what appeared to be bits of light. Though I did not see why, since none of the beings I could see wore anything resembling clothing. And in front of me, a male and female laying together where the carpet meets the sands, gazing into each other's eyes and gently making love.
"Is it all like this?" I asked.
"You mean all over the land?"
"No" I said, " I mean is it like this at all borders...and all along this beach?"
"For now, it is, yes" she replied. "Until the Avatar comes, we all live in a state of semi-dream, waiting for his arrival to awaken us fully. Once he is here, we can grow and change, experience renewal, and have children. We are eager for his presence."
"I hope he comes soon." I said.
"So do I. But now, it is time to show you the Chapel. Come, let us fly up and I will show you the place where the Avatar will manifest when he comes."
Taking my hand, the lifted me up above the waves and flew back to the cliffs where one of the 3 mountain ranges of the land reached the sea. Up and up we flew until we had crested the top of the cliffs and approached the Chapel.