The leaves were still green for the most part, but when Smee held her nose in the air, she could already feel the first cool breeze of autumn.
The time when magic became strongest. When magical hands painted the leaves, the warmth of the hearth fire became especially cozy, when people moved closer together with friends and simply everything felt somehow very special.
Provided one grabbed a magic spark. If you missed it, autumn and winter could quickly turn gray, cold and dreary.
That’s why every year Smee was meticulous about finding such a magic spark. Or in other words: a spark from the last rays of the summer sun!
Actually, one needed for it nothing more than the right time, the right place and patience. A piece of cake! At least if you knew when the right time was. And what the right place was. And if you were patient.
In recent years, the little butterfly fairy had been at a spring, in the branches of a yew tree, on those of an old oak tree, in a mushroom circle and on the top of an old boulder.
Sure, she could have always chosen the same magical place! But that would have been boring!
So this time she had chosen a different place: the slender rowan tree, which she affectionately called Luis (just as the old Celtic druids did) and which was said to have done all sorts of great things: that he (Luis) had once saved the life of Thor, the god of thunder, because he had fished him out of the river when he (Thor) was about to drown. That he (Luis) was supposed to protect against mischief and evil spells and lit the fire of life.
He also symbolized growth and the retreat of winter…which sounded contradictory in Smee’s scheme, but actually wasn’t. After all, Smee wanted to catch a summer spark among the leaves of Luis to get her through the cold season well, happy and cheerful.
So she climbed up, sat down … and waited.
The light looked very promising, but one could never be sure whether it was really the last sunbeams of the summer or not yet the penultimate. Or already the first of the autumn … which would be stupid because that would mean that the right moment would be over.
That had never happened before to Smee. Very well, however, that she had been sitting in such a place for several days!
That had sometimes been a little boring but often also interesting. Because most of the time someone came along with whom you could talk.
Just like it happened now! For Smee had just reached the top, it rustled in Luis’ canopy and a blackbird came to light.
“Hello!” said the little fairy. “Are you looking for a summer sparkle here, too?”
The blackbird looked at Smee uncomprehendingly, “Not at all! I’m gathering food – berries to be exact – because autumn is approaching. Can’t you feel it?”
“Oh, I do!” gloated Smee. “That’s what I’m here for! To capture the magic!”
Blackbird laughed. “You little people and your crazy ideas!” She shook her head and flew away.
And Smee laughed too, because the blackbird had called her plan crazy.
Yet it happened at that very moment! There!
Smee got excited, because she could already see it: the little sparks dancing in the air like fire, carried by the sun. And in them tiny wings of light could be seen, just like fragile little bodies.
Smee clapped her hands and rejoiced: she had come here at just the right time.
Now all she had to do was reach out … and open her heart!
And so it happened, as it had in the years past … a sun elf danced up and blew a magical spark directly in Smee’s direction.
As always that made her sneeze. And as always, she knew that autumn and winter would be a very happy, magical and just gorgeous time!
Credits
Smee: Everything selfmade, Doll base from Bjd doll Chibihana Harz