Three Twisted Knots

From Gwyneth:

Sometimes, new adventures can be as simple as, say, taking a different path round the back of Awenia’s Town Square on one’s way to the forest stage (as one does) and finding a new-to-you pocket of pure whimsy.

That’s right: it doesn’t really matter how this got here, or where it came from. All that matters is that suddenly I was delightfully surrounded by puffy trees, houses from either Whoville or one of Tim Burton’s lighter doodles, and a single incongruous bird.

When this happens, I do my best to just relax and enjoy whatever little pocket of reality I’ve wandered into. As these places go, there wasn’t much odd about this one. Probably most folk would be initially disconcerted by the fact that nothing was moving. Even the clouds were stationary, and the only thing that let me know the bird was alive was that she was so still I could see her little chest moving as she breathed.

I had to watch her for several seconds just to make sure.

And then I had to watch her some more, because that was kind of a shallow breath. So I made myself stare at her until I saw her breathe enough times that I could ascertain a regular rhythm. Because, let’s face it, there are some very strange entities in Faerie, and disconcertingly true-to-life taxidermy would be one of the milder hobbies they might embrace….

And that’s when it happened. Not only did she breathe, but she spoke to me.

‘I am not a bird’, she said.

‘OK’, I replied. ‘Would you like to tell me more’?

She chirped as she acknowledged me with a nod. ‘I am bound by Certain Rules, of course. But I can tell you that if you tell me to become my true self, only then can I physically change and be what I was born to be’.

Tempting offer, I guess. But what if she was some sort of monster?

‘Will you swear not to inflict any harm on me or my Realm if I do this for you’? I asked. We aren’t fools, you know.

Her laugh was dry and breathy. ‘I assure you, My Queen—neither of my forms could hurt you, and my other forms might even help’.

‘On your breath’?

‘On my breath’.

‘Then, bird who is not a bird, I charge you to transform for me and become your true self’.

Lights danced everywhere in the little courtyard: I was momentarily dazzled.

Before I could focus on anything again, I felt the soft touches of many wings. And many voices spoke to me.

‘See? We mean you no harm. But we must get to the gardens now’.

Butterflies. She had transformed into a swarm of bright red butterflies.

I don’t remember how long it’s been now; I’m sure I’ve told you before that time is a bit, well, different in Faerie. But I do know that the best pollinators in any of my gardens and meadows are the scarlet butterflies, and whether they are all still part of her, or whether they’re her descendants of many generations, I still make sure there are always discarded fruits left to decompose around the grounds. We’ve even made nectar pods of little sponge pads, which we soak in honey and water, to leave near their favourite areas.

I remember always wondering why my Welsh granny used to never let me pick up an apple from the ground, even if it looked new and good enough to eat. ‘That’s property of the butterflies now, Cyw‘, she’d say. ‘I’ll lift you up to pick one from the tree’. Now I guess I know.

Notes & Credits

Items featured at Midsummer Enchantment:

• Skirt: Senzafine, Esma Skirt
• Eyeshadow: Hexumbra, Tam Eye Makeup
• Nails: Eventyra, Namrah’s Nuance
• Daisy Paving Stones: Celeste, Radial Paving

Other Fancy Stuff:

• Top: Senzafine, Kezia Top (Available at the Senzafine SL20B Shop n Hop Shop)
• Skin: EnLight, Ivy (Available at Uber)
• Chest Piece: Fantasy World, You Are In My Heart
• Hair: Wasabi, Fiji Hair
• Tiara: Poison Rouge, Arwen Tiara Spring
• Ring: Rivendale, WooHoo Hunt Ring
• Photo Backgrounds: Dove & Pear, Surreal Garden Wall and Faux Houses 4
• Poses: Luanne’s World
• Gwyneth is styled on a Maitreya mesh body and a Lelutka EvoX Gaia head. Her ear shape is achieved by using the Clover Lelutka Fantasy Ear Deformers.