§249

‘In my grandmother’s garden I saw a figure materialize in an almost heatwave like fashion. This was inside of a hedge, I cannot remember what the scientific name of the plant is but we called it the box bush because it grew rather large, but the inside was completely walkable. My grandmother was just outside of the box bush and told me I may have seen one of the fairies that keep gardens healthy.’ ‘Heatwave like, in human shape.’ ‘In relation to this experience there were no sounds. However, on several other occasions I have heard bells ringing in the same garden. No gardens were on the immediate or nearby premises. These sounds always happened late at night.’ ‘Yes, my grandmother is a firm believer in fairies.’ ‘[I thought these were fairies] largely because of my grandmother’s conviction that it was either a fairy or child imagination. Looking back as an adult it could have been either, however given other less intense experiences that also occurred and align with fairy folklore I am of firm belief that it was a fairy. A ghost would be the next possible option, but ghosts and fairies have a shared relationship.’ ‘I believe they exist. As an adult animist I often interact with these spirits. As a child I was a Christian who was raised to believe that fairies could keep plants alive and healthy. That was largely the extent of my exposure to fairies.’ ‘Other than the belief that fairies were real and influenced plant life, my grandmother and family were very logical people. These experiences shaped my future research into fairy folklore and animistic religion. This is also very likely to have created a confirmation bias when reflecting on these experiences. My bias of upbringing, current religion, and fascination with the subject of fairy folklore should be kept into account when reviewing this information.’