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‘Riding a trail through the woods I’d stop and take pictures of wild plants to identify later. One day it felt as if I were being watched, so I pointed the camera in that direction and zoomed in as far as I could (this portion of the trail had a field on one side so I zoomed into the woods lining the field where I thought the watcher was) and snapped. I forgot about it until later that night and used a picture editor to enlarge and cut my photos. The one where I’d zoomed in had what looked like an eye [?] and a spirit near it. I was very curious after that and began to take more pictures and examine them closely. I’d read a tiny bit of fairy lore, but winged it and spoke to my surroundings when I’d stop to take a shot. I asked that if any fairies wanted to be in a painting, to show up and I would enlarge the photo and paint what I saw. Over a period of about two months I’d found what looked to me like several different kinds of beings among the plants. I painted them. I took a few gifts and even once took the little paintings to the places where I’d snapped the photos and showed them to the entities I could not see with my bare eyes. Eventually, I had to stop as work began in earnest and I had no time for enlarging photos much less painting what I’d found. I continued talking to plants and the fey and the like when I’d stop though. I told them about having to stop and I welcomed anyone to my own garden who would not mean harm and did not mind a human who was not a great gardener nor a consistent gift giver. Several of my favorite wild plants began to grow wild in my garden and are still there now and thriving when in their season. I keep the little paintings on a wall of my home and have the pictures from which I painted stored on my computer. When I have shown then to others, only a couple have seen what I did. People can make out how I came to the painting logically due to the resemblance of the shapes in the photos, but nobody ever seems to feel comfortable affirming that they are entities or acknowledging how wild it is to have had this experience. I keep pretty tight lipped about it now. I still give gifts and on occasion that photos and enlarge them later to hunt, but I have no time for painting. I only catch half glimpses anymore. I still bring gifts to the trail and I still communicate one way. It does feel very much like we have an agreement as pertains to my garden though. They can come and expect to be treated with respect, but know that I am inconsistent and keep to myself and they keep to themselves. In dreams I have seen them. The same relationship but with clearer visuals is evident. We do our own thing and don’t interact much save for with the plants. I tend as I can and it seems they do as well.’ ‘Some seemed playful while others looked frightened or intrigued, others were seemed just to be working.’ ‘All sorts of ways. Some looked like aliens, some looked human, and others looked like a cross between human and animals.’ ‘[They were fairies] because of the way they looked and how they seemed to answer when I spoke to them. They did not answer vocally, but when I said I would be taking a picture at a place and time and asked if they wanted to show up, to do so, some did.’ ‘I think they like to be left alone by humans and that they have plans and goals of their own.’ ‘There was a question that asked if fairies played a part in other work. The options were ‘no, never’ or ‘yes, frequently’ but for me it is only sometimes and only about specific errands for them. Like what kinds of gifts to bring or what kinds of paints and colors to use if I am attempting to paint. But with other types of things, like magic working etc. they seem not to be involved. Perhaps they watch. In the garden I only see them peripherally and rarely and they seem to like it that way. Like a drive by wave.’