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‘I grew up in a California suburb surrounded by open space, and have always loved taking walks around our block. I’ve also always felt very close with nature, and loved the idea of fairies, as most children do, but had never seen one, although I often felt that I sensed their presence. One day in spring, about 2013, when I was around nine, I stopped beneath an oak tree beside the sidewalk. It was up against a brick wall on the side of a yard where there was a maybe twelve by six-foot patch of tall grass and small flowers. It had always felt magical there, to me. When I crouched down to look at the flowers, I found a figure floating in the grass. It was humanoid and small, maybe only two inches in height, and looked almost like it was made of twigs. It had clear wings, like a dragonfly, and I remember it having some sort of face, though I can’t recall it. I just sat on the sidewalk and watched it sort of hopping/dancing between stalks of grass. The weirdest thing was, I didn’t feel shocked. I knew it was a fairy, instantly, but there was no panic or even huge rush of excitement (although I certainly felt happy). I just felt honored, almost. And it felt like it belonged there, like I was looking at a bug, squirrel, rabbit, or any creature I’d see in daily life. I never told anyone, as I knew they wouldn’t believe me, and only in the last few years have I looked back on this experience and seen how strange it really was.’ ‘Twig like, dark brown, dragonfly-like wings’. ‘It looked like a fairy, a humanoid with wings, and it felt very natural and of the earth.’