Seeing is Believing Page 3

recited how a little girl named Lilly stepped through the iron gate and was whisked away into the Land of Entréea.

  Manny was stunned. "The Land of Entréea? Where is that? And who is Lilly?"

  "Lilly is the little girl in the story and Entréea is the land of the fairies where she goes through the gate into the meadow."

  The woman had never read any story with a girl named Lilly or of a land called Entréea.

  "Weenah is the queen of the fairies and she takes Lilly to the Council of the Tree-elves near the bluffs above the Cove of the Earthlings."

  The strange-sounding names were new, but the iron gate and meadow by the orchard were of course familiar, as were the bluffs by the Emerald Sea. Was the Cove of Earthlings really the village of Ellison Bay where Luna went to school? Thank God, at least she has stopped the babbling, thought Manny

  "Are you Lilly?" Manny asked Luna.

  "Of course not, Lilly is the girl in the story."

  Manny was no Bible scholar, but by framing Luna's experience as a fairy tale, the Lord truly had interpreted her babbling tongue.

  Harald, as a trained linguist, structured Luna's dangling images into mythical language that he later wrote out in grammatically correct English:

  Once upon a time there live simple peasant and his wife on top of a huge bluff that overlooked the Emerald Sea. They had a beautiful daughter named Lilly who was friends with all the fairies and elves that lived in the forests and meadows. Down below in the Cove lived the Earthlings. Every morning . . .

  Each day, Manny and Luna would sit on the big chair by the stove while the girl told stories of Lilly's adventures in the land of Entréea. Nearby, Harald sat at his writing desk and recorded every word.

  This particular evening, Luna spoke of Lilly's third visit to the meadow where she met the tree-elves, Lefty and Righty. They brought her to the Great Gathering of Little People who had driven the intruding Earthlings from the Cove. Luna spoke with excitement, but soon she grew tired and yawned.

  "Child, it's time for bed," said Manny.

  The girl told a bit more and then fell asleep. Harald carried his daughter up the stairs and tucked her into bed. Later he decoded the imagery and wrote out the story:

  From the meadow, just over the flower-tops, a beautiful lady appeared with flowing white garments. It was Weenah. She did not have wings like other fairies but could still glide through the air.

  "Lilly," said the woman softly, "we meet at last."

  "How did you know my name?" the young girl asked.

  "The tree-elves were talking about you at the Conclave . . ."

  "Such a gifted child," exclaimed Marlene Mork, Luna's fourth grade teacher during a conference with Manny. "The children just love her stories of fairies and elves in the land of Entréea. One cannot make such things up. How does she . . . ?"

  "Uff, such a silly girl," said Manny, always downplaying and avoiding any talk about Luna being different or special. "Harald reads too many fairy tales, and she repeats them. Always exaggerating." She gave a weak laugh.

  "No, she is a literary prodigy," Marlene insisted. "My husband Jason is an environmental activist. He has heard about Lilly's trips into Entréea and how Weenah and the forest-fairies fight to stop the Children of Men from pillaging their home."

  "Only made up fairy tales. I hope she's not a nuisance."

  "Don't you see the spiritual insight? 'Entréea' is Door County and the evil 'Children of Men' are the realtors destroying the woodlands with housing projects. How does she see—"

  "Humph. Why talk about this? It's nothing. No one cares."

  Mrs. Mork became serious. "I am Luna's teacher, and her well-being is my concern. I am aware of Dr. Nygaard's diagnosis, Luna's so-called trauma psychosis." She paused. "But you and I know it's more than that. A few at Family Services believe the girl has a spiritual gift, and you might know who they are. Pretending this is nothing is denial."

  Manny trembled.

  The teacher added, "In the end, others decide what is best for the child. If you have no further questions, we'll call it a day."

  Manny walked all the way home, fretting. Everyone knew the Morks were childless and wanted to adopt. Luna was an attractive child. Mrs. Mork and Miss McClure both worked for the State. Maybe they were conspiring with Peggy Newman at Family Services to take Luna away. And what about that Daisy girl?

  "Don't be so fearful," Harald said later. He had never told her what he had overheard. "Those two have nothing to say. Wisconsin has given us custody, and everyone agrees that Luna is happy here. Their reports are always positive."

  True, thought Manny, when Dr. Nygaard was in charge. All had been well until he got himself transferred to Milwaukee. His replacement, Dr. Middleton, hadn't even met Luna and knew only what Miss McClure wanted him to hear.

  "Never talk about really seeing fairies," Manny warned the child. Town people won't understand such things, and Miss McClure will tell Green Bay that you are sick and that I'm a bad mother."

  "Don't worry, Manny," Luna replied. "When the angels took Mamma to heaven, they choose you and Harald to be my parents. Nobody, not even Miss McClure, can take me away."

  "I hope you are right, dear."

  "And besides, Weenah will protect me from her . . . and Mrs. Mork."

  Manny smiled.

  "What did Weenah have to say about all this?"

  "Remember, out in the flower garden? When you served Miss McClure tea?"

  "She did act a bit funny."

  "That's because Weenah kissed her on the cheek. Remember when she started laughing like she was being tickled?"

  Manny pondered. "Why yes, that's when she quit talking about your teacher."

  "See what I mean? The angels sent Weenah to protect me. They brought me to live with you when they took Mamma home. Don't be afraid, dear Manny." Luna opened the door that lead to the back yard. "I'm going out to the meadow, okay?"

  "All right, but don't forget about supper," Manny replied.

  As she had many times before, Luna sprinted across the barnyard, whisking past Manny's hens as they scratched about for food. She ran through the cherry orchard and along the old stone fence. Only at the old cast iron gate did she finally stop.

  Luna was no longer a little girl. She was eleven years old. Things were not the same. When younger, she needed but one step beyond the portal, and, poof! she was in Entréea. Now it wasn't so easy. Sometimes she had to try several times. One time nothing happened at all.

  How will it go today? she wondered. I need to talk to Weenah about Manny and Mrs. Mork. The kids at school make fun of Manny, calling her Broom-Hilda like in the funny papers. Maybe Luna's fairy-friends can help.

  She pushed open the gate and, in bare feet, stepped between two patches of daisies. Nothing happened. Maybe if I think very hard. She squinted and pictured Weenah's face. Suddenly the air bubbled under her feet. The meadow sparkled and flashed with rainbow colors. Hovering above the flowers were hundreds of tiny fairies.

  "Hurrah, I'm back!," she cried. As before, her feet seem to glide across the meadow.

  Stopping along the way, she would ask, "Have you seen Weenah?" All the magical creatures pointed yonder to the birch woods. "Over there, at the Conclave. She's waiting for you."

  A breeze lifted her feet across the field and landed her on the soft green moss beneath a birch tree.

  "Weenah?," cried Luna. "Are you there?"

  The fairy-lady swished her silken robes and came out from behind a tree. "Yes, my child. I've been waiting for you and so have Righty and Lefty."

  The two elves came out from the tree hole where they lived. "We made tea and biscuits for you." Together the magical creatures and Luna sat down on the mossy carpet to eat.

  "It's been ever so long since we've seen you," said Weenah, sipping her tea. "You're getting to be such a big girl. I thought you had forgotten about us. So it is when children grow up."

  "Grow up?" asked Lefty. "How come we never grow up?" The elves la
ughed hysterically.

  "Oh no," said Luna. "How could I ever forget you? That will never happen."

  The jovial creatures suddenly became sad and quiet.

  Weenah could feel their dismay. "Let's not discuss that now. Luna, tell us about your world. It all seems so strange."

  Luna opened her heart about her concerns for Manny and things at school. The elves, who found the Children of Men hard to understand, asked many questions.

  The more Luna talked, the heavier Weenah felt. Suddenly, she closed her eyes and raised her hands above her head. "I see storm clouds gathering. You'll grow up quicker than you can understand now. I fear we may never see you again."

  The elves began to weep and threw themselves on the girl, hugging her tightly. "Luna, we love you so. Goodbye."

  The girl laughed kindly. "Don't say that. Of course I'll be back."

  The fairy-lady gazed at the ground. "We will always be with you, even if you are far away. We pray that God's angels will watch over you." She smiled. "Now let us follow Luna back to the magic portal."

  The troop followed the girl across the meadow. They sang and took turns holding Luna's hand. The girl's feet pressed heavy against the grass and her friends were harder to see. By the time Luna reached the iron gate, they were gone. She was back in the ordinary world.

  What did Weenah mean? she thought. Of course, I'll come back, and very soon. Everything will be as before.

  1995

  Harald sat by the blazing wood stove one evening in March. He had just finished feeding the hens. The goats he had sold years before, and his huge gardens lay dormant. At eighty years