Dear E.
I need to write to tell you about some magical adventures uncle iKaruS and I have had recently. The first starts before dawn one morning, we woke and crept out of the tent and into the car, we were headed to Fairyland which as I shall explain is misnamed. It’s not fairyland at all but really the homeland of Flighty and Stompy. I’m not too sure about OggaBuggah I think he comes from more tropical climes where palm tree sway.
We flashed through the darkness of the early morning, passing lots of deer carefully eating grasses on the side of the road. The darkness hid the mountains as they rose arounds us till just the faintest gleam of light filled the eastern sky. We raced for a parking spot as the the light swept away the darkness in a soft glow, no colours filled the sky yet. The land just a pale grey as the eye of the sun had not yet turned on its brightness yet. We joined others as we walked towards a viewing point. Couples hugged each other to keep warm and I put a pair of tracksuit pants on my head to keep my ears warm. I had meant of course to grab a coat but in the dark missed and instead found my woollen tracksuit pants. Surprisingly it was nice and warm the legs wound around my neck. Trussed up with my strange headgear in the grey darkness I don’t think anyone really noticed. iKaruS was in his photography mood and I do not think felt the chilly morning.\
We ended up on a point high above a canyon, a guard rail surrounding the people as if separating the humans from the fae. You do know what a fae is? They are the fairies and gnomes, maybe the wizards and the witches as well. The things that don’t quite fit into our rational normal world. Rarely do us humans get to see the fae but somethings there are special places that might make it easier.
The sun slowly crept up and colour bled back into the landscape, at first it was creams replacing the grey. Soon the cream turned to hints of golden red as the glory of the canyon was displayed. We were standing on the edge with the sun rising ahead of us but to the sides wonderful shapes called hoodoo’s started to emerge in the colours. Twisted forms of rocks stacked high one above the other melting back into view as the darkness receded. Photographers clicked their cameras and tried to capture the magic as it returned back into the landscape. They failed of course, you can see some of our shots if you like but the magic doesn’t show itself well in the photos.
Soon after we headed along the rim of the canyon and found the start of the trail that would take us down into fairyland itself. We climbed down the canyon’s edge following a easy path that led us ever downwards as the hoodoo’s started to tower above us. After a while we reached the bottom and looked back to see the shards of rock reaching high above us into the clear blue sky.
It’s difficult to describe the sensation pricking at the base of my now naked neck. I had left my trouser scarf back at the car when we started the descent and with the sun’s warm rays on us it was becoming rather hot. But the sensation of things watching us from the stones grew and grew. It was then I thought of Stompy and Flighty and where they might have come from. As the sun became both smaller and higher in the sky the shadowed recesses of the canyons grew. Between the tall hoodoo’s and towering shards of rock there grew spaces where easily they two guardians back home could magically return here to this place. Immense cliffs rose around us, the ground twisted into strange shapes and lifted in ways that didn’t quite make sense. It was as if someone had made a giant sandwich and then turned it on its side. Layers on layers of colour topped with icing hoodoos.
Soon it wasn’t even the portal caves that were present but laughing faces peering out of the rocks. Look at the picture you’ll see what I mean. Witches on broom sticks were present and the faces of hagged old women. I wonder if Stompy is really a girl? I don’t think so but you never know. Next time you are at the cottage can you ask for me? Stompy might not answer except in your dreams but that’s what happens with magical creatures.
Holy Cow and Toffee where still with us on the walk they clung to our backpack . Sir Billy Bob, our hitch hiker from Yosemite, stayed with the car today. He has his own adventure later when we met the Goblin King. The land here is so strange even the trees seemed all twisted around. The trunks turned as his the wind had blown much to hard. IT was odd to see such strange shaped trees but we walked through lots of them. They were never a forrest just the odd twisting of trees here and there. Uncle iKaruS tried to take an image of the twisting trunks but I’m not so sure it worked out well.
Of course once one goes down, one has to go back up and alas I don’t have a broomstick or dragon to ride up. Boy did I wish Flighty was around to give me a lift up the hill but he was back at home guarding the house at night. Do you think Uncle B hears them roaming at night. I bet Ninja hangs out with Flighty, Stompy and OggaBuggah. The paths led back up through a twisting and turning track that led over what looked like old sand dunes. Sometimes it felt like the path would just disappear into the sky or maybe we could slide down the hoodoos and slopes. We just kept following the path up and up all the while the magical land rose a round us. 
This is me wishing I’d had a flying carpet! The sides of the path were steep and fell off in all directions, but I was careful and Toffee and Holy hung on really tight as we headed across the ridge line. 
After another while we came to a giant wall in front of us. The path clearly tracked at the base and we headed into the wall wondering all the time what was on the other side. Did it hide dragons or maybe we would find the portal that would take us back to Stompy and Flighty. The clouds were gathering high above us now the sun was beaming down. You would think we wouldn’t be wearing long sleeves but the sun was fierce as if warning us to not keep going on. We had too of course because Sir Billy Bob was waiting in the car at the top. So instead we headed around the wall following the path upwards. Eventually our feet took us back to the top of the pink coloured cliffs. We never did find what was on the other side of the wall. Maybe one day you will come here and find out.
Uncle iKaruS captured here. We never saw any fae creatures but you and I know their secret that they only move at night when your eyes are closed. Must be pretty amazing to see with our eyes closed! Imagine all the creatures we’d see! 
We headed back to camp then. Love E
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