reminded of the Renaissance festival his parents had taken his family to the spring before. The scene had a carnival atmosphere, especially when lights started pulsating in a happy rhythm.
Moving along the branch, he saw fairies pulling a cart loaded with long L-shaped sticks. The fairies regularly stopped along the branch and stuck the long end of the stick into a hole seemingly made for it. The bend of the L extended almost twice his height, and it was big enough for five or six fireflies to perch on, which was exactly what happened as soon as each stick was in place. The flashing of the lightning bugs effectively became street lights to guide travelers along their way.
Now that it was brought to his attention, he noticed busy insect activity happening on and around the tree. Lines of beetles carried an assortment of berries to the drink vendors who unloaded them, and then sent the carrier back for more. The berries were squashed in a press to make a juice drink. A fairy was assigned to half-fill a little wooden mug with the juice, cork it, and place it on the back of a beetle sitting and waiting on the branch.
After carefully securing the mug, the beetle rapidly flapped its wings, beating the mug back and forth. With an extra hard flip of one wing, the mug flew back into the fairyâs waiting hands. It was an overflowing, foamy, berry drink. The fairy licked the foam off his fingers and started the process all over again.
âLook!â Penny squealed as she came upon fairies sitting at a booth stroking furry, little caterpillars on their laps. Penny instinctively reached over and began petting one.
Paul and Phil stayed at the drink booth with MarLan and LeeLan. Already having drinks in their hands, they headed to a bench and table. Nearby, a fairy was pulling another bench out of the branch.
NarVan was showing Karl, Brian, and Ron something Clayton couldnât see. AnDrin joined Penny, and both sat with caterpillars lounging sleepily on their laps. SeeLee, although still near, stood searching the branches above her, but didnât seem to find what she was looking for.
Looking over to the nearest branch, Clayton saw a stick bug, measuring taller than a fairy, standing behind a little fairy creature, busily untangling twigs and bits of leaves from her long hair. On another branch, spiders spun webs, creating trampolines for the younger fairies. The webs were coated with a slippery substance, and the youngest toddlers could get neither footing nor hand hold, so they just kept bouncing around each other and giggling. Their little wings flopped around like capes, as if the strength to stretch them hadnât yet developed. Soft muted colors were just beginning to shade their wings, but the veins of gold barely glowed at all. The fairy supervising them kept a close eye on her little charges. Webs on other branches created a connected playground of trampolines.
Other beetles scurried around the branches on unknown missions. Clayton noticed one particular beetle carrying a berry. It was receiving the full attention from what could only be a helper fairy. The two were stumbling over each other and rolling around, grappling for the berry, which was being torn and shredded as it slowly progressed toward its destination. Soon the fairy and the beetle were covered in berry juice. With little of its prize left to harvest, the beetle gave up and turned back to get another berry.
The helper fairy picked up the remaining pieces of the shredded mess and took the mangled berry to a nearby booth where a shopkeeper fairy gladly relieved the helper fairy of his offering. With a job well done, the helper went after the beetle to help yet again.
Suddenly, a moth flew inches from his head. It was almost as big as he was, and he then noticed the large number of moths flying around the tree. Some flew dizzily around the fairiesâ lighted wings, while a few flying closer to the fairies used their legs to gently brush sparkles
Moving along the branch, he saw fairies pulling a cart loaded with long L-shaped sticks. The fairies regularly stopped along the branch and stuck the long end of the stick into a hole seemingly made for it. The bend of the L extended almost twice his height, and it was big enough for five or six fireflies to perch on, which was exactly what happened as soon as each stick was in place. The flashing of the lightning bugs effectively became street lights to guide travelers along their way.
Now that it was brought to his attention, he noticed busy insect activity happening on and around the tree. Lines of beetles carried an assortment of berries to the drink vendors who unloaded them, and then sent the carrier back for more. The berries were squashed in a press to make a juice drink. A fairy was assigned to half-fill a little wooden mug with the juice, cork it, and place it on the back of a beetle sitting and waiting on the branch.
After carefully securing the mug, the beetle rapidly flapped its wings, beating the mug back and forth. With an extra hard flip of one wing, the mug flew back into the fairyâs waiting hands. It was an overflowing, foamy, berry drink. The fairy licked the foam off his fingers and started the process all over again.
âLook!â Penny squealed as she came upon fairies sitting at a booth stroking furry, little caterpillars on their laps. Penny instinctively reached over and began petting one.
Paul and Phil stayed at the drink booth with MarLan and LeeLan. Already having drinks in their hands, they headed to a bench and table. Nearby, a fairy was pulling another bench out of the branch.
NarVan was showing Karl, Brian, and Ron something Clayton couldnât see. AnDrin joined Penny, and both sat with caterpillars lounging sleepily on their laps. SeeLee, although still near, stood searching the branches above her, but didnât seem to find what she was looking for.
Looking over to the nearest branch, Clayton saw a stick bug, measuring taller than a fairy, standing behind a little fairy creature, busily untangling twigs and bits of leaves from her long hair. On another branch, spiders spun webs, creating trampolines for the younger fairies. The webs were coated with a slippery substance, and the youngest toddlers could get neither footing nor hand hold, so they just kept bouncing around each other and giggling. Their little wings flopped around like capes, as if the strength to stretch them hadnât yet developed. Soft muted colors were just beginning to shade their wings, but the veins of gold barely glowed at all. The fairy supervising them kept a close eye on her little charges. Webs on other branches created a connected playground of trampolines.
Other beetles scurried around the branches on unknown missions. Clayton noticed one particular beetle carrying a berry. It was receiving the full attention from what could only be a helper fairy. The two were stumbling over each other and rolling around, grappling for the berry, which was being torn and shredded as it slowly progressed toward its destination. Soon the fairy and the beetle were covered in berry juice. With little of its prize left to harvest, the beetle gave up and turned back to get another berry.
The helper fairy picked up the remaining pieces of the shredded mess and took the mangled berry to a nearby booth where a shopkeeper fairy gladly relieved the helper fairy of his offering. With a job well done, the helper went after the beetle to help yet again.
Suddenly, a moth flew inches from his head. It was almost as big as he was, and he then noticed the large number of moths flying around the tree. Some flew dizzily around the fairiesâ lighted wings, while a few flying closer to the fairies used their legs to gently brush sparkles
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