The Fairy Door

[DocRick]

The following story is fictious. Images used in the collages are from various online sources, i.e. Bing Images, Deviant Art, etc. This story and the images are intended solely for the fun of creating it and for the readers of this forum and no other use is intended or authorized.

Throughout time immemorial, there have been stories of "little people" living among us. Some call them fairies, others call them leprechauns. Different cultures have had various other names for them, but the folklore of all cultures have included them. No one has ever captured one or found any remains of one and those who claim to have seen one are invariably met with scorn and ridicule. Today, most people no longer believe in them at all. Like flying saucers, big foot, the Loch Ness monster, the existence of the "little people" have been "scientifically" disproven, explained away with rational reasoning or simply as figments of one's disturbed imagination and relegated to science fiction literature, movies and television, with the exception of a handful of anthropologists and investigative reporters who are even today, are still trying to prove their existence. Some people still believe or at least, want to believe in the "little people". For these few, being chosen to have one live in your home is thought to be a good thing and you and yours would be blessed with good health and fortune. Many of the very old homes in this particular island nation have what have been called "Fairy Doors". These are small doors, like mouseholes, at the bottom of interior walls leading to the spaces inside the walls. The preference of the homeowner determines their design and structure. Some like the doors to be plain and just as an opening in the wall. Other people get more extravagant, with elaborate doors and frames, sometimes even stairways leading up into the walls and they may decorate them during the different holiday seasons. Tradition, however, says you are not allowed to look into them or bother them in any way or the "little people" will leave and take your good fortune with them. The belief in these "little people" have mostly faded away. Only the very old still believe and they pass on the stories to the very young before they grow up and fall to the seduction of their technological gods and become too cynical to believe in what they can't see.

To be continued.........

[Prof Sai]

I want one of those in my house. Imagine having it in the guest room somewhere, or the living room by the front door.

What "particular island nation" is it? The style of plug suggests Japan.

[DocRick]

What "particular island nation" is it? The style of plug suggests Japan.

It could be any island nation, but the story will reveal more eventually.

[Zera_Stardust]

[DocRick]

Oh don't worry. This is just the beginning of the story. But you're on the right track.

[Prof Sai]

Zira knows what to do!

[DocRick]

This is Chatham Manor, the home of John and Abigail Criton. The house was built 700 years ago on the ruins of a 2,000 year old Roman fortress. It has been in Abigail's family for its entire existence. Their nearest neighbor is nearly 7 kilometers away. When the house was built, belief in the little people was quite universal and the house was purpose built with fairy doors and passageways constructed within the walls and even when Abigail recently had extensive remodeling and repairs done, she demanded the workers do nothing to disturb the fairy doors or the interior walls of the house, other than plaster and paint. Abigail has always believed in the little people even though, of course, she had never seen one. Abigail was the only child of her parents and grew up in Chatham Manor and when her parents passed away only a few years after she married, she and John moved into Chatham family home. Her great grandmother had told her stories about the little people when she was a child and she never stopped believing. John, on the other hand, was a nonbeliever in the little people. He was a doctor, scientist and renowned Shakespearian actor who didn't put much stock in country folklore and legends. He and Abigail didn't care for the social life of the rich and famous and he would only attend social functions at the insistence of his theatrical agent. They lived a rather austere life and had accumulated a rather vast fortune, though to see them in town, you would never know it. They treated the common folk with the same kindness and dignity as they did when they had to make an appearance before the queen. Sadly, John passed away when he was 56 during a stage performance of MacBeth when a spotlight broke loose from its moorings and landed on him. Abigail, now in her mid-seventies, never remarried and lived a life of solitude. Other than the housekeeper and groundskeeper and an occasional visitor, she stayed by herself. But she knew she wasn't alone in the house though. Things have happened to her all her life and continue happening today that let her know the little people are sharing her home with her and she wouldn't have it any other way.

[DocRick]

A few months after moving into the house, John Criton was looking for a letter opener he always left on an end table in the living room where he reads his newspapers and mail. It was nowhere to be found. Abigail said she hadn't seen it either. As he moved an envelope to search for it, he found a coin. As he examined it more closely, he discovered it was a nearly 2,000 year old Roman coin..........Abigail told him her grandmother had told her little people would leave an item of value if they were intending to keep the item they "borrowed", hence the name "borrower" for these little people. John still refused to believe in the little people, suggesting the coin had fallen out of an envelope. Although, he was unable to explain what happened to the letter opener.

[DocRick]

One morning, Abigail found this hanging from the kitchen countertop. She had long ago discontinued her attempts to get John to believe in the little people so she simply left it inside the fairy door and checking again an hour later, it was gone and another Roman coin was lying on the floor just outside the door.

[DocRick]

Two weeks ago, Abigail was cleaning her wedding ring in the basement when she was startled by a loud clap of thunder and dropped the ring into the floor drain. The drain was very old, deep and full of God-knows-what. She feared the ring was gone forever. The next morning, the ring was setting on her night table, clean and shiny. Next to it was a tiny origami crane.........and some tiny barefoot footprints in the dust.

[DocRick]

Meet Henrietta.......I mean, Henry. She HATES the name Henrietta so don't call her that. It was her great grandmother's name but she doesn't like it and prefers to go by Henry, even though that name is connected to a rather unsavory king in the past history of this island nation. Her last name is Coin. Half a century ago, her ancestors settled in the walls of Chatham Manor. (Remember? The manor was purposely built to include doors, passages and rooms for the little people) Her great etc, etc, grandfather was exploring outside the manor and found a crevice in a pile of huge boulders and beneath the boulders was a large stash of Roman coins, left there when the Saxons defeated the Romans and drove them out of their country for good. The boulders are far too big to move so they were simply left as part of the garden landscape, and no one knew the coins were there until Henry's ancestors found them. The coins were left in exchange for the items they borrowed, which gave them the nickname of Borrowers, from the human beings, known as beans to the borrowers. This has been going on for hundreds of years with all the Chatham families that have lived in Chatham Manor. No one knew how the coins were appearing, other than those that believed in the little people, and no one complained as the coins were extremely valuable and added greatly to the Chatham family fortune.

Henry is eighteen years old and already a very skilled borrower. By bean measurement standards, Henry is about 5 inches tall, maybe a little more or less. Borrowers do wear regular clothing, usually handmade from "borrowed" scraps of material or carefully tailored doll clothes, but at least in the warmer weather, Henry likes to travel light. She makes tunics from some very soft burlap material she found and wears these when borrowing, along with her burlap backpack, a grappling hook which is actually a fishing treble hook given to her by her father, a length of string and no shoes. She feels she can move about the house more quietly without shoes. On occasion she'll wear a necklace made of some beads and when in season, she likes to wear a flower in her hair. Since Abigail is the only bean normally in the house, Henry can venture rather freely, especially at night when Abigail is asleep. And in case you were wondering, it was Henry that rappelled down into the drainpipe and retrieved Abigail's wedding ring and left it on her nightstand, along with the origami crane which she learned how to make from her grandmother. In addition to be a very sweet girl, Henry has a sense of humor and likes to tease Abigail with unexplainable things like this. Abigail just keeps her little gifts which she knows are from the little people who live with her, but she has never seen.

[DocRick]

She may go by Henry, but she is all girl, right down to taking a bubble bath in a 300-year-old ladle, "borrowed" long ago for the price of a Roman coin.

[DocRick]

Mr. McGee is an investigative reporter for a tabloid rag newspaper. As a boy, he had heard stories of little people, leprechauns and the like, but reaching adulthood, he blew them off as fantasy folklore. During an unrelated investigation on discoveries of ancient Roman artifacts, he found himself in the city near Chatham Manor. He stopped into the only jewelry store in town as he had been told the jeweler had been in possession of ancient Roman coins. While browsing the jewelry on display, he noticed the jeweler was mounting one of these coins in a necklace. Making casual conversation, Mr. McGee asked the jeweler about the coin. The jeweler told him Old Ms. Criton had brought it in to be made into a necklace. Asking if she said where she had obtained the coin, the jeweler chuckled and said "she said a leprechaun gave it her. She's a wacky old lady, nice and sweet, but she's gotten a bit senile in her golden years."

[Prof Sai]

I'm fine with shrunken women, but an ungrounded type A electrical socket anywhere in Europe, well I just can't cope!


https://www.worldstandards.eu/electrici ... d-sockets/

My psychiatrist says I need to lighten up. Then she went to hide in her fairy door.

[DocRick]

I'm fine with shrunken women, but an ungrounded type A electrical socket anywhere in Europe, well I just can't cope!

My psychiatrist says I need to lighten up. Then she went to hide in her fairy door.

Are you sure it's Europe? And listen to your shrink. (pun intended) I can't talk to mine since he admitted himself to the hospital after our last session.

[Prof Sai]

Are you sure it's Europe?

- Chatham Manor
- King Henry
- Roman coins and artifacts
- leprechaun myths
- Mr. McGee & Old Ms. Criton
- Island nation

Yes, I'm sure it's Europe.

[Elana]

But Jack McGee was an american.

The name of the tabloid Jack McGee worked for was The National Register, whose main office was located in Chicago

(Than you google)
I guess you hadn't see reruns of the old Hulk TV show.

As that disproves one of your points, clearly I don't need to bother with any of the others

[Prof Sai]

My brain!
:: Cries ::

[Elana]

Wait you have a brain?
Where did you get one of those?

I want one

[DocRick]

Are you sure it's Europe?

- Chatham Manor
- King Henry
- Roman coins and artifacts
- leprechaun myths
- Mr. McGee & Old Ms. Criton
- Island nation

Yes, I'm sure it's Europe.

Yes, but are you sure it's on Planet Earth and/or The Third Dimesion ?

[Prof Sai]

Why would aliens use type A electrical sockets?

[DocRick]

Why would aliens use type A electrical sockets?

You're asking questions way above my pay grade. The only thing I know about electricity is don't touch it, it hurts.

[DocRick]

Henry had been watching Ms. Criton cleaning her jewelry the night she lost her wedding ring down the floor drain from hidden vantage on the bookcase. The same thunderstorm that caused her to drop her ring, knocked out the power to the house. Ms. Criton had telephoned a neighbor bean to come over and check out the fuse box. Catching Henry by surprise when the bean struck a match so he could find the fuse box, she just stood motionless by the books. Fortunately, he didn't see her, and she waited until he reset the fuses and left before climbing down into the drain to retrieve the ring.

[DocRick]

But Jack McGee was an american.

The name of the tabloid Jack McGee worked for was The National Register, whose main office was located in Chicago

(Than you google)
I guess you hadn't see reruns of the old Hulk TV show.

As that disproves one of your points, clearly I don't need to bother with any of the others

One of my all-time favorite television quotes: "Mister McGee, don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry".

[Prof Sai]

Don't threaten the tiny with fire! Just because she rewired your house with foreign electrical sockets that are never supposed to have 230v power. She was just trying to protect your feet!

(The british make a stink about how great their socket designs are, particularly compared to US designs. Then they step on their giant plugs that always lay pins up! Those things draw blood! (See the pic above.))