16. A bit of an anti-climactic finale!

Well, that sort of fizzled out, didn't it?

Two months after I announced the imminent grand opening of the Fairy Forest, and the completion of The Quest, here we are. Finally. Of course, it's been finished for ages, but life has a way of getting in the way of the things you REALLY want to do, replacing it with things that MUST be done. So here we are, with a bit of anti-climactic finale.

I tried to make a video tour of the completed creation, which is hard to do in a four foot by eight foot space. Especially when you are working with a cell phone and hands that aren't as steady as they used to be. So still shots will have to do.

Only one of the grandchildren has seen it so far, and I must confess, it wasn't what I expected. Three-year-old Nora had been seeing images of the fairy forest during videocalls with Grandma over a couple of weeks. Every subsequent call, first thing, she would ask, "can I see the fairies?" So I would show her again, the book shelf with the toys and books, the fairy costumes, the lights and dolls. She was excited, and her face would light up with a smiling look of wonder. We were getting pretty excited for her visit.

When the day arrived, she didn't sleep at all during the two-hour car ride. Upon their arrival, upstairs we ventured, where I had already turned on all the fairy lights, and opened the double doors to welcome her in. That beautiful face lit up again with magical wonder. Into the space she and her dad stepped. She looked around and a look of bewilderment crossed her face. She touched the back wall, covered with the image of the magical fairy forest and she whispered, "But...how do we get in?"

"What do you mean, honey?" her dad asked. "We are already in."

"But, how do we get in THERE, and she pointed into the depths of the forest on the polyester wall tapestry, which had frustratingly not transported her onto the path in a real enchanted forest. Our mutual disappointment was short-lived however, as she immediately searched for the Calico Critters house and dolls and asked if we could play. And play we did, all blessed day long.

And it was magical.