Butterfly adventure

Yesterday I told the children to watch out for fairies when they went running off in the morning sun, and I thought they assumed I was nuts for suggesting such a thing. Turns out, Ian thought I was telling him to catch one or two!

Several hours after they went hooting off, Lolah returned without her little brother. Seems he had disappeared chasing a butterfly, just one more sign of Spring, and she had no idea where he had gone! It's been quiet in our little valley, so we weren't too worried about him. He goes off on his little adventures quite regularly, and it's not unusual for him to wander back to camp in late afternoon in search of a meal. He's always had a strange affinity for animals, too. He seems to understand them better than he understands people, and animals respond to him. In some ways it's reassuring.

As the light started fading, however, I started getting a bit tense waiting for him to return. Steve said I was being silly, that Ian would come strolling back asking for food like he hadn't been gone all day. Still, I noticed Steve keeping a watchful eye on the horizon as well. I was preparing to take the dog out to search for the boy child, when, sure enough, he came running across the grass. The first words out of his mouth were, "Can I have something to eat?"

He'd followed the butterfly further than he realized. It had landed on him in the morning sun, and when he asked it if it knew where the fairies were hiding, it went flitting off. He took that to mean, "Follow me, I'll show you." It took him to a clearing with a large tree on the south side. He climbed the tree, searching for the fairies, but was very apologetic that he didn't find any. I assured him that I understood. Sometimes I forget that he's caught my whimsical nature. Steve and Lolah are very much the opposite- the world is as it appears to be. For Ian and I, though, the world only shows us a fraction of it's secrets. You have to pay close attention if you want to see into the cracks of reality.

Our reality, though, is that we are beginning to run low on supplies. We'll have to pack up and get on the move again if we want to reach a township without foraging. We're not far from the township where I was raised and where my parents still live. It will be a good place to refresh our supplies and catch up on news.