ABSTRACT
I can hear their giggly laughter from the kitchen as I slice a pile of chilled wet strawberries. Today they are sister fairies, their frilly tutus gently bouncing up and down as they tiptoe across worn couch cushions placed down the hall like lily pads floating on top of a pond. “Hurry! Fairies can’t fly in the rain! We have to hide under a flower until the rain stops!” The ribbons from their thin pink butterfly wings trail behind them as they squeal in excitement and leap to the next lily pad—the younger one less graceful with a shorter stride. “The rain drops are getting bigger! There’s the flower! Hurry!” She yelled between gasps. Their voices are getting closer as I divide the strawberry pile in half and drop a handful onto each of the two pink plastic plates. They turn the corner and I can see them now—the pale pink leotards tight across their little shoulders making their collarbones seem more pronounced. “Mommy! It’s raining and we have to hide under the flower!” Their stocking feet slide across the tile to safety—under the kitchen table. “Phew! We made it.” They both giggled and reached for the other’s hands—leaning together so their foreheads touched. “Can we have our lunch here under the flower, Mommy? Fairies can’t be out in the rain.” They sit cross-legged with eager eyes as I set their lunch plates down on the floor in front of them. “Ooooh! Strawberries! Do fairies like strawberries mom?” I smiled as I watched them both excitedly shove strawberries in their mouths. “Yea buddy, fairies love strawberries!” I said. His face lit with delight as his shoulders lifted towards his ears—“Allie! We are having a real fairy lunch!” He said to his sister—both elated, clutching their strawberries.
