A Magical Meeting

It was a safe, peaceful place for Shandy, the elderly, golden Labrador, to snuffle around in. The dog loved the wild smells of the damp earth, the insects scuttling about and the tiny birds that fed on the insects. She would find contentment in gentle exercise while checking all the scents.

Once, not too many years ago, Shandy would have raced through the clearing, excited to be out chasing birds, seeking rabbits, and barking at any flying insects that hovered over the marshy land. Now, her legs moved slowly and her eyes were dim. Still, going to the wild places brought her great pleasure.

The air was still; it was quiet enough to hear the whirr of the dragonfly wings as they flew above the shady pools of water. Shandy panted softly as she trotted along. Her owner let her wander, comfortable in knowing the dog would not go far.

Shandy stopped to investigate a fern. It spoke of a mouse who had since continued on its adventures. The next thing to check was the rotten log, partly submerged in rank water. Various insects had made this their home. Shandy smelt the distinctive aromas of wetas, grubs and fly larvae. There were worms and slugs in there too.

Across the barely visible track were mounds of earth that had been tree stumps, so long ago decayed, they had turned into dark soil. Moss covered these lumpy protrusions. There was a subtle scent of flesh, aged and marinated, beyond the tastes of a well-fed dog. Perhaps it was the last resting place of the mouse’s great-great-grandmother. Shandy buried her nose in the soft dampness.

When she raised her head, a new aroma surrounded her. There had been traces of this scent on previous walks but Shandy had never encountered what caused it.

She blinked her eyes as if the aroma was touching the corneas. Her vision cleared to a degree she had not experienced for some years. A creature was standing on the mound. It was no taller than her elbow but stood on two legs.

Shandy’s hearing was still very good. She could pick up noises that suggested there were several of these creatures moving around her. Her tail began to wag. They were friendly, rather than scary or dangerous.

She gazed around and saw them, little humanoid creatures with dragonfly wings that caught the light. They wore leaves as clothing, were barefooted and had frizzy, brown hair. To her old eyes, their skin was golden. She could not see well enough to make out the complexities of eyes, noses and mouths.

She stood still, breathing in the fabulous, friendly, fairy aroma.

They crept up close and touched her. Where the tiny hands stroked, came a feeling of vitality. Shandy laid down so she could better enjoy the caresses. She felt her hair being groomed out. She was always shedding. She wuffled her pleasure.

A series of noises, loud and rhythmic, disturbed the peace. They were footsteps of human proportions. The little people vanished. Then one returned. It placed one hand on Shandy’s nose, then bent over and lifted her lip. It pushed a tiny ball of something buttery between her teeth before it departed again.

The taste, sweet and fatty, welled up in Shandy’s mouth. She drooled with pleasure until cords of saliva were hanging past her lips. The ball of delight dissolved.

“Shandy, Shandy, where are you sweetheart?”

Shandy heaved herself up off the ground. She always heeded her owner’s call. A moment later they were reunited.

“There you are. I was getting worried,” her owner cooed. “Look at you, honey, your face tells me you’ve been naughty. What yummy thing did you get into?”

Shandy wagged her tail, happy that her owner was using a cheerful tone. She could not speak of the wonderful experience her new friends had given her. All she could do was trot towards home with a spring in her step.