Modern Fairies, Dwarves, Goblins, and Other Nasties Read online

  But then, as I got older and refused to take back my story, they said that I was crazy—or worse, a liar.

  So I started to gather information about the fairy world and report on its many inhabitants. I traveled across the globe many times and talked to hundreds of people who had encounters like mine. People like Daisy and Olive; like George, Felix, and Imogene; like Annabelle, Mirabelle, and Lucius.

  I wanted to prove to the world that I had been right.

  Yet to this day, despite countless testimonies and overwhelming evidence, most people still do not believe in fairies.

  But I know that you know better.

  Molasses lived for another seven years after our adventure.

  The Claremont Riding Academy was over a hundred years old when it closed in 2007.

  And the pixies never returned.

  The Future of Fairies

  The world is changing in many ways. Pollution is getting worse, and the atmosphere is getting warmer. Cities are getting more and more crowded, and spilling farther into the countryside. All of these changes affect how fairies live and whether they will be able to survive in the long run.

  When more forests get chopped down, that means fewer homes for brownies and other tree-dwelling fairies.

  When chemicals and trash contaminate oceans, rivers, and streams, there are fewer livable habitats for the Lorelei and other mermaids.

  When big companies drill for oil and minerals, they often destroy underground dwarf mines and villages, forcing dwarves to search in vain for new homes.

  As you have seen in this book, most fairy breeds are adaptable and have carved out places for themselves in the modern world. But as you also know, fairies are very closely tied to nature—much more than humans seem to be—and the continued destruction of the environment may put fairies in the same category as dinosaurs:

  Extinct.

  Many of the more rare and more fragile species are already dying out.

  The loss of fairies would be tragic for humans. While fairies clearly have their darker side, they also make us appreciate the beauty of trees and flowers and look for what is special about our everyday surroundings.

  They remind us to always look twice, that first impressions and appearances can be deceptive.

  They teach us that surprises may lie behind closed doors and set an example when it comes to treasuring animals.

  Each of us can do our part to make sure that fairies always have a place in our world.

  Start in your own home. To help the environment, make sure that your family recycles things like newspapers, cans, and plastic bottles. Don’t waste food, and don’t let faucets drip. Never litter, and if you see trash on the ground, throw it away, even if it didn’t belong to you. Plant a tree with your parents or your class at school.

  Doing little things like this every day will help keep the earth clean and preserve the fairy realm—and ensure that future generations will share the world with these magical creatures.

  Just make sure that you teach your own children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren the penny trick about telling a good fairy from a bad one.

  After all, you are now officially an expert in the ways of modern fairies, dwarves, goblins, and other nasties.

  The End

  Acknowledgments

  The author and illustrator wish to extend special thanks to Elissa Lumley, without whom this happy collaboration would not exist.

  The author would like to thank the following people, whose help with this project was invaluable and highly appreciated: Erin Clarke, Nancy Hinkel, Kate Lee, Christine Bauch, Gregory Macek, Caitlin Crounse, Jessica Sailer, Sara Just, and the staffs of Norwood and Sant Ambroeus for tolerating hours of research and writing on their distinguished premises.

  Lesley M. M. Blume spent much of her childhood sitting in her backyard, willing fairies to appear. These days, she is an author and journalist based in New York City. Her critically acclaimed books for children include Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters, The Rising Star of Rusty Nail, and Tennyson, which the Chicago Tribune praised for its “brilliant, unusual writing.”

  You can learn more about her at www.lesleymmblume.com.

  David Foote envisions the world through a fantastical black-and-white looking glass.

  He is a fine artist, filmmaker, and animator who left his hometown of Caracas, Venezuela, at eighteen to study at the Parsons School of Design in New York City, where he currently lives. Modern Fairies, Dwarves, Goblins & Other Nasties is his first children’s book.

  Visit him on the Web at www.davidfootestudio.com.