On the front and back doors of the house were green wreaths, living by the warmth of the sun and the spray of water. The were wreaths of ferns and moss, little safety circles for fey who wandered too far from their own circles, attracted by the smell of magic or sweets. It was like a playground they could run laps around until they were guided back to their own home, to make sure they didn’t get any more lost than they already were.

She was tall. That was the first thing I noticed when I spotted her in my yard. Taller than myself by about three feet, making her almost seem like a giant. Her body was thick and strong, as if made by brick, reminding me of an the Olympians. She had rich terracotta skin that warmed under the sun and her eyes were like grey-blue stones. Her hair was like a afro, a large puff of green ferns that shimmered in the light. There was enough to build a couple of birds nests in there. There were so many rich shades of green as she moved her head, looking over each of the potted plants I had lined on the clumsy shelving of the back fence. Where her feet touched the ground, her skin was a deep brown, as if she was springing up from the soil. She turned to me and smiled, with the warmth of the sun and the beauty of the moonlight. I blinked, and she was gone.