An Enchanted Place

Over on the west side of the lake, in a rather remote area, my wife and I entered the forest.  There are few people who know of this spot.  After a short walk we turned right onto a dim, almost non-existent path.

In only a few strides it was as if we were in a completely different world.  To our right loomed a massive hulk of granite, stained and weathered from uncounted harsh winters.  At the bottom there was a cave that somehow looked as if a powerful, supernatural being had just scooped the solid rock out with one swipe of a mighty hand.  It was so dark under the thick canopy of trees that we decided to keep our distance from the entrance in case something was dwelling in there that wished to remain undisturbed.

As the path began to descend toward the bottom of a small canyon the foliage became more dense and the trees were so thick we were no longer able to see any patches of sky.  We were reminded of travels we'd made to forests in the southern states.  All that was missing was high humidity and Spanish Moss hanging from the tree limbs.   We made our way carefully for the ground was uneven and littered with loose rocks and broken branches, victims of the recently past cold, windy winter.

Soon we came to what appeared to be a dead-end as a wall of Manzanita blocked our way.  We took a few seconds to locate a way through and then carefully held the branches back for each other to keep from scraping and scaring up our legs.  If you've ever had to deal with Manzanita you know exactly what I mean.  Brutal stuff!

Once past the Manzanita we felt a change in the atmosphere.  We stepped around a huge Pine tree and looked down at our destination, a small stream tumbling happily past lush green vegetation with a variety of minute wildflowers scattered along the banks.  From directly above a shaft of light poured through a break in the forest canopy and illuminated the scene.  There was an unearthly quality to the spot.

We made our way down to the creek and just stood there unmoving for a long time, soaking in the beauty and peace.  It was truly an enchanted place, a virtual fairyland.  And that is exactly what it was for the Wee Folk were about in abundance.  We didn't see any of them on this visit but they let us know they were around.  A leaf would move, something would brush against my cheek, wisps of mist would appear and disappear.  Occasionally we would hear bits of the most beautiful music.  Although we felt completely welcome they seemed to be in one of their shy moods.  There also seemed to be an air of expectancy.

We stayed longer than usual for we completely lost track of time.  As we made our way back to the car we realized that something different had happened during this visit.  We were carrying within us a very definite energy that had arrived near the end of our reverie.  It was sweet and we felt as if we were glowing inside.  We both smiled at the same instant for we knew the answer.  God had shown up.