All the Fun of the Fair

Wondering about the nature of Xanadu and places like it, I came to find something familiar in my own memories, though not the same. From childhood I couldn't forget the wonder of the Fair with its merry-go-round, hall of mirrors, fairy caverns and haunted house. I remember being in an enclosed ride of swans and pixies and different animals, where as a child you would sit in one of these, and float across a wonderland of scenes on water, mountains, rivers, caves, and fairy groves. There would be fairy queens, wicked witches and various angels and little sprites, all waving you as you went along, clutching the hand of a parent, in awe. We could look at our reflections later and laugh in the hall of mirrors, being ten feet tall, or half our size and twice as wide! A cane of pink fairy floss was the usual fare, and by the time we got home we were exhausted with the excitement of all the wonders we saw and felt. Part of us knows the things that make us happy and content. I think that part is the child.
copyright Monika Roleff 2005