What If...

I'll admit something somewhat shameful... i've been re-reading my Artemis Fowl books. Yes, i know, reading books aimed at 12 year olds and focused on the exploits of a teenage boy as he wreaks havoc on the underground world of fairies, dwarfs, goblins and centaurs is quite an embarassment, especially for an 19 year old girl with a reading capacity above many others her age. But, despite the stigma that may arise from reading such child-oriented novels, i won't desist - they provied a perfect method of escape from reality, which i prefer to spend as little time in as possible.

Last night, one of the books commented on the way that most adults would go into shock if a fairy appeared on their doorstep and informed them of the existence of her people. It got me to thinking. Obviously, it would be much more plausible for a child to accept their existence, as many children already have heads brimming over with fantasy creatures and wild adventures - seeing a fairy in real life would simply be an almost logical extension of their reality.

There does, however, come a time where one can no longer be preoccupied with imagination. I speak from experience; i was a girl who lived with her head in the clouds, constantly imagining characters to write about, fantastic advantures, dreaming that when i turned 11 i'd get an acceptance letter to Hogwarts, thinking that if i went to Ireland i might actually meet a leprechaun, believing in fairies at the bottom of the garden and sprits pulling the sun across the sky every morning, disapearing for hours into alternate realities presented to me through the books that i devoured... until real life started butting it's ugly head in. Soon, i was too caught up in school, whether my shoes matched my top, getting the right grades, pleasing my parents, fitting in, standing out - my fairies and fantasies took a back seat.

Today, i still have to spend more time in reality than i would like, and leave my fantastical imaginings behind. But that doesn't mean that i don't slip back into that world from time to time. At night i can easily convince myself that the boogey man is after me, it's not hard for me to emerse myself in the imaginary worlds created by the (albeit juvenile) books that i often read and i'm constantly in the midst of some created scenario in my head.

When Eoin Colfer (creater of Artemis Fowl) said that adults wouldn't cope with seeing a fairy, i immediately disagreed. Perhaps i'm not as adult as he was picturing, but i truly think that, should a pointy eared, short statured, winged being apear before me, i wouldn't panic. There's a part of me that would possibly think that i was going a little bit nuts. But, if i were talking to a fairy, i think i'd be ok with it. Maybe i'd not shout it to the world (let's face it, they'd all think i was crazy and ship me off to the nearest institution), but it'd be an adventure, just like the ones i used to wish i could have.

Maybe i'm in denial, thinking that i'd accept something so unbelievable without suffering shock or a heart attach. Maybe i'm not quite as in touch with my inner child as i'd like to believe. But i guess, unless a fairy appears on my doorstep anytime soon, i'll never really know...