Greetings, Jasper,

Your letter could not have come at a more perfect time. Reading your words was like a soothing balm to my heart, which is in a good deal of unrest at the moment. I am deeply worried about one of my own, but I shall get to that in a bit.

Before sending my previous reply to ye, I reread it several times, wondering if perhaps I emphasized the supernatural too much. The reality in which I live is as much a part of me as my fingers are, so it’s hard to ignore. Some believe wholeheartedly that people like me are possible. Others want to believe but can’t bring themselves to do so, and others are complete skeptics. What a person believes and to what degree they believe is a very personal choice each person must make. I have never been one to twist arms or preach about what is appropriate to believe, for each person must come to their own beliefs in their own time. Letting it sit, as you have decided, is probably wise. My Lenora has a pen pal who said the very same thing to her recently.

Speaking of Lenora’s pen pals, I have a strong hunch that your niece and my Lenora are writing to each other. Oh, we don’t go through the ins and outs of our letters because we don’t want to share confidential details but we talk in generalities. Lenora has been telling her pen pal new Mom stories, as her pen pal has a new wee daughter. If this is true, it certainly is a small world.

Funnily enough, both Lenora and I have another pen pal who tuned out to be someone we’re both writing to. Seems she has a deep interest in the supernatural, so Lenora and I had the same idea and we are both writing to her. Isn’t it funny how things like that happen?

Anyway, I digress. As I said, letting it sit is wise, as trying to see how it fits with everyday logic can be overwhelming for some. I reckon if I was in that position, it would give me a grand headache and I’d try to stop analyzing it after a fashion. As we both like books, perhaps ye could think of my outlandish tales as part of an anthology ye are reading and let it sit at that.

As we think of those who have entered our lives, analyzing and trying to understand what can be impossible to understand pales in comparison. We just know that we are fond of such a person or love them, depending on their place in our lives. Thee will always be unexplained aspects of this old world and trying to figure them out will only frustrate a person further.

So, we just let it sit until it is ready to be noticed.

It gave me such a chuckle hearing your adventure with wee Jena. It reminded me so much of my Lenora at that age and when she began to grow up. She, too, was a mater storyteller; she still is, in fact. She would have to be for her books to remain on the Best Seller List. Anyway, she would always get to frustrated if I interrupted her creative endeavors. Like her Grandda, she has that famous Irish temper. I remember one time when I called her for dinner, she looked up at me, stamped her wee foot, and said, “Grandda, ye have just interrupted me at the mot CRUCIAL of moments! My princess is about to be eaten by the ugly moat monster and if Prince Zach doesn’t get to her in time, she’s going to end up as an appetizer.” What could I say? Dinner waited about half an hour so Lenora could finish writing her scene. After all, we couldn’t have the princess become some monster’s snack.

It sounds like ye had a grand time with wee Jena once she was over being sore. Ah, Jasper, they are adorable at that age, are they not? Full of beans they are, but adorable nonetheless.

And, I am glad your niece got some time for herself. Raising a wee one takes a lot out of a person and they need time to rejuvenate.

We are, indeed, two very lucky old men, my friend. To have the family we do and our courageous, strong, intelligent, beautiful wives makes for a lovely day and a warm, cozy night. Gratitude does add sweetness to any sound and a warmth to an already full heart.

In having such lovely family in our lives, we worry even more about them when they are in trouble. Mathilda’s daughter, Alina, who I love as my own, and her husband, Robin, are going through a rough time right now. They are having difficulty conceiving a wee one and have been trying for a couple years now. We know what the problem is and it can be cured, but the cure won’t come easy.

Again, this is a story that ye will find difficult to fit into the logic of everyday thinking, for it deals with the reality we live in. The long and short of it is, Alina was cursed by a wicked fairy who sought to hurt Alina to get revenge on Mathilda. Ye see, Mathilda being who she is has made enemies along the way, but those enemies are too cowardly to face Mathilda personally, it seems. So, poor Alina and Robin – two innocent people – are made to suffer because of it.

Alina is determined to make it right even though there is danger involved. I am concerned and Robin is, naturally, quite distraught about something possibly happening to his wife. Alina is being very brave and they are in good hands with Mathilda helping them, but a father can’t help but worry about his children when they are undertaking something dangerous.

Ah, Emma is always a great choice of book to read! Ye are right! With all this talk of Austen, I long to dive again into her richness and savor every flavor she brings to the table. Such a lovely lady and talented writer she was!

I think this is a good stopping point. My, we have covered a lot of ground, my friend, have we not?

Wishing ye many happy years of enjoying wonderful stories and sweet moments with those ye love.

Fondly,

Liam