Talking With Rainbows: A Curious Incident at the Faire

Those of you who have met me know that I am not given to flights of fancy. My eyes play no tricks on me, and my sensibilities are not romantic in the least. And yet, for those very reasons I am certain that I did see something strange.

I had gone down to the faire grounds as I normally do this time of year to eat the lunch that my dear wife had packed for me. I was just opening the flask of coffee when I noticed some movement. I looked up and saw a striking woman dressed in the latest style.

She was standing across the lily pond. I was sitting in the shadows, and she gave no sign that she saw me. I thought nothing of it and unwrapped my sandwich. When I looked again she had turned and was walking towards the waterway. I must confess that I stared because she seemed to have tentacles coming out of her back.

When she reached the embankment, she lifted her skirt and climbed over the barrier. Then she sat down in the water, fully clothed. I pondered on this and had to admit that it was logical for a tentacled creature to seek water.

She went back to the shallow part of the pond and I had to stare again. Her hair had fallen down and her skin was green. Perhaps the water had dissolved whatever makeup she had been wearing or perhaps she was undergoing a metamorphosis. She noticed her green skin and looked annoyed.

I must have gasped inadvertently and she saw that she was not alone. She leapt up and ran to the nearby cliff. Without even looking back, she dove gracefully into the sea.

I took the last bite of my sandwich, chewing hard, as if to convince myself that what I'd seen was as real as the bread in my mouth. And then I saw her hat laying on the ground near the trees.