A Word for Wednesday

"What about fairy tales? Don't you like fairy tales?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"We like them," said Eksi shyly. "We like them a lot."

"What's your favorite?"

"The story of the Redemption," replied her older sister simply.

Astounded, Miss Prim couldn't think how to respond. The child's strange statement showed that despite his efforts, despite his insistence and his arrogance, the Man in the Wing Chair hadn't succeeded in instilling even the most basic rudiments of the faith that was so important to him. He hadn't managed to explain the historical background of his religion. How could this be? All those morning walks to the abbey, all that reading of theology, all that ancient liturgy, all that playing at medieval jousting and what had he achieved? Four children convinced that the texts he so loved were just fairy tales.

"But Tes, it's not exactly a fairy tale. Fairy tales are stories full of fantasy and adventure; they're meant to entertain. They're not set at any specific time and aren't about real people or places."

"Oh, we know that," said the little girl. "We know it's not a normal fairy tale; it's a real fairy tale."

Miss Prim, pensive, adjusted her position on the old iron bench.

"What you mean is it's like a fairy tale, is that it?" she asked, intrigued.

"No, of course not. The Redemption is nothing like a fairy tale, Miss Prim. Fairy tales and ancient legends are like the Redemption. Haven't you ever noticed? It's like when you copy a tree from the garden on a piece of paper. The tree from the garden doesn't look like the drawing, does it? It's the drawing that's a bit, just a little bit, like the real tree."

~from The Awakening of Miss Prim by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera~