There is a land unreachable by boat, car, train, airplane, or spaceship, and the only way to reach it is to dream…as I did one night…

Each night, in that magical place, a fairy dances by the light of the silvery moon, twirling and twining in the air to a secret sound only she can hear. Between her hands twist golden lights which are so lovely and pure, no one but her can look at them and not be blinded by their brilliance.

“Dance with me,” she says, beckoning towards me from a dew-touched leaf.

“Who are you?” I ask, whispering for fear of frightening the fairy away.

She smiles gently, in a way that reminds me of a person dear to my heart, and spreads her hands in front of her. “I am a guardian,” she answers simply. The golden lights in her hands bob up and down.

“Whom do you guard?” I question again, still whispering.

“Those who love and cherish the children they protect,” she answers, smiling slightly at me.

“Who are they?” I ask her curiously.

She laughs softly and twirls away, letting the lights swirl around her body. “Mothers,” she calls behind her as she dances again.

Before I can ask another question, I am pulled back to the reality of my messy bedroom. Clothes are still strewn across the floor, along with books, paper, notebooks, pencils, pens, and other odd things. “Mothers…” I repeat to myself, and grin silently into the afternoon air.

I throw on a pair of pants, grab my sketchbook, and spend the next few hours working on a drawing of the fairy I saw, still very real in my head. I see her again, dancing with the lights, the sweetest expression on her face.

As soon as I’m done, I take my drawing out into the living room. There, laying on the padded cushions of the couch, is my own very dear, loving mother. I hand the drawing to her, and kiss her gently on the cheek.

“Happy Mother’s Day.”