Juniper Wiles (Newford, #21)

by Charles de Lint

But I kind of know what she means because I can just picture Christy waiting on the arrival of a pack of scruffy words, coaxing them onto the page with the whispered promise of being tucked comfortably into his latest story.

“Life isn’t meant to be comforting,” Jilly tells me. “It’s big and it’s messy, and there’s always another mystery for every one we think we’ve solved.”

“Faeries, fabulous creatures, the otherworld—it’s all beguiling and wonderful. They make the world seem bigger, the stars shine brighter, the dark woods appear darker and more mysterious. I’ll be the first to tell you that, and the first to add that the world would be a sorrier place without their wonder in it.”

But this world we live in has just as much charm and magic all on its own. The problem is, most of the time we don’t pay attention to it. We’re distracted by what sparkles so bright, like a crow girl convinced a pop can tab is an ancient and secret ring of power and magic, and so we miss the little everyday mysteries and enchantments that are going on all around us, all the time.

“Magic has always had an elusive quality. It slips out of mind and memory like quicksilver. You have to make a bit of an effort to hold on to magical experiences and encounters.”