virginia

The Well of Segais /  by Todd Henson

The Well of Segais

It’s funny, I recall last I wrote you I stood at a crossroads. There was a path to the left and one to the right. I had to choose which to follow, and surely I must have chosen for I’m no longer there. But I don’t recall which path I took. I’m now hopelessly lost. I don’t know there’s any value in my continued correspondence with you as it must be impossible these words will ever reach you, and more impossible still you could follow my path if I can’t even recall how I came to be here. But, ever the documentarian, I continue putting down my thoughts on the wonders I’ve been fortunate to discover. And I continue capturing photographic evidence that what I write is true.

 I have no grasp how long I travelled after passing by the crossroads. It could have been weeks ago. Or perhaps earlier this morning. Time has no meaning in this realm. Nor does direction, as I can hardly tell up from down, much less north from south. And modern concepts like gravity? Hah! Water might just as easily be found floating before you as resting on the ground below your feet. I discovered this when I stumbled upon what must be The Well of Segais. Never had I expected to see such a sight, one with such history if only in myth. But this journey has proven there may be more to myth than we know.

Now that I’ve found it, what shall I do? Shall I search for the nuts from the nine hazelnut trees? Or dare I approach the waters? Dare I break the surface reaching for the salmon that must surely swim within? Oh, such knowledge I might possess. Would I be allowed this? Or would I share a fate similar to that of Boann? I doubt my mortal mind was made for such as could be found here. I suspect I will simply document, and continue my journey, writing you these missives, hoping you may one day read them and know the truth of their words.

I must say farewell for now. I hear something on the wind through the trees. It may not be safe for me here. I must move on. I will write again when and if I’m able. Stay strong and guard these letters well!

Another Inverted Worlds image and story. I hope you’re enjoying them, even if they are a bit different from the usual depictions of nature I most often write about. And I must apologize for my unabashed borrowing of ancient myth and lore for the little details in the story above. I don’t currently know much of this lore but have enjoyed doing a little research, just enough to discover what a rich and expansive depth there is yet to be explored. 

I don’t yet know where this will lead, or if this will be the last of these posts. Time will tell.

If you’d like to read the previous chapters:

  1. The Gateway to Fairyland

  2. Playground of the Fae

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Playground of the Fae /  by Todd Henson

Playground of the Fae

I’d searched my entire life and I’d finally found the gateway to fairyland. I documented my discovery, photographed the gateway, and sent you an evidentiary missive. I hope you received it. The odds of you receiving this one are perhaps even less than the previous, but I must continue. And I will keep documenting my findings.

And my findings have been wondrous. Upon entering the gateway I found myself in a forest that seemed at once familiar and foreign. I’d found the gateway in woods I knew well, and so perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised the woods beyond were equally familiar. And yet, as you can see if you receive this letter and photograph, they are also so extraordinarily different. It’s a playground of the fae.

How can I convey to you just how wondrous is this realm? The photograph can’t fully capture the impossible reality, the shifting kaleidoscopic colors and patterns, the swirling shapes just out of view, the rustle of something moving just beyond a tree, the enticing scent of something making me feel almost at home and yet knowing I couldn’t be further from it.

I found myself at a crossroads, with a path to the left and one to the right. I stood long contemplating which path to take. They looked the same, mirror images of one another. Perhaps they would take me to the same place. Perhaps not. But I must find out. Before moving on, though, I created this photograph and wrote you these words. I hope they will find their way back to you, though I’m uncertain how they could. But one can hope.

And I have never lost my hope. Or my desire to know more, to explore. And explore I shall. I will pick a path. I know not which. I will sit here a while, breathing in, relaxing, calming my mind and my heart. I know I will feel a pull, either left or right. And when I move on I will continue my efforts to document and to share with you the wonders of this journey and of this land.

Another Inverted World. I hope you enjoy these periodic departures from my usual posts. The photo above began with the one below, which I also enjoy. But as I let it rest, let it breathe, I found myself curious if there was more. So I inverted it again and found a wider landscape, and a wider world to explore.

Entering the Playground of the Fae

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The Gateway to Fairyland /  by Todd Henson

The Gateway to Fairyland

I’ve spent the majority of my adult life, and much of my youth, searching, trying to find that obscure gateway hidden in plain sight. I knew it was there but it had always eluded me. I explored every patch of forested land I could, knowing it really didn’t matter much which I explored, that the gateway can be found in any of them, but I wondered if perhaps it might be easier found in one than another.

Little did I know I’d eventually find it in the forests closest to home, those I knew so well, had explored so long. Perhaps it wasn’t so much where or when I explored but how. What state of mind was I in? Did I really believe, or did I just want to believe? Or perhaps the gateway answers to that sense of desperation we may feel when we’re closest to giving up, and yet choose to keep searching. All I know for certain is that I finally found it. I found the Gateway to Fairyland.

I stared long into the depths within, trying to make sense of all the kaleidoscopic patterns, the infinite shades of green and brown. I almost lost myself before I even entered. But I focused, I concentrated, I remembered I’d meant to document my findings before exploring further. And so I attempted to photograph the gateway, to show you proof it does exist. You can find it, yourself, you just need to believe and to keep looking.

And now it’s time for me to enter the gateway, to find out what’s beyond. I will attempt to return and share my findings, if I’m able. But if not this may be my last letter to you.

Another of my explorations of Inverted Worlds. Gotta have fun sometimes, right? 😊

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