A short, but true, story

When I was a very little girl, even before kindergarten, my mother used to leave me with a neighbor. The neighbor was nice enough, and one day she gave me a gift that I absolutely treasured.

It was a magic Faery wand. It was made of clear plastic and was filled with stars and moons and pink glitter that swam around mysteriously. I loved it so much...she told me that I'd need to keep it with me and take care of it, and never leave it outside or the Faeries would take it back. Believing her, I took it home, waving it around all over the place.

My father was, and still can be, a very mean and short-tempered man. He yelled at me for waving the wand around too close to my brothers. One day, after doing so one to many times, he ripped the wand out of my grip and threw it out the door and into the woods. I resolved to go look for it the next day.

Comb the woods and small field nearby,I never found it. I felt terrible- I felt like I had failed to protect this precious gift from the faeries and they had taken it back.

Of course, I know now that it was just a glitter wand, and you can get them for 5-10 bucks online. Still, the experience lived with me for years through my childhood, and I never forgot the feeling.