The car window fairy – I know… not your typical run of the mill garden fairy variety. I really did think this little fairy existed (only in cars) for the best part of my child-hood, and jeez did I love her!
It all started when I was about 4. I was living in Hong Kong at the time and during a Sunday outing in the car my Mum turned to me from the front and said “I am sure if you ask the window fairy nicely, she will open the window for you”
…and there it started.
“Well hello little fairy” I said, “I will give you some berries if you open the window”
To my amazement the window opened just a little and then quickly zipped back up again. This went on with me coaxing her the entire journey with the window moving up and down. I was gobsmacked but no one believed me!
Over the years the window fairy appeared on many occasions on various car journeys with my family. I truly believed that I held some special magic, my own little secret and that I had a special fairy companion on my travels.
I remained blissfully unaware of the truth until about aged 10 (slightly embarrassing I know) when my sister blurted out that it was my Mum and Dad that had been controlling the electric windows from the front, THE entire time. In my defence there weren’t that many electric cars back then, so I was oblivious…
I look back now at this memory from my childhood and realise that all my most treasured memories were when I truly believed in some kind of magical narrative – Christmas and all its wonder, the Easter Bunny, popping my tooth under the pillow for the Tooth Fairy and of course my own Car Window Fairy.
When Laura and I sat chatting about how to make our kids bedtimes “better” it suddenly came to us. Why not include an element of make-believe just like my parents had given me?! Why couldn’t there be a character that helped children with bedtimes? Our lovely Hatch in Dreamland developed very quickly after that as our kids were asking questions quicker than we could answer. They loved him immediately and it took us on the bubble&dream journey to where it is today.
So simply, why have magic a few times of year when we can sprinkle it into our children’s daily lives. We are hoping Hatch will become a reassuring magical sleep companion, just like my little car window fairy that really did make me feel special.
Magical dreaming, Helen
