Up Close With Magic

Last summer mommy introduced me to the magic of bubbles. I was amazed by the strange orbs which seemed to float in the air as if guided by invisible strings. That was one of my favourite days with mommy and I have been eager to recreate that experience. It’s been a long wait.

All winter long I have been waiting for the bubble orbs to reappear but they did not. Mommy insists that magic bubble time is an outdoor activity. In the winter the only outdoor activities we’ve had involved the snow. Those were fun days too, but there were no magic bubbles.

As the days have been warming up, mommy and I have been spending a lot more time outside. We go on outings, to the park, and we even have days in the backyard where the magic bubbles were sighted last year. This year in our backyard I’ve seen lots of birds, a couple of squirrels, and a few bugs, but no bubbles.

A couple of months ago mommy, daddy, and I went out to the park and we sat on the grass. I noticed a few bubbles that day but it was a bit windy. The bubbles were swept away before I could get a good look at them, let alone catch any. It just wasn’t a good day for bubble watching.

I was starting to think that I would never get to play with those magic bubbles again. Maybe bubbles are usually too shy to play and that one time last summer was a once in a lifetime sort of encounter. I was almost ready to give up hope, and then last weekend it happened.

On weekends the park is very busy and it’s hard for a small person like me to play when there is so much going on. If the weather is nice on weekends, we either have a family outing to a new place, or we spend time playing in our backyard. Last weekend the weather was perfect. Not too hot and not too cold with only a slight breeze.

Mommy set out a blanket on the patio and brought out some of my toys. Usually when we go out in our yard I don’t just sit and play with my toys. I either play in my pool, we do an activity together, or we explore the yard to see what unusual things we can find. It was not a typical way to spend time in the backyard but it was nice to play in the fresh air and I could tell mommy was enjoying herself too.

For a while nothing strange happened. I sat on the blanket and played with my doll and my car for a while. Then I got up and brought all my blocks over to the chair where I organized them. Next I moved my blocks from the chair to the table. There are many blocks and I can only carry two at a time, so it took several trips to get all the blocks to their new location.

I think I was on my second trip when it happened. First mommy got up and tinkered with the new contraption that had been sitting in our living room for a couple of days. Then the contraption began to make a strange humming noise. I looked in that direction just in time to see small bubbles being blown out of the now humming contraption.

Mommy went back to her chair and appeared unconcerned that the contraption continued to hum and spit out bubbles. It took no time at all for the entire patio area to be filled with small bubbles which swirled and danced around me. I was so surprised that I couldn’t even move. I just stood there frozen as I was, and watched the bubbles float by.

I turned on the spot to follow the trail of bubbles with my eyes. Some went up and over the fence disappearing from my view. Some swirled around or hovered almost motionless in the air around me. Some sank to the ground where they seemed to disappear upon contact with the ground. It was all very hypnotizing.

While I watched the bubbles I realized that although the ones that landed on the patio vanished immediately, the ones that landed on my blanket were more inclined to stick around for a bit. They settled on the fibres of the fabric and wobbled there for a while. Sometimes they vanished after a moment, but other times they appeared to be quite comfortable.

It took a little while but I managed to shake off the trance and I sprang into action. First, I ditched the two blocks that I was still holding. I would need my hands for this. Next, I rushed over to the blanket and threw myself down upon it. Then I crawled over to where several bubbles were wobbling there in the sun.

With no hesitation I reached out my hand and grabbed at a bubble. With the bubble firmly in my fist, I made myself comfortable on the blanket and prepared to examine my treasure. I opened my hand and was very disappointed to find it empty. Where did the bubble go?

Quickly I reached for another bubble but it vanished before I could get a good grip. A third bubble produced the same results. Next I lunged with both hands at a group of bubbles but they were gone as soon as I got there. My hands were starting to feel strangely slippery but I didn’t have time to give it much thought. There were bubbles to be captured all around me!

On my next attempt at a group of bubbles, something strange happened. One of the bubbles attached itself to the back of my finger. I was amazed. Not wanting to frighten it away, I slowly brought it up to my face to take a closer look.

The bubble was beautiful. Perfectly round and wobbly with just a thin membrane separating it from the air. The sun shimmered off its surface where brilliant rainbows danced. It weighed nothing at all and I aside from a slight dampness, I couldn’t really feel it at all.

I was ecstatic to have my first close encounter with a magic bubble. It was worth the wait. A few moments later the bubble disappearing off my finger leaving nothing more than a droplet on the back of my finger. If it wasn’t for that droplet, I wouldn’t even have been sure if the experience was real.