Yellow County: Fairies Are An Invasive Species

"This potato tastes like Lake Erie," announced Biz.
Sometimes she competes with me for Oddest Random Comment. I said,"Well, I was wearing the shirt I bought in Erie when I grilled it."
"When I was little, I spent a lot of time swimming in Lake Erie," she explained. "I don't know why, maybe these potatoes were grown nearby. But it kind of tastes like I remember the water tasting."
"Anyone want my potato?" Michelle asked.
I glanced at the calendar. "So, you guys remember a couple of months ago, when we chased down that Shoemaker story about the Fairy Grave? Back when the pandemic started? I'm thinking that soon, we go out and make another attempt."
"Why not?" said Biz. "You know where we're looking?"
"I have a better sense of it than I did last time," I said. "In the story, the grave with the fairies was Lotte Schwartz, and they came out and danced around her grave on a full moon. I did some checking after the last trip, and found a Lena Weise from Germany who died around the right time. Shoemaker sometimes changed the names, but left clues behind."
"So what are you thinking?" asked Tif.
"Both begin with L. In German, Schwartz is the word for black. Weiss is the word for white."
Biz grinned. "So when are we going out?"
"Well, the next Friday family dinner night in June 5. And it's also the next full moon. Anyone want another lake potato?"

When I walked into the staff meeting, the New Boss was talking. I'd managed to arrive late, but I couldn't believe it mattered---The staff meetings had always been notoriously unhelpful, for the most part.
"Clinton County goes green on Friday," she said. "We're waiting on guidance from the state library, so not much will change for us immediately. We'll continue as we are for the moment. Once we do open up, we'll still have to take precautions."
"It's green," I said,"Which means the woods, as in we're not out of them yet. We'll have to put some new signs up with the expectations."
"We'll have them," she said. "Also limiting access to the building. Some people aren't going to be happy about that."

Lightning flashed outside my window. Lock Haven was having one hell of a thunderstorm, part of a series lasting several days. In the middle of the Bald Eagle Mountains, rain seems to get trapped along the mountain range and just keeps going for days until it burns itself out. So, the Coronavirus wasn't enough, we had week-long storms, too.
I picked up my coffee and walked around my desk, to the Henry Shoemaker books directly across. I pulled Indian Steps and flipped to the fairy story. Might as well brush up on it.
I read through the story again, and it was about the way I remembered it. Lotte Schwartz---In real life, probably Lena Weise---Had come from Germany with her fiance and a bag full of twelve fairies. She'd released them into the forests of Swissdale area---Shoemaker doesn't usually give precise locations, but he leaves clues---And the have supposedly lived there ever since. On a full moon, they danced around her grave.
I found a detail I'd missed the first time----The fairies were said to come out specifically in June. Which made Friday the perfect time.
I pulled the cemetery index for Woodward Township. I love the CCGS cemetery indexes. Used to be I had to go through the cemeteries physically, one grave at a time. In 2003, I'd had to hike through every single one in the Lock Haven city limits, a feat I hope never to repeat. The indexes made it easier.
I found it on page 116. Lena Weise, buried under a monument with her family. She'd died in 1908, which also checked out; it was only a few years before Indian Steps had been published. Section Fifteen, Row Two, Plot Five.
I checked it on the map---Along with the helpful listings, the CCGS had included maps of each cemetery. Section Fifteen was a tiny little spot, down beside the road. Last time around, we'd probably wandered uphill of it some, and not really gotten down that far. Also, Paul had been scared off by a random glove.
I walked back to the back room to see if there were any books to process. Tracey was sitting at her desk, looking as elegant as she always did. I said,"Did you match your mask to your sweater? Jesus, Tracey....I always think I look pretty okay, and then I come in here, and you dress so nice I feel homeless."
Tracey laughed. "It's nothing."
"I matched my mask to my shirt today," I said. "Both have aliens on them."
"Wow, way to go," said Tracey.
I studied her. "I think you're being sarcastic, but it's hard to tell with you."
I sat back in my chair. I was wearing my shirt with the coordinates for Area 51 on it. I could go for a good UFO sighting right now. For a couple of months, I'd been just working on whatever ghosts and history I could do without going anyplace. I'd love a UFO. I'd love a good Bigfoot sighting. I'd be thrilled with a water monster. Hell, I'd even be happy with a random gravity hill.
Jim stepped in. "In the rain, my roof began leaking. Is it considered irony that the only thing that got wet was the 1972 flood newspaper edition?"
I laughed. "I'm sure I have several spares. Everyone donates that edition, and thinks it's unique. Maybe it's the ghosts trying to tell us something."

"So, the county went green today," commented Tif at dinner.
"Yep," I said. "I wore my green Aliens made me do it shirt to celebrate."
"How was work?" Michelle asked.
"Busier than usual today. I had to explain to several people that no, green doesn't mean we just reopen again. Whole bunch of people called in for books, though."
"Biz said she couldn't make it tonight," said Tif. "She got called in to work."
I nodded. "I know. We're gonna have to take photos for her, and I told her I'll think of another adventure to take her on soon."
"We went out before, and couldn't find the grave," said Tif. "What makes you think you can this time?"
"I've done some digging," I said. "Last time, I was just searching for one that fit the general description. This time, I know which specific one I'm looking for."
"Fairies aren't real," Paul informed me.
"That's true," I said. "It's what you call folklore. Those are old stories that sometimes have a bit of truth to them. I've been looking into this one....Lena Weise has to be the right person. The names match, she was from Germany, lived and died about the right time."

We drove out after dinner, and pulled into the Swissdale Cemetery. There was a lawn care truck blocking the way. I climbed out of the car.
The driver recognized me. "Oh, hi," he said. "You're that guy in the newspapers, aren't you? Let me just pull this up ahead."
I got out of the car and waited while Michelle pulled the Prius up onto the turnoff. I was looking down at the cemetery. The others came walking down toward me.
"It really is pretty out here," commented Tif.
"The early settlers were from Switzerland, with Germany following soon after," I said. "They chose this area because it bore a resemblance to their native land."
"What grave are we looking for?" asked Michelle.
"The name is Weise," I said. "I'll also settle for Ramser as a nearby stone."
"There's a Weise down there," she said.
I'd seen it, but I wanted to let someone else have a little fun. We walked toward the monument.
"There," I said. "I see it. Right behind the monument.....Lena Weise."
I walked over and knelt down beside the grave. Lena Weise, 1833 to 1908. The others caught up with me after a moment.
"This is the one," I said. "The grave where fairies dance."
"According to the story," said Tif.
"Well, I been thinking about that," I said. "Sometimes, folklore has some truth to it. There are mentions in the story of the fairies taking over the forest, bothering panthers and eating trees. And it occurred to me that some kind of bugs could account for that. An invasive species, something along those lines...."
"Fairies are an invasive species?" asked Tif.
"That theory could even account for the full-moon-dancing thing," I continued. "With an infestation of bugs, people could have seen them around the grave, and the stories about fairies started to spring up."
"Like fireflies," suggested Michelle.
"Like fireflies," I agreed. "Folklore often has some truth to it, if you do a little digging."
"We could come back tonight, when the full moon is out," Michelle suggested.
"We could," I said. "We could, at that."

June 5. Nine PM. Full moon.
We pulled into the cemetery in the dark, and I climbed out of the car. "Moon should be coming up right over there," I said. "Probably still behind the clouds at the moment."
We walked over to the Weise grave. Easier to find the second time around---If I'd tried it in the dark the first time, I never would have found it. Paul was following along with Michelle's cell phone, recording a pretend YouTube video.
"Okay. So. We're here at the fairy cemetery. There's fairies that come out and dance in the full moon, and we're looking for the fairy grave...."
Every time he did this, he sounded a little like me. I knelt beside the grave and pulled out a large sheet of paper and a crayon.
"Let's get you a rubbing, little man," I said.
"I want to do it!" said Paul.
"Okay. I'll hold the paper."
I held the sheet down while he rubbed purple crayon across it, coming up with a neat little rubbing of the name and dates. I rolled it up, and said,"I'll take it to the car."
As I walked across the cemetery, something hit me in the head. I glanced up, and saw a bug flitting past. I was about an inch long, dark colored. A nearby monument was covered with dozens of them.
I ran back to the car and traded the rubbing for my backpack. I was fishing out my camera and flashlight as I went back across the cemetery. I stopped and took a photo, holding the flashlight beside the camera and using the beam as a guide, the way I do for ghost-hunting.
"What are you doing?" asked Michelle.
"Think I found our fairies," I said.
"Those ugly bugs?"
"There's a lot of them out here. They look like some kind of roach. A hundred years ago, by torchlight on the full moon, it's real easy to see how a bunch of these things flying around could have started stories of fairies in this cemetery."
"Hunh," Michelle said. "You're right."
"Found them. After all this time, I found my fairy grave."
"Can we have some ice cream?" Paul asked.
"Yep," I said. "We can have ice cream."
As we walked back toward the car, Michelle said,"Now you have to find something to do when Biz can come."
I thought about it.
"Well," I said,"There's a story of a haunted grave outside Lock Haven...."