That is the best kind. The kind that helps you finish dolls when you have mounts of boxes all over your house, on every corner, at every turn, on every single spot available. Yup! I do love me some practical magic.
I kept looking for him. I knew he had to be around. I didnt want to leave him behind in the kerfuffle of moving boxes and stuffed toy menagerie. I knew he had to be somewhere, if only I could find him in time. In time to stick him inside another box that is, and take him with me, to our new house, his new playground. For now.
House elves are mysterious and sneaky creatures, to say the least. They can jump on you, they can also pull your beard, if you have one, while you are sleeping; they can play the most wicked pranks, and laugh at your expense. They are extremely hard to catch, or to even observe from afar. Those pesky little ears have been finely tuned to hear the slightest air pressure variation in a room, to which the silly creatures respond by becoming invisible...or almost invisible. You can always spot them by their shadow.
So if you are trying to catch your house elf, be sure to pick a sunny day. A day where shadows are easily cast, even inside the house. That is how I caught this fancy little fella. He was sitting behind a wooden crate, snacking on a morsel of extra aged cheddar, and playing toss up with my wooden spools. Snickety split! I caught him in my arms, and it is going to be very hard to let him go.
We then proceeded to the regulatory introductions, and we let each other know how many times we missed each other while scurrying about the house. I told him all the times I was certain he was the culprit of spilled milk, fuzzy hairballs on my brushes, snipped seams...although we are still not quite certain he did most of it; we do have two silly girls in the house. We confessed to some of these messy and embarrassing episodes, but also declared the many times he helped me untangle a skein of wool, fixed a hole in a special woollen sock, or threaded a needle when I was not watching.
One thing is for sure, we love him. Today we took him outside, a most dangerous venture for house elves. They are not very good friends with cats and other large animals and can be snatched in the blink of an eye by a predator bird. My little photo-shoot assistant and I kept a tight watch on him, and a short leash. We told him he could explore but not too far. He had fun playing outside, something he rarely does. He is most easily amused by pots and pans, by pins and needles, and he loves to play with wooden clothing pegs. He also likes to pretend he is surfing on an ocean of bed linens, or to hide inside a jam jar and scream when you open the lid. He is a funny guy. That Elfo!
**Mr Elfo Tinderbox is a house elf, made as a custom order for a little fella who wanted one so very badly. I hope my vision matches his enthusiasm.