Crafting Fanny The Fairy: Druids
Greg was not part of the original story. Initially, Fanny The Fairy was meant to end with Joe discovering and reading the message that Fanny had left behind. However, as Joe became my first published story, I wanted to leave the door open for future stories and to expand the world I had begun to create. That is how Greg came to life. A mentor figure, someone who had fully embraced his abilities and who could one day guide Joe into adventures yet to come.
"It's been over four centuries since I took my first breath," Greg continued. "I would be honoured to pass on the ancient knowledge that humanity chose to overlook, Joe."
Greg's extraordinary lifespan stems from my desire to give him the wisdom and experience needed to mentor Joe. From the very beginning, I imagined him as an older man, compassionate and kind. After centuries of witnessing the world change, Greg had slowly begun to lose his desire to live. Through Joe, however, he rediscovers a sense of wonder. Seeing the world through the eyes of a curious child allows him to appreciate life once again, reminding him that even after four hundred years, there is still beauty left to discover.
"In darkness I stood, now let the warmth of light envelop me," a deep voice whispered.
Like Fanny, Greg possesses the ability to conceal himself. Not by becoming invisible, but by making others perceive something entirely different. It is an illusion created through words, spoken in the right order. The fact that Joe and Greg share similar abilities despite never having met before was something I wanted to explore. At this stage of the story, Joe is still a lonely young boy. Through him, I wanted to capture the feeling that loneliness is often temporary. There is always someone else in the world who shares your passions and understands you. You simply have not met them yet. Joe's eagerness to learn from Greg reflects just how deeply he longs for that connection. Aside from his mother, he has spent much of his life feeling misunderstood. Meeting someone who not only accepts him but shares his gifts fills him with excitement, and he throws himself into Greg's world without hesitation.
"Joe, did you call Greg here?"
Eva's revelation that she already knows Greg comes as a surprise to both Joe and the reader. It hints that there is far more to Joe's mother than she has allowed anyone to see or perhaps, more than she has chosen to reveal. It is a quiet reminder that every character carries a story of their own, even if they have yet to tell it.