Egg Magic

by Gina Carosella

Recently, I was reminded of a particular joy from my youth: stone eggs. When I was younger, any stone that had the classic egg shape -- be it a river rock smoothed by nothing more than time and chance, or a carefully selected piece of hematite or agate cut and polished -- was obviously the home of some fantastical creature.

Large eggs contained, beyond a doubt, dinosaurs. Tiny eggs hid faeries. Brightly colored (or particularly shiny) eggs held the most fantastic creatures of all -- dragons.

There was no limit on what could be concealed by that smooth exterior, no doubt as to the perfection of the baby inside, just waiting to hatch into my new best friend.

I could not help but exclaim over the miraculous potential of these simple ovoid rocks. And while they never physically hatched, they certainly didn't disappoint. Each new egg would delight and fascinate for weeks, some hatching a new imaginary companion every day, some serving only as a reminder of the faithful pet that now trailed after me just out of sight. Old shoe-boxes became beds where the mineral treasure and their ethereal contents could rest; handfuls of pebbles and the occasional leaf became nourishing meals for hungry infants.

So when I stumbled onto stone eggs while searching listings for polished minerals to offer here at Firefly Willows, I thought, "why not?" and ordered some.

I was absolutely delighted to find, when they arrived, that they still have that magic.

From the earthy, mysterious Tiger Iron to the graceful smoke-and-cream Picasso Jasper, each egg sang with potential. Surely the clear-quartz eggs, with their fractures and cracks and bubbles, would hatch delicate sylphs and dancing pegasi? With their rich colors and sharp striations, how could anything but a tiny, tiger-striped dragonet come from the Tiger Iron? Unless, of course, it was an actual tiny tiger?

One of the Picasso Jasper eggs seemed to call out more strongly than the rest, and at first, I couldn't imagine why; after all, it was mostly white on one side, mostly grey on the other, hardly the most exciting patterning. But with its pale belly and dark back, it seemed cheerful, almost playful -- which made perfect sense, once I realized that of course it would hold a dolphin or two! Or maybe, just maybe, a smooth and smoky cat with a Cheshire grin. Or a grey wolf pup, ready to sniff out adventure.

What will you find, hiding in these eggs? What new friend waits to tempt your inner child out of hiding?

I hope you'll take the chance to find out.