Hello Daydreamer,
I hope you are well. Today I would like to introduce you to my longest and bestest friend, Bumble. Have you got a nice cup of tea? A biscuit? Are you sitting comfortably? Let us spend a few heartbeats together and share a story.

Bumble would have introduced himself, but he is shy. Unlike me, he is not a big talker. Did you know not all bees live in big hives? In the UK, there are over 270 species of bees; 250 of these are solitary bees. Bumble is a solitary bee. He does not have any brothers or sisters, it is just him and his mam.

I met Bumble at school; he was the first friend I made when I moved to the island. He is one of the bravest bees I know. Even though he is shy and quiet, he never lets that stop him from trying new things and doing the things he enjoys.

Bumble has only ever lived on the Isle of Neverwas. He could not imagine living anywhere else, and now that I live on the island, I can not imagine living anywhere else either. We became friends because of the portal. I have fairy magic and can open doorways between worlds, but I have no idea how it works. It is our favourite mystery. The reason we both decided to work for the Lost and Found Exchange was not the appeal of travelling to the mainland but the portal and its many secrets.

Our very first conversation was about the portal. Bumble’s fascination has grown over the years, despite many discussions, research, and fact-finding missions; we have more questions than answers. It remains an enigma. Fairies, elves, and goblins all have their own sources of magic and abilities to move between here and there without having to rely on a magical portal. The fairy folk have little to no interest in solving the mystery of the portal. My nan says it is magic, and the moment you start meddling with magic and try to explain it, it stops being magical. Bumble thinks this explanation makes sense, but he can not open gateways to travel between worlds. He cannot explain why he loves it so much, and neither can I. Maybe it is not about solving a mystery; he enjoys hearing stories from the islanders and collects random bits of information that might help us to answer some of the questions we have.

Bumble spends his free time organising the strange goings on of Neverwas and tries to find logical explanations for them. He carries his red notebook with him wherever he goes. Working at the Lost and Found Exchange, he picks up lots of interesting bits of gossip. Anything that sparks his interest and his imagination is written down to be revisited later with a cup of tea and a biscuit. Bumble loves biscuits; his favourite is lemon and lavender shortbread. His mam makes the best biscuits, don’t tell my nan I said this.

It can be difficult to know what information is relevant when you are trying to solve a mystery and live on an enchanted island. For example, one customer visiting the LFE mentioned that she had spotted a massive ship sailing on the horizon from the window of her home. She has never seen or heard about a boat that big before docking anywhere around the island. The customer had noticed twice more since. Both times on a Tuesday. I helpfully asked (knowing Bumble would not) how she knew it was always on a Tuesday. The lady does her big shop on a Tuesday morning, and she was putting away the shopping and noticed it. Her kitchen window overlooks the sea. She lives at the Harbour at the top of the winding road. There is a wonderful view from the front of the house. It must have been a pretty big ship for it to stick in her mind because she would be used to seeing boats all the time, living at the Harbour. Anyway, this bit of information about the ghost ship went in Bumble’s red notebook. I suppose that bit of gossip does sound relevant if you are trying to understand how the portal works. Less obvious stuff is that sometimes it smells like cinnamon buns if you stand on a particular spot on Dickens Terrace. Once, my nan swore that she saw a family having a picnic under the oak tree where she lives, only for them to disappear. The family did not see her. Bumble loves a random sighting like this. I think he is really a collector of stories. Our love of storytelling is another reason he is my best friend.

Bumble is always busy. When he is not working at the Lost and Found Exchange or solving puzzles, he volunteers as a tour guide. He is always a bit braver speaking to new people when it is his job. I suggested we try it, and we have both now been tour guides for 3 years. Bumble has embraced this role, and he uses his collection of facts and anecdotes to make his tours more interesting. He is an excellent storyteller, and he is now writing a guidebook for the Isle of Neverwas.

Bumble is incredibly talented, passionate, funny, and kind, and even though he is quiet and introverted, he still pushes himself to follow his dreams. He is a really good friend. He finds a way to make things work for him. Bumble dances to the beat of his own drum.

Until we meet again. Take my friend.

Best Wishes

Pixie