I was walking along the forest path the other day enjoying the nature that surrounded me. The birds were chirping and cute little monarch butterflies were fluttering from the small flowers that carpeting the forests floor. I usually go out for a walk at least twice a week trying to get some fresh air and relax. For the first time in a very long time I had left my mp3 player behind. Normally I’m listening to some music on my walks but the birds sounded so cute when I first stepped outside that I thought I’d forgo my usual music companion. As it turns out, it was a great choice on my part.

Half way through my usual walk I heard a slight whispering. Perhaps the wind was wandering between the trees here, but the whispering sounded different than any wind I’d heard before. The forest is very deep on this part of the trail and very few people come this far as you must have some long legs to last this long so I figured it couldn’t be someone playing a joke on me.

I stopped with my head half cocked to one side trying to decide where the sound was coming from. Finally I located the sound a little ways off to the right deeper in the forest and I moved my head a bit so I could pierce the darkness to better see what was making the sound. Initially I saw a cute little Turtle with a fluttering Monarch Butterfly relaxing in mid air.

“Wait a minute!” I thought. How can a Monarch Butterfly be resting in mid-flight without something to rest on? As my head craned forward as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing I saw something that truly amazed me. A little man was sitting on the turtle and it was on his hand that the butterfly was resting on. The white/grey flowing beard moved up and down as I now realized what the whispering was. This little man was talking to the butterfly.

I believe I must have gasped for the turtle and the little mans eyes immediately looked up towards me with surprise. I last thing I remember seeing is two pairs of widening eyes before the little man and turtle disappeared. The butterfly quickly fluttered off into the depths and but for his movements I’d have thought I imagined everything. A ran to the spot where they had been but there was nothing there.

I must be crazy I thought. I’m imagining things. I walked briskly home, no longer listening to the birds or the sounds of nature as my mind was awhirl with what I had seen. When I got home I turned on my computer I googled little men in forests. The websites, and there were a lot of them, all said I had seen a gnome. Surely nobody would believe me. They’re a myth. Nothing more. Either way, I quickly did a sketch of what I saw and that is what I am sharing today. I believe I have seen not only my first gnome, but a Forest Gnome, supposedly the hardest gnome to find.

I can tell you this. I’m going to be looking and listening much more intently on each of my walks from this point forward. Out with the mp3 player and in with the sounds of nature. I now look for Gnome Signs! Here are some of the sketches I put together of the Forest Gnome and his friends:

Visit Forest Gnomes with Friends for more sketches.