I dedicate this humble greeting card to Roxy, a wonderful artist and storyteller whose brilliant work and helpful comments have been an inspiration. To all my Wiccan and Pagan friends who celebrate Beltane on April 30/May 1, brightest Beltane blessings! If you celebrate May Day for secular reasons, then a happy May Day to you. (And if you are an old-school Pagan who thinks it mad that you should celebrate such an important holiday on a day set by the Julian calendar, you have my heartfelt sympathies.) Tradition holds that Beltane, like Samhain, is a special time of the year, a "time of no time" when the veils between the physical and spiritual worlds are thinnest and all sorts of spirits can cross over to cause havoc among the mortals. Some also say that it is when the Fae awaken from their winter's hibernation, rested and ready for mischief. At its core Beltane is a fertility festival that celebrates the awakening of life from its long winter slumber. One Beltane tradition is that the May Day celebrations should be led by the May Queen, a girl clad in white wearing a tiara of flowers. Here I give you a "twofer" by portraying the May Queen as a young Fae maiden, smiling as she concocts a prank to play on the Humans. Many also believe that bathing in wild waters (streams, rivers, lakes) on May Day will make you healthier and more beautiful. There are other Beltane traditions that involve lusty cavorting around flaming pyres all night on April 30, but I chose not to portray those here. If you're curious, just Google the "Edinburgh fire festival" to investigate a dramatic version of those celebrations. There are myriad versions of the Beltane/May Day celebrations. Whichever one you pursue, may you experience the joy of awakening on this day, and may your year be fruitful.