I ve been transported back into the world of fantasy and imagination in recent years. My young daughter is gratefully to blame. She loves stories that fire the imagination.
Fairy tales are a particular favourite.
We have a large volume on our bookshelf, The Treasury of Fairy Tales, which we turn to often. I guess it s an idiosyncratic bent derived from looking for mysterious exegetical renderings of biblical texts. After studying systematic theology, however, my sense of mystery developed into a more rational confusion . . . or correct interpretation, if you will. If you cast your mind back to your childhood, when mystery still held back the tide of confusing correctness, you may just remember the tale of Pardonius, the emperor who loved to make extravagant fashion statements. Pardonius lived in a splendid palace most characters in fairy tales either live in palatial splendour or end up in the lap of luxury after being kissed by a beautiful princess or handsome prince.