France, at one time, led the world in mushroom cultivation and Louis XIV is still considered to have been the world's first mushroom gardner. Mushrooms were grown in special caves around Paris. Soon, the mushroom-growing expertise of the French spread throughout the Continent. In the late 19th century, mushrooms production crossed the Atlantic to the United States. Also on the boat came the folklore associated with faeries and other little people who used the fungi for their footstools and their play.
Faeries often dance in circles in the grass which are called faerie rings.
These rings spell danger for a human passerby, for should he inadvertantly step into the ring he would be compelled to join the fae in their wild prancing. The dance might seem to the captive to last only a few minutes, an hour or two or even a night, when actually it will have lasted seven years by human time. Of course, he has aged in seven years, and his friends may not recognize him. The grassy floor around Old House is dotted with Red Fly Agaric and other toadstools of which I am at a loss to name. All rights reserved.