If we had not been so tired, we never would have found it. The daily routine, the mundane, and the monotony had left us feeling grey and dull. We struggled to see the little magics all around us. Then, just as we were ready to give up the search for something more, there it was, Grimalkin's Rest. A tiny haven tucked almost out of sight.

Inside was warm, golden brown, well-polished wood and cosy chairs. A place of welcome and rest. It was like the hug we hadn't known we needed. Here was a place we could call home. A place where we wouldn't lose sight of the magic.

As we explored the many nooks and crannies of Grimalkin's Rest, its other residents began to make themselves known to us. A motley collection of Grimalkins, Goblins, Fae folk, animals, and others we didn't yet have a name for.

We were enchanted. How could we not be? Everything we had been searching for appeared to be right here. Who wouldn't want to stay, warm, safe, and surrounded by the magic of Grimalkin's Rest?

As time passed though, many of the residents became restless. For them, Grimalkin's Rest was not a home but a waystation. They heard our stories about wandering through the mundane world and thought there must be others like us out there. Others who needed just a touch of magic in their lives, and maybe, others who could help our residents fulfil their own dreams.

So here we are, running Grimalkin's Rest, sharing the stories of our enchanting residents, and hoping, that maybe, they will find their way out into the world and to you...

It is not often that one gets to meet a half-forgotten deity but that is what happened to us.

Gajibnub, the Bubbling One, the Great God of Fermentation, Forgotten Knowledge, and Glorious Chaos, oozed into our lives one May afternoon and promptly made himself at home.

He speaks through gurgles.  He teaches through spores.  He loves you like a jar loves a pickle.

Gajibnub, praise the bubble, is a benevolent god.  He teachers the tenets of the vinegar creed and calmly oversees the world around him from his cauldron.

As Gajibnub teaches, you need not drink the vinegar to love the vinegar, but you can always have fun pouring vinegar over bi carb soda.

The first time I came across the Toadstool Tribe whilst exploring, I thought I’d found a fairy ring.  A little circle of mushrooms sitting in the middle of a room.  They were perfectly still and a gentle humming sound emanated from them.  It wasn’t until one of them jumped up to say hello that I realised they were sitting on green carpet rather than moss and that several of them weren’t really Toadstools at all.

The Toadstool Tribe is something of a fixture around Grimalkin’s Rest.  The exact members vary, but there is always a group of Toadstools, Mushies, and Friends running around somewhere.  Usually they are very helpful, but they make their share of mischief too.

Circles are a favourite pastime of the Tribe.  They hold circles for talking, circles for sewing, circles for drumming, and circles for humming.  If they can think of something they can do whilst sitting in a circle, they will do it.  I’ve even found them walking in a circle a time or two, but they get a bit embarrassed to be caught doing that.  (I don’t know why either.)

When not in a circle somewhere, the Toadstool Tribe have a gift for finding and helping the shyer residents of Grimalkin’s Rest.  Some of them are given a mushroom hat and adopted into the Tribe itself, others they help by introducing them to different groups that might suit them better. 

Toadstools and Mushies have a gift for gossip, and they always seem to know who needs help and who could best provide it.   Whilst I have had to step in once or twice when some gossiping did more harm than good, in general the Toadstool Tribe are a good-hearted bunch.  They are always happy to help out or run messages and usually leave a space at least as tidy as they found it.

Cappy the Worrywart Toadstool was worrying again.  He’d worried about why the sky was blue, and what would happen if the clouds fell down.  He’d worried about how sand manages to get everywhere, and what would happen to the beaches if the sand was constantly getting tracked away.  Then he’d worried about what would happen if all the ants in the world started building their ant hills in one location.  Eventually he’d worried so much that he started to worry he’d run out of things to worry about.

Luckily, Marv, Cappy’s best friend, found him just as he was starting to panic.  Marv had been a resident of Grimalkin’s Rest for a long time, and he’d known quite a few Worrywarts.  Experience had taught him that different Worrywarts needed different things when they started to spiral.  In Cappy’s case, Marv knew he just needed a really good distraction.  It was time for some tea.

Taking Cappy by the hand, Marv set out to find their friends and all the things they would need for a picnic.  He knew that by the time they had found everyone and everything, Cappy would be back to his normal Worrywart self.

The first friend they found was Daisy.  She was in the middle of her potted plants, carefully picking leaves and flowers to dry.  At the mention of a picnic, Daisy immediately volunteered to bring the snacks.  Marv was pleased, Daisy had a huge sweet tooth and usually managed to find the best snacks.  He also thought it was better if Daisy didn’t make the tea.  Her fascination with poisonous plants always made Marv a bit nervous.  Especially when she brewed tea.  He was never entirely sure if she knew the difference between her dried plants and the tea leaves.

With Daisy and the snacks sorted, Marv dragged Cappy along to find the tea set and a picnic blanket.  He thought he remembered putting them away in a cupboard, but that didn’t mean they were still there.  Grimalkin’s Rest had a habit of moving things about, especially if it didn’t like where you had put something.

After checking a few cupboards, Cappy spotted the picnic blanket on a shelf just above their heads.  Reaching up, Cappy grabbed the blanket and tugged.  It didn’t budge.  Confused, Marv grabbed onto the blanket as well, and they both pulled hard.  At first nothing happened, then suddenly the blanket shifted, tumbling down on top of them, followed by something much heavier.

There were a few minutes of confused scrambling, as Marv and Cappy untangled themselves from the blanket and each other.  It wasn’t until they were free of the blanket that they realised the heavy thing that had fallen on them was their friend Liza, who must have been napping in the cupboard and was now happily snoozing on the floor beside them. 

Marv just shook his head; he was always impressed by Liza’s ability to nap.  He gently woke them up and suggested they meet them under the bushes for a picnic.  Sleepily, Liza agreed and wandered off to nap under the bushes until the picnic was ready.

Still holding Cappy’s hand, Marv found the tea set and gathered up the remaining supplies for their picnic.  He then helped Cappy brew the tea, something that Cappy was particularly good at.  When the tea was ready the two mushrooms went to meet their friend under the bushes.

After laying out the picnic rug and setting up the tea things, the four friends gathered around to drink tea and nibble on biscuits.  They shared stories and chatted about their day.  Cappy explained his morning worries, then Daisy told everyone about her new flowers.  Liza didn’t say much but was definitely awake this time, and that funny noise was a laugh and absolutely not snoring.

Marv watched them all and smiled.  It felt good to have brought his friends together.  Sometimes the simplest things created the best memories.