"The girl was Theodora, who everyone called Teddie. She had rosy cheeks, thick curls of long auburn hair, and eyes the color of tarnished pennies. The boy was Emerson, named after Ralph Waldo. He was thin with short dark hair. His eyes shone like green cat's-eye marbles. They were really a young woman and a young man, but she seemed girlish, he boyish."Teddie and Emerson are like fairy children who resist growing up because they think the adult world can be too harsh and mean. They find delight in their neighborhood--tiny fairy libraries, a spirit garden, a sunflower house... Teddie sends out subtle vibrations in her dream life. Emerson photographs invisible things. They struggle with their changing relationship to each other--moving their childhood friendship into romance. Two mysterious older women watch over them and become like mentors, helping them discover the world's hidden magic.