In a different time, in a different place, in a distant land called Alfadia, there is an ancient healing practice that lingered on from an era when magic was commonplace. None of the elders in all the simple and happy villages question the wisdom or effectiveness of the practice, nor its origins or meaning, until one day a child begins to query the tradition and unintentionally unleashes a wildfire of doubt and unease. This is a parable for our times, when we take so many wonders for granted. As the story unfolds, seen through the eyes of the child, Alicia, the reader is drawn from a quiet enjoyment of the modest village life into a deepening crisis of doubt and discontent. No-one who reads this story will ever look the same way again at the past or the present. Recommended for children and adults alike.