The Fair Folks’ Secret

 

In our land and in our time, the Fair People and their treasures wait to be discovered. If Man is good, and kind, and playful, he and she will find them. This is the Secret.

—Byron Preiss, The Secret 

Throughout the book The Secret: A Treasure Hunt, the magical creatures are referred to as the Fair Folk or Fair People. In this context Fair is a proper noun, so it could be derived from anything. However, most believe it’s either an abbreviation of the word fairy or utilizes the definition of the word fair meaning beautiful. Referring to all of the magical creatures described in the book as fairies seems like a bit of a stretch as some certainty don’t fit in that category. In some folklore, and in The Secret, elves are described as fair folk because they are generally portrayed as handsome people with fine features and few blemishes. The use of the word fair to describe all magical creatures, though, seems awkward, forced. Beautiful, does not accurately describe all of the magical creatures presented in Byron’s book. I think the meaning of the word “Fair” as used by Byron has a hidden meaning. 

Fair can also mean equitable or just. I think fairness is at the heart of all the puzzles and, likewise, the secret of The Secret. The “Fair Folk,” I believe, refers to magical creatures who believe in fairness and equality. Each puzzle hides a secret related to this topic, a message in a bottle composed of clues. 

In the movie The Matrix, there’s a scene where Neo, while in the Matrix, notices something odd, a cat that walks by in the same direction, in the same place, twice. Trinity notes that deja vu could indicate that the Matrix had been changed, that they’re walking into a trap. Our puzzle is like this. Little mistakes have huge implications. There’s a mistake in the following lines. See if you can find it. It’s very, very subtle.

Beyond his shoulder…

Is the Fair Folks'

Treasure holder

Do you see it? Note Byron’s use the plural possessive Fair Folks’ rather than singular possessive Fair Folk’s. The words folk and folks are interchangeable, synonymous. This is akin to an alternate spelling. The rule for alternative spellings or alternate forms of the same word is that you can use either one, but you have to pick one and stick with it. Byron used the word Folk rather than Folks throughout his book The Secret. The word Folks is only used here, which makes it a mistake, albeit, a very subtle one. It could be an honest mistake, but I don’t think so, not by an editor. 

I believe this is meant to communicate to us that this use of the word is different. That is to say that “Fair Folks” refers to all creatures (including people) who value equity and justice, not just magical creatures, as you might use the word fishes to refer to all types of fish or peoples to refer to all types of people. In other words, to figure out the secret of The Secret for Chicago we are to find something that all people who value fairness would treasure. To find this holder of fairness, we will need to employ one of my favorite scientific techniques.