And I was struck by something I already knew: the Washington Monument (Washington, DC), unlike newer monuments, isn’t built of metal, but of masonry–stone.
Now, you might think this had something to do with the state of building construction in the mid-19th century (when the Washington Monument was built) versus the mid-20th century (when the Arch and Space Needle were built). That was my first thought.
But then the truth became clear: the founding fathers knew about the threat the Faerie folk posed, and they passed that knowledge on, making sure those at the highest levels knew not to build large reflective structures in our nation’s Capitol.
This is, of course, also the real reason there are no skyscrapers in DC. The city was specifically, carefully designed to be Faerie proof.
Alas, in the 20th century, this knowledge was lost, or maybe disregarded, and a huge reflecting pool was built right within sight of the Washington Monument.
But then, given modern transportation and how little time it now takes to travel from one eastern seaboard city to another, and given that the Faerie folk can actually handle steel and iron and airplanes and trains just fine, maybe remembering wouldn’t have saved anyone anyway.
But still, they knew once. Clearly they knew. 🙂