Mick Quilliam

This story of the fairies painting the shells is told on page 187 of “The Land of the Sleeping Gods”. It also talks of the symbiotic relationship of the tiny crabs with the mussel. The Kayna-Wana (Shell Thumbs) are shy sea sprites, sometimes seen hopping behind a seashell. Tiny artists, they paint all the intricate designs and colours on the shells. They live in the shells and are supposed to turn into little pink crabs if the shell is forcibly opened.