Welcome, Fairies!
Photo by Elizabeth C. Gonzalez/The Washington Post
This is, by far, one of the most delightful news stories I’ve ever come across, but then I was the sort of child who laid out my pint-size china and empty jam jars for tea and called out for fairies to join me1. From The Washington Post, “Someone—real or magical—in Ann Arbor is building what locals are calling ‘fairy doors.’”
Since last spring, the pint-size doors have been mysteriously appearing on structures around the University of Michigan college town: inside a coffeehouse, beside a grocer’s steps, beneath a toy store window. The entryways are Thumbelina small and are so subtle and incongruent that they’re easy to overlook—or dismiss. At first glance, you might mistake one of the eight doors for an electric socket or a mismatched brick. But look closely and you’ll see evidence that, yes indeed, something very little could live in there.
Some of you may remember the Minneapolis elf who answers children’s letters. Now if only I could convince my landlord to let me take a hacksaw to the side of our building.
[via Inspireco]
1Same odd duck who was convinced that if she concentrated really, really hard, her parents’ closet would transform into a gateway into Narnia. Boy, was Mom pissed off.
stephanie said,
April 24, 2006 at 2:26 pm
I guess now is the right time for me to fess up that I spent ages every summer at the bottom of the pool, holding my breath and crossing my legs - convinced that if I only stayed down long enough the legs would transform into a mermaid tail. :)
I wish someone would put a little fairy door on my house! The kids would love it. :)
Adelin said,
April 25, 2006 at 12:37 am
Mom was so! pissed!
mim said,
April 25, 2006 at 9:57 am
we had a gnome named Wilmer who lived in a oak tree near our house. I would answer my son’s letters to wilmer writing on brown paper bags in a flowing scrip and quanit language and then oil the paper to make it look like vellum or parchment. WIlmer alsways went south for the winter, (so I would not have to keep up his correspondence), and last spring Ben stopped asking about him. IT was so sad. He is only 7, but doesn’t believe in elvesand gnomes anymore! I will read him this post and see what he says.
Lily Prigioniero said,
April 28, 2006 at 9:07 am
If you want to see a first-rate fairy architect, check out http://www.robertomenchiari.it
He doesn’t live close to Ann Arbor, but then again, don’t fairies have a way of traveling? He may have a special connection there…