One night at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, photographer Kelly Kenney took a walk in her neighborhood in the Los Angeles area and noticed a fairy garden. It had a note on it:
“Our 4-year-old girl made this to brighten your day; Please add to the magic, but don’t take away; These days can be hard, but we’re in this together; So enjoy our fairy garden and some nicer weather.”
Kenney, who is @saysthefox on Twitter and tweeted the whole story, was so moved by the little girl feeling cooped up and lonely at home that she decided to write to her. But this wasn’t just a one-off note. The fairy garden kicked Kenney’s imagination into gear.
down my street and noticed that someone had set up a few little objects in a tree planter and upon closer inspection I realized it was a fairy garden with a little note about the 4 year old girl who felt lonely in quarantine and wanted to spread some cheer. The next day I wrote pic.twitter.com/aCEK2k5PCy
— kelly victoria ðª (@saysthefox) December 12, 2020
“On my way back to my apartment I was brainstorming ideas of what my name was going to be,” she told CBS News. Kenney wasn’t just going to write to the girl; she was going to write to her as a fairy.
She adopted the name Sapphire and left a note in the garden telling the little girl, whose name is Eliana, that she had moved into the tree and promised her a gift of magical dice if the little girl would fulfill her wishes: say five nice things to people she loved, do three helpful things for someone in need, promise to always be kind and brave and, finally, draw a picture of her favorite animal so Sapphire could show the other fairies.
the start of the pandemic) if she did 3 things for me: pic.twitter.com/1Ae9DjazAW
— kelly victoria ðª (@saysthefox) December 12, 2020
Of course, Eliana granted every one of Sapphire’s wishes and left another note, including drawings.
I wasn’t sure if she’d respond or even find the note but it was fun just imagining what she’d think. The next night on my walk I found this and immediately burst into tears: pic.twitter.com/eOKKupzf7x
— kelly victoria ðª (@saysthefox) December 12, 2020
True to her word, Sapphire the Fairy gifted Eliana some magical dice and left a note to her parents, to let them know how to could reach her in case they had concerns about her identity.
This exchange of notes began a friendship that Keeney and the family never expected. Over the past 9 months, Sapphire and Eliana continued their friendship under the supervision of Eliana’s mom, Emily. Clearly, it has meant a lot to this lonely little girl, but Kenney said the connection helped her through 2020 as well.
“Doing this every night gave me purpose in a horribly painful and lonely time,” she shared on Twitter. “I looked forward to my days again.”
Doing this every night gave me purpose in a horribly painful and lonely time. I looked forward to my days again and I started ordering art supplies and little trinkets to leave her.
We wrote back and forth throughout the last 9 months, helping each other feel less lonely and I pic.twitter.com/mTscxUMxwX
— kelly victoria ðª (@saysthefox) December 12, 2020
Kenney had started to chat with Emily over text, and when Eliana asked to exchange pictures, Sapphire the Fairy was happy to grant her wish. Victoria dressed up in costume and took some creative photos of herself as Sapphire.
got to chat with her mom via text to make sure my gifts were a little more personal. At one point she asked for a photo of me and thankfully I had some elf costume items from the previous Halloween so I photoshopped some photos of myself in costume, looking like a fairy. 𤣠pic.twitter.com/XgTAWnuWXK
— kelly victoria ðª (@saysthefox) December 12, 2020
As with most fairy tales, there is a twist in the story. Eliana’s family sold their home and will be moving out of town soon.
“[Mom] also mentioned that Eliana was having a tough time so I made sure to include some support in my letters and told her I had to move as well so she’d feel like we were both going through it together,” Kenney wrote.
In the past month her mom sent me a text letting me know that they had closed escrow on a new house a little further away and would have to leave the fairy garden behind in the care of their neighbors. She also mentioned that Eliana was having a tough time with it so I made sure pic.twitter.com/PuulHuy0VC
— kelly victoria ðª (@saysthefox) December 12, 2020
But what Eliana really wanted was to meet her fairy friend before they moved. After a few conversations and a little fairy magic — Kenney remembered that sometimes, fairies can grow to the size of a human — Eliana and Sapphire finally met!
Kenney, Emily and Eliana got tested for COVID-19 before the meeting, because Sapphire “really needed to hug that girl,” she wrote. The photo that captures the moment the two finally met and hugged is extra touching in this time of social distancing:
We plan to keep in touch/write letters to each other from time to time. She’s changed me forever and the things her mom has said about how her self-confidence, her kindness towards others and her creativity have skyrocketed since meeting me make me feel like I made an impact too. pic.twitter.com/UNkhkrEcR7
— kelly victoria ðª (@saysthefox) December 12, 2020
They spent about an hour together, with everyone masked for protection, and promised to stay in touch.
Kenney posted the whole story in a thread on Twitter. And while Eliana was blessed by the friendship, the human behind the magical creature may have had the happiest ending of all in this story.
“It was incredible and one of the most important and impactful afternoons of my life thus far,” she wrote of their meeting. “I hope one day when she’s older she can understand that I truly needed her as much as she needed me these past few months.”
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for additional stories.
