Fairy Houses Series inspires 6-year-old Katherine to write award-winning story, published in “Maine Voices” book.

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More than 1,800 Maine residents, from school children to loggers to a Pulitzer Prize winner, participated in The Wilderness Society’s “Maine Voices Project.” The project was designed to elicit from-the-heart sentiments from Maine neighbors about the places nearest and dearest to them.

Katherine Mawhinney’s story, inspired by The Fairy Houses Series, was chosen to be a part of the “Maine Voices” book - a celebration of the people of Maine and the places they love. She recently read her story to Governor Baldacci of Maine, and was also asked to read her story at the opening of the Fairy Houses Village in the grounds of the Ocean View Retirement Community in Falmouth.

Building Fairy Houses

By Katherine Mawhinney, Age 6

“Momma, can I please go to see the fairy houses?” I asked my mother a lot of times. Suddenly, the day arrived.

It was sunny and bright. Oh boy, I thought: today is the big day! So we went on our adventure to Mackworth Island.

People who come to the island make the fairy houses for fairies to live in. We were looking for them. We walked along the paths. We picked up stones, pinecones, twigs and little acorns-fairy houses are made of these things you find in nature.

I decided to build my fairy house in the hollow of a tree. I started making the sides with sticks and branches that fell to the ground. I used leaves for the roof. I gathered pebbles around for an entrance. We used feathers for beds.

I hoped the fairies would come, but I didn’t see a single thing move. I asked my mother, “Why don’t I see the fairies?” My mother told me that you don’t see them right away.

Then I decided to go a little further. Soon we saw a sign, “Welcome to Mackworth Island Community Village.” I was surprised. There were so many fairy houses! We read the sign and took a picture of it:

“…YOU MAY BUILD HOUSES SMALL AND HIDDEN FOR THE FAIRIES, BUT PLEASE DO NOT USE LIVING OR ARTIFICIAL MATERIALS. THE BEST MATERIALS ARE FOUND IN THE LANDSCAPE…

THANK YOU FOR TREATING THE ISLAND WITH CARE AND RESPECT. THIS HELPS KEEP THE FAIRIES COMING BACK!”

I liked everybody’s fairy houses because they were all different and they were all part of nature. They weren’t all the same size. Not every fairy house was built on the ground. Some were attached to the trees!

I didn’t want to go home, but my mother said we would come back. And next time we will bring a friend.

“I believe in fairies. Do you?” I asked my mother.

“Yes,” she said.

You never know what these fairies are up to.

(Reproduced by kind permission of Katherine and Diane Mawhinney.)