Imagination runs wild in the mind of nine-year-old Hattie Ritchie. But is it imagination, or is it real?
To this Fulks Run Elementary fourth grader, fairies are definitely real!
Inspired by family trips to the town of Olive, Virginia, where this particular group of fairies reside, Hattie decided to write her first book.
While walking through the forest, or riding horses with her grandmother, Hattie would imagine there were tiny, winged folk, living amongst the mosses, leaves, and trees- and they were only visible to her!
According to Hattie, her story “has a lot of true things in it, a lot of positive things.” When asked if the fairies were real, her grandmother Paulita Neff interjected, “You can only see them with your heart, right Hattie?” Hattie wholeheartedly agrees, and they are very real to her.
When on adventures in the woods of Olive, Hattie just started creating these stories. Quietly, she shared, “There’s this stump back there, that has a bunch of moss and stuff in it, it looks like a garden and a fairy house. The moss is like their bedding, and where the baby fairies go. Sometimes we see mushroom fairy circles. The fairies have wings, so sometimes they fly up into the trees and watch for the devil fairies, who live in the tree holes! When the good fairies sing, it turns the devil fairies into dust, and that dust grows flowers.”
In the past, soft spoken Hattie has tried to make houses for the fairies in the snow, but we all know snow doesn’t last, so next on her agenda is to make some long-lasting homes for them in the forest.
“When I ride my dirt bike around the house, I try to think of what my next story will be about. I would like to do a series of their adventures. Maybe next about fairies traveling.” There might be a fairy family called Twah-cleverly using the initials of the first name of her mom, dad, brother, and herself. These fairies would have to hide on planes or in vehicles, because their wings are not strong enough for long distance travel. They might start following Hattie here from Olive, and maybe to Costa Rica, where her grandparents travel. There are so many new adventures awaiting The Fairies of Olive.
Thirty copies of the book were printed and are selling pretty quickly through word of mouth and social media. The sweet illustrations were created by Cris Rominger of TreasuredHeartStories.com.
If you want to read Hattie’s story, and you certainly should, text Paulita Neff at 1-540-830-2713 to order your copy. Hattie thanks you and stay tuned for the fairies next adventures!
