This started in the height of the Covid pandemic, in December of 2020, when schools were shut for in- person learning and growing.
4-year-old Eliana Pauls was lonely and sad and missed her friends.
She created a little fairy garden adorned with crystals and glitter under a tree near her home in the Palms/Mar Vista area of Los Angeles.
And then equally lonely and sad Kelley Kenney, a photographer for Pandora Music and SiriusXM, came upon the tiny ceramic door at the base of the tree, the twinkling lights. The plants, handmade flowers and butterflies and snails. The turquoise rocks, garden gnomes and painted stones.
“At the beginning of the pandemic I went through some painful personal stuff and would often go out at night for long walks because no one was around and I couldn’t sleep anyway. One night I was walking 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.
There was also a small laminated sign from Eliana’s mom that said, “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.”
She was all in.
What a wonderful distraction, recalibration and realignment.
Kelley was thinking a lot of a friend of hers that committed suicide a few years before.
“The thought of someone I loved feeling that lost, that broken, is something that still stays with me. I’ve made it a personal goal of mine to make sure to be someone for the rest of my life that others feel they can reach out to As someone who has also experienced a lot of depression and dark feelings myself, I know the best way to pull myself out is to help bring happiness to others. That thought is behind a lot of the things I do.
I imagined how Eliana was processing what was going on, how traumatizing a pandemic must be for a young girl. At that age, many children struggle with trust, and the fairy garden creator was clearly craving companionship.”
Yeah, she was all in.
And her alter ego, a Norwegian fairy named Sapphire, was born.
She left a note the next day introducing herself to Eliana, telling her how much she admired how nicely the garden was set up, and had decided to live in the tree.
"My name is Sapphire. I am one of the fairies who lives in this tree. I need your help!" the note began.
‘Say five nice things to people you love, do three helpful things for someone in need, promise to always be kind and brave, and to show love to those in need and to draw a picture of your favorite animal so she could show the other fairies.’
The next day, Eliana left a note telling her that she completed all the tasks, and left the animal picture.
After the first exchange, Kelley introduced herself to Eliana's mother in a note describing herself ‘lonely lady that lives down the street going through a little bit of a rough patch.’
“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,” Kelly said. “We wrote back and forth, helping each other feel less lonely.”
Mom Emily was beyond grateful.
”We were constantly floored. The gifts that she would give were just so personal and so kind, and we were just like, 'We don't even know you!”
And that the friendship has ignited Eliana’s spirit, imagination and confidence.
After the first few exchanges, Kenney left a note for Eliana’s parents, explaining who she was and making sure it was okay that she continued the correspondence. They went back and forth to figure out when messages should be left and so Kenney could personalize what Sapphire would leave. Eliana dictated her notes to her mother, Emily Pauls, before she signed them.
As Eliana’s parents kept her home from preschool this year, her friendship with Sapphire became pivotal.
“The hardest part about this pandemic for us has been seeing how it affects her. She’s really such a trooper,” Pauls said. Eliana is “old enough to understand, but young enough to not necessarily have the same ability to cope or maybe not get things fully. But she knows what she’s missing.”
As self-quarantine life continued, Eliana and Sapphire’s friendship had a profound effect on both of them.
Week after week, month after month.
And then, Eliana wanted to meet her friend.
And that’s when the elves and fairies that live throughout Los Angeles felt compelled to come out of hiding to share and love as well.
Kenney crafted a story as cover: Sapphire was moving too and fairies temporarily grew when they moved their belongings. She worked with Eliana's parents to choreograph the meeting and got tested for COVID-19 to make sure it was safe.
“Just the way she looked at me when she first saw me will stay with me forever,” said Kenney
They have continued their letters and gifts all the way up to the present.
They’ve become true friends and value each other.
A few months back, Oprah found out and sent them both a letter.
"What a selfless act...Showed her magic still exists even in the hardest of times. If you're up for it, how about a magical trip to Disney with Eliana, her parents, & a friend when it's safe again? On me. Think y'all need to meet Tinkerbell!"
Kelley wants others to know that, “You don’t have to be a fairy to give back to somebody else, and it doesn’t have to be a child either.”
And Emily, “That true love for one another. That’s real.”
Pure magic.