Mother was the practical one in our house .... The O'Smollains are very Irish, but they aren't quite "magical" like the MacDhadhocs, and I doubt seriously if they have Tuatha blood -- I think they may be of the Milesians, who defeated the Tuatha in battle and drove them underground ... Not that my mother's family "drove" my father's family anywhere -- they were all great friends, creating a wonderful extended family for me and my cousins -- but my Mother's family wasn't exactly magical .... LOL

My mother, however, loved children, and when one is attuned to the magical, fantasy life of a child, that person can come up with an occasional "magical moment" for their little girl, and I will never forget the day my Mother told me that the Faeries were coming !

It was an overcast day, I remember, and I was around 5 or so .... I was plagued with sinus-related illnesses from an early age, and I had been in bed for a couple of days, trying to recover from my latest bout of sickness .... Perking up a bit on the third day, I asked my Mother if I could play a while in the Den .... "Oh yes", she said, "And I believe there is going to be a special delivery for you today as well" .... "A special delivery, Mama", I asked, "Someone is going to deliver a present to me?" ....

"Not just anyone, Donna", she replied, "The Faeries are going to bring you something very special today, because they know you have been sick." .... Clapping my hands in glee, I remember feeling soooo much better, and then I asked my Mother to tell me more .... Now I had known about the faeries for a while, as my Dad loved to talk about faeries, leprechauns, elves, and the like, and from an early age he had educated me on King Arthur, The Knights of the Round Table, and such, taking me to a revival of "The Sword and the Stone" when I was 4 .... magic and folklore were always a part of my childhood, but I suddenly needed to know more about these Faeries and their presents ....


Top of Page


Mother began to tell me about the letter she had sent to "Faeryland, South of the North Pole", telling the Faeries about my recent illness and asking them to bring me a special present ! .... "Today", she said, "They whispered in my ear, and they told me that they are going to bring you something very very special, and something they made just for you!" .... "When, Mama, when?", was my reply, and she said, "This afternoon, when the clock strikes 12:30, the Faeries will be here" ..... "Let's wait for them to ring the doorbell, okay?", she said .... Luckily for my mother, it was almost noon, so she didn't have to answer "What time is it?" but only a few times that day ;-), and when the doorbell finally rang, I was beside myself !

"They're here, Donna", she said, "They have brought your very special gift!" .... I was ready to fling open the door right at that moment, but Mother said, "Not yet ... We have to wait for them to fly away, back to Faeryland .... If you see even one part of their wings, your present won't be as special, so we must wait for them to fly back to Faeryland before we open the door!" .... Not wanting my present to be anything less than spectacular, I waited with my Mother, for what seemed like an eternity, and then she slowly opened the door .....

There, on the front porch right by the door, was a beautiful package wrapped in soft pink paper, tied with a lovely white bow, and just waiting for my childish hands to grab and open .... A note was attached, written in caligraphy, and reading: "To a very special young lady, Donna .... Signed, The Faeries", which my Mother read to me as I tore into the paper, opening the box, and all at once seeing the most beautiful baby doll I have ever seen ! .... Flowing blonde hair, blue eyes framed with black eyelashes, soft white hands, and dressed in a pink gown which had the look of pure gossamer -- my special Baby Doll, from the Faeries ! .... My special gift, delivered to me from Faeryland, and made just for me !

That day -- and that doll -- are the reasons that to this day, I still believe in magic, The Wee Folk, and most especially in Mothers who deeply love their little girls !

Mother passed away in 1999, and while she surprised me again with a piano at age 10, my own phone (a pink "Princess") at 12, a car at 16, and many other wonderful gifts over the years, that doll -- and the gift of believing in Faeries -- was the most special gift of all ! .... Oh, and if you are wondering who really did deliver that special gift, it was my mother's sister, a delightful woman named Lucille who did have a touch of magic about her, even though she was one of those "practical" O'Smollains -- At least, I think she delivered that package .... ;-)