Zee-Runty Fey: stories from a fantasy realm

Introducing a "Summer of Magic" fictional series inspired by the Fairy Doors of Furzey Gardens in the New Forest, England

As you enter Furzey Gardens in the New Forest, it looks and feels much like other formal gardens - pathways winding through trees and glorious flowers, a tea room, plant sales, an art exhibition … the map doesn’t convey anything out of the ordinary either, although some of the names of areas in the gardens ignite a spark of interest.

Yet, within a few hundred meters of the entrance, you begin to encounter the magic of this place: a skilfully thatched “boma”, thoughtfully placed picnic tables. Then you come across what I’m calling “the structures” (for want of a better phrase) - soaring towers, hidden doors and doorways, camouflaged tunnels with exquisite lattice work forged from natural materials, ingeniously designed constructions for children to play on, carved bridges and walkways, beautifully sculptured wooden seating, and many more thatched rooves.

Step-by-step, corner-by-corner, the otherworldliness of these gardens unfold, until you are left utterly awestruck: by the genius of the people who conceptualised and created them, and by the people that maintain them on a daily basis.

Unexpected delights

When my friend and I visited a week ago, further charming and captivating delights were in store. The garden was hosting an exhibition of 25 fairy doors, each one commissioned and made specifically for the Artists Fairy Door Trail¹. I guess the idea behind this is to entice families with young children into the gardens during the summer months. My friend and I did not fit into that category at all, yet we thoroughly indulged our Inner Children for the next two hours, finding all but two of the 25 doors.

The Summer of Magic series set in in Zee-Runty Fey

Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing a series of stories under the umbrella of “The Summer of Magic”. These are inspired by some of the Fairy Doors and structures we saw in the gardens.

Join me as Furzey Gardens becomes a fantasy realm known as Zee-Runty Fey, criss-crossed by bewitching and enchanting connections and a host of characters, either depicted on the doors, or imagined.

I’ll be sprinkling a large measure of fairy dust to transport us into a world of wonder, whimsy and imaginative possibility. I truly believe that we all need a bit of wonder and something to help us “forget ourselves for a while”² (Elizabeth Gilbert in Big Magic), some imaginary playfulness which helps us get in touch with our Inner Child!

Each instalment in the series will be in the form of a 100-word story. Call me crazy if you wish, but I relish the challenge of introducing character and their adventures with a limited word count! The instalment will also be accompanied by a photograph I took of the fairy door during my visit and a link to further information about the artist and the inspiration for the door art.

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1. Raising money to support people with learning disabilities. Read more here.

2. Elizabeth Gilbert’s full quote reads: “something to help us forget ourselves for a while - to momentarily forget our age, our gender, our socioeconomic background, our duties, our failures and all that we’ve lost and screwed up” [Big Magic]

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