THE GNOMIST

Firefly Forest, located in Overland Park, KS, is home to a community of imagined fairies and gnomes. Last spring, beautifully-crafted fairy homes and doors custom-built to fit the hollows of trees mysteriously popped up on a heavily-wooded walking trail. Strangers who never before made eye contact, began mingling and trying to find out who or what was responsible for creating such magic. The fairies have a story to tell, but so do the people who encounter them.

A giving tree emerged and people started adding gifts and miniature welcome mats and birdhouses to these homes. Eventually, people began leaving notes for the fairies – disclosing their deepest struggles and greatest hopes. And, to their surprise, the fairies were responding. Robyn and her two young sons find their family on the brink of divorce as they move to Kansas. Socially isolated and reeling from a life of annual moves, the boys look to their invincible mother as she tries to shield them from the harsh realities of their new normal. As an athlete, Alex ran eight miles a day through the forest trails until she suffered a crippling hip injury. Now, as the “watcher in the woods,” her blog captures the wonder of the newfound magic in the forest – magic that is healing not only Alex’s pain, but the pain of everyone who steps foot into this sacred space.

Kelly is on a journey that every parent fears. Last June, her three-year-old daughter, Allie, died from brain cancer – leaving her, her husband, and seven-year-old daughter Evie, scrambling to rebuild their lives. Searching for relief from their heartache, Kelly, Kyle, and Evie retreat to the forest that Allie had loved so much – hoping to feel some connection to her. What they discover, provides solace they never expected. Despite their differences, the characters’ serendipitous connections to each other lay open the vulnerable human condition and offer an uplifting message – and that in spite of the tragedies whirling around us, we can overcome if we just stop and embrace the magic around us.