It was just past the summer solstice and Gaia simply was not ready. The weather was warm, the trees were beginning to fruit, and the Fae were waiting. They had been sleeping in the arms of the trees at night because Gaia was so busy. Not that they minded; fairies are used to sleeping in trees. But they were Gaia’s favorite Fae, and She felt they needed a special cottage of their own during the summer while they did their work in the forest.
She had been working on the cottage for a long time. First she consulted the Dryads, and asked them to make an offering of wood for the cottage. Their response was a generous one, and the sea delivered it in the form of oaken driftwood. 
She reached deep into her body and brought forth special stones for the walls. These would radiate earth energies that would rejuvenate the Fae while they slept. Embedded in the side wall were three important crystals. A smooth, pink, rose quartz to show her love for the Fae. Beneath it, two clear quartz points beaming instructions for the fairy work She expected them to complete in the forest that summer. Crystalline agate slices framed the windows, which would allow the Fae to look out and see Gaia’s design projected onto the trees, plants, and flowers.
The red roof was made of cedar shingles, and was tall and wonky, and conformed to the shape of the 3-sided house. (Because all true fairy houses are 3-sided, of course.) A tiny red door in the front opened only to the Fae, or to humans who had Fae blood running in their veins.
The roof had given Gaia the most trouble. She suspected a particular troll She’d had Her eye on for some time. He delighted in broken tools, shattered glass, and any kind of possible delay. She had shooed him from her workshop on more than one occasion, but he loved to lurk in the quiet corners and wait for Gaia to turn Her back. He would snatch an important stone, or a piece of carefully shaped roof shingle from the workbench, and She would lose precious time searching for them.
As She was shaping the roof, she noticed a large, wavy bulge on the left side as she placed the final few shingles. “Odd…” she thought, “I wonder what caused that?” As She lifted the roof off the cottage, the troll burst out of the cottage laughing and whooping, running as fast as his legs would carry him out the door. Gaia had shingled right over the bulge of the troll’s back as he crouched inside. 
“Too late to make a change now,” She thought, and tucked the cottage under her arm and headed for the forest.
She chose Her spot carefully and set it down. Then She slipped behind a tree and began singing the fairies in. The cottage sat quietly in the dim light, sparkling and ready. One by one, the Fae approached softly and silently, touching every stone in every wall. Little cries of delight escaped as they ran their fingers over the crystals.
And to every fairy who approached, Gaia sang:
I behold you beautiful one, I behold you, child of the earth and sun.
Let My love wash over you… let My love watch over you. *
Quietly, She drifted away, the fairies taking up the song and singing it to the trees, the earth, and the moon. Gaia was pleased.
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This cottage is a fairy portal, and so, if you
wish to contact the Fae, simply rub the rose
quartz stone and ask nicely. – Julie Lovejoy
Click to listen to what Gaia sang: Angel Wash Song, Lewis and Pearlman
Gaia’s Favorite Fae Cottage has been sold, but feel free to see my other cottages at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/fairycottages
FairyCottages.com 