Miranda and the blueberry bush

Miranda did not have a good day at school. She knew already in the morning when she put on her new shoes that the other girls would tease her. They always did when she wore something new. The black shoes were comfortable, and she liked the zip as opposed to shoelaces. It was so much easier. She knew they were expensive; her parents usually bought good quality clothing. Mum said to ignore the girls when they teased her and said it would get better when she started her second year. But this was grade two and it had not got better.

- Look at your shoes! Who do you think you are? Anyway, they look stupid.

- Let me try that zip, just once!

They showed her against the lockers and Miranda stood still while the three girls circled her.

- Why do you have to have zips? Can’t you do your shoes up?

- Little miss “shiny shoes”.

They all laughed. Caroline jumped ahead of the others and stepped on Mirandas foot.

She wanted to get away from them, but it was like she was frozen there in that spot, and she knew the boys would also join them soon.

- Piggy, piggy, piggy.

They laughed as they pulled her pig tales.

- Little piggy in brand new shoes.

They all cried in unison.

Saved by the bell once again. She walked slowly down the long corridor, feeling empty and hurt. The last lesson dragged on, and it was hard to concentrate on what Mrs. McCloud was saying. She was just hoping she would not be called up to the blackboard to write something. It was always so embarrassing.

She hurried out when the bell rung and was already out of the door before it stopped. One shoe was dirty, and the other shone as brand-new shoes do. It was not far to walk home; it was only the little path through the outskirts of the forest, and she had walked here so many times now that she felt she knew every stone and tree of by heart. Sometimes her parents took her into the forest for a picnic on the weekends and her dad had even named some of the trees. Oscar, Charlie, Old Knarly and Wendy. He got them mixed up sometimes and they laughed as he was trying to work out who was who. It was all a fun game.

There was a couple of blueberry bushes on the side of the path near the little creek and Miranda stepped onto the grassy bank to see if they had any berries on them. This was the place she used to come to when she felt sad. The two little bushes looked stunted and dry and there were hardly any berries left. The birds must have got ahead of her for a feed.

- Hey, hey what do you think you are doing?

Miranda turned around but she could not see anyone. It sounded as if the voice came from behind her but there was nobody there. She took a couple of steps forward.

- Hey, I’m talking to you! Look where you’re walking!

The voice seemed close, but she could not see anyone.

- Silly girl, you nearly stepped on me! Can’t you see me?

She looked up, she looked to the side and then she looked down. And there he was, a little man standing not far from where she had been walking. He barely reached up to her knees and he looked old and bedraggled with a long grey beard hanging down over what seemed to be a makeshift coat. A large blue bead was hanging from the bottom of the beard. The eyes were hidden behind a slouch hat and all she could really see was two thick gold earrings in his ears and the big nose and the yellow teeth behind the beard as he looked up at her and smiled.

- Well, are you just going to stand there? Can’t you talk?

He stretched out his hand as if he wanted her to shake it and she bent down to grab a small hand with tiny fingers. It was not a real handshake; they just touched each other’s hands for a few seconds.

- Have you got a name or what?

Miranda was surprised. She had never ever seen anything like this funny little man. Her parents used to joke about the trolls in the forest, and she knew it was just a fairy tale. But who was this little man?

- Miranda. I’m Miranda.

- Well, that’s a start.

The little man giggled.

- I am Bogel. “Boa—gel” he repeated. And what are you doing here by the way?

- I’m on my way home. I’m just looking for blueberries.

The little man sighed loudly and as he turned; she saw the long grey knotty hair hanging down his back.

- Blueberries! Well, we better get on with it then. Come on.

She had been told not to speak to strangers and definitely not to go off with them, but Bogel was not really a person. Was he? She followed him as he walked over the grass and into the forest, talking all the time.

- I thought they only grew near the river.

- Everything is possible here; you have not seen anything yet.

- Phoo, he said. This is where I live. Well, not just me but quite a few of us. You will meet them all in good time. Just you wait. But first we must find those blueberries.

He whistled loudly and another whistle echoed from high up in the pine tree. Bogel looked up and giggled.

- Vilje! I knew I would find you!

Miranda could see a curly red-haired mop sticking out from beneath the branches. Below the tree there were several large blueberry bushes.

- Hey, throw us the berries, Bogel yelled.

He stepped aside.

- Watch out, Vilje is not that good at aiming. They can land anywhere.

- Not many left, but here you are.

What appeared to be a small hessian bag landed by Mirandas feet and Bogel hurried to pick it up.

- Nothing like fresh berries. He giggled to himself as he opened the bag.

The look of disappointment grew on his face, as he turned to look up at Vilje up in the tree.

- You have eaten almost all of them! And you never even asked if I wanted any! You just wait! You are going to get into so much trouble when the others find out, you will never look another blueberry in the eye again! Ohhhh. I am angry with you!

Vilje did not look very scared, and Miranda could see his lips and teeth were blue from the berries.

- Here, you take what is left then.

Bogel handed her the bag.

- Take them home but bring back the bag later.

Miranda opened the bag and found a handful or two of blueberries.

- That is kind of you, thank you.

- Now you have met Vilje, and he is the naughty one. Never trust him!

Bogel led the way down the little path beside the creek.

- Well, if it is not old Rufus down there! Hello you old scoundrel!

Miranda looked down to the side of the creek where a small figure was sitting by the bank scrubbing his foot in the water.

- Hi Bogel! Who have you got there? Don’t tell me you have a new girlfriend, he laughed as he tried to block out the sunlight with his hand while looking up at them.

- Its my good friend Miranda. She is here to find some blueberries, but Vilje ate most of them! What are you up to? You are not fishing with your feet, are you?

- Nae, I am trying to get rid of the moss growing between my toes, but it is not easy.

Moss growing between your toes? Miranda found it hard to believe she had heard the right words.

- Rufus is so old and he never washes his feet. Besides, he lives in a log which is full of moss. He is a nice chap though and is always good for a laugh and a story. So don’t forget to visit him next time you are here.

They left him and walked further down the creek. Miranda would never forget these little people and she made her mind up never to tell anyone about this, besides nobody would believe her anyway.

- Come on, we are going across the bridge to see if “old Ma” has been baking.

- Baking? What?

- Oh, we have our ways, as we do with most things. Just wait and see.

She sat by the little fire with Ma, Bogel and Vilje and she tasted the most delicious biscuits she had ever eaten. They were made of grounded bark, nuts, herbs, and berries. They were hard and so small. It was difficult to hold them between your fingers, they were the size of a lolly. Ma and Vilje started singing and Bogel was drumming with a stick on the log. This was the most perfect afternoon Miranda had ever had and she had to pinch herself several times to make sure she was not dreaming. It was when she looked up at the sun in sky, she realized she must have been away a long time and Mum would worry.

- I better go home, Mum is waiting, and I am already late.

- Visit another day! There is so much more to show you here! I will follow you back to the path, so you don’t get lost.

She said goodbye to “old Ma” who stuck a few biscuits in the berry sack and wiped her hands on a makeshift apron. Miranda liked her instantly. Her red happy apple cheeks and long pig tales. They were grey and untidy with a leaf or two protruding out here and there. Vilje just giggled and showed off his blue lips and teeth. He sure was a real troll with those big ears peeking out from behind his bushy hair.

- Hey, have you got a penny?

Bogel stopped by the small tree where the moss was growing. Miranda was a bit surprised but opened her school bag and took out a purse.

- Only a small one, if you have it.

She handed Bogel a silver penny and he turned it back and forth and up and down before he bit it.

- Perfect!

He used his bare hands to dig a small hole in front of the tree and placed the coin in it before covering it with dirt and moss.

- Now remember this! In spring you will think this tree is full of new leaves, but you are wrong! This is a silver penny tree and next spring, if you look closely at the branches, you will find little silver coins on them! It’s our magic tree! And it’s our secret, okey?

Miranda nodded. She did not know what to believe but then again, she hardly could believe any of what she had seen here in the forest, and she still wasn’t sure if she was dreaming or not.

- Miranda! Are you already home! You must have walked extremely fast, is everything all right?

Mum greeted her in the door as Toby, the little terrier, came running down the stairs to say hello.

- Yes, everything is fine.

- How was your day and how did you go with your new shoes?

Mum looked down at the shoes. They were muddy from the walk in the forest and there was no longer any sign that one was dirtier than the other.

- Shoes are fine Mum. They are a bit dirty; I was picking blueberries.

Miranda handed her the little hessian sack and Mum looked at it in surprise as she opened it and the blueberries fell out onto the kitchen table.

- Where did you get this bag?

She did not know what to say.

- It’s a lolly bag I had in my schoolbag.

- Oh, that was handy. And what is this?

- Just some old lollies Mum.

- Well, we better have ice cream and berries for dessert then. Don’t you think? It’s good you came straight home, I always worry that you might get lost in the forest, but you know your way now.

It felt like she had been away for a long time but according to the clock on the wall she had arrived home even earlier than usual. How odd. She smiled to herself.

“I think I ran into a bit of magic,” she thought to herself.

- It’s all right Mum, I am sure the little folk in the forest will look after me. You know the “trolls.”

Her mother turned at the door and smiled at her.

- Of course, they will dear!

Yes… of course they will.