Daydream

The bubbling brook weaves its way through the meadow, the lush green branches from a Weeping Willow dip into the crystal-clear waters, frogs sing their morning songs. Golden rays of light shimmer and dance on the bubbles as they burst, as fish push their way up through the stream.   Sweet fragrances caught in a soft breeze brush against my flush cheek, the warmth from the sun, the dew of the grass soaks through my clothes to my pale skin. 

I find myself being drawn to the earth and all its creatures. This is one place that I feel alive instead of wasting away inside my bedroom, staring out from the window at the scenery surrounding my home.   I know that I should not be here, a warring that my mother spoke to me when I was but a wee child, at a tender age of ten.  Still, I came like a moth dancing in front of a flame, not afraid of singed wings.

Fingers clasped behind my head, lying on the grass, listening to different melodies of the birds flying above in the cloudless sky. I heard a whisper of a butterfly as it lands on my shoulder. At first, I am not sure if it did make a sound, then I heard it again, ‘good morning’ I think it said to me. But when I did not answer back, it flew away without saying ‘good-bye.’

A tiny silent breath of air escapes from within my throat when a cold nose nudges my elbow. There I saw from the corner of my blue eyes a rabbit with long pointed ears, fluffy white fur, with spots of brown. Its pink nose wiggles. “Good-day,” the rabbit said. Surprise, I said, “Good morning Mr. Rabbit.”

“Mrs. Rabbit,” she answers abruptly. I watch her cottontail disappear into the tall grass, ‘“what about her babies?” I said with a knitted brow, sitting up with my arms wrapped around my bare knees.

“Excuse me... Excuse me.”  Said a gray squirrel with a bushy tail shape like a question mark.

“Yes?” I answer with curiosity peering down from my glasses.

“Have you... Have you seen any acorns lying about?”

“No, - “and before I could adequately answer, he scurries off toward the trees doing a silly little dance, darting this way and that, joining in with his friends. I wonder, listening to their chatter, “What is the hurry?” I mused to myself. My skin tingles from the gingerly touch of the wind, drawing my legs closer, my body drinks in the warmth of the sun. 

‘I wonder why my mama warned me about this meadow?’ There isn’t anything here to be overly concerned about. Still, I would never imagine talking to animals. But here I am, entraining a rabbit and a squirrel, ‘what’s next?’ 

“See..., See, I’s told you.” I heard a harsh voice calling over my head, dark shallows of birds flying above, circling around and around.

“Yes..., Yes..., you are told us,” another voice answer

“What is it?” A third voice ‘caws’ excitedly.

A gray and black silhouette swoops down, landing at my feet. With dark, cold eyes, a crow is staring up at me, with his wings ruffle, spreading out from his body.

“Caw,” the crow’s raspy voice said, “Whose are you? ‘Caw’” its claws were digging into the ground.

‘I’m---”

“Caw,” another screeching voice calls out, “Caw, you’re human?” Swooping down from the tree.

“Yes,” I mumbled, then with a swish, both crows flew up toward the sky, ‘cawing’ out to each other, shielding my eyes, watching them fly away until they fade into a black speck against the grayish-blue sky.

‘What a day this has been,’ I sighed, wishing I could tell my mom all that I have seen and heard today. But I know what she would say if I mentioned my experience here, with her pencil-thin mouth, she would tell me, ‘Child, didn’t I warn you not to go into that meadow?”

‘Yes, mama,’ I said as though it was a prayer, pulling in my knees tighter. The rustling of the grass caught my attention, greenish-yellow piercing eyes locked in my direction. It was captivating, letting out a slow breath of air. I straighten up my stance to get a clearer view. That is when I heard a ‘meow,’ coming from the grass. It’s my cat ‘Tabby,’ with her head and tail held high, purring, rubbing her body up against my legs.

“Tabby, what are you doing here?”

“Oh, I’m playing a game, my dear,” she meows, stretches out her paws

“What kind of game, kitty?

Letting out a low hiss, Tabby said, “A most delightful game that us cat’s love to play,”

“What is it?”

“Why a cat and mouse game, of course,” she purrs, licking her front paw. Tabby looks up at me with a wink, blends back into the grass as she quietly starts her hunt.

Within seconds she magically vanishes into the brush, chasing down a mouse somewhere hidden in the woods. A hush settles on the meadow - 'a hunter is on the prowl.’

Across the meadow, shadows grow longer with the sun's rising higher in the sky, a sign that the day is waxing away, and I haven’t had anything to eat since this morning. 

“Excuse me…, excuse me,” said the squirrel

“Yes?” I said, crouching down on my knees

“You hungry… hungry?”

“Um..., yes I am.”

“Here…, here… an acorn.”

“Thank you- “

“She can’t eat an acorn, silly,” the rabbit said, “Here, eat some grass.”

“Thank you both, but I’ll just eat my crackers.”

“Bye, bye” as the squirrel darts away

“Good-day,” the rabbit said, hops off toward the tall grass.

“Pardon, me,” squeak a tiny gray mouse, its whiskers twitching

“Yes, little mouse. How can I help you?” I said, nibbling on my cracker

“You haven’t seen an orange cat around?”

“Yes, I did, early this morning.”

‘Oh, dear, oh my,” the mouse squeaks, hurrying off down the dirt path toward a burrow near a patch of tall grass.

Shielding my eyes from the glare of the sun, I say ‘good-bye’ to the meadow, its babbling brook, and all of the new friends that I meet today. I amble back home, drinking in the sunshine one last time, a fond farewell, a kiss from a butterfly on my cheek—the creatures' chattering blending with the sound of the wind, becoming a distant memory.

“Child, where have you been?”

“Nowhere, mama” I turn over and sigh, watching the sun fading on the horizon, drifting off to sleep once again.