DID YOU KNOW?

“Did you know that, when the wind stirs the leaves on the tree branches, the sound you hear is actually the Tree Elfin's dresses hustling?” I look sideways to my friend as we sit side by side on an old dried-up tree log. He’s fluffy and soft, pencil gray with patches of white around his big floppy ears and liquorice black eyes, a wiggly chocolate brown nose, whiskers that droop downwards and two enormous white front teeth sticking out over his under lip. His name is Frop and he’s a rabbit.

“You don’t say”, I answer him. It wouldn’t be the first time Frop is overly dramatic about something. If it’s very hot, he’ll elaborate about Sun Fairies being too energetic. According to Frop they are as yellow as the sun, a bit bigger than the hand of a 3 year old, shiny golden wings twice their body length, and when they bounce around from trees to rocks, water puddles to stems of sturdy flowers, they send out heat waves with every flap of those lovely, but dangerous wings. Frop looks at me, wiggling his nose and slightly shaking his head, making his ears’ tips look like they’re waving goodbye like a toddler. “I know you don’t always believe my stories and that’s okay. It’s only been a short while since you’ve been introduced to this world. But mark my words Mary, one day you’ll remember all of this and regret the time you’ve spent not treasuring your gift.”

My gift… Yes well, what a surprise that was! From one day walking in the woods behind our house, hearing creature noises but oblivious to what the sounds actually meant, to being astonishingly raked over the coals for rudely running away without bothering to answer. In my defence, I didn’t expect anyone asking me why I looked so troubled and I certainly didn’t see the person to whom the voice belonged. Thus, the running away bit. That day I ran and hid in the hollow of an old tree, sure that I’ve managed to outrun the stranger who had addressed me. No one was allowed in these woods, it was private and formed part of our property. Imagine my surprise when I saw a fluffy rabbit with its curious eyes and paws held up in surrender, slowly approaching the tree where I was now stuck. Why on earth would I be scared of such a little thing? Well, for one thing, the rabbit spoke to me again….

I notice that Frop is still looking at me. I smile, putting my hand on his little head. “I’m not saying that I don’t believe your stories Frop. It’s just that I haven’t gotten used to the idea that I can communicate with the creatures around here. Maybe I just need time to adjust to that, before I’m ready to hear about other mythical woodland creatures.” He nods his head in understanding and gets off the log. “Come on Mary, I promised the gang we would make an appearance.” I get up and tuck my hair behind my ears.

The gang, as Frop likes to call it, consist of Sam and his sister Sally, both caramel coloured squirrels with white streak in their bushy tails, a rather nerdy racoon named Gibbit with pointy ears, a shiny black nose, sparkling black eyes, black and white stripes on her thick tail and very feminine little paws. Because of the newness of my gift, some of the other creatures have approached me very cautiously, afraid to speak to me. I totally understand and would probably do the same. The gang however, couldn’t wait to be heard by someone other than their fellow inhabitants. As soon as Frop announced my ability, I couldn’t decide who of them wanted me to hear their voice first.

Frop is hopping in front of me, leading the way to where the gang would be gathered at this time of day. A fresh but cool early morning breeze plays through my hair and pushes bangs across my face. I walk in silence and wander through the hidden pathway, listening once again to the sounds in the woods. Dew glistens on some of the thick shrubbery, reflecting the sun’s rays and making it look like little diamonds. “Hurry up Mary! They’re not going to wait all day you know!” A little giggle escapes from my lips, making Frop swing around mid-hop and almost losing his balance. “What was that for?” he asks. “I’m just thinking how you once scattered to get away from me, now you’re urging me to be quick.” Frop shrugs and casually replies, “Things change, the world evolves”, before turning back and continuing on the pathway.

We reach the centre of the woods and find the gang chatting away, not noticing our arrival. Frop hops up onto a large rock, clearing his throat and looking at the creatures, waiting until he has their undivided attention before continuing: “Good morning to you all. I hope you all had a pleasant night and fruitful discussions about what we want Mary to experience today.” I’m standing off to one side, still careful not to scare these creatures off, and still in awe of what I’m hearing. I’m not sure what it is the gang wants me to experience, but I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Gibbit scurries closer and sits up on her hind legs, her tail neatly curled over her dainty feet. Wiping one of her watery eyes, she says: “I’m sure we don’t need further discussions. Those present have come to an agreement that Mary should be given the opportunity to meet the creatures who want to meet her.”

As I’m listening to their conversation I look around and now see more faces appear from the bushes. Brown ones, white ones, prickly ones…..a whole lot more than the gang I’ve come to know. And not only are there creatures on the ground, they also appear in trees. Sitting on a branch not much higher than I can reach, are two of the most colourful little creatures I’ve ever seen in fairy tale books. I’d say real life, but this is just too good to be true. They’re the size of a Barbie Doll, their clothes made of glittery feathers in colours of purple, pastel yellow, turquoise, and burgundy. It seems to be wrapped around their little bodies, ending midway to their knees in a long, flowing, tail like way. They also have wings, but not just one pair. The larger wings are almost the length of their bodies, extending above their heads and ending on the same level at their knees. Their eyes are huge and blue like a crystal clear sky, their hair decorated with all sorts of little flowers and ribbons.

Their little hands cover their mouths, trying to limit the giggling as we look at each other and I lift my hand just slightly to gently wave as I greet them. “Hi, my name is Mary.” The little fairies seem to be filled with joy and with voices sounding much stronger than I would expect from such tiny creatures, they returned my greeting. “Hello, my name is Tullip and this is my sister Pippa. We are very pleased to meet you.” A soft touch to my foot makes me look down and I see Sam. “This is what we wanted to show you Mary, all this and so much more. The Fairy folk and Elfin agreed to come and meet you. But not everyone could come, some of them still has work to finish, seeing that spring is upon us”, he says.

“What do you mean they have to work because of spring?” I ask Sam. Sally comes hopping towards us with a nut in her hand: “The Elfin still have to paint some of the flowers, but can do so only after the Fairies have finished singing to the pods. Once their song ends, the pod opens up and become a flower.” Now it’s Frop’s turn to educate me: “While all of the little ones are busy with their tasks, the rest of us have our share to do as well. We rabbits dig in the fertile soil, making new burrows for our families; the squirrels collect nuts, seeds, tree flowers and –buds. What we don’t use gets returned to the soil, only to grow and be used again.”

Pippa and Tullip giggle again and flap their wings to make their way to me and land gently on my shoulder. “We cannot stay long, as you’ve heard. But we couldn’t miss the opportunity to meet this miracle in our woods”, Pippa says. I shake my head in wonder. How is it possible for these extraordinary, mythical woodlands creatures to depict me as a miracle? The only miracle I see from where I’m standing is the woods coming to life with all of the flowers popping up where just 2 weeks ago, there was nothing but dead leaves and brown shrubs. Tullip curls a strand of my hair around her little hand and whispers: “We will see you again Mary, please come and visit tomorrow morning.” With that, they whisk off into the woods and I’m left alone with the gang.

As the morning continues I get an opportunity to meet the creatures who were willing to take the chance of not being hurt or injured by a human. I was introduced to some wise owls, each one wanting to sound wiser than the previous one, a hedgehog hurried closer to be excused. His wife would be getting anxious by now, and he wanted to go home and set her mind at ease. “Perhaps tomorrow, if you should wish to return, I can bring her along so she can see for herself”, Howard the Hedgehog explained. I smiled and winked at Frop, who was doing his bit in keeping the cue in order. “I’m sure Frop will wait for me at our usual spot. I want to come back tomorrow and meet every single one of the woods’ inhabitants, if they won’t be too afraid, that is.”

With that, Frop who was finishing up his conversation with the remaining creatures in the cue, turned around and signalled for us to be on our way. As we walked back in silence, my mind wandered back to all the wonderful things I’ve seen, heard, and learned today. For as long as I live, and for as long as I’m able and allowed, I want to be a part of this world. A world where everyone has a duty to fulfil, everyone dependant on those next to them, otherwise the remaining chain reactions and ultimately the survival of the creatures inhabiting it, would be jeopardised…a world where a collective can count on each other not just to survive the day, but to leave a legacy of a better future for all.

“Frop, I didn’t know about all the wonderful creatures and what their functions are in creating such a beautiful place, but I’m sure I’m much more open-minded and leaning towards believing your stories”, I said. Frop stopped for a second, looked over his shoulder and winked: “Told ya.”