Meeting At Last

 

All photos on location in the BSNF.

            Maeve had been out on the wing as usual that early morning, flying north, and then back south, circling through the tree tops, then drifting down here and there to get a better look.  Nobody inspects the forest like her.
            Her bright eye, and inquisitive mind was ever on the watch.  With just her exigent wingbeats she could cover more ground in moments than anyone else could just walking at ground level. It would be ungenerous to use the word “snoopy.”  Well, there it is. Snoopiness has its pragmatism.

            Circuit completed; she headed straight for Ralph’s locale. She found him in a meditative state stretched out on his famous cedar log. His eyes were shut, but he wasn’t asleep. He was contemplating perfection and asking himself if perfection was round. Or if maybe roundness had preeminence over perfection.  If he kept on like this he would have been asleep soon.
            She landed with a good solid thump on his chest. His eyes popped open.
            “Oh, good.  You’re awake,” said she.
            “Um. What’s the news old bird,” said he, knowing that’s just what he was about to receive.
            “Well. There’s two parties of hairless in our forest.  I think they came looking for you!”
            “You don’t think they’re just camping?” asked Ralph, sitting up.
            “One bunch down on the riverbank has an awful lot of equipment with them Ralph. It looks like a TV crew.”
            “Ouch!” said Ralph. He whistled a long low whistle, looking thoughtful.
            “The other two are just out there, by the park entrance. When I left them they were arranging candies on a little fir.  They were decorating the tree with them!” said Maeve, doing that Raven chuckle. “They are putting shiny wrapped candies all over that tree, and it’s nowhere near Christmas, when people do that.”
            “Hm. Nobody ever did that before. Wait ‘til Twigg finds out. Don’t go tell him Maeve. It could be a trap,” said Ralph laughing. “He could end up all tangled up in that tree being videoed! Then he would be on YouTube! I suppose I better go check them out…”
            “I know you’ll avoid those, um, researchers, down by the river, but are you going to appear to those women at the park?” asked Maeve in disbelief.  She hopped up onto his left shoulder, so she could talk right into his ear. “What if they have mobile phones!”
            “We’ll worry about that when we get there. I’ll be in shhhh mode.”
            “I’ll go tell Ramona!” said Maeve, getting pretty excited about the project.
            “Meet me at the park,” said Ralph. Maeve blasted off to carry the news and Ralph got onto the trail heading for the park entrance.

            ***

            The older lady looked on as the other one tied the last of about 100 wrapped butter scotch candies to the baby Douglas fir, just a bit into the woods from the lot where they had left the Honda. She was pleased at the effect.  Looked very festive.  And tempting. Surely it would attract attention.  Hopefully human hikers wouldn’t see it. It wasn’t on the trail.
            She wasn’t really expecting to make contact today.  She just wanted to leave something to please the little ones. Maybe next time they came to the park, someone would speak to them.
            A particularly large Raven watched from a lower branch just a few yards away. She paced impatiently up and down the branch muttering Raven chatter.
            “Get that bird,” said the younger one. “Wonder what’s biting her?”
            “Maybe she’s waiting for us to clear out of here. She might like candy,” said the first lady. Then she went back to the car and came back with a couple dozen new toothbrushes. They were packaged in little plastic boxes with hooks on them, so they could be hung up in the store. She began hanging them in the tree also.
            “Oh, mom!  Really!” said the younger of the two.
            “Yep!” said “mom.” “Can you imagine how hard it is to find a toothbrush out here?”
            “While you finish up I’m going to get in and get ready to go home,” said the daughter. “Whatever makes you happy! Maybe I’ll take a nap.”

            ***

            “I don’t know if you can hear me,” said the first lady, sitting on a tree trunk. “But some day I’d like to see you and say hi. The candy and toothbrushes are just presents for the kids.”
            While she sat quietly, she thought she heard, “are you sure?”
            “I think I’m sure,” she said aloud.
            “I scare some people,” said the quiet voice.
            “I know,” she said. “I’m shy, but I think I will be okay.” She closed her eyes, waiting.
            “You can open your eyes now lady,” said the voice, right out loud now.
            She took a deep breath and opened her eyes.
            He was sitting  beside her on the tree trunk. He was massive. He was covered in soft looking deep brown wavy hair. His hands were folded in his lap. In his large smiling face, his big brown eyes had smile crinkles around them. He smelled of forest loam and evergreen pitch.
            “Hi,” said Ralph. “It’s nice to meet you.  I’ve seen you around the forest for years you know.” His deep chuckle filled the air for a moment. It could have been mistaken for a burst of wind in the trees, if one wanted to hear it that way.
            “It’s true, I’ve spent a lot of time in the forest,” she said, hardly believing what was happening.
            “It was kind of you to bring presents for the kids. Two of them are mine, but one is still a baby,” he said.
            “I’m glad you approve,” she said. “I hoped it would be okay.”
            “Kindness is always appreciated, but lots of times those looking for us aren’t looking for kind reasons.  You know that,” said Ralph.
            “I do know that,” she said. “I better go now; I have a lot of driving left to do today and my daughter is waiting for me in the car.”
            “My name is Ralph. Use my name if you meet other forest people and they will understand that you are alright with me,” he said. “I hope we meet again.”
            “I do too,” she said, getting up to leave, just looking at him for a moment. She saw only love in his eyes.
            Happily, she walked back to her car. When she got seated and started up the engine, she said to her daughter, “I have a story to tell you.”