They Both Disappeared

 

😸💚😺

            She might have been a little lost. This part of forest was new to her. She wasn’t afraid but she was a little confused. The tree trunks were thicker here and the undergrowth much thinner than where she had wandered from.

            It was a sweet, slightly warm fall day in the BSNF. The sky was blue but not with a lot of conviction.  It was a pale blue. Some yellow leaves drifted in on the wind from the direction of the meadow where there were maples and alders still dropping some leaves. There was smoke on the air, but not a lot.  Maybe someone had a campfire down by the river.
            The day was so beguiling that the little one just kept walking. The path was subtle, but she had no trouble following it through the Salal and Indian Grape bushes. After all she was of the forest people. The duff beneath her feet was like a carpet to her.
            Suddenly someone spoke!
            “Who are you?” said Twigg. He was right in the middle of the path, staring in amazement. The only other child he had ever seen was Cherry, who was, from his point of view, a fairly useless infant.
            “Linnet,” she said. “Mamma calls me Linnet.”
            “That’s funny,” said Twigg. “I’m named after part of a tree. I don’t know what a Linnet is.”
            “I think it’s just me,” said Linnet, a little embarrassed because she didn’t know.
            “That’s okay,” said Twigg. “Where did you come from? Are your parents coming too?”
            “I don’t know. They were asleep, so I took a walk. Maybe they will find me.” She looked a little weepy at that.
            “Don’t cry Linnet. Parents always find kids. I’m not sure how, but they do,” Twigg insisted.
            Twigg gave a little whistle, like he learned from his dad. Berry and Bob came silently to him and bumped him with their heads.  They were getting to be quite grown up puma boys by then and maybe a little girl might be afraid of them. But they just sat and smiled, cat style, at her, purring great big loud purrs.
            “These are my cats. They’re pets. Daddy brought them to me when they were babies and I wanted a pet cat like Thaga has, but mine are bigger and more fun than just a little striped cat in the house,” said Twigg.
            “Oh!,” said Linnet. “They’re your friends! They won’t hurt you or me?
            “No. They don’t eat people, or other pets. My mom still feeds them cooked food and other stuff that is not cooked.  They like fish a lot. So my dad has to get into the river and catch a lot of fish for all of us.  Berry and Bob can’t fish very well at all.”
            “Do you have any other kids in your family,” asked Twigg.
            “No, it’s just me and my father and my mamma.  I don’t have a pet either,” said Linnet, still a little in awe of the big kitties.
            “I’ll tell you about my sister then. She is a baby. She is shiny almost white. She doesn’t do anything much but sleep up in the air kind of behind my mother like she is tied to mommy, but there is no rope. She just stays there. Sometimes she wakes up and sits on the ground and does baby stuff,” said Twigg. “We can go see her later, if you want to.”
            “I would like to see a shiny white flying baby girl,” laughed Linnet. “Does she have a tree name too?”
            “Cherry. Her name is Cherry,” said Twigg. “So, yeah, I guess so. There are cherry trees.”
            “Do you want to see the new trick my dad showed me?” Twigg looked inspired suddenly.
            “I guess so. What is it,” said Linnet.
            “Well, grownups can do this thing.  But dad showed me, even though I'm still a kid. They can almost vanish. It’s like they are still there but no one can see them very well. It’s not the one where they go away.  They are still there, just a little kinda sparkly shape. It’s fun.  Want to see me do it?”
            “Yes, do it,” she was intrigued.
            Standing there, smiling, right beside her, Twigg sang a little song, way down under his breath. It was just a few special words sung in a certain plain tune. ‘         
            Twigg vanished, except for something that looked like some dust motes in a beam of sunlight. She could almost see his shape, but of course that was because she knew where he was. If she hadn't known that he was there she probably wouldn’t have noticed him.
            “I’m still here, Linnet,” said Twigg. “Don’t worry, and I can hear and see you just like regular. See, isn’t that neat?  A good way to hide, if you wanted to. My cats know where I am. I think they see different things than people do.” As if to prove his point, the pumas smiled very large smiles and looked at Linnet with huge shining golden eyes, looking rather proud of themselves.
            He hummed another little tune, and reappeared.
            “I think we better go see my mom. She will take care of you until your mom and dad come and find you.  They will. Don’t worry. You can see Cherry float in the air like a cloud. She doesn’t fly like a bird. She just floats here and there. It’s funny! Come on!” said Twigg to his new little friend, who was glad to  hear the invitation.
            He took her hand and led her home with him through the familiar forest paths. Berry and Bob followed behind like circus tigers, with their tales waving back and forth in time with each other, very fancily.
            When they got to the home clearing and the fire circle there were four adults there. Ralph and Ramona of course, but also a worried looking mom and dad who had just arrived looking for a forest child called Linnet.
            Just as Twigg was about to say, “look who I found out on the path!” Linnet saw her parents and went running to her mother. Her father picked her up and tossed her up in the air, grinning, and handed her to her mother. It was a grand meeting! Then there was a moment of serious discussion about not wandering off.
            When the excitement was over, Linnet got to meet Cherry and see her float, until Cherry woke and wanted Ramona. Even her parents were very impressed. No one could remember ever seeing a floating baby before.
            Linnet’s family stayed for dinner. They promised to bring Linnet over to play soon, and then they walked home under the stars when it got late. Twigg had been allowed to stay up late because it was a special night, so as he watched, Linnet turned back to wave to him and smile her best smile.

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