Marge, little dreamer, thinker, and
reader, went to sleep that night with her heart full of questions and
possibilities. She wished that her mother might understand, more than anything.
Alone in her own room, Enid wept. She also considered how she might understand her child, how she was changing, and what it meant.
In the morning the old Bluebird school bus rolled up the dirt road, stopped for Marge in her Carhartts, and went on its way to the local junior high. The dust settled and quiet returned to the street.
Enid made up her mind about something. She dressed in jeans and so on, as if for a hike. She put in a few hours of online work. She sighed and pushed away from her desk.
She stuck her phone in her back jeans pocket and put her long hair up in a ponytail. She didn’t bother with her usual makeup job. It was very unusual behavior.
She retraced her steps of the day before. Down the dusty road, getting dust up on her shoes and jeans. She took the same path into the scrub forest, heading for the meadow. She didn’t know the people in the house that she must pass to get there. But she was curious about them for the first time. As she came abreast of the old stone and log building, a woman popped out of the front door and looked at her.
The woman was rather short and stocky. She wore a print dress, mostly blue, and a large pinafore style apron. Her hair was gray and pinned up in a big fluffy knot. Enid wondered briefly if she could do that with her own hair.
“Hi,” said Enid, pausing on the path. “I’m Enid Knight. My daughter and I live up the road a little bit.”
“Hello,” said Thaga. “I’d have said good morning, but it’s after noon! My name is Thaga.”
‘What a strange day,’ thought Enid. But she said, “good to meet you. I’m just going out to the meadow. I’m working on a little bit of a mystery, ma’am.”
“Good luck with your mystery, Enid,” said Thaga, who knew a mystery or two when she smelled it. She watched Enid walk on, with a little smile on her face and her blue eyes twinkling.
Enid had charged through the meadow before but today it was different. Her eye lit on flowers, she didn’t know their names. Pink, yellow, white, and some purple. The air was sweet and warm. She felt sunlight on her cheeks and brow. She remembered childhood for a moment. It had been such a long time since she had seen the world this way, but she did now. Her steps slowed.
There was a stump. A figure made of twigs and leaves decorated its top. Someone was doing something behind this stump. When he stepped out, her mouth dropped open, and she almost screamed.
But then she looked at him. He looked like a kid of some kind. He was near six feet tall, his face was soft and open, with brown eyes. He had a hesitant smile, and the boy was covered in soft brown hair, slightly wavy, she noticed, as if he were covered in Marcel waves. She wondered if she was insane just like that all of a sudden. Then he spoke.
“Are you Marge’s mom,” he said.
“That I am,” said Enid. “Who are you?”
“My name is Twigg. Ralph is my father. Ramona is my mother,” said Twigg.
“Well, Twigg, I don’t understand any of this,” said Enid. “My name is Enid Knight by the way.
“Let’s see, Um, Enid, a while back I came out to the meadow and found some fruit placed up on this stump. Sometimes people do that when they want to meet one of us. I thought that was neat. I saw her then and we talked. So, later, I made a little basket and put some honey and a pretty rock in it and brought it out here for her to find. I guess she did!” said Twigg.
“OK. Who are you? Where do you live?” whispered Enid.
“We live in forests mostly. All over the world,” said Twigg. “Other places too. Mankind calls us many things, we call ourselves Forest Keepers sometimes.”
“Why have I never heard of you?” said Enid. Maybe she hadn’t been listening.
“We stay separate mostly. Dad says there are people who believe without seeing, and people who won’t believe even if they do see, and people who come to believe we live when they meet us. I brought Marge to meet my parents and sister. Did she say?”
“No. She didn’t. I wouldn’t have believed her,” said Enid. “She knows me pretty well, Twigg.”
“Maybe it would be good if you talked to my father and mother. Would you like to meet them? They could probably explain it better than me, if you have questions,” said Twigg.
Enid tipped her head, looking at this big boy creature, friend of her child’s and thought, ‘I wanted to solve a mystery. Here it is!’ So, she said, “Yes. Take me to your mother and father, Twigg. I still have a couple of hours before Margie gets off of her bus at home.”
“Alright. Good. Now, Marge’s Mother, it will feel a little shifty to you when we go out into the woods, but hang on, it will clear up in a minute,” instructed Twigg, as they set off toward the deep forest beyond the meadow. "By the way, you can't really find my home without a guide."
Enid stumbled a little when they crossed over into Twigg’s world within the world. Then she regained her footing.
“What a trip!” Enid said, in wonder.
And no wonder. Before her she could see a clearing in between the huge ancient firs. There was a fire burning. There were two like Twigg, but larger. There was a tiny one also, suspended in the air between the two larger ones. Enid did feel a bit woozy, but she carried on.
A great black Raven flew down to land on the largest being's shoulder. She turned and looked at Enid and Twigg approaching. Two full grown male pumas drifted into the picture, stopping at the feet of the father. Surely the father, all of nine feet tall and five feet broad at the shoulders.
“Look who I found in the meadow!” said Twigg as they came near to the fire. “It’s Marge’s Mother, Enid Knight!”
“Oh! Maeve said you were coming,” said the father. “I am Ralph. Ramona here is my Firekeeper, the Mother of my children. Maeve is this big black bird here, by the way. The little person you see aloft is Cherry,” Ralph laughed a little at Enid’s amazement.
“Welcome,” said the mother, a beautiful giantess with a face of calm serenity. “We love your beautiful wise daughter! How proud of her you must be!” Ramona looked deeply into Enid’s being then. Not much slipped by Ramona.
“Why, yes, I am. She confuses me sometimes though,” admitted Enid.
“She is becoming a woman,” said Ramona. “You must love her with all of your heart. It’s the only way.”
“Beautiful?” asked Enid.
“Yes,” said Ralph, “She is bright and shiny, merry and kind. She is sweet as honey, with a brave mind! You must have been a fine mother to raise such a girl!”
The conversation went on for a time, there was a lot of sharing, laughs and some tears. Ralph told Enid about the trick he had sort of taught Marge and hoped it didn’t get her into trouble. But he thought a smart girl like that wouldn’t overdo it.
“I want to be home before the bus drops Margie off,” said Enid. So, they said their goodbyes, with best wishes. Ramona said they would love to see Enid and Marge again.
Twigg accompanied Enid out of the forest, helping her make the jump back into her own world. Then he went back to his parents.
When she passed Thaga and Ooog’s house the couple were both in the garden doing something like you would do in a garden. They both waved and smiled at Enid.
She hustled home up the dusty dirt road, and did beat the school bus. She ran inside, took a look at herself in the kitchen mirror and laughed.
When Marge came through the door Enid went to her and gathered her into her arms, saying, “Hi, Margie! Did you have a good day? I sure did! I’ll tell you about it in a minute!”
'Wow,' thought Marge. 'A real live miracle!' Then she grinned at her mom.
“OK, Mom,” said Marge, “Let’s hear it all!”
Alone in her own room, Enid wept. She also considered how she might understand her child, how she was changing, and what it meant.
In the morning the old Bluebird school bus rolled up the dirt road, stopped for Marge in her Carhartts, and went on its way to the local junior high. The dust settled and quiet returned to the street.
Enid made up her mind about something. She dressed in jeans and so on, as if for a hike. She put in a few hours of online work. She sighed and pushed away from her desk.
She stuck her phone in her back jeans pocket and put her long hair up in a ponytail. She didn’t bother with her usual makeup job. It was very unusual behavior.
She retraced her steps of the day before. Down the dusty road, getting dust up on her shoes and jeans. She took the same path into the scrub forest, heading for the meadow. She didn’t know the people in the house that she must pass to get there. But she was curious about them for the first time. As she came abreast of the old stone and log building, a woman popped out of the front door and looked at her.
The woman was rather short and stocky. She wore a print dress, mostly blue, and a large pinafore style apron. Her hair was gray and pinned up in a big fluffy knot. Enid wondered briefly if she could do that with her own hair.
“Hi,” said Enid, pausing on the path. “I’m Enid Knight. My daughter and I live up the road a little bit.”
“Hello,” said Thaga. “I’d have said good morning, but it’s after noon! My name is Thaga.”
‘What a strange day,’ thought Enid. But she said, “good to meet you. I’m just going out to the meadow. I’m working on a little bit of a mystery, ma’am.”
“Good luck with your mystery, Enid,” said Thaga, who knew a mystery or two when she smelled it. She watched Enid walk on, with a little smile on her face and her blue eyes twinkling.
Enid had charged through the meadow before but today it was different. Her eye lit on flowers, she didn’t know their names. Pink, yellow, white, and some purple. The air was sweet and warm. She felt sunlight on her cheeks and brow. She remembered childhood for a moment. It had been such a long time since she had seen the world this way, but she did now. Her steps slowed.
There was a stump. A figure made of twigs and leaves decorated its top. Someone was doing something behind this stump. When he stepped out, her mouth dropped open, and she almost screamed.
But then she looked at him. He looked like a kid of some kind. He was near six feet tall, his face was soft and open, with brown eyes. He had a hesitant smile, and the boy was covered in soft brown hair, slightly wavy, she noticed, as if he were covered in Marcel waves. She wondered if she was insane just like that all of a sudden. Then he spoke.
“Are you Marge’s mom,” he said.
“That I am,” said Enid. “Who are you?”
“My name is Twigg. Ralph is my father. Ramona is my mother,” said Twigg.
“Well, Twigg, I don’t understand any of this,” said Enid. “My name is Enid Knight by the way.
“Let’s see, Um, Enid, a while back I came out to the meadow and found some fruit placed up on this stump. Sometimes people do that when they want to meet one of us. I thought that was neat. I saw her then and we talked. So, later, I made a little basket and put some honey and a pretty rock in it and brought it out here for her to find. I guess she did!” said Twigg.
“OK. Who are you? Where do you live?” whispered Enid.
“We live in forests mostly. All over the world,” said Twigg. “Other places too. Mankind calls us many things, we call ourselves Forest Keepers sometimes.”
“Why have I never heard of you?” said Enid. Maybe she hadn’t been listening.
“We stay separate mostly. Dad says there are people who believe without seeing, and people who won’t believe even if they do see, and people who come to believe we live when they meet us. I brought Marge to meet my parents and sister. Did she say?”
“No. She didn’t. I wouldn’t have believed her,” said Enid. “She knows me pretty well, Twigg.”
“Maybe it would be good if you talked to my father and mother. Would you like to meet them? They could probably explain it better than me, if you have questions,” said Twigg.
Enid tipped her head, looking at this big boy creature, friend of her child’s and thought, ‘I wanted to solve a mystery. Here it is!’ So, she said, “Yes. Take me to your mother and father, Twigg. I still have a couple of hours before Margie gets off of her bus at home.”
“Alright. Good. Now, Marge’s Mother, it will feel a little shifty to you when we go out into the woods, but hang on, it will clear up in a minute,” instructed Twigg, as they set off toward the deep forest beyond the meadow. "By the way, you can't really find my home without a guide."
Enid stumbled a little when they crossed over into Twigg’s world within the world. Then she regained her footing.
“What a trip!” Enid said, in wonder.
And no wonder. Before her she could see a clearing in between the huge ancient firs. There was a fire burning. There were two like Twigg, but larger. There was a tiny one also, suspended in the air between the two larger ones. Enid did feel a bit woozy, but she carried on.
A great black Raven flew down to land on the largest being's shoulder. She turned and looked at Enid and Twigg approaching. Two full grown male pumas drifted into the picture, stopping at the feet of the father. Surely the father, all of nine feet tall and five feet broad at the shoulders.
“Look who I found in the meadow!” said Twigg as they came near to the fire. “It’s Marge’s Mother, Enid Knight!”
“Oh! Maeve said you were coming,” said the father. “I am Ralph. Ramona here is my Firekeeper, the Mother of my children. Maeve is this big black bird here, by the way. The little person you see aloft is Cherry,” Ralph laughed a little at Enid’s amazement.
“Welcome,” said the mother, a beautiful giantess with a face of calm serenity. “We love your beautiful wise daughter! How proud of her you must be!” Ramona looked deeply into Enid’s being then. Not much slipped by Ramona.
“Why, yes, I am. She confuses me sometimes though,” admitted Enid.
“She is becoming a woman,” said Ramona. “You must love her with all of your heart. It’s the only way.”
“Beautiful?” asked Enid.
“Yes,” said Ralph, “She is bright and shiny, merry and kind. She is sweet as honey, with a brave mind! You must have been a fine mother to raise such a girl!”
The conversation went on for a time, there was a lot of sharing, laughs and some tears. Ralph told Enid about the trick he had sort of taught Marge and hoped it didn’t get her into trouble. But he thought a smart girl like that wouldn’t overdo it.
“I want to be home before the bus drops Margie off,” said Enid. So, they said their goodbyes, with best wishes. Ramona said they would love to see Enid and Marge again.
Twigg accompanied Enid out of the forest, helping her make the jump back into her own world. Then he went back to his parents.
When she passed Thaga and Ooog’s house the couple were both in the garden doing something like you would do in a garden. They both waved and smiled at Enid.
She hustled home up the dusty dirt road, and did beat the school bus. She ran inside, took a look at herself in the kitchen mirror and laughed.
When Marge came through the door Enid went to her and gathered her into her arms, saying, “Hi, Margie! Did you have a good day? I sure did! I’ll tell you about it in a minute!”
'Wow,' thought Marge. 'A real live miracle!' Then she grinned at her mom.
“OK, Mom,” said Marge, “Let’s hear it all!”
🌸
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