You know, the Home Clearing is such
a lovely place, Ralph could stay there all the time if he was lazy and just
didn’t care about his larger kingdom. But he is a responsible monarch, so he
does his rounds.
The breeze wouldn’t leave him alone. It kept whispering, tossing a few bits of stuff up in the air and then letting them drop, with significance. It made him curious.
“Mona,” said Ralph, “I’m going to take a little turn around the neighborhood. It feels like a little something is in the air. I won’t be all day.”
“Why don’t you take Bob and Berry. I think me and the kids will go visit Thaga. Maybe Ooog has something good going on in his garden,” said Ramona. Of course she knew darn well that he did.
“Hey, good idea! Say Hi from me,” answered Ralph. Of course the cats didn’t need to be invited. They were right there ready to roll when Ralph stood up to go.
First he strolled the riverbank. Bob and Berry ranged along near Ralph. He told the fish he would be back later. He waded across to the other side, which he didn’t do very often. The cats swam across with him. Then he wandered off to the north on the far side of the river. Nothing much was going on there, so he waded across again, into that mostly clear area where he had brought Bruce back to the searchers. He thought of Bruce and wished him well, shaking his head.
It was a nice summer day. Sunlight dappled the grass and berry vines near the tree line. He still felt like walking further. He was getting near a dirt road that led into the local small town. It seemed like the wind was sending him that direction, still. He decided to go unseen, just in case someone was poking around out there.
Someone was.
He told the cats to stay back, so they didn’t rattle her if she saw them. So they sat off in the distance watching.
She had set up a kind of campsite some distance from the road. She was sitting on a log. She had even made a little fire, and it looked like she meant to be there for a while. She looked like somebody’s mom, a middle aged brunette in jeans and sweatshirt. She finished a smoke and threw the butt into her fire. She took a drink from a bottle of water and set it down. She picked up a chocolate bar, took a piece of the chocolate, then rewrapped the bar.
“Look, I know darn well you’re out there,” she said. “Other people, people who don’t even believe, have sightings! It’s not fair!
“I’m not afraid! I won’t scream or faint! I don’t even care if you smell bad!”
Ralph raised his eyebrows and smiled to himself.
“I have camped here. I have camped in Darrington, Machias, Arlington, and out on the Mountain Loop Highway. Nothing! Why? Are you afraid of me?,” she said. There were actually tears in her voice.
Ralph understood why the wind had called him here and now. He allowed that warm atmosphere that he commands to reach the lady. He knew she wasn’t quite as ready as she thought, so he gave her a minute.
He lowered himself to a cross legged seated position on the other side of her campfire. He sat there for a minute or two with his elbows on his knees.
Finally he said, softly, “The wind told me that someone wanted to see me out here.”
She looked around to find the source of the words.
“I hear you, but I can’t see you,” she murmured.
“Look again,” said Ralph.
When she did, there he was. His was a somewhat complex appearance. He could have been mistaken for a rather hairy guru, or maybe a giant living teddy bear, maybe an angel of sorts, or a huge wild man. He sat on the ground to be on her level where she sat on the log, so they could speak eye to eye.
She gazed at him for a long moment, memorizing his size, color, and expression.
“I knew it!” she said, with satisfaction.
“You were right,” he said. “Do you have questions?”
“Why was it so hard? I looked and looked. As soon as the stories were told and I heard them, I believed. Why today?” she said in return.
“There are many parts to the answers, Lady,” said Ralph. “I’ll start at the end of the list. What’s your name, Lady?”
“Sybil, yeah I know, sounds like a witch’s name. That’s what they named me,” said Sybil.
“Not to me. Let’s see, today because it was time I guess. I don’t know everything, but sometimes I know something. Also the wind kept pushing me.”
Sybil folded her hands in her lap and nodded.
“We forest people are like you people in that there are all types of us. Some are wise and good. Some are wild and mean, usually for reasonable reasons. Some just don’t want to be known. It is like the luck of the draw.
“Those of us who are kind, often see curious human people searching for us, but sense that to reveal ourselves would do more harm than good. The satisfaction of mere curiosity doesn’t always work out well, for either party you know? Maybe someone felt that way about you sometime, I don’t know.
“Some of us are quite naughty pranksters. I’ve done a bit of pranking in my past, but I, well mostly, don’t indulge these days. If you have not come foul of a prankster you should be grateful! Imagine some invisible goofball moving your stuff around, tapping on your windows, and throwing things at you!
“I’m thankful you didn’t meet a mean one. They do exist, unfortunately, Sybil.”
“I didn’t know,” she said. “I thought those were just stories made up to scare others. I thought all of you were gentle and shy like Patty seemed to be.”
“Many of us are, to tell the truth. We’re a diffident bunch in all, mostly. But as I carry some authority around here in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, as you people call it, I have some responsibility to help out, if I can.”
“I see,” said Sybil.
“Would you like to meet my cats, Sybil? They’re over in the shadows waiting to see if I call them,” he said with a grin. “They’re pumas, quite nice fellows. They help me hunt!”
“Yes, please call them!” she said.
Ralph waved them over and they came walking together, tails waving in unison, with subtle cat smiles and shining green eyes.
“Go to the lady, greet her kindly please,” said Ralph.
Berry and Bob went to Sybil and allowed her to stroke them. She was beyond delighted to meet such fine beasts and praised their beauty to the skies. They quite liked it. Both of them bunted her with their heads and gave her a couple of kitty kisses as cats do.
“Are you content, Sybil? Have I explained well enough?” asked Ralph.
“Yes, you have. I’m just grateful and happy to have met you. You didn’t say your name!” she said.
“It’s not the name my mother gave me, but I am Ralph now, Sybil,” said he.
“Thank you, Ralph. I see that you indeed do have authority here. I sense kingship on you,” said Sybil.
“You are very kind and wise, dear lady,” said Ralph. He was quite touched by her remark.
“I’m going to pack up my stuff and go home. I don’t need to camp out here now,” said Sybil. All she really had was a backpack and it was soon filled and closed, and she slipped it on her arms. “I guess I’d better put out this fire.”
“Allow me,” said Ralph. He told the fire to stop, and it did! It died right down to ashes.
“Wow!” said Sybil.
“I was showing off a little,” said Ralph, the ex-prankster.
“Everybody out here knows me, even Ranger Rick, over at the station. If you get into a pickle, use my name and someone, might even be a big black Raven, will find me,” said Ralph. “Now I will leave you and go on home.”
“Thank you, Ralph. I’ll go home too,”
“Always glad to help a lady,” grinned Ralph.
She took off toward the road where her car was parked and Ralph and the boys turned toward the Home Clearing.
Maybe if they were lucky they would meet a careless deer on the way home. It could easily happen!
The breeze wouldn’t leave him alone. It kept whispering, tossing a few bits of stuff up in the air and then letting them drop, with significance. It made him curious.
“Mona,” said Ralph, “I’m going to take a little turn around the neighborhood. It feels like a little something is in the air. I won’t be all day.”
“Why don’t you take Bob and Berry. I think me and the kids will go visit Thaga. Maybe Ooog has something good going on in his garden,” said Ramona. Of course she knew darn well that he did.
“Hey, good idea! Say Hi from me,” answered Ralph. Of course the cats didn’t need to be invited. They were right there ready to roll when Ralph stood up to go.
First he strolled the riverbank. Bob and Berry ranged along near Ralph. He told the fish he would be back later. He waded across to the other side, which he didn’t do very often. The cats swam across with him. Then he wandered off to the north on the far side of the river. Nothing much was going on there, so he waded across again, into that mostly clear area where he had brought Bruce back to the searchers. He thought of Bruce and wished him well, shaking his head.
It was a nice summer day. Sunlight dappled the grass and berry vines near the tree line. He still felt like walking further. He was getting near a dirt road that led into the local small town. It seemed like the wind was sending him that direction, still. He decided to go unseen, just in case someone was poking around out there.
Someone was.
He told the cats to stay back, so they didn’t rattle her if she saw them. So they sat off in the distance watching.
She had set up a kind of campsite some distance from the road. She was sitting on a log. She had even made a little fire, and it looked like she meant to be there for a while. She looked like somebody’s mom, a middle aged brunette in jeans and sweatshirt. She finished a smoke and threw the butt into her fire. She took a drink from a bottle of water and set it down. She picked up a chocolate bar, took a piece of the chocolate, then rewrapped the bar.
“Look, I know darn well you’re out there,” she said. “Other people, people who don’t even believe, have sightings! It’s not fair!
“I’m not afraid! I won’t scream or faint! I don’t even care if you smell bad!”
Ralph raised his eyebrows and smiled to himself.
“I have camped here. I have camped in Darrington, Machias, Arlington, and out on the Mountain Loop Highway. Nothing! Why? Are you afraid of me?,” she said. There were actually tears in her voice.
Ralph understood why the wind had called him here and now. He allowed that warm atmosphere that he commands to reach the lady. He knew she wasn’t quite as ready as she thought, so he gave her a minute.
He lowered himself to a cross legged seated position on the other side of her campfire. He sat there for a minute or two with his elbows on his knees.
Finally he said, softly, “The wind told me that someone wanted to see me out here.”
She looked around to find the source of the words.
“I hear you, but I can’t see you,” she murmured.
“Look again,” said Ralph.
When she did, there he was. His was a somewhat complex appearance. He could have been mistaken for a rather hairy guru, or maybe a giant living teddy bear, maybe an angel of sorts, or a huge wild man. He sat on the ground to be on her level where she sat on the log, so they could speak eye to eye.
She gazed at him for a long moment, memorizing his size, color, and expression.
“I knew it!” she said, with satisfaction.
“You were right,” he said. “Do you have questions?”
“Why was it so hard? I looked and looked. As soon as the stories were told and I heard them, I believed. Why today?” she said in return.
“There are many parts to the answers, Lady,” said Ralph. “I’ll start at the end of the list. What’s your name, Lady?”
“Sybil, yeah I know, sounds like a witch’s name. That’s what they named me,” said Sybil.
“Not to me. Let’s see, today because it was time I guess. I don’t know everything, but sometimes I know something. Also the wind kept pushing me.”
Sybil folded her hands in her lap and nodded.
“We forest people are like you people in that there are all types of us. Some are wise and good. Some are wild and mean, usually for reasonable reasons. Some just don’t want to be known. It is like the luck of the draw.
“Those of us who are kind, often see curious human people searching for us, but sense that to reveal ourselves would do more harm than good. The satisfaction of mere curiosity doesn’t always work out well, for either party you know? Maybe someone felt that way about you sometime, I don’t know.
“Some of us are quite naughty pranksters. I’ve done a bit of pranking in my past, but I, well mostly, don’t indulge these days. If you have not come foul of a prankster you should be grateful! Imagine some invisible goofball moving your stuff around, tapping on your windows, and throwing things at you!
“I’m thankful you didn’t meet a mean one. They do exist, unfortunately, Sybil.”
“I didn’t know,” she said. “I thought those were just stories made up to scare others. I thought all of you were gentle and shy like Patty seemed to be.”
“Many of us are, to tell the truth. We’re a diffident bunch in all, mostly. But as I carry some authority around here in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, as you people call it, I have some responsibility to help out, if I can.”
“I see,” said Sybil.
“Would you like to meet my cats, Sybil? They’re over in the shadows waiting to see if I call them,” he said with a grin. “They’re pumas, quite nice fellows. They help me hunt!”
“Yes, please call them!” she said.
Ralph waved them over and they came walking together, tails waving in unison, with subtle cat smiles and shining green eyes.
“Go to the lady, greet her kindly please,” said Ralph.
Berry and Bob went to Sybil and allowed her to stroke them. She was beyond delighted to meet such fine beasts and praised their beauty to the skies. They quite liked it. Both of them bunted her with their heads and gave her a couple of kitty kisses as cats do.
“Are you content, Sybil? Have I explained well enough?” asked Ralph.
“Yes, you have. I’m just grateful and happy to have met you. You didn’t say your name!” she said.
“It’s not the name my mother gave me, but I am Ralph now, Sybil,” said he.
“Thank you, Ralph. I see that you indeed do have authority here. I sense kingship on you,” said Sybil.
“You are very kind and wise, dear lady,” said Ralph. He was quite touched by her remark.
“I’m going to pack up my stuff and go home. I don’t need to camp out here now,” said Sybil. All she really had was a backpack and it was soon filled and closed, and she slipped it on her arms. “I guess I’d better put out this fire.”
“Allow me,” said Ralph. He told the fire to stop, and it did! It died right down to ashes.
“Wow!” said Sybil.
“I was showing off a little,” said Ralph, the ex-prankster.
“Everybody out here knows me, even Ranger Rick, over at the station. If you get into a pickle, use my name and someone, might even be a big black Raven, will find me,” said Ralph. “Now I will leave you and go on home.”
“Thank you, Ralph. I’ll go home too,”
“Always glad to help a lady,” grinned Ralph.
She took off toward the road where her car was parked and Ralph and the boys turned toward the Home Clearing.
Maybe if they were lucky they would meet a careless deer on the way home. It could easily happen!
🌸
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