Photo by Bernard Marschner.
Fairbanks, AK, 2024.
Even for a Forest Kid, Cherry was on
odd one. For one thing, her appearance. She was platinum blond all over and had
pale blue eyes. Maybe she represented a further stage in evolution, if you hold
with that theory. When the direct sunlight hit her she glowed and was a little
hard to look upon. Flashy kid!
It was the middle of summer. Even up in the woods it was hot! Down in town at sea level, it would have been even hotter. The wind hadn’t visited the Home Clearing all day. Colors were rich, and drowsy, with that surreal look, like a Maxfield Parrish painting.
Everyone but Cherry was just about asleep, even Bob and Berry, which is actually not surprising. Cats are cats, after all. Heat seekers.
Ramona kept thinking that they all needed a good dip in the river, but she was so sleepy that she never quite got it out of her mouth. She was lying down in the cave with the green door open. Ralph has taken to his log, and was thinking about everything at once, which is sure to put anyone to sleep. Cherry was beside her mother, but not asleep.
Twigg and the cats were snoozing under some ferns in the general area somewhere. Though Twigg was getting to be a quite big boy, he still liked to find a nice place to hang out with the Puma Bros, in seclusion.
No one with a heart could blame Cherry for being bored.
She remembered that she had promised Ralph and Ramona that she would keep her feet on the ground, mostly, especially if no one had eyes on her. She really did try to obey them.
Besides being airborne sometimes, Cherry had a few other attributes. One of these was the ability to call animals to play and chat with her. She did this by singing, like her father did.
Cherry was about the same as a human six year old, so she knew her way around her neighborhood pretty well. She usually enjoyed playing with rabbits. Rabbits liked her. They just stayed clear of Bob and Berry.
She wandered off to rabbit town. Rabbit town was just a berm of earth really, full of burrows and bunnies. It was just before you get to the river. Kind of over there. She sang her rabbit calling song. One sleepy looking mother Cotton Tail came out and looked at her, shook her head, and went back down into the burrow. “Not today, Sweetie,” she said, as she disappeared.
Cherry tried the Chickadees. Maybe they couldn’t hear her. None of them showed up when she sang her bird song to them.
Well, bees like sunshine. Also, bees are flying things!
It just happened. She called the bees, and several of those B.s we met before buzzed right over to Cherry. Bernice and the girls were tickled to see her. They danced around her head until she was quite dazzled. The flew up, they flew down. They said they were looking for flowers, fireweed especially. Would she like to help them find some, as if they didn’t already know every flower in the Great Forest and surrounding meadows and fields.
Up went Cherry, surrounded by a nimbus of yellow and black, furry bees. She accompanied them to a patch of fireweed out by the Gifting Stump in the meadow. Then they invited her back to the hive in the little house that Twigg had given them after he had rescued them from that pickup they were living in before.
She met the queen of all the bees, Bernadette, who was very pleased to meet Twigg’s little sister. Bernadette mentioned that Twigg, was, “Friend of all Bees.”
Several of the B.s cut off a nice piece of honeycomb and gave it to her for an afternoon snack. Cherry got rather sticky as a result.
Cherry didn’t mind being sticky. She and Bernice and the girls went back to frolicking around the meadow, visiting more fireweed. It was late afternoon by now.
As it happened, Maeve was coasting the air currents way up above the same meadow. She couldn’t believe what she saw down below herself. It looked like Cherry, the little blond urchin, wafting around down there with a bunch of bees.
She dropped down to investigate this anomaly.
It was just what it looked like. Cherry was way far from her mother, flying with bees!
“Cherry, Sweetie,” said Maeve hovering near. “Where is your mama?”
“She’s sleeping in the cave,” said Cherry, happily, and stickily.
“Cherry, what if she wakes up and can’t find you?” said Maeve.
“Oh, no!” said the child, pretty soberly.
“Let’s take you home now,” said Maeve. Being an old mother herself, she knew what was what and where the rubber met the road, if you will allow it, in their case.
Cherry said goodbye to the B.s, who flew off together promising to visit again. Then Maeve and Cherry cruised along together. Maeve went slowly to accommodate Cherry who was not fast, just floaty.
When they flew into the Home Clearing Ramona was still drowsing on the bed, Ralph was still thinking on his log, Twigg and the Bros were still snoozing under some ferns or something.
“Evermore!” sang Maeve, as loudly as she could. Ramona woke right up and came out to see what in the world Maeve was on about.
And there was Cherry, sitting on a log, as quiet as a mouse, as they say. Maeve looked from Ramona to Cherry, and back again a couple of times.
Ramona saw that her child was all covered in honey and bits of stuff which had stuck to her during her day with the B.s.
“Cherry, what in the world…?” said the Mother.
“You better tell her,” said Maeve.
So, Cherry confessed and was forgiven, but made to promise to keep her previous promise about airborne play when alone.
“I’ve been thinking all day that we should all go cool down in the river,” said Ramona. “Why don’t you go out and get Ralph, Maeve, and I will whistle for Twigg, and the cats will come with him, and we’ll all go swimming!”
Maeve, woke Ralph, saying Ramona wanted him. So he came right down the path to her.
Ramona whistled, which woke Twigg and Bob and Berry.
“Let’s all go get in the river, and wake up,” said Ramona. “Then, we’ll have to see about some dinner. Maybe it will be fish, right Ralph?”
“Sure, Mona,” said Ralph, grabbing a bag out of the cave to put the trout in when he talked them into coming to him.
Cherry got a bath, and they all got cooled off. Ralph and Twigg caught a good lot of large speckled trout. Then they all trooped home to have a nice fish dinner.
Before bed, Ralph had a little talk with Cherry.
It was the middle of summer. Even up in the woods it was hot! Down in town at sea level, it would have been even hotter. The wind hadn’t visited the Home Clearing all day. Colors were rich, and drowsy, with that surreal look, like a Maxfield Parrish painting.
Everyone but Cherry was just about asleep, even Bob and Berry, which is actually not surprising. Cats are cats, after all. Heat seekers.
Ramona kept thinking that they all needed a good dip in the river, but she was so sleepy that she never quite got it out of her mouth. She was lying down in the cave with the green door open. Ralph has taken to his log, and was thinking about everything at once, which is sure to put anyone to sleep. Cherry was beside her mother, but not asleep.
Twigg and the cats were snoozing under some ferns in the general area somewhere. Though Twigg was getting to be a quite big boy, he still liked to find a nice place to hang out with the Puma Bros, in seclusion.
No one with a heart could blame Cherry for being bored.
She remembered that she had promised Ralph and Ramona that she would keep her feet on the ground, mostly, especially if no one had eyes on her. She really did try to obey them.
Besides being airborne sometimes, Cherry had a few other attributes. One of these was the ability to call animals to play and chat with her. She did this by singing, like her father did.
Cherry was about the same as a human six year old, so she knew her way around her neighborhood pretty well. She usually enjoyed playing with rabbits. Rabbits liked her. They just stayed clear of Bob and Berry.
She wandered off to rabbit town. Rabbit town was just a berm of earth really, full of burrows and bunnies. It was just before you get to the river. Kind of over there. She sang her rabbit calling song. One sleepy looking mother Cotton Tail came out and looked at her, shook her head, and went back down into the burrow. “Not today, Sweetie,” she said, as she disappeared.
Cherry tried the Chickadees. Maybe they couldn’t hear her. None of them showed up when she sang her bird song to them.
Well, bees like sunshine. Also, bees are flying things!
It just happened. She called the bees, and several of those B.s we met before buzzed right over to Cherry. Bernice and the girls were tickled to see her. They danced around her head until she was quite dazzled. The flew up, they flew down. They said they were looking for flowers, fireweed especially. Would she like to help them find some, as if they didn’t already know every flower in the Great Forest and surrounding meadows and fields.
Up went Cherry, surrounded by a nimbus of yellow and black, furry bees. She accompanied them to a patch of fireweed out by the Gifting Stump in the meadow. Then they invited her back to the hive in the little house that Twigg had given them after he had rescued them from that pickup they were living in before.
She met the queen of all the bees, Bernadette, who was very pleased to meet Twigg’s little sister. Bernadette mentioned that Twigg, was, “Friend of all Bees.”
Several of the B.s cut off a nice piece of honeycomb and gave it to her for an afternoon snack. Cherry got rather sticky as a result.
Cherry didn’t mind being sticky. She and Bernice and the girls went back to frolicking around the meadow, visiting more fireweed. It was late afternoon by now.
As it happened, Maeve was coasting the air currents way up above the same meadow. She couldn’t believe what she saw down below herself. It looked like Cherry, the little blond urchin, wafting around down there with a bunch of bees.
She dropped down to investigate this anomaly.
It was just what it looked like. Cherry was way far from her mother, flying with bees!
“Cherry, Sweetie,” said Maeve hovering near. “Where is your mama?”
“She’s sleeping in the cave,” said Cherry, happily, and stickily.
“Cherry, what if she wakes up and can’t find you?” said Maeve.
“Oh, no!” said the child, pretty soberly.
“Let’s take you home now,” said Maeve. Being an old mother herself, she knew what was what and where the rubber met the road, if you will allow it, in their case.
Cherry said goodbye to the B.s, who flew off together promising to visit again. Then Maeve and Cherry cruised along together. Maeve went slowly to accommodate Cherry who was not fast, just floaty.
When they flew into the Home Clearing Ramona was still drowsing on the bed, Ralph was still thinking on his log, Twigg and the Bros were still snoozing under some ferns or something.
“Evermore!” sang Maeve, as loudly as she could. Ramona woke right up and came out to see what in the world Maeve was on about.
And there was Cherry, sitting on a log, as quiet as a mouse, as they say. Maeve looked from Ramona to Cherry, and back again a couple of times.
Ramona saw that her child was all covered in honey and bits of stuff which had stuck to her during her day with the B.s.
“Cherry, what in the world…?” said the Mother.
“You better tell her,” said Maeve.
So, Cherry confessed and was forgiven, but made to promise to keep her previous promise about airborne play when alone.
“I’ve been thinking all day that we should all go cool down in the river,” said Ramona. “Why don’t you go out and get Ralph, Maeve, and I will whistle for Twigg, and the cats will come with him, and we’ll all go swimming!”
Maeve, woke Ralph, saying Ramona wanted him. So he came right down the path to her.
Ramona whistled, which woke Twigg and Bob and Berry.
“Let’s all go get in the river, and wake up,” said Ramona. “Then, we’ll have to see about some dinner. Maybe it will be fish, right Ralph?”
“Sure, Mona,” said Ralph, grabbing a bag out of the cave to put the trout in when he talked them into coming to him.
Cherry got a bath, and they all got cooled off. Ralph and Twigg caught a good lot of large speckled trout. Then they all trooped home to have a nice fish dinner.
Before bed, Ralph had a little talk with Cherry.
🌸
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