A King Went Walking One Morning

 

A king went walking in a wood.

He chanced to meet a traveler.

“Ho, there, traveler! Shall we talk?”

" Oh, yes, I think we should!”

 
            The morning woke Ralph early. He had slept fitfully all during the night. He finally realized that he was awake, so, quietly, he arose and left the cave where Ramona, Cherry, Twigg, and the animals slept on. He placed his palm flat on the door, for a moment. His mark.
            It was still dark. A winter morning. The sky was clear and the stars burned overhead in the opening in the canopy of firs. He took a deep chill breath and then exhaling, watched the cloud of steam fly out and disappear. There were drifts of frozen snow all around.
            Maeve, who always sensed him, silently drifted down out of the sky, black as night.
            “Where to, Liege,” said she.
            “Greetings, Lady,” murmured Ralph. “Something calls me and I would go walking.”
            “Aye! A fine morning for a walk!” said Maeve, low of voice.
            “First, I will build up the fire,” said Ralph. He laid some heavier pieces in the coals, so that when Ramona arose she would know that he thought of her and that all was well. He saw that some dim coals began to notice the fuel.
            She took her place and they set out up the well worn trail past his log, which lay under a blanket of snow. Continuing to the north they passed into the meadow where Uncle Bob and Aunt Suzy slept, snug in their Stump House. A thready column of smoke rose from their fireplace outside the door.
            Frozen snow on top of tall dead grass is hard to walk through for we Hairless, but not for Ralph. His stride never faltered or slowed.
            When the sun began to rise above the trees, and the stars slept, Maeve lifted off of Ralph’s shoulder, rising into the morning light high into the air, where she flashed, shining. Ralph watched her flight, remembering his own.
            There was something else in the sky besides Maeve.
            It was indistinct, but shiny, like some sort of chrome object, far away and small. It seemed to hover over the area of the river.
            “Bingo!” said Ralph and he headed for the river.

 🍀

            Leely woke early in Marge’s girlhood bed. It was still dark, but something had roused her. Her opened eyes fell on the basket on her desk. Now she knew why she wept. The basket held, and was everything and she had been blind to it. Oh, Twigg!
            As fast as ever a maiden dressed, Leely dressed in Marge’s clothes. It was obviously frozen cold outside, so she layered up. T-shirt, sweater, Carhartts, two pair of socks, boots, mittens, beanie of blue wool, the whole bit.
            Leely had a meeting to attend, and she knew it.
            She wrote Enid a loving note, promising to see her soon, picked up Twigg’s basket, and slipped quietly out of the front door, leaving it locked.
            The sky was still full of stars when she set out. Her Honda sat covered in snow on the side of the road. She wondered if she would ever drive it again. It didn’t seem important.
            As she hurried along the path past the Ooog cottage, small lights came to her and seemed to attend her. They were as beautiful as the stars overhead, but warmer and closer. They seemed to whisper something indistinct as each flew by, which coalesced into song.
            It was merry! Celebratory! Compelling!
            “Hurry!” sang the little lights.
            “I’m hurrying, little lights!” sang Leely, as she burst into the meadow, heading for the Home Clearing.
 

🌟

 
            Ramona arose just about the time Ralph got to the Stump House. Her usual hour, if she had a clock, but she only had her knowing. She saw that the fire was burning well, and knew that Ralph had done that to speak to her. All was well, and there was something else! Something was afoot. Something was coming! A meeting! It was a meeting!
            Ramona began to prepare oatcakes because they keep well and are handy. She made a big pot of coffee and set it where it would stay warm. Then she sat while the oatcakes baked, thinking hard, questioning.
            “Twigg! My son must arise; something concerns him!” she said aloud into the cold air, with conviction.
            Running back into the family cave she called to him, “Twigg! You must wake up! Something is happening, I’m not sure what it is!”
            This notice was so exciting that not only did Twigg awaken, so did Cherry and Blue and the cats too! Everyone scrambled out, wondering what could be up.
           

🍒

 
            When Ralph got to the river, he saw that the shining object was suspended there over the water. He had seen this object before.
            “Mak! Is it you?” he called in his deep rumble of a voice into the morning air.
            The ship, for ship it was, drifted closer. It waited at the river’s edge for a few beats of a heart. Then the hatch in its side slid open.
            “Yes, Ralph,” said the man as small as child of eight years. “I’m here! I understand that there is to be a meeting of some kind.”
            “Yes, I think so too!” sang Ralph. He was beginning to understand it.
            “Will you come with me?” said Ralph.
            “That’s why I’m here,” said Mak. “We must hurry. Everyone is gathering!”
 

🚀

            For their part, Thaga and Ooog had also awakened early. Something was up at the Home Clearing. They could feel it in their bones, and it was exciting. They dressed warmly and in a hurry. They didn’t even stop to eat a bite of food.
            “I wonder what it could be,” said Thaga.
            “I figure we’ll find out when we get there!” said Ooog. “Hurry up, Thaga!”
            “I’m doing the best I can in this snow,” sang the short sturdy lady in her woolens and cap and clever little boots.
            Ooog wore his best leather britches and coat. His knitted cap sat firmly on his head and his long white braid hung down to his belt in back.
 

🌲

            Around the fire, Ramona and her children waited. Blue and Bob and Berry waited with them.
            Just then, Uncle Bob and his Suzy came down into the Clearing looking puzzled but excited. They looked from face to face, wonderingly.
            “Something woke us and told us to come here as fast as we could,” said Uncle Bob.
            Then there was music like thousands of tiny voices in harmony. Then crowds of tiny light blew into the Clearing. The eyes of everyone there were on them, in wonder and amazement. It was as if they were announcing something.
            At last, Leely hurried into the Clearing. She carried Twigg’s basket in her arms. She was thunderstruck to see everyone there!
            “Marge?” cried Twigg.
            “Leely!” said Ramona. “She is riverborn as Leely, Twigg!”
            Twigg walked slowly to Leely, overcome. There were tears in his sweet eyes, and an answer.
            She waited, basket in arms, and stars in her eyes.
            He gathered her up in his arms and kissed her. She kissed him back too, happily! She had to hand his basket to Ramona lest it get crushed between them.
            Everyone cheered loudly and long. The forest rang with it.
            Now, Ralph and Mak heard all the cheering as they were walking in from the river.
            “Ah, everyone is there already,” said Mak to Ralph. “Let’s hurry!”
            “I do believe all of the guests are there, yes!” said Ralph, and he did hurry.

👑

            When Ralph, and Mak beside him, strode into the Home Clearing, he smiled. Not much gets past Ralph, if anything. He held up his great hands, to shush the crowd. All eyes turned to him. He looked at each one separately and nodded to each one.
            He saw that Ramona had tears in her eyes.
            He saw Cherry aloft with the tiny singing lights.
            He saw Leely in Twigg’s arms.
            “Oh, my beloved people, Ralph began….”

🤍