When Ralph told Ramona about the
strange dream, she was almost outraged, in a quiet way. Ramona is a very
curious Firekeeper, and the unknowns in the story ate away at her sense of
completion.
She just looked at him for a while. Then, “How can you have a dream like that? The rest of the story must be there somewhere, Baby! Try to remember!”
“Really. That’s all there was, Mona! I wish I knew too!” said Ralph. He didn’t mention what he had heard from his toe. He didn’t think it would translate well to Ramona. When he thought about it, he figured that the toe speech must have been a sort of dream too. It must have been. Toes don’t talk. They just get on with their work, which when analyzed, is pretty much what the dream toe told him, sending feedback from ground level.
“But, Ralph Baby, what did the men expect to find in the box? It must have been some kind of treasure, right? Some woman must have fooled them somehow. But how did that happen?” said Ramona, urgently.
“Yeah, not only were they angry when they saw the bones, they were terrified, and I’m not sure why? What’s so scary about an ancient box of old dead bones? And whose bones were they,” said Ralph. “I wonder if that small of a box must have held very small bones.”
“Brrr!,” said Ramona. “See, there’s a story there, hiding.”
“We don’t even know if it really happened, Mona. It might just be a crazy dream,” protested Ralph.
Maeve had been listening carefully from her usual perch on Ralph’s left shoulder. She looked from person to person, thoughtfully.
“I’ve heard a story like that,” she said. “I don’t even know if it’s true. My dear mate’s original family lived many day’s flight toward the sunrise in another deep and dark forest full of many tales.”
“How does his story go?” said Ramona.
“I will try to remember,” said Maeve. “But it has been a very long time since I spoke to him.”
“That’s alright, Birdy,” said Ralph, reaching up to give her a little pat on her black feathers.
“It goes like this: One time there was a rich farmer. He saved all his earnings in cash. Never banks. He was afraid of banks.
“He had an old wife, for he was old too, but they had no children to inherit this good farm. They also had three local men for farm workers.”
“Did the farmer keep his money in that wooden box?” said Ramona.
“That’s what Moshe* said he did,” said Maeve. “One day, he took most of his money, in the box, into the forest and buried it, marking the spot with river stones. He told his old wife where the box was buried, and then after a few years he died.”
“But, in the dream there were only bones in the box, not money or any kind of treasure!” said Ramona.
“In the story Moshe told me, the farmer made a false bottom in the box. The gold and bills were under the false bottom. For a joke the farmer piled a bunch of sheep’s bones on top of that fake bottom. Or maybe, he did it to scare anyone who found the box because they would think it was a burial,” said Maeve.
“Why did the farm workers come to dig it up like sneaks at night?” said Ramona.
“Oh you know. They were there to rob the old woman. She must have let slip that the box was buried under those rocks. Maybe she promised them something?
“Maybe they threatened her to get her to tell where it was. Moshe didn’t know,” said Maeve. “But when they saw nothing but bones they were angry and felt that she had tricked them. He didn’t say what became of the box or the money after they had run away.”
“In my dream, there was someone watching, a park ranger,” said Ralph. “I bet he came back the next day and investigated. I don’t think they were supposed to be doing sneaky stuff in the park at night.”
“I wonder if the ranger was able to find out whose money it was and return it,” said Ramona.
“In a proper story, he would have done that,” said Ralph. “But my dream didn’t go that far.”
“And Moshe didn’t know that part of the story, or he would have told me,” said Maeve.
“I still think it’s strange how angry and frightened the men were,” said Ramona.
“They probably thought the bones were human, and when they realized that they were being watched, thought that it was a burial and that they would get blamed for a death,” said Ralph. “But, you know, maybe it didn’t happen at all. It was just a dream.
“Oh, Mona, wise and merciful Firekeeper, let’s let the dream fade away. Let’s take our Cherry up to the meadow. Now is a good time to visit Koba, the Star Child, and his caretakers as well! The day is warm and beautiful and full of pleasant whispers.
“Who knows what wonderful and true things we will meet this day?”
“Oh, Baby! You’re right! We have better things to think about!” said Ramona. “I miss that child so much already that my heart hurts for him!”
“Evermore!” said Maeve as she lifted off, soaring into the middle of the glorious air.
So, like truly heroic characters in all the best tales, the group of four set out for the meadow immediately.
Maeve flew overhead. Cherry drifted along beside her parents. Ralph and Ramona held hands as they walked. When they came out into the open all eyes could see the leafy dome of the Alder Tree House and in their eagerness, no one gave the old dream a single thought. It was quite forgotten.
She just looked at him for a while. Then, “How can you have a dream like that? The rest of the story must be there somewhere, Baby! Try to remember!”
“Really. That’s all there was, Mona! I wish I knew too!” said Ralph. He didn’t mention what he had heard from his toe. He didn’t think it would translate well to Ramona. When he thought about it, he figured that the toe speech must have been a sort of dream too. It must have been. Toes don’t talk. They just get on with their work, which when analyzed, is pretty much what the dream toe told him, sending feedback from ground level.
“But, Ralph Baby, what did the men expect to find in the box? It must have been some kind of treasure, right? Some woman must have fooled them somehow. But how did that happen?” said Ramona, urgently.
“Yeah, not only were they angry when they saw the bones, they were terrified, and I’m not sure why? What’s so scary about an ancient box of old dead bones? And whose bones were they,” said Ralph. “I wonder if that small of a box must have held very small bones.”
“Brrr!,” said Ramona. “See, there’s a story there, hiding.”
“We don’t even know if it really happened, Mona. It might just be a crazy dream,” protested Ralph.
Maeve had been listening carefully from her usual perch on Ralph’s left shoulder. She looked from person to person, thoughtfully.
“I’ve heard a story like that,” she said. “I don’t even know if it’s true. My dear mate’s original family lived many day’s flight toward the sunrise in another deep and dark forest full of many tales.”
“How does his story go?” said Ramona.
“I will try to remember,” said Maeve. “But it has been a very long time since I spoke to him.”
“That’s alright, Birdy,” said Ralph, reaching up to give her a little pat on her black feathers.
“It goes like this: One time there was a rich farmer. He saved all his earnings in cash. Never banks. He was afraid of banks.
“He had an old wife, for he was old too, but they had no children to inherit this good farm. They also had three local men for farm workers.”
“Did the farmer keep his money in that wooden box?” said Ramona.
“That’s what Moshe* said he did,” said Maeve. “One day, he took most of his money, in the box, into the forest and buried it, marking the spot with river stones. He told his old wife where the box was buried, and then after a few years he died.”
“But, in the dream there were only bones in the box, not money or any kind of treasure!” said Ramona.
“In the story Moshe told me, the farmer made a false bottom in the box. The gold and bills were under the false bottom. For a joke the farmer piled a bunch of sheep’s bones on top of that fake bottom. Or maybe, he did it to scare anyone who found the box because they would think it was a burial,” said Maeve.
“Why did the farm workers come to dig it up like sneaks at night?” said Ramona.
“Oh you know. They were there to rob the old woman. She must have let slip that the box was buried under those rocks. Maybe she promised them something?
“Maybe they threatened her to get her to tell where it was. Moshe didn’t know,” said Maeve. “But when they saw nothing but bones they were angry and felt that she had tricked them. He didn’t say what became of the box or the money after they had run away.”
“In my dream, there was someone watching, a park ranger,” said Ralph. “I bet he came back the next day and investigated. I don’t think they were supposed to be doing sneaky stuff in the park at night.”
“I wonder if the ranger was able to find out whose money it was and return it,” said Ramona.
“In a proper story, he would have done that,” said Ralph. “But my dream didn’t go that far.”
“And Moshe didn’t know that part of the story, or he would have told me,” said Maeve.
“I still think it’s strange how angry and frightened the men were,” said Ramona.
“They probably thought the bones were human, and when they realized that they were being watched, thought that it was a burial and that they would get blamed for a death,” said Ralph. “But, you know, maybe it didn’t happen at all. It was just a dream.
“Oh, Mona, wise and merciful Firekeeper, let’s let the dream fade away. Let’s take our Cherry up to the meadow. Now is a good time to visit Koba, the Star Child, and his caretakers as well! The day is warm and beautiful and full of pleasant whispers.
“Who knows what wonderful and true things we will meet this day?”
“Oh, Baby! You’re right! We have better things to think about!” said Ramona. “I miss that child so much already that my heart hurts for him!”
“Evermore!” said Maeve as she lifted off, soaring into the middle of the glorious air.
So, like truly heroic characters in all the best tales, the group of four set out for the meadow immediately.
Maeve flew overhead. Cherry drifted along beside her parents. Ralph and Ramona held hands as they walked. When they came out into the open all eyes could see the leafy dome of the Alder Tree House and in their eagerness, no one gave the old dream a single thought. It was quite forgotten.
🍀
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