The Girl That Listened To Flowers
Daisy is a special girl. She didn't think she was at first, it just seemed normal to her and it surprised her when she found out she was special. The story I’m going to tell you happened not too long ago.
Daisy, Gabby and Wesley were 7, 8 and 9. They aren't that now, just when this story happened. Before that, when they were much younger, when they were but babies, they became best friends. It wasn't just because they were cousins either, they were friends because they understood each other in ways their classmates didn't. They had goals and values that were similar. It kept them together and kept them in adventures.
So anyway, one early summer evening when the butterflies were getting ready to find a place to fold their wings and rest and the owls were just opening their eyes for the night, they put on some light jackets and went to the deck of "Pops" house to lay back in recliners and wait for shooting stars while sipping warm apple juice.
It wasn't long before Wesley got restless and wanted to play hide and seek in the meadow that was the front lawn. Gabby, the eldest and always the most cautious, was worried that it was still too warm and there might be snakes in the meadow trying to find mice in the early evening. Daisy, listening closely, said "Gabby is right; there are still a few snakes waiting."
Gabby and Wesley sat back. They knew Daisy would be right. When things happened in the meadow, she was right. They didn't know why, and it really didn't matter, it was just something that was, and always had been.
Early the next morning, just as the hummingbirds were going to their first flowers Wesley asked his Grandma if she would make them lunches so they could have a picnic that day. "And Grandma, we really like peanut butter and jelly" he said. Gabby piped up with "and apple juice please". Grandma put them altogether in a backpack that Wesley carried. He was only 8 but he knew that his job was to carry lunches and watch out for his cousins.
Gabby led the way. Daisy was second, and Wesley taking up the rear, looking down the trail at the creek. Once in a while he would see a squirrel and when he saw a doe and her fawn he stopped walking and motioned to the girls that the deer were watching them back.
They finally got to the small bridge that crossed the creek below house. A little waterfall made a little pond here. Gabby stopped and said "here we are". Daisy handed out the fishing poles "Wesley gets the big one and you get the pink one Gabby". "I’ll take the purple one and put the worms on for you".
Gabby didn't like touching the worms so she said "okay and I’ll get the juice for us". Wesley was already putting his line in the water, having put salmon eggs on the hook as soon as he got his pole. "shhh" he said " you'll scare the fish".
They sat there quietly, drinking their juices and waiting for a tug on their fishing pole. Gabby was secretly hoping that she didn't feel the tug; she didn't want to have to take a fish off of her hook. Wesley felt the first tug "I've got one!" Daisy said "be careful, don't lose him, and pull it in slowly". Wesley said "I've got him, and he feels big!” Wesley pulled him in and he was pretty big. He took him off the hook and Gabby said "look at him, he's so pretty, and so colorful, Wesley, can you please put him back?" Daisy said "yes put him back, Pop already said he is making burgers on the bbq tonight." Wesley said "OK, but I’ll catch him again another day". Wesley put him back into the cold water and waited until he swam away, making sure he was OK.
Gabby and Daisy also caught a little fish each and put them in a little pond area they made so they could watch them swim back and forth. They planned to let them back into the creek before they went back to the house.
After a little while Gabby said she was hungry and they moved back a few feet to a little bench that their dads' had put there for them and ate their pb&j sandwiches.
Just then, the Poppies in the field moved like a wave, like the wind was blowing them but the children didn't feel a wind. There was no breeze at all.
"We have to leave" Daisy said "it's not safe here." Gabby and Wesley looked at her and asked "why, we didn't see anything". Daisy said, "Didn't you hear them? They just told us." Wesley asked "who?" and Gabby said "yes, who?” Daisy looked at them in confusion, "but they just told us... we're in danger." Wesley perked up "danger? He stood up, looking around. Gabby looked at Daisy and then around her, looking for what the problem might be.
Just then a covey of quails took to the air. Gabby said "I’m scared". Wesley said "don't worry, I’m here." Gabby said "I just wish Pop was here". Daisy replied, "he is, Pop or Grandma always sit at the edge of the pasture, in the trees and watch us when we are here." Gabby was surprised, "they always watch us?" Daisy looked at her and said "yes, you thought they would let us by the river without watching us?"
Wesley interrupted "then why are we in danger?" Daisy said "the dandy lions roared and the dogwood said there's a big cat, a mountain lion, crawling low through the flowers, swishing his tail and watching us." Gabby looked very frightened and yelled "Pop!"
From the edge of the pasture a shadow came out. As the light hit him, it was apparent it was Pop. The overalls and the limp could only be his. He looked at his grandchildren and shouted "what is wrong? Is everybody OK?" Gabby called "Pop come quick!" Pop went as fast as his old legs could take him, worried that he would trip and fall before he could get to the kids. Wesley went to his cousins and cuddled them into a small circle.
When Pop got to them, a little out of breath, he asked what the problem was. Daisy piped up “there’s a big cat out there, maybe a mountain lion. Pop looked around and saw some pb&j sandwiches and two small fish in the little pool the girls had made to keep their catches in.
"Well, I'll bet that cat is more interested in an easy meal than a hard one" and he put the sandwiches and the fish in a small plate and told the children to head home. Pop took the last place in line and watched over his shoulder.
They climbed the hill back to the house and to the deck where they had been watching the stars the night before and Pop looked through his binoculars towards the creek. He sighed and said "yep" and then handed the glasses to the children, pointing into the large group of flowers not far from where they had been fishing. The paper plate was empty and just above the flowers they saw a tail swaying back and forth, the signs that a mountain lion was happier than a few minutes ago.
From then on when they went to the creek Pop or Grandma would take a chair and fish too, and try to listen to the flowers.
Daisy is a special girl. She didn't think she was at first, it just seemed normal to her and it surprised her when she found out she was special. The story I’m going to tell you happened not too long ago.
Daisy, Gabby and Wesley were 7, 8 and 9. They aren't that now, just when this story happened. Before that, when they were much younger, when they were but babies, they became best friends. It wasn't just because they were cousins either, they were friends because they understood each other in ways their classmates didn't. They had goals and values that were similar. It kept them together and kept them in adventures.
So anyway, one early summer evening when the butterflies were getting ready to find a place to fold their wings and rest and the owls were just opening their eyes for the night, they put on some light jackets and went to the deck of "Pops" house to lay back in recliners and wait for shooting stars while sipping warm apple juice.
It wasn't long before Wesley got restless and wanted to play hide and seek in the meadow that was the front lawn. Gabby, the eldest and always the most cautious, was worried that it was still too warm and there might be snakes in the meadow trying to find mice in the early evening. Daisy, listening closely, said "Gabby is right; there are still a few snakes waiting."
Gabby and Wesley sat back. They knew Daisy would be right. When things happened in the meadow, she was right. They didn't know why, and it really didn't matter, it was just something that was, and always had been.
Early the next morning, just as the hummingbirds were going to their first flowers Wesley asked his Grandma if she would make them lunches so they could have a picnic that day. "And Grandma, we really like peanut butter and jelly" he said. Gabby piped up with "and apple juice please". Grandma put them altogether in a backpack that Wesley carried. He was only 8 but he knew that his job was to carry lunches and watch out for his cousins.
Gabby led the way. Daisy was second, and Wesley taking up the rear, looking down the trail at the creek. Once in a while he would see a squirrel and when he saw a doe and her fawn he stopped walking and motioned to the girls that the deer were watching them back.
They finally got to the small bridge that crossed the creek below house. A little waterfall made a little pond here. Gabby stopped and said "here we are". Daisy handed out the fishing poles "Wesley gets the big one and you get the pink one Gabby". "I’ll take the purple one and put the worms on for you".
Gabby didn't like touching the worms so she said "okay and I’ll get the juice for us". Wesley was already putting his line in the water, having put salmon eggs on the hook as soon as he got his pole. "shhh" he said " you'll scare the fish".
They sat there quietly, drinking their juices and waiting for a tug on their fishing pole. Gabby was secretly hoping that she didn't feel the tug; she didn't want to have to take a fish off of her hook. Wesley felt the first tug "I've got one!" Daisy said "be careful, don't lose him, and pull it in slowly". Wesley said "I've got him, and he feels big!” Wesley pulled him in and he was pretty big. He took him off the hook and Gabby said "look at him, he's so pretty, and so colorful, Wesley, can you please put him back?" Daisy said "yes put him back, Pop already said he is making burgers on the bbq tonight." Wesley said "OK, but I’ll catch him again another day". Wesley put him back into the cold water and waited until he swam away, making sure he was OK.
Gabby and Daisy also caught a little fish each and put them in a little pond area they made so they could watch them swim back and forth. They planned to let them back into the creek before they went back to the house.
After a little while Gabby said she was hungry and they moved back a few feet to a little bench that their dads' had put there for them and ate their pb&j sandwiches.
Just then, the Poppies in the field moved like a wave, like the wind was blowing them but the children didn't feel a wind. There was no breeze at all.
"We have to leave" Daisy said "it's not safe here." Gabby and Wesley looked at her and asked "why, we didn't see anything". Daisy said, "Didn't you hear them? They just told us." Wesley asked "who?" and Gabby said "yes, who?” Daisy looked at them in confusion, "but they just told us... we're in danger." Wesley perked up "danger? He stood up, looking around. Gabby looked at Daisy and then around her, looking for what the problem might be.
Just then a covey of quails took to the air. Gabby said "I’m scared". Wesley said "don't worry, I’m here." Gabby said "I just wish Pop was here". Daisy replied, "he is, Pop or Grandma always sit at the edge of the pasture, in the trees and watch us when we are here." Gabby was surprised, "they always watch us?" Daisy looked at her and said "yes, you thought they would let us by the river without watching us?"
Wesley interrupted "then why are we in danger?" Daisy said "the dandy lions roared and the dogwood said there's a big cat, a mountain lion, crawling low through the flowers, swishing his tail and watching us." Gabby looked very frightened and yelled "Pop!"
From the edge of the pasture a shadow came out. As the light hit him, it was apparent it was Pop. The overalls and the limp could only be his. He looked at his grandchildren and shouted "what is wrong? Is everybody OK?" Gabby called "Pop come quick!" Pop went as fast as his old legs could take him, worried that he would trip and fall before he could get to the kids. Wesley went to his cousins and cuddled them into a small circle.
When Pop got to them, a little out of breath, he asked what the problem was. Daisy piped up “there’s a big cat out there, maybe a mountain lion. Pop looked around and saw some pb&j sandwiches and two small fish in the little pool the girls had made to keep their catches in.
"Well, I'll bet that cat is more interested in an easy meal than a hard one" and he put the sandwiches and the fish in a small plate and told the children to head home. Pop took the last place in line and watched over his shoulder.
They climbed the hill back to the house and to the deck where they had been watching the stars the night before and Pop looked through his binoculars towards the creek. He sighed and said "yep" and then handed the glasses to the children, pointing into the large group of flowers not far from where they had been fishing. The paper plate was empty and just above the flowers they saw a tail swaying back and forth, the signs that a mountain lion was happier than a few minutes ago.
From then on when they went to the creek Pop or Grandma would take a chair and fish too, and try to listen to the flowers.