Copyright 2011-All Rights Reserved
Scene 4:Mother Nature’s Place
Sweet William felt more than a bit nervous clinging to Maggie, the magpie’s feathers as she rode the air currents. He thought about what had happened to keep his mind off the fact that he was perched on the back of a bird flying high in the sky.
It had started with Rufus spotting his homeboy, Melvin, and hailing him. Coincidentally, Melvin and his three friends had just been over to see Mother Nature about an important item of business and were on their way back home. Rufus and Melvin had jived around telling some tall tales, laughing, and wing-slapping, and before anybody knew it, the magpies had volunteered to help the bedraggled little flowers and their three companions. Next thing, Sweet William knew, each of the flowers had mounted on one of the magpies’ backs, and now they were all headed to Mother Nature’s place. He was riding on the back of Maggie, the Magpie.
William looked over his left shoulder at Lavender. She clutched the neck of her magpie, Peter, looking like she was going to faint. “Eeeehh!” She screeched, roiling from one side to the other like some drunken who knows what. She’d been screeching since the magpies had taken wing. Sweet William pursed his delicate lips and grunted in disgust.
Some folk just don’t have any dignity, he said to himself.
On the other hand, Tiger Lily, up ahead, appeared to be having the time of her life riding on the back of Melvin. On William’s right, Impatiens was yakking it up to his magpie, Minerva, and to Rufus who was flying close enough to hear him. Bessie Mae and Heather brought up the rear of the strange-looking caravan. It wasn’t long before the magpies began to glide downwards, coming in for a landing.
Below, the tops of trees growing on the sides and at the foot of the mountain appeared to Sweet William to be getting closer and closer. Lavender’s screech had now become an all out scream. Sweet William closed his eyes. He didn’t want to see the landing and he wished with all his heart that Lavender would shut up. He took a big breath and held on for dear life.
Suddenly, two things happened: Sweet William felt a jolt and Lavender stopped screaming. He opened his eyes to find that Rufus was hovering inches away from his eyes.
“You okay, little man?” Rufus asked.
“Watch out who you call ‘little,’ mister!” William snapped and climbed, with as much dignity as he could muster, down from his magpie’s back. “Thanks for the ride.”
“My pleasure,” said Maggie the Magpie, and spread her wings, gliding upwards.
The glade they had landed in was thickly forested. The other magpies gently landed and let their flower passengers slide to the ground. Rufus and Melvin said their goodbyes while the flowers looked around. Yards away, there was a laughing, bubbling pond filled with lily pads.
There was a brown-skinned woman robed in a blue standing at the edge of a lilypond. She splashed water on her hair, body and face. Droplets hung from the black thicket of curls framing her face.
“That must be Mother Nature,” said Impatiens. “Let’s go.” He started forward the others fell in behind him.
“I think we might want to wait,” said Heather Honeybee. “She’s busy right now.”
“Forget that. Let’s find out what she can do to help us,” said Rufus.
Bessie Mae added: “I agree with Rufus and Impatiens. We’ve come a very long way. We ought to get on with it.” They started toward the river where the woman was.
A peacock and a multi-colored tree frog rushed up to confront the party as they drew near Mother Nature.
Peacock waddled in front of them and stopped, then spread his feathers to signify that the party was to go no further.“This is private sanctuary for Mother Nature,” he announced. “She does not receive here.”
“It’s time for her spa soak now,” croaked Frog. “Every evening, she takes a spa soak here.”
Peacock threw Frog a nasty look for trying to take over his job. “This is her time to relax and rebalance. Very important for her … maintaining serenity and harmony. It’s in all our best interests that Mother Nature stay balanced and serene, don’t you agree? Nasty things could happen if she doesn’t, you know. Therefore, she must not be interrupted.” Peacock turned his backside to them in dismissal.
“You’ll have to go,” croaked Frog.
“But, but… we’ve come such a long, long way to see her,” cried Lavender in a very shrill and annoying voice.
Mother Nature was listening. “Let them come,” she told Peacock and splashed her way out of the lilypads back to the river bank.
“As you say, Mother,” Peacock said, bowing. “A small group of flowers, a bee, a butterfly, and a hummingbird are here to see you, madam.”
She turned to the peacock. “Stop putting on airs, Peacock. I’m not madam, just plain Moms or Mother to everybody.”
Properly chastised, Peacock stepped back and bowed. On the ground near the bank, there was a long, brown robe of woven grasses decorated with sparkling green vines and red berries. Mother picked up the robe and draped it from her left shoulder; her feet were bare. She sat on a tree stump and beckoned the little party to come closer. “Now, what can I do for you people?”
“We want you to give us colors!” Blurted Tiger Lily.
“They," Lavender pointed to Bessie Mae Butterfly, Rufus Hummingbird, and Heather Honeybee who were standing to one side,"told us flowers are supposed to have colors but we don’t have any.”
Sweet William took up the chorus. “I know that I should be looking better than this. It’s downright embarrassing that we have to be seen like this.”
Heather spoke up: “If they don’t have colors, we can’t do our jobs.”
“What will happen to the earth,” asked Bessie Mae, “if we can’t pollinate the way we’re supposed to?”
“Hmm,” said Mother Nature. “This is very serious indeed. Things are not in balance the way I planned.” She looked at Peacock. “Color assignment is your department. What happened to the flowers' colors when they vibrated in?”
“Frog,” Peacock said, “get me the ledger.”
Frog hopped a few feet away to a tree where a digital notebook was kept, and brought it back. All the records of creation were kept in these digital files. It was there that they could find out when, where, and what happened at the time things came to be in this dimension. Frog watched while repeatedly Peacock tapped the screen. Peacock’s expression kept changing as he read the information on the screen. Curiosity melted into confusion. Confusion became and irritated expression.
“Well,” Mother Nature’s voice rang out, “what happened?”
Peacock looked very annoyed. “Someone dropped the ball, it seems. See that pathway over there?” Everyone’s head swiveled in the direction Peacock was pointing.
“Just over that hill was where the flowers were to line up and receive their colors as they vibrated into existence.”
“Well why didn’t we?” Impatiens chimed in. “How in the world did we get left out?”
Rufus looked over at Sweet William. “Hold your horses, man. They workin on it.”
“As I said, there was a glitch and you didn’t get your colors. I do apologize,” said Peacock, looking embarrassed.
Sweet William was thoroughly exasperated. “Oh, never mind that. Just please fix us quick!”
Mother Nature spoke softly. “It’s not that simple at this point.”
“What?” Exclaimed Bessie Mae Butterfly. “Why not?”
“Because there are certain natural laws that won’t allow it,” she said.
“But you make the laws, don’t you? You’re Mother Nature,” said Heather Honeybee.
She sighed. “It’s very complicated. I can try to explain it but my explanation won’t give you what you want.”
Tiger Lily was shaking with fury. Lavender was swooning in Rufus’ arms. Sweet William was so exasperated that he couldn’t speak—which was a first for him. Heather and Bessie Mae just looked at each other in helpless dismay.
Impatiens threw up his hands. “I can’t believe this! We suffered and struggled to get here to see you and it was all for nothing!”
Peacock said to Mother Nature: “Maybe there’s a loophole we can take advantage of.”
“Tell me what you’ve got in mind,” said Mother Nature and the two of them put their heads together for a serious discussion that lasted for about ten minutes before Mother Nature turned back to the group.
“Understand that I can’t go back and undo what’s done. But I can tinker with it. Tweak it." She looked at each of the members of the group. "What do you think of this plan? When it’s cold during the winter season, you flowers won’t have color; in fact, you won’t be blooming. But in spring and summer and part of the fall, and even winter in some warm places, you’ll be a glorious riot of color! Do you think it might work?”
“Sounds workable to me,” Bessie Mae Butterfly commented.
“Am I going to be glorious?” screeched Lavender.
“Most assuredly,” Peacock answered. “You all will be very pleased, as will Miss Butterfly, Miss Honeybee and Mr. Hummingbird because they’ll be able to do their jobs.”
“They might be pleased, but I’m not sure I am,” said Impatiens.
Sweet William glared at his friend. “Well, it’s better than nothing!”
“And nothing is what we’ve got right now,” growled Tiger Lily.
Impatiens sighed. “Let’s get on with it!”
“When can we make this change?” asked Heather. “I need to get back to the hive; they’ll be wondering where I am.”
Mother Nature nodded. “You’re in luck because we’re at the beginning of the spring season. When we pop you back to your meadow, you’ll be in full colorful bloom. See to it, Peacock. And this time, no mistakes!”
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Heather saw the air beginning to shimmer, then vibrating with glowing color, as if the sky had become a huge, endless rainbow. Suddenly, Heather felt a swoosh of air and heard a pop! As she looked about, she saw the meadow where they’d all begun their journey. Only now, it was a riot of color.
“Look at that! Flowers with color everywhere!” Heather said as Bessie Mae and Rufus flew to her side.
“Hot damn! We’re in business!” exclaimed Rufus.
Bessie Mae said: “Thank goodness for Mother Nature!”
And the three began their work of gathering nectar, just as Mother Nature originally intended.
Meanwhile, Sweet William, Tiger Lily, Impatiens, and Lavender excitedly spoke of their own and other flowers who were blooming with so many wondrous colors.
“I can’t get over how beautiful I am!” Purred Tiger Lily, who was no longer in the mood to growl and gnash her teeth.
Lavender, who had calmed down considerably, whispered: “How delightful I look! And how delicious I smell!”
“I have many colors—and they’re all spectacular!” Declared Impatiens.
“Girlfriend, don’t you forget: I’m the star of this show!” Preened Sweet William, examining himself in the mirror.
Back at Mother Nature’s place, Peacock and Frog helped Mother Nature her tiptoe into the stream to finish the spa soak that had been interrupted.
“We did good work today, Peacock. Especially when we gave the flowers the colors they deserved and were meant to have.”
“As you say, Mother,” Peacock agreed.
“In the meantime," she said, "I’m taking time out to relax in my lilypond spa. Give me a half hour before you call me for anything, Peacock.”
“Of course, Mother.” He discreetly turned his back as she disrobed. “Frog, you take Mother’s robe, and put it there on the rock where she’ll be able to reach it.”
Frog did as he was told then hopped to Peacock’s side, for Peacock had opened the ledger again, anticipating tonight’s schedule.
Every hour, he had learned long ago, was a busy one when you worked with Mother Nature.
End
The Meadow of flowers sporting a riot of color.
