HOMAGE TO URSULA'S GARDEN

A short story about a visit to the truly magical gardens of my friend Ursula, a well known herbalist, vegan, and master gardener, whose vibrational level is exceptionally higher than most of us mere humans

   Through the garden gate, under the purple clematis arbor, I am greeted with a plaque that reads

"Angels, Birds, and Butterflies WELCOME!".  I walk through and into this magical world of earth spirits.  My senses are overwhelmed by the majestic array of glorious colors, and the harmony and balance of movement as the brilliantly colored and the softly muted flowers dance with the gentle breezes to the musical synchronicity of sounds.  I see little eyes peeking out at me from beneath their favorite hiding spots---they don't think I can see them, but, I do. (Each little flower fairie has the ability to choose before birth which flower or plant or tree it wants to make its home, and once born, it resembles the flower or some other part of that plant except it has wings.

 

   I'm beckoned to the bench under the Rosemary Willow.  "Come sit with me and let me wrap my branches around you and give you a hug while you sit on Ursula's Bench and ponder."  I heed.  Upon sitting I feel as if I am gently enfolded in a warm embrace and I become one with the bench, one with the Rosemary Willow, one with nature, one with the spark.  I breathe in life, I breathe out distress and I see it dissipate into the air and be cleansed .  I feel lighter.  The delicate blue and white flowers before me perform a marvelous ballet to my delight and I smile because I catch sight of the Bleeding Hearts in the pink and rose gowns taking up the rhythm.  Soon all of Ursula's Garden is in  finely choreographed dance of wild abandon.  The bees not wanting to miss the parting start to buzz about, and soon the delicate and gracious butterflies decide to make a graceful entrance.  The call goes out from tree to tree...birds flying overhead trying to get a peek at all the commotion and laughter.  Finally one comes in for a closer look and alights on the bird bath, and then another.  They chirp to each other then start to dance and sing in the water then fly up into the tree tops to sing out an invitation for others to come..."WE'RE HAVIN' A PARTY"!!!!

 

   Little voices keep calling me from the back of the garden..."come and dance with US too, they're not the only ones in the garden.  We live here too!  Where's Ursula?  Just because we live in the Farlands doesn't mean that we don't like company too!!  So I go, and along the way I taste. mmmmmmmmmm delicious dandelion, I feast on the diversity of the unusual things I see, and I remind myself to ask Ursula to please identify.  The inhabitants of the Farlands (the back garden) are quite lovely and talented dancers as well.  I spend some time dancing, walking, enjoying their company, however, I feel the need to sit, so, I bid them a fond farewell with a promise to return, and I wend my way up to Ursula's Bench.

 

   Once again, I sit.  I catch my breath, and out of the corner of my eye I watch a chipmunk furtively making his way from under the Bleeding Hearts, across the patch of tender vegetables directly behind the dancing blue and white flowers.  He looks up and sees me.  "UH OH!!, I didn't know you were back, don't tell Queen Ursula, please, she might get her britches in a tangle, and I was just passing through.  I didn't even look at these tender young lovelies, and the thought never entered my mind to sample the tasty new crop of veggies.  I just stopped for a second because I heard there was a party.  I just smile as he scurries off.

 

   I look up, and for the for time I notice the rainbow painted shed.  I can't believe I hadn't noticed it before.  It makes me want to smile.  Each board painted a rainbow of different colors fits in so perfectly with the magical quality of the garden in this real of the natural and supernatural.  My mind begins to envision it as the summer castle of the kingdom where magic is stored and is always at the ready whenever Ursula, Queen of the realm is at work in her Mystical Garden.  Clancy shuffles by with his thumbs hooked in his belt loops, nods his head, with a wink and a quirky grin he says " Good day to you Missy, are you enjoying your visit to Ursula's Garden?"  I find it hard to control my excitement as I speak, " Oh yeas, Clancy, it has been a profound experience!".  "Well then you must do it more often", he proclaims with a wink of his eye and a nod of his head, and in a blink he is gone.

 

   Human voices begin to drift down to the garden, and it reminds me of the original purpose of today's visit with Ursula.  I suppose everyone is anxious to get started with the meeting, and then enjoy a sumptuous repast of wild and natural things especially prepared by Ursula.  I reluctantly lift myself from this spot that I have claimed as my little piece of heaven, and as I turn to leave I hear a chorus of voices..." Wait, wait, wait... I turn, and I see five Royal Fairies hurrying after me.  I stop and I wait holding my breath, hoping that I had not committed an unintentional infraction, stepped on a plant, or heaven forbid a little fairie, or some such horrendous act.  Why were the five Guardians of the Fairie Kingdom chasing me down.

 

   They catch up.  I start to apologize for anything I may have done to have caused them to be in such a frenzy.  Mab and Ednay both speak at the same time..."No, no, my dear, you haven't done anything wrong.  It is we who wish to apologize.  We had urgent business to attend to and could not be here to accompany your through the garden.  But we all do hope our subjects entertained you as we would have.  You see Befin had to bestow qualities on a batch of new infants just born." Befin speaks up,  "Yes, yes, a lot of parents were sure busy nine months ago.  I wonder if there was a blizzard, and everyone was snowbound.  There were soooooo many infants born, and I was quite busy bestowing qualities and talents."  Mab speaks again..."Midori, as you know is the Guardian of the Forest and Woods... a little boy wandered away from his campsite and was missing for several hour when she finally found him and guided him safely home.  This is an exceptionally busy time of the year for Ileana, she has been out and about on her annual garden tour giving the flowers their special scents.  And, I, I have been just beside myself with trying to guide children to sleep.  I have to find new strategies and new magic, and conjure new spells.  My job is getting harder and harder every night.  The children just don't want to or can't fall asleep.  Personally I blame it on technology, with all these games and players, the mindless sitting in front of the TV or Video screen.  Whatever happened to playing tag, hide and seek, or reading a good book? "  I don't know Mad, but, I  do agree.  Children are too entrenched at an early age in these what I call the 'Babysitter Substitutes'.  Oh well, I wish you luck in your quest for solutions.  It's Ednay's turn to offer her reason, she just smiles and says..."I'll be quite honest I was so engrossed in my soap opera General Hospital, that I just couldn't tear myself away.  I don't know which hotty I'm intrigued with more.  It's a virtual smörgåsbord of good looking men."  "Oh Ednay," I say. "I love GH too, but right now I don't have TV, so I haven't seen it in awhile, so please, please. please fill me in."  Mab just shakes her head and tells me goodbye, as do the others and they flutter off waving as they go.  Ednay hovers near my ear filling me in on GH happenings as I slowly  walk back to my human friends.  As I walk under the arbor, a chorus of voices call out..."Come Back, Don't forget to write about us, you promise to paint our pictures, and remember when you write our book you have to make sure you include our Ursula."  I close the gate, I nod, and whisper...."I WILL!"       

Reviews

[Brianna Brie]

Upon sitting I feel as if I am gently enfolded in a warm embrace and I become one with the bench, one with the Rosemary Willow, one with nature, one with the spark.

I close the gate, I nod, and whisper...."I WILL!"

My favorite lines above...The thought of a bench becoming so cozy there in the middle of nature intrigues me. I really like the ending it gave me the impression that the fairies were sad to see you go and wanted to follow, but could not. Also, that they needed for you to remember them and perhaps even return. The bond created in the garden is evident. Wonderful story. Write on!

[Summers Under The Old O..]

This is delightfully brilliant! I love it, it reminds me of when I was a child. My friends I and would run through the gardens and forests near her home, seeing fairies everywhere. I love how the story slowly progresses towards a more fantasy point of view. I also love at the end, how it merges with modern day. This is a amazing tribute to all magical gardens around the world, and the people who tend to them. Nice work.


Summer