A WOODLAND FANTASY
By Marie Eyre
Morning sunbeams tumbled through the trees, bubbled over leaves, and shimmered on the dewy petals of rainbow flowers. Bernie, the giant rabbit, dressed in his wonderful satin vest, stretched out on the soft green grass and waited patiently. Beside him, teetered a stack of books. Soon, his woodland friends would join him, and he would read them a story.
One by one, a strange assortment of woodland residents scampered, frolicked, pranced and flew into the clearing. They loved 'Morning Story Time'. It was a marvelous way to begin the day!
"Now! Are we all here" asked Bernie? A lilting chorus of 'yeses' rose from the clearing like a flock of doves. "Today," said Bernie, with a smile, I have brought very special books called Classics!"
"Ooh! Ahhh! Hooray," shouted the eager gathering!
"We must choose one to read," stated Bernie.
"Oh! I would like to hear Cinderella," tittered Tree Fairy. "I adore the Fairy Godmother! She dresses Cinderella in a splendid gown and sends her to a Royal Ball in an elegant coach!"
"We want Puss In Boots," mewed the two fuzzy kittens, curled up in Bernie's lap. They always climbed into his lap and snuggled against his satiny vest. They would not sit anywhere else! "Please," they cried! "We want to hear about the cat who wears boots and travels to the big city!"
"No! No! No! You must read The Ugly Duckling, quacked the white duck as he excitedly stamped his enormous webbed feet. "It's all about an ugly little duckling who is not really a duckling because he's truly a beautiful swan who didn't know he was a swan because no one told him!" Duck took a deep breath! He always spoke as if he was in a terrible hurry. Everyone stared at him, and shook their heads. Sometimes, Duck just didn't make any sense!
"Mary Had A Little Lamb. Mary Had A Little Lamb," babbled the wee twin lambs in meek mild tones. They were very timid and always hid behind a large bush. They had a strange habit of echoing each other.
"Oh dear," murmured Bernie, 'Mary Had A Little Lamb' isn't a classic story as much as it is a classic poem. Perhaps we'll read classic poems on another day."
"I suppose," sighed one wee lamb. "I suppose," sighed the other.
Dragon-butter-fly dozed quietly, on a rock, by the singing stream. She always seemed drowsy, and never spoke unless someone asked her a question.
"What would you like to hear?" Bernie inquired as he tickled her antenna with a blade of grass.
Dragon-butter-fly fluttered her delicate wings and yawned. "Sleeping Beauty," she replied, in a sleepy voice. "It's the story of a lovely young lady who sleeps for a very long time until she is awakened with a kiss from a handsome prince". Then, with a snoozy snore, Dragon-butter-fly slipped back into her nap.
A mysterious little creature snuggled between Bernie's feet. It appeared, one day, out of a patch of sunglow. White and fluffy, it sported curly velvet tufts on top of its head. It spoke in feathery hushes and always disappeared into the forest after the stories had been read. "What are you?" everyone had asked. "I am simply...Me," it had answered. "I think you should pick a book to read, Bernie," Me whispered.
The entire group agreed. Bernie reached down, into the stack of books, until he found his favorite tale. An excited murmur spread through the gathering as Bernie began to read Jack And The Beanstalk, the story about magic beans and a giant beanstalk. All the woodland creatures ceased their chattering. Even the wind was careful not to rustle the leaves, too loudly. Each minute became a magic moment as a wondrous world emerged through the power of words. And Bernie, the giant rabbit, was never quite as jubilant as when he read aloud, especially stories about....giants!
Story and Artwork @ 2001 Marie Eyre c. August
