There are places on this earth where it's peaceful..where trees have been slumbering for ages..and forests are old as time. I know such a place...and if you let me I will take you there..in a story, which I'm about to tell you now.
I will choose my words carefully, so you can listen, and memorize, this to tribute the creatures who will surely come alive in this saga, and, like they told me secretly, will never leave you..They will be there to give you strength...courage..hope..and stay with you, by your side and in your heart for ever and ever....or, as long as you need them to .
They promised to also make you smile..because a smile is one of the most beautiful things human eyes can behold....it's like a sunrise!
And with a sunrise this adventure begins..
What color would you like the sunrise to be...picture it..in your mind's eye.!.
Then ,let the light slowly caress the treetops...to wake up the birds.
The birds are always first to rise..Did you know it's the older birds that rise sooner than the young..Yes, the young may be bold and sitting in the top of the highest tree, but it's always the wise and elderly who sing the sunrise song...I think it's because they know that there is no time to waste.. life is short!
Through a veil of mist the sun now reaches the hedgerows..dewdrops are catching rays of light and create rainbow mirrors..this to please the little creatures living there,in the undergrowth.
Slowly the light is crawling through the grass...entering rabbit holes and revealing fluffy bunny ears...
One very bright and strong ray of sunlight creeps into a jungle of ferns...then, stays there for a second, like it's wondering to get out..or maybe still continue in this wilderness..But like the saying goes - it has to be dark to see the light- motivates this little ray to carry on...And behold....his light went shining straight through the ferns...only to show that behind this green cascade of leaves there was an entrance of yet another dark matter..
Now, the light, very curious and determent to explore, made his way into the blackness..searched, found, and touched something..and this THING responded.....with a sneeze...!
The morning sunrise had just landed in a bears den, and tickled a bears nose...
After the sneeze...which created a breeze in the leaves....there was silence in the den...
The bear then growled, with a gloomy dark brown voice...
-Go away....!
-Go away I say..I command you, LIGHT, leave my den..NOW...!
But as we all know..the early morning light will not be chased easily...it's playful...filled with expectation.
It calls you..beckons you...says,open your eyes you earthling..this is the day..this is the day that will never return..!
Not ONE but many rays of light now filled the bears den...and all together they decided to have a ball !
In the dusty den millions of little light particles danced and whirled..and when the bear carefully opened ONE eye..he was almost blinded by all of the sparkles and glitter..
The first word which then sprung to his mind was...
........"SPRING"......
And after months and months of sleep....the bear jumped up, grinned, clapped his paws and made his fur shake..He was awake...
The bear was back...
*****
ITS a...
Mountains can be high...rivers wide...and a road may be winding and long ...The bear knew..
Softly the sun filters its early morning light through fresh green leaves.
Spring is promising..and the bear starts his journey..
At first..he is just standing there..letting the sun warm his old bones..The road ahead would be difficult.. The bear knew...
Days became nights, and nights became days again..
The bear sometimes rested under a sheltering starry sky.. Every new day the sun accompanied him..getting stronger..days grew longer..and the bear was now feeling younger..than he was..
There he stood...on a hilltop covered with pine trees....catching a gust of wind in his nose..smelling a familiar scent..of straw..wildflowers..shadow of Oak ..
- Summer has arrived..whispered the bear.
The caresses of the breeze tickled his fur, and the bear sighed.. The Bear knew..he was almost there..
Meanwhile...on a different Hilltop, a mouse was wandering.. A mouse wearing a straw hat..A Mouse on a summer stroll..
She had been climbing the Hilltop and now paused for a while under the big old oak tree, midst the wildflowers, to catch her breath..
The sun stood high..there was a soft breeze..
-Aah, sighed the mousse..The summer wind..!
The wind took with him the smell of shade from Pine trees.....and..what was that.. something in the air was....was very familiar..
-I know that smell..said Miss Moussie..and of course she knew..she always knows everything.
.-Its...its...and there Miss Moussie stopped..threw her straw hat in the air and jumped for joy before she called out...
........IT's A BEAR...
LOUDER THEN A DOOR...
In a garden - not so very far from where Miss Moussie now is tumbling down the hill like a fluffy tumbleweed, because she is in such a hurry to go tell what she had just discovered -someone is sitting in a deckchair…drinking iced tea…
-It hasn't been this warm since years... said the Dutchess to herself whilst waving fiercely with a fan…its almost too hot to handle... !
She had been trying to write... but really it was too hot to concentrate... then she tried to read... but the words were to slow to enter her mind... they lingered in the heat and evaporated...
Then she planned to take a little nap… a siesta in the garden under the old oak tree... but her thoughts wandered of all over the place and now she just was sitting there... watching the grass grow...
Time took her time to pass… like it was stuck… sticky minutes gliding like hot syrup dripping from a spoon...
Whilst casting her eyes over the lawn… over the pink roses, the Pond in the distance... the garden path towards Hilltop Hall... the Dutchess smiled... How much she loved that old, with green ivy overgrown house... sometimes she felt like she could hug it ... wasn't that silly... Sure, there were worries ... the cracks in the old walls…lots of squeaky doors, an ancient plumbing system..the pipes sometimes made a noise like a complete wind orchestra playing a concerto, and maybe, just maybe, she needed to redecorate . There still was the wallpaper her grandmother once plastered to the bedroom walls…showing birds and forget-me-not’s. And the fireplace in the kitchen was the same one like one-hundred years ago...
Suddenly, a noise coming from the entrance of the garden, at the garden gate, interrupted our dear Dutchess in her reminiscing’s... A mouse came running... waving a yellow straw hat... squeaking at the top of her longs, louder than any old door ever could squeak in the whole house….
-He’s coming home..he's coming home...!
WAITING..
I will choose my words carefully, so you can listen, and memorize, this to tribute the creatures who will surely come alive in this saga, and, like they told me secretly, will never leave you..They will be there to give you strength...courage..hope..and stay with you, by your side and in your heart for ever and ever....or, as long as you need them to .
They promised to also make you smile..because a smile is one of the most beautiful things human eyes can behold....it's like a sunrise!
And with a sunrise this adventure begins..
What color would you like the sunrise to be...picture it..in your mind's eye.!.
Then ,let the light slowly caress the treetops...to wake up the birds.
The birds are always first to rise..Did you know it's the older birds that rise sooner than the young..Yes, the young may be bold and sitting in the top of the highest tree, but it's always the wise and elderly who sing the sunrise song...I think it's because they know that there is no time to waste.. life is short!
Through a veil of mist the sun now reaches the hedgerows..dewdrops are catching rays of light and create rainbow mirrors..this to please the little creatures living there,in the undergrowth.
Slowly the light is crawling through the grass...entering rabbit holes and revealing fluffy bunny ears...
One very bright and strong ray of sunlight creeps into a jungle of ferns...then, stays there for a second, like it's wondering to get out..or maybe still continue in this wilderness..But like the saying goes - it has to be dark to see the light- motivates this little ray to carry on...And behold....his light went shining straight through the ferns...only to show that behind this green cascade of leaves there was an entrance of yet another dark matter..
Now, the light, very curious and determent to explore, made his way into the blackness..searched, found, and touched something..and this THING responded.....with a sneeze...!
The morning sunrise had just landed in a bears den, and tickled a bears nose...
After the sneeze...which created a breeze in the leaves....there was silence in the den...
The bear then growled, with a gloomy dark brown voice...
-Go away....!
-Go away I say..I command you, LIGHT, leave my den..NOW...!
But as we all know..the early morning light will not be chased easily...it's playful...filled with expectation.
It calls you..beckons you...says,open your eyes you earthling..this is the day..this is the day that will never return..!
Not ONE but many rays of light now filled the bears den...and all together they decided to have a ball !
In the dusty den millions of little light particles danced and whirled..and when the bear carefully opened ONE eye..he was almost blinded by all of the sparkles and glitter..
The first word which then sprung to his mind was...
........"SPRING"......
And after months and months of sleep....the bear jumped up, grinned, clapped his paws and made his fur shake..He was awake...
The bear was back...
*****
ITS a...
Mountains can be high...rivers wide...and a road may be winding and long ...The bear knew..
Softly the sun filters its early morning light through fresh green leaves.
Spring is promising..and the bear starts his journey..
At first..he is just standing there..letting the sun warm his old bones..The road ahead would be difficult.. The bear knew...
Days became nights, and nights became days again..
The bear sometimes rested under a sheltering starry sky.. Every new day the sun accompanied him..getting stronger..days grew longer..and the bear was now feeling younger..than he was..
There he stood...on a hilltop covered with pine trees....catching a gust of wind in his nose..smelling a familiar scent..of straw..wildflowers..shadow of Oak ..
- Summer has arrived..whispered the bear.
The caresses of the breeze tickled his fur, and the bear sighed.. The Bear knew..he was almost there..
Meanwhile...on a different Hilltop, a mouse was wandering.. A mouse wearing a straw hat..A Mouse on a summer stroll..
She had been climbing the Hilltop and now paused for a while under the big old oak tree, midst the wildflowers, to catch her breath..
The sun stood high..there was a soft breeze..
-Aah, sighed the mousse..The summer wind..!
The wind took with him the smell of shade from Pine trees.....and..what was that.. something in the air was....was very familiar..
-I know that smell..said Miss Moussie..and of course she knew..she always knows everything.
.-Its...its...and there Miss Moussie stopped..threw her straw hat in the air and jumped for joy before she called out...
........IT's A BEAR...
LOUDER THEN A DOOR...
In a garden - not so very far from where Miss Moussie now is tumbling down the hill like a fluffy tumbleweed, because she is in such a hurry to go tell what she had just discovered -someone is sitting in a deckchair…drinking iced tea…
-It hasn't been this warm since years... said the Dutchess to herself whilst waving fiercely with a fan…its almost too hot to handle... !
She had been trying to write... but really it was too hot to concentrate... then she tried to read... but the words were to slow to enter her mind... they lingered in the heat and evaporated...
Then she planned to take a little nap… a siesta in the garden under the old oak tree... but her thoughts wandered of all over the place and now she just was sitting there... watching the grass grow...
Time took her time to pass… like it was stuck… sticky minutes gliding like hot syrup dripping from a spoon...
Whilst casting her eyes over the lawn… over the pink roses, the Pond in the distance... the garden path towards Hilltop Hall... the Dutchess smiled... How much she loved that old, with green ivy overgrown house... sometimes she felt like she could hug it ... wasn't that silly... Sure, there were worries ... the cracks in the old walls…lots of squeaky doors, an ancient plumbing system..the pipes sometimes made a noise like a complete wind orchestra playing a concerto, and maybe, just maybe, she needed to redecorate . There still was the wallpaper her grandmother once plastered to the bedroom walls…showing birds and forget-me-not’s. And the fireplace in the kitchen was the same one like one-hundred years ago...
Suddenly, a noise coming from the entrance of the garden, at the garden gate, interrupted our dear Dutchess in her reminiscing’s... A mouse came running... waving a yellow straw hat... squeaking at the top of her longs, louder than any old door ever could squeak in the whole house….
-He’s coming home..he's coming home...!
WAITING..
The hours to come would later proof to be more than magical..they would be epic…!
This, our Dutchess and Miss Moussie didn't know yet…but, now, dear reader and friend, YOU know..so hold on to this book and read on..
After Miss Moussie did catch her breath she was able to tell The Dutchess what she had just found on the Hilltop..
-A scent you say..really, did I understand you correctly..you found something smelly..said the Dutchess surprised..
- Yes..Squeaked Miss Moussie exited…LIKE BEAR..!
…The summer breeze hushed.. the birds paused in their flight and song, and with the butterflies they fluttered by, in slow motion..curious…listening.
The word BEAR changed the entire atmosphere in the garden ..it became very quiet..like…maybe like a quiet before a storm..
-Is he..could it..can it be….really HIM, whispered the Dutchess ?
-I know its him, squeaked Miss Moussie softly…there is no one that smelly. I mean…well, (and there she giggled).
-Then, my dear Miss M, we can expect him any minute now..!
-I believe we can dearest Dutchess..I believe we can…O my goodness…so many things to do so little time..I must assemble a welcome home comity..
The stillness in the garden became now noticeable..even for the Dutchess and Miss Moussie in their enthusiasm … Clouds gathered.. the hot summer day changed into a summer evening that wrapt itself around the Hilltop inhabitants like a moist cloak…
-This heat is too heavy for a delicate creature like myself..squeaked Miss Moussie..I just can’t think straight ..there’s a fog rising..
-In your mind darling..?
-No, look…over the Pond and beyond……it looks very suspicious. One can never trust a fog !
-Heavens,Yes..it looks kind of greenish! We better go inside dear…
A storm is rising..
And so they did…a Dutchess and a Mousse. Together waiting for what was coming next…
At the Pond a strange fog waved over the white water lilies ..the surface of the water rippled. A green creature appeared. A frog in the fog…It was Gustave coming to check on the weather. But after a quick glance he dived back into the water…heading for the deep…to be safe...
WHO WAS WHERE..AND WHERE WAS WHAT..?
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ILLUMINATED..
-Dearest…she shouted..WHAT…WHERE…WHO…!
…On the Hilltop, at Hilltop Hall, in the Hilltop Hall living room, a Mouse and a Dutchess sit together, side by side, in a window nook viewing the misty garden. They look worried!
-I do hope all our friends have found shelter….. twittered Miss Moussie, and I better stay with you dearest, in case something happens, I mean..you being all alone in this big old Hilltop mansion..!
-Please do...answered the Dutchess …but I must say I do like a good thunderstorm once in a while. It clears the air..…
-Yes…well…I don’t know twittered Miss Moussie …Maybe..some tea dear..to calm our nerves..?
-That’s a wonderful idea. You stay put my sweet mouse…I will be back in jiffy..
The Dutchess left the living room, leaving Miss Moussie staring into the fog…it turned from green into a mysterious purple haze.
The passage from the living room towards the kitchen was dark. It was a hallway filled with old ornaments, and the walls were decorated with paintings from the Dutchess’s ancestors.
There was one with a Pirate…and one picturing a lady in a wintry forest,in depth of field with next to her an owl sitting on a fence.
Quickly our Dutchess moved through the corridor..…the darkness didn't bother her…she knew every shadow and every sound..
But..did she really…?
Because, then, suddenly, she heard something ..softer then a whisper..more like someone breathing.. followed by a very clear tinkling sound. Like a bell or icicle’s moving in the wind..
Abruptly the Dutchess stopped ….she listened…who, or what was it that made this corridor into its hiding place....!
-Anybody there…she said in a calm tone of voice…and she repeated…ANYBODY ..answer me please…!
No answer was heard..…only the ticking of the clock…and THEN…the first LOUD thunder accompanied by the BIGGEST lightning flash..immediately followed by the most frightful twitters uttered by Miss Moussie ……-There he is ..I saw him…there he is..!!
Now, DEAR READER AND FRIEND…I’m confused…who was where, and where was what… Anyhow…"THEY"are HERE…
ILLUMINATED..
You could say our Dutchess, at that moment of fright, was almost quicker than lighting to run back into the living room and come to Miss Moussie’s rescue..
-Dearest…she shouted..WHAT…WHERE…WHO…!
-O NOOO…twittered Miss Moussie disappointed, whilst standing with her little nose pressed to the window…now he is gone…
-HE…in our “Bear” you mean…?
-YES..of course..are you expecting anybody else maybe…squeaked our mouse.
With her little paws to the glass she tried to see into the dark garden…it had started to rain..
-There's nobody else around. I am sure what you saw was our friend..answered the Dutchess…looking over her shoulder back into the Hallway..
Again the lighting lit up the room..and the thunder roared…
Again Miss Moussie uttered the most squeaky sound ever to be heard in Hilltop history..but it was a happy sound…it sounded like surprise and home coming..because before her eyes..illuminated by lightning the friendly furry face of a friend appeared..MOZES..!
