The Whispering Tree

Written and Illustrated by Chris Francis

CHAPTER 13

The Story so Far: As the water is sucked out to sea, a little girl runs out into the empty ocean floor, and gets stuck in the sand. With only seconds to spare, Lavender and Henry both try to save the girl. As the Ogre-beasts protect the warrior children who are returning from Nut Island, Lavender and the girl escape. Unfortunately for Henry, he is now stuck in the sand, just as the wave approaches.

The melodic sounds of a woman’s voice sang in my ears as I opened my eyes. The sun beamed down on me, warming my face. I sat up, feeling the grass between my fingers.

“Good morning.” Camellia sat beside me, humming softly to herself.

I stretched my arms up above my head and smiled. “Good morning.” I looked out over a valley of green, speckled with beautiful colors. A group of men and women decorated with flowers holding tightly to their spears, marched up the hill toward me.

“How did I get here?” I asked. Behind me, Camellia’s father, Crocus sat forward in a chiseled stone chair carefully holding onto a floral wreath. “The Whispering Tree,” he said with a nod. “It told us about you.”

I scratched my head and rose to my feet. My legs were a little shaky and I could have sworn I had little daggers in my eyes. “No, I mean how did I get up here? Am I dead? Are we all ghosts?”

The men and women sprinkled petals around my feet as they whistled and sang out to each other. In the shadows of a lone whispering tree along a stone path, Lavender peeled the stem off a rubbery leaf and suckled it between his lips. “So, our hero awakes.”

Camellia leaned into me. “No Henry. You are very much alive. And so are we thanks to you.”

Lavender slowly approached me, twirling the stem around with his tongue. “You saved my daughter’s life. She would have never made it out of that mud.” He placed his hand on my shoulder and nodded. “Thank you.” “You’re welcome,” I replied. The woman with the beautiful singing voice continued to paint the sky with her sounds. Lavender and the people around me slowly lowered themselves to the grass. They bowed their heads, taking the flowers from their hair and placing them on the ground in front of me.

“What are they doing?” I asked. “They’re showing you respect. It’s a way of thanking you.” Camellia leaned her head back and pulled the tiki torch flower from her long golden strands. She brushed my hair back with her fingers, and placed it behind my ear. Every part of my head tingled. As she weaved the stem through my curls, I couldn’t help but smell her again.

She was a meadow.

A beautiful spring meadow. “I love.”

Camellia blinked and lifted her head. “You love? What do you love?”

“Um, I just love. I love everything, right now. You know. The flowers. The sun. My life.”

Camellia tightened her mouth and sighed. “Oh.”

Crocus stood up behind me, reaching up to me. I knelt down as he placed his floral wreath on my head. “The people of Flowera thank you,” he said.

A warm breeze tickled my arm hairs, as I smiled at the people around me. I looked out over the hill to the ocean below us. The water glistened, like diamonds swimming in a sea of blue.

But when I looked out to Nut island, a small knot tightened in my chest. “Where are my friends? Where are the Ogre-beasts?”

Camellia tapped me on the shoulder, pointing down the hill. Over the meadow of bright colors and windy stone paths, the Ogrebeasts lay comfortably on their backs, soaking in the sun’s rays. The boys and girls of Flowera, laughed and danced about as they climbed over their giant bellies and colossal arms. The Ogre-beasts grunted and smiled as they picked the children up into the air, and twirled them about their fingers. “They love the children,” said Camellia. “It’s like they belong together.” Her gaze followed mine as I looked out at the happiness around me.

I noticed Lavender’s children, Gladiolus and his sister, on top of the green Ogre’s shoulders, holding tightly onto his knotted hair as they spun around in circles.

Gladiolus waved over to me. I waved back (which was sorta strange considering he wanted to kill me the day before).

“They’re like a playground for those kids.” I nudged Camellia.

“Yes, the Ogre-beasts should have their own park.” Camellia sat up straight and pulled her hair back behind her ears.

“And they should call it ‘Crazy Tsunami Park’.” I nudged her and smiled.

Camellia laughed and tossed a small flower at me. I grabbed it from my nose, and blew it back.

I glanced out to the ocean for a second. The mountains on the far end of Nut Island, stretched out to the fluffy white clouds.

“I’ll be right back.” I bowed my head to the people around me. They all sat on the grass, listening to the woman singing in the shade by the big rock at the top of the hill. I turned back to Camellia and offered my hand. “Come with me.”

We walked down to the valley, holding hands.

I liked holding hands with her. I liked being there.

I didn’t want to leave.

But something was still bothering me.

I reached out to the green Ogre, lying comfortably on the grass. Gladiolus was sitting on his belly, peeling the stem off of a rubber leaf. The green Ogre turned his head and smiled.

“Henry Horkenminder,” he said.

As I looked up to him, a faint voice returned inside my head. “It’s time.”

I didn’t understand whose voice it was, but more importantly I had no idea what it was ‘time’ for. I shook my head and scratched the inside of my ear. “While you were helping the children, gathering them up and bringing them to safety, I was trapped in the mud and sand.”

The green Ogre nodded his head as the side of his face rubbed along the tall grass. “Yes. You were helping that man’s daughter.”

“It’s time,” the voice whispered. I scratched my ear again as a curious fog drifted over me.

I took a big breath and rubbed my eyes.

Camellia squeezed my hand. “Are you okay?”

I took another breath and nodded. “While you were helping those children…”

“Yes,” the green Ogre grunted. “While you were helping those children, who was helping me?” The fog thickened as the ground below me began to tremble and shake. I focused on my footing and strained my eyes back up to the green Ogre.

“Who saved my life?”

To Be Continued: Thursday March 8