Melody Gardens

by Janeta Munro

  “Don’t think you won’t pay for this!” he yelled in the direction the girls had gone.

  “Come on, Skitter,” he said to the grasshopper in his pocket, “let’s pay Old Mai a visit. It’s time for plan B.”

  Chapter 12

  Tilly and Macey crouched down behind a large marble urn that sat on a pedestal in the centre of an eight-columned, marble rotunda. Every now and then they peeked around the urn to see if Roger was still coming.

  “I can’t see him anywhere. I think he must have given up,” Macey said.

  Cautiously they stood and craned their necks for a better look. No sign of him. When they looked at each other, they began to giggle.

  “Oh, my goodness!” Macey said. “Did you see the look on Roger’s face?”

  “He is so mad at us!” Tilly replied with a shake of her head. “Poor Roger, I know he’s been mean to us but I feel so sorry for him.”

  Macey couldn’t help herself. She put her hand over her mouth and started to laugh. “I know I shouldn’t laugh, but you have to admit it was pretty funny.”

  Tilly nodded her head then sighed. “I hope he gives up chasing us and goes home, though. I think he’s had enough punishment for one day, don’t you?”

  “Nah … I’m not as nice as you, Tilly!” Macey smirked. “I think he’s getting everything he deserves.”

  A movement behind them made them jump. They spun around expecting to see Roger but it was just the Chime Maker.

  “Oh hello, Chime Maker,” Tilly said, somewhat relieved. “I thought you were Roger.”

  The Chime Maker smiled at her. “No dear, just me. The last time I saw Roger, he was heading in the other direction.”

  “Oh, thank goodness!” Tilly said with a sigh of relief.

  The Chime Maker hid a smile as she climbed up a step and entered the rotunda. She went and stood beside the urn that Tilly and Macey had been hiding behind. She reached out a hand and traced the outline of the ornate trellis attached to the urn.

  “The two of you are having quite an exciting adventure today, aren’t you?” she said as she gently poked at the bare ground beneath the trellis.

  “I know!” Tilly replied, “I just wish it didn’t involve Roger chasing us with grasshoppers so much.”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Macey said with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, “I think it makes it kind of exciting.”

  The Chime Maker chuckled at Macey’s remark but her attention was fixed on small movements in the soil beneath the trellis.

  “Hello, my little darlings,” she greeted eight little creepers that began to peek out of the soil. “It is so nice to see you again.”

  The creepers wiggled and whipped around as they reached up to take hold of the trellis above them. They were quite dainty little things with dark green, heart-shaped leaves and graceful tendrils that spiralled around the trellis as they grew. In no time at all they had covered the entire trellis.

  “I wonder what colour the pods will be this year?” Tilly said as she pressed in close beside the Chime Maker.

  Three rows of small tubular pods began to form on the creepers. They were hollow and transparent and of three different sizes. The smallest ones grew in a row across the top of the trellis, the medium-sized ones across the middle, and the larger ones grew across the bottom. Altogether there were twenty-four pods. Each year the pods were a different colour and this year they were a beautiful shade of purple.

  “Ooh, look!” Tilly enthused. “My favourite colour!” She bounced up and down and clapped her hands. “Won’t they make a beautiful set of Melody Chimes this year?”

  As she touched the largest pod on the end creeper, it made a deep, bell-like sound. The Chime Maker stepped back to make more room for Tilly so that she could reach all of the pods. She touched each one in turn. They each played a different tone.

  Tilly had played on the pods of the Melody Creepers all her life and it was one of her most favourite things to do. She enjoyed the beautiful music they made and had spent hours making up tunes. She played one of her favourites now then turned to the Chime Maker. “I would love to hear you play them Chime Maker; would you play for us?”

  “Of course, Tilly, it would be my pleasure.”

  The Chime Maker rested her cane against the urn, cracked her knuckles, and began to play. It only took a few notes for Tilly to close her eyes and get lost in the beautiful music. She could never understand why, but every time the Chime Maker played the Melody pods, she was moved to tears. The feeling she got was so wonderful … yet … overwhelming. This is what heaven must feel like, she thought to herself.

  The Chime Maker finished the tune and waited for Tilly and Macey to open their eyes. Both girls wiped their tears on their dresses then grinned at her.

  “Thank you, Chime Maker,” Tilly said as she wrapped her arms around the Chime Maker. “I love it when you play. You are the best player in town.”

  The Chime Maker stroked Tilly’s hair and thanked her for the compliment. When it was Macey’s turn for a hug, Tilly turned back to the Melody Creepers and began playing a tune she had created the year before.

  The Chime Maker tilted her head to one side and a curious expression flicked across her face as she listened.

  Just like Tilly, she also loved the Melody Creepers and looked forward to their sprouting each Spring Day. In all of her lifetime, not one set of pods had ever been the same colour. Now that she knew this year’s colour, she would be able to start working on the frame they would be strung on.

  As she watched Tilly play, a tickle of excitement stirred in her stomach. “I wonder?” she whispered to herself.

  “I can’t wait to see the set of Melody Chimes you make from these pods, Chime Maker,” Tilly said. “They are going to be so beautiful.” A wistful expression crossed her face as she continued, “I hope I’m the one chosen to receive the pods when they fall this year.”

  The Chime Maker rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she looked from Tilly to the purple Melody pods then back to Tilly.

  “I hope so too, dear,” she said more to herself than to Tilly.

  She seemed to be deep in thought and not paying attention when Tilly said, “I guess we will have to wait and see on the day of the Melody Pod Fall, hey?”

  Tilly and Macey exchanged puzzled looks when the Chime Maker didn’t respond. She was just standing there, rubbing her chin and staring at the pods.

  “Chime Maker?” Tilly touched her on the arm.

  “Yes, yes … the Melody Pod Fall!” the Chime Maker said as she roused herself. She patted Tilly on the arm then said, “Well girls, it has been a pleasure but I must be off.” As she turned to pick up her cane, she said, “I think I may go and have a chat with my good friend, Old Mai.”

  Tilly and Macey watched her go then looked at each other.

  “That was odd,” Macey said.

  “Very odd,” Tilly agreed.

  Chapter 13

  Roger stood beneath Tilly’s leaf and looked around. There were a lot of people about now and he would have to be extra careful. He pulled Skitter out of his pocket and made sure no one was watching.

  “There you go, Skitter,” he whispered as he put him close to Tilly’s leaf. Skitter gingerly crawled up to the leaf and touched it with his antenna. ZAP! Skitter convulsed and went rigid, then fell to the ground.

  “What? You’ve got to be kidding me!”

  Roger bent down for a closer look and there, lying in the grass, were Skitter and Fritz. They were both dead. Roger stared at the grasshoppers for a minute. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He got to his feet and looked up at Old Mai.

  “You rotten tree!” he shouted. “You killed my grasshoppers!”

  He started seething with anger and wondered what he could do to get even.

  “I’ll show you!”

  He reached up and took hold of Tilly’s leaf.

  Tilly and Macey didn’t have to wait long for a ride on the Coaster. They screamed along with everyone else as
they were flung up and down and around sharp bends. When it came to an end, they giggled with relief.

  “Wow, I’d forgotten how scary that was,” Macey said.

  “I’m still shaking.” Tilly held out her trembling hands.

  They both laughed again, high on adrenaline.

  “Do you think we should look for our parents?” Tilly asked.

  “I’ve already spotted them.” Macey pointed out two couples walking in their direction.

  They jumped out of the Coaster and ran to meet their parents. As they walked towards Old Mai, they chatted excitedly about everything that had happened throughout the day.

  Up ahead they could see a crowd of people gathered around Old Mai and could hear someone shouting.

  “Oww!” cried Roger. He quickly let go of Tilly’s leaf as Old Mai zapped him.

  “Stupid tree!” he yelled then ran over and kicked Old Mai in the trunk.

  “Oww!” He jumped around on one leg as he held his injured foot.

  “OK, dumb thing to do!” he muttered under his breath. He hobbled a few steps then saw a branch on the ground, “Ah-hah!”

  He picked up the branch and charged. But just before he could bring it down on Tilly’s leaf, he tripped on a root and went sprawling on the ground. “Yikes!”

  He landed right on top of another root. ZAP!

  “Hey!” Roger rubbed a stinging spot on his tummy as he quickly sat up. “Will you stop that? Ya lunatic!”

  Old Mai zapped him again.

  “Ow-wah!” Roger scrambled to his feet and shook his fist at her. “That’s it! That’s it!”

  By now a crowd had gathered to see what was going on.

  “What’s he doing?” someone asked.

  “I don’t know,” replied the man beside him, “but this is the most entertainment I’ve had all day.”

  As Roger rubbed his sore bottom with one hand, he gripped the branch even tighter with his other. He clenched his teeth, slitted his eyes, and pawed the ground like a bull ready to charge. With an almighty battle cry, he swung the branch up over his head and charged at Old Mai. But, just as he was about to bring the branch down on Old Mai’s trunk, she smacked him with one of her own branches. Whack, right across the back of his head!

  The combination of his forward momentum and the whack of her branch sent him flying through the air. He landed on the ground face first and skidded across the grass. When he came to a stop, he just lay there and groaned. Eventually he sat up and spat out a mouthful of grass. Standing in front of him was the Chime Maker.

  Roger flopped backwards onto the grass with a groan. “You again!” he said, “Go on … say it!”

  “Oh, I don’t think I need to say too much, Roger,” she replied. “I think you know what you need to do, hmm?”

  Roger fidgeted with some blades of grass for a few minutes, not wanting to give in. “She’s the one who needs to say sorry!”

  “Oh?” The Chime Maker quirked an eyebrow at him.

  “Well, she started it. She zapped me first!”

  “And you didn’t deserve it, I take it?”

  “Nuh!” Roger jutted out his chin and boldly made eye contact with the Chime Maker.

  “I think you might need to think about that a bit more, my dear,” she said gently.

  Roger huffed out a breath and looked away. Maybe he did have a small part to play in what had happened. Maybe he shouldn’t have lost his temper with Old Mai and shouldn’t have tried to destroy Tilly’s leaf. Sigh! Maybe he should say sorry. Slowly he sat up and muttered, “Sorry, Old Mai.”

  “Apology accepted,” the Chime Maker replied on Old Mai’s behalf.

  “That really hurt, Old Mai!” he complained as he rubbed the back of his head where a lump was forming.

  “You reap what you sow, Roger,” the Chime Maker said with a sorry shake of her head. She reached out her hand to help Roger to his feet.

  “Come dear! Let’s get you home so you can get cleaned up, shall we?” He was covered in grass stains and dirt. “I think a nice hot bath is in order.”

  He grudgingly complied and took the Chime Maker’s hand as he scrambled to his feet.

  She put her arm around his shoulders and gave him a reassuring hug then turned him towards home. “May I give you a snippet of wisdom, Roger?” she asked gently as they started off.

  Roger hung his head and nodded.

  “It’s far better to sow forgiveness than to reap the reward of revenge. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  Roger fidgeted with the zipper on his jacket for a minute then nodded.

  “I guess I wouldn’t have gotten all banged up today if I’d forgiven the girls, hey?”

  The Chime Maker smiled and hugged him. “That’s right, dear. I think had you forgiven them this morning your day would have turned out differently. But it’s not too late. There’s still time to forgive. What do you think?”

  Roger had to mull that over for a minute more. “I suppose so,” he said with a shrug.

  The Chime Maker patted him on the back. “That’s my boy! Come on, let’s get you home.”

  Chapter 14

  Old Mai was always the last tree in the park to spring-out on Spring Day. It was a tradition for the townsfolk to picnic beneath her branches at the end of the day.

  Tilly, Macey, and their families joined others who were spreading out their picnic blankets and settling down to enjoy their meals.

  “What was all the ruckus about?” Tilly’s dad asked the people next to them.

  “Oh, just some kid going crazy about grasshoppers or something. He tried to hit Old Mai with a branch. Not a good idea to cross Old Mai. He found out the hard way. Last I heard the Chime Maker was taking him home.”

  “Oh, no!” Tilly ran and stood beneath the branch her leaf was on. She sighed with relief when she saw that her leaf was still there and in one piece. She had a quick look for grasshoppers and, seeing none, ran back to her parents.

  “Come and see what Old Mai gave me this morning!” she said.

  Her parents were both amazed and puzzled by the leaf.

  “I’ve never known Old Mai to do that before, have you?” Mum asked Dad.

  Dad shook his head, “No, I can’t say I have.”

  They decided to move their picnic rug in closer so they could keep an eye on Tilly’s leaf and puzzled over the meaning of it throughout their meal. Others seated around them joined in on the discussion and before long, news of Tilly’s leaf spread to the other townsfolk. People came to look at the leaf and they all said the same thing. No one had ever seen or heard of such a thing before. It was very curious indeed.

  The excitement began to build as the sun set and daylight seeped from the sky. A nervous twitter went through the crowd when the ground around Old Mai began to vibrate and a rumble came up from deep beneath her.

  “Here we go,” whispered Tilly.

  The two girls stood and held hands as they focused their attention on Tilly’s leaf. Suddenly it pinged and stood straight up from the branch as a surge of energy shot through it. Instantly it changed from deep green to fluorescent white and shone brilliantly.

  “Wow!” Tilly gasped, “Go, Leafy!”

  All over Old Mai’s branches, hundreds of other brilliant little leaves began to leaf-out. They twinkled on and off while they waited for the rest of Old Mai’s leaves to join them. The sound they made was incredible, like tiny musical chimes. Once all the leaves had emerged, they began to move in unison. First one way and then the other, creating waves of light and music that flowed back and forth across Old Mai’s branches. Then began what the townsfolk looked forward to the most—The Retell.

  Through the moving of her leaves, Old Mai recounted scenes and funny incidents that had happened throughout the year. People laughed and joked with each other as they saw their images flash across Old Mai’s branches.

  “Look, there’s us!” Macey said.

  Tilly and Macey watched themselves climbing up the centre of one of the Weaver Trees then sliding
down the huge slidelike leaves that spiralled around the outside. At one point, Tilly slipped and would have fallen had Macey not grabbed her and pulled her to safety.

  “I’d forgotten all about that,” Tilly said. She looked at Macey and grinned, “Thanks for that.”

  “Ahh!” Macey shrugged it off. “What are friends for?” She returned Tilly’s grin then turned her attention back to Old Mai.

  Many other scenes flashed in Old Mai’s branches before The Retell came to a close. The girls enjoyed every moment. As a climax, Old Mai lit up the whole area around her with one final image. It was of Tilly holding up, what looked like, a small glowing plant.

  Try as she might, Tilly couldn’t remember this scene. “I don’t remember this at all, Macey,” Tilly said as she frowned at the image of herself.

  “That’s because it hasn’t happened yet, dear.”

  Tilly jumped when the Chime Maker spoke directly behind her. She turned around to ask how that was possible since Old Mai only showed the past, never the future, but the crowd around her erupted in applause. Distracted, she joined in on the clapping and cheering as Old Mai slowly dimmed her leaves. When she turned back around, the Chime Maker had gone.

  All around her the crowd grew quiet. It was almost dark now and quite eerie after all the noise and light. Tilly could hear soft gasps escaping people as a tingling sensation washed through them. When it passed through her, she shivered. It left her with a warm, fuzzy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

  Meanwhile, fuzzy, round tufts had started to form at the base of each of Old Mai’s leaves. Each one was about the size of a pea and glowed soft, warm-yellow.

  A ripple of excitement moved through the crowd when, with a gentle oomph, Old Mai released the little tufts into the air. They looked so beautiful as they hung suspended above their heads.

  The spell of the moment broke. Old Mai brightened her leaves again and people started reaching out to catch the drifting tufts. They popped them into their mouths and murmured with delight as the tufts tingled on their tongues for a second, then melted away. They were delicious! Like a combination of sunshine, sugar, and spice.