Beyond the Oak Tree

     The town was fairly small, but surrounded by lots of land across the fields. Most of the home owners had farms attached to their acres and so many plants and shrubs that you would never really know what was hiding. The skies were always blue with rays of sunshine, and crops were almost always in season. Maple Leaf was known for its land and bright scenery. The fairies use this land as their settlement, which is why they are known to be travelers, as they were the first to establish the fields with their materials. They were only good travelers that traded among other fairies from different realms to establish their oak trees.

   My mother had planted many different kinds of flowers that overlapped each other, covering most of the field. We had a giant oak tree that sat beside the garden, which was planted long before I was even thought of. Whenever I passed the oak tree, my mother always let me pick flowers from her garden to leave for the tiny garden fairies that traveled through the acres of land. I would wrap up the stem of the flowers with a thin piece of yarn, searching for rocks that I gently placed in front of the oak tree. They were so small but carried leaves as umbrellas, which indicated that they were traveling, as there was a trail of marching leaves across the small dirt trail. But no one else could see these small creatures except for the residents of the small town of Maple Leaf. They lived inside the oak trees that lit up at night, surrounded by what looked like fireflies as the moon glistened in the night sky. My mother told me stories every night before bed about how the fairies traveled throughout the cracks of the house to gather their needs. Every morning I ran straight to the garden, watching my mother trim and water the leaves as I went to check on the oak tree. As I looked closely on the stump, there laid a small brown draw string bag smaller than the size of my palm. The first thing I did was run with the bag clenched in my palm, heading towards the garden. 

   “Mother! Mother!” I slow down catching myself out of breath. “They left something behind” catching my breath. “Oh my, it has been a while hasn’t it?” Mother opens the drawstring pouring out tiny specks in her palm. “What is it?” Reaching my hand as I look into the small seed that was placed gently in the drawstring. “Oh honey these are for you to blossom! You plant these and water them every day with care. I remember when they left me my first sack of seedlings”

“But mother” staring down at the seeds with confusion, “What is the purpose of these?”

“Oh darling” my mother smiled, “Plant these, as you will flourish into maturity, and as you watch them bloom, just wait for the blessings as you will discover your purpose”. She puts the seeds carefully back into the pouch carefully placing them in my hands. I wondered how my mother was so calm about my discovery. It’s like she already knew what to do. 

 When I examined the seeds carefully, I was able to identify almost all of them. They seemed like your average garden seeds. There were a couple fern seeds, chrysanthemum seeds, and lilacs.  Ever since that morning out in the garden, I continued to water and take great care of the field until the next spring. The little travelers left me small drawstring pouches every now and then, that included all different kinds of seeds and nature like findings that I planted throughout the farmland. I noticed my garden starting to combine with the flowers my mom has planted, I could have sworn she told me to plant them in a separate area. The more I gazed into the garden, I noticed my mother’s flowers starting to diminish as mine flourished throughout the land. It was as if my mother had never been there, but she was in the presence of the blossoming chrysanthemums. 

 “Lydia!” I turn my head. “Lydia! We thought we lost you in the field!” I hear a far cry from a distance. I look down into the garden pushing the stems out of the way revealing the root of the soil. I then see a small, slim traveler, with long brunette hair wearing leaves as clothes, that met just an inch above the knee. Her figure was so dainty, with wings that shuttered so slightly. “How do you know my name?” I gaze at her wings with admiration. “What do you mean? We have to go back to the oak tree! You planted each seedling. Maple Leaf is blossoming. But we need you in the oaks, we fear we don’t have enough of us to keep them thriving. Your flower bed has blossomed Lydia, we are waiting for you!”  I can see a twinkle in her eye that was quite familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. She was as tall as a leaf picked off a stem, as her wings shuttered to the top of the blossomed seed. She grabbed onto the unknown plant from the magical seeds and handed it to me. My eyes twinkled, gazing into her beauty as I naturally consumed the herb she has gifted me. The next thing you know, my eyes begin to blink uncontrollably, and I feel my body tingle as I smile with joy. “Lydiaaaa” the unknown fairy called out. “Oh gosh, you slept until noon! You must have been exhausted” She hands me a tiny tea cup that fits perfectly in my dainty hands. I stare into her eyes calmly, as I finish my tea and make my way towards the tree branches in front of the oak tree. “Well I guess we should start our journey up north shall we” I wait amongst the oak tree as a trail of small travelers begin to follow my lead. I hold a leaf in one hand, and a branch in the other, as we head north to discover the flower fields, remembering the lost memory of mother’s garden.