The Angel and the Gardener walked away smiling - barely containing their
mirth. The Angel waited only till they were past being heard. "She has, in truth,
come so far, but she is her own worst enemy. She sets her mind down a path that
brings her pain and sorrow. Will she ever really heal if she does not allow it? And
she seems to talk to the very air - as if she feels the need to chatter to keep up with
her wings - she misses what is said around her because of it." The Gardener only
smiled - such was the nature of this one and one day she would indeed calm and
listen more - for now her chatter was part of her journey. "Give her time - she has
indeed come so far."
The Angel had wandered into a scene quite familiar now - the Plant was brushing
the Halfling and the Pixie off, they had been in the lower branches of the Plant
cradled safely napping only to wake abruptly as they fell, landing softly at the Plant's
roots. Butterfly had flown to the Plant chattering on endlessly and startled them awake,
and in truth she didn't seem to even be talking to anyone except perhaps herself. The
tiny Pixie looked at the Plant - "Does she have to do that?", the Halfling shook her
head sleeply, "she chatters on to no one in particular and I'm not sure she even listens
to herself - and she cannot seem to hear when she is so focused on her chatter. Who
is she talking too?" The Plant chuckled tolerantly, "She means no harm, at least it is
happy chatter now. Too often she starts chattering and allows her thoughts to flow as
they will on the trails of memories and travels to sad memories. Then she sobs and is
inconsolable – those moments are so hard on her." The Halfling sighed - she had seen
Butterfly do just as the Plant said - and just as she seemed not to hear when she chattered
- she was also unreachable when she sobbed. "You are right - I would rather hear her
laughter - but does she ever slow down? She chatters so much I sometimes think the words
fly faster than she does! But you are right - I love sister Butterfly - and I would rather see her
chatter happily than sobbing. Still . . ", and she brushed the dirt from her fall off of her
powder blue wings. The Plant only chuckled, and the Angel could barely contain
her mirth.
The Plant had shared some of Butterfly's tale with the Halfling and the Pixie- how
she had arrived at the garden so battered by life's storms and her losses. It had been a
long journey toward healing and it seemed she would make headway only to be
battered down again. All in the garden knew loss, it was what had brought most of
them here and was one of the threads all shared. All here knew the loss of a dear love
- some had felt that loss more than once. The Butterfly knew loss several times over,
for all her bravado and chatter the loss and pain flowed barely below the surface.
There were times the Halfling longed to remove the pain she felt in Butterfly, but
times like now, as she dusted herself off, she longed to bury her head in a pillow and
find a moment of silence. Still she was glad it was happy chatter, pleased that Butterfly
was in good spirits. She turned to the Plant, "Can you please get her attention, get her
to slow down? We haven't answered her first question and she must be on her fourth
or fifth one already." But now she was awake and her humor had returned. Pixie was
still brushing herself off and frowning, "I just got this sliplet - ohhhh if it is torn . . . . "
The Plant and Halfling now both laughed. The Plant spoke softly to Pixie, "If it's torn
it is only a sliplet, it will mend. A sliplet is only something to wear. Is it more
important than another's heart? She is as we all are, on a journey of healing. Come,
slip back into my branches. When Butterfly pauses to breath we can find out what
has her so excited." The Halfling and Pixie looked at each other and giggled - Plant
was right, until she ran out of steam it was doubtful Butterfly would even hear
herself - much less any other. The pair settled comfortably in the Plant's gentle
embrace, it might be a fair wait. The halfling reflected, yes - the chatter was indeed
better than the sobbing. As she curled down in the branches she let her mind wander
- drift, Butterfly so often would seem to be healing only to talk herself into tears and
sobbing. Her journey had been hard, and often she made it harder, but still she slowly
was healing. While she waited she drifted allowing the Plant to cradle her to sleep,
yes she would she her sister Butterfly heal - she would just have to be patient with
her journey.
The Angel and the Gardener watched the the scene unfold, one they had watched
so many times. Several times the Angel looked to the Gardener, her eyes begging
him to interceed - each time he had shook his head. "She must work it out. They will
not let her fall even when she vexes them." The Angel sighed - Butterfly seemed so
frail - how much could she put herself through before she would break. But the
Gardener always knew, so she watched and waited. She had faith in time Butterfly
would heal and that the Gardener would indeed see that it would unfold as it should.
