The Hatchling—2000
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XLV—A Troubling Harvest
Arnica and Holly were sitting on the wood floor of the new drying shed. It was a nicely built structure, simple yet practical. Sitting near the greenhouse and potting shed, it was about eight feet tall at the center and had no windows. Lotus, their wood carving friend, and Carlos, Trillium School's maintenance man, had put it up in a day. It had air vents which could be opened and closed to keep the warm darkness from becoming too hot during the sunny heat of the Lammas season.
The door to the shed open, the first bunches of herbs were tied tight and hanging from the ceiling rafters. Feverfew, meadowsweet, yarrow, celandine…The celandine would dry quickly as would the feverfew blossoms. The warm, shaded air was scented not only with the dozen or so different types of herbs but still smelled like fresh lumber, a scent Arnica particularly loved.
"Wouldn't this have been terrific for the rose buds and the peony petals?" Holly leaned back looking up at the herbs, his head resting against Arnica's shoulder.
"It's definitely a blessing," Arnica responded. Always organized, Arnica determined that the best way to hang herbs in the shed was to hang the roots and those which took the longest to dry along the walls and those which went quickly, the flowers and thinner leaves, in front of them. "It's a blessing that we won't have to worry so about spiders and other bugs!"
"I saw another monarch yesterday," Holly mused. The men were pleased that their showy milkweed was in full bloom. This was the third year since they had planted it and it had taken this long for the herb to mature.
"But only that one hummingbird." Arnica finished the thought for Holly. A week ago a hummingbird had been sipping the sweet nectar from the milkweed blooms.
"Is Dark Star," Arnica began his question about the hatchling.
"In the borage," Holly finished. They chuckled and, despite the harvest warmth, snuggled closer. Their many years of ritual work and garden labor together had greatly empowered their relationship.
"It's me…" Iris' strong voice sung through the gardens. The postmarm had taken the day off. Iris and Jewel found it worked wonderfully over Midsummer when Jewel managed the postal shop. Merrydale residents loved Iris as their postmarm but were pleased this morning to find Jewel. They knew Iris deserved time off during the birth and an occasional day to relax as all new mothers need. Dagon was over five years old and quite content sitting and reading as his mother sold stamps and discussed the weather and news as the locals came for their mail.
Iris imagined the excited discussion in the postal shop today but knew she needed to take the day off and visit the Grove with the news. She had tried to call her friends earlier but, as usual during the growing season, there was no answer. Her long braid was pulled over her shoulder and the baby Diana was sound asleep in the back sling. Trying to calm her nerves, Iris asked "Where's Dark Star?"
"She's out playing in the woods," Arnica answered almost lazily. The older man was known for his never ending work ethic and, to be honest, Iris was not accustomed to see him sitting back and just relaxing in the summer's warmth with Holly.
"Dear Iris, if you could have seen her!" Holly sat up, energized by the memory. "There were two viceroys around our milkweed and the hatchling was so entranced that when they drifted with the breeze off into the woods, she followed them."
"She followed them?" Iris echoed, feeling quite unsettled.
"Iris," and now Arnica sat up, sensing that things were not quite right, "why are you here? Why aren't you at the postal shop?"
Quickly Iris told the men the news which brought her from work out to the Grove. It seemed that just last week a local farmer was out harvesting his early grain when he discovered several dead animals. A couple of chickens and, worst of all, a puppy and a house cat. Immediately he and his neighbors concluded that this killing was the work of a predator coming out of the woods, possibly a fox or a wolf. Within days a small group of hunters, all known for their dislike of conservation laws and their liking guns just a little too much, had formed a sort of vigilante group and had begun searching Merrywood for the marauding predator. It was common knowledge although there was no proof that beer was being combined with the bullets. Most of the locals were strongly opposed to this but a few, all of the Users faction of the Politicos Party, supported the posse's actions just as they opposed any type of gun control laws. Iris told Arnica and Holly how heated some of the discussions in the postal shop had become. As she related the news Diana began making hungry-baby noises.
Events had come to a head this morning. Mrs. O'Realy lived just a half mile from Merrydale on two acres of land. An elderly widow, she supported herself by sewing during the winter and selling eggs and fresh cream from her two Brown Swiss cows. This morning when she went out to milk her cows she found them both shot dead. The veterinarian extracted several 30 caliber bullets, those used in deer hunting.
"But Arnica," Iris said, now nursing the weeks-old baby, "they're still out tromping through Merrywood with their guns and their beer!"
Arnica sighed, "Dark Star…" his voice trailing off. "Holly, quick, get your crystal ball." Arnica knew they could best call the hatchling home if Holly focused their desire through the quartz orb.
Before walking back to town, Iris took some turquoise beads she'd had for many years and walked back to the new goddess shrine. She knelt beneath the great cedar with Diana in one arm as she set the beads at the feet of the statue of the Goddess Diana. "Bless us all," she prayed quickly, then went back through the gardens for quick hugs before walking back to Merrydale. Baby Diana, well fed, slept contentedly as she rocked gently in the warmth of her mother's back. Iris knew the hatchling would be fine and looked forward to Lammas Eve the day after tomorrow.
The gardens were a surprise to all the coven and their guests. This was the baby Diana's first Sabbat. Shadow Tail was leaving in a couple of weeks, returning to the homeland of his Descendant Tribe. And Trillium School would be open before the next Sabbat! Holly and Arnica surprised everyone with dozens of paper lanterns hung in the trees, each with a small bulb and all connected to a small solar transformer which had gathered the sun's energy into a compact battery.
Lammas Eve was celebrated early while the sun still shone upon the gardens. Arnica and Holly conducted a 'Drawing Down the Sun' with Gino holding the magnifying glass. This flame was used to relight all pilot lights so that the Harvest Sun would bring his flame to their homes and carry his energy to the ritual candles in the coming months.
Although not coveners, Carlos and Rosetta brought the grain man bread for the Lammas feast. Gino, their only son, was now fifteen years old. When he joined the coven he was a boy but now he was definitely a young man. Gino loved the hatchling dearly. The freckled lad was playing with Dark Star. None of the adults were quite certain what the 'rules' were to their game but Gino and Dark Star would take turns chasing each other up and down and around the garden paths.
Iris lay on a blanket, playing with Diana's toes. Jewel sat on the blanket as well. Dagon, now five, was no longer a baby and, to be honest, she was thrilled to have a baby in her life again. Rosetta was stretched out on the grass nearby. Was Gino ever so tiny? She knew he was but it was so long ago…
Amber and Flying Raven sat nearby in lawn chairs, large clipboards on their laps. Pearl was animated, her hands moving in colorful gestures as she discussed the curriculum. Arnica looked toward the women. Pearl spoke about her plans for the art and music classes at Trillium School as they discussed their plans for the courses they would teach this coming year. Amber taught history and social studies and Raven was the science teacher.
"I have an idea," Amber interjected excitedly. The Sabbat inspiration was obvious. Amber's shiny black hair was coiled above her head. "I'd like to see Iris offer some material on Merrydale's history and politics. We could even get Mayor Browning to come in once or twice." The women were immediately taken with the idea but, before they could continue with their comments Amber added, "And that's not all. Rosetta, I don't see why you could not teach a class in cooking. All of our students, boys also, should know the basics of being able to prepare their own meals before they leave Trillium School."
Deodar, new father and principal of the school, was talking with the men. Lotus would be teaching wood working this year. Although their goal was to complete the scheduling of the various classes the seven teachers would be offering, the topic kept returning to what had happened early this morning. Carlos had been downtown and saw it for himself.
The five 'hunters' who had been out gunning for the wild predator had been the victims of 'cow karma.' From what Carlos overheard and pieced together with a later discussion with the town constable, John Trouver, the posse had been crossing a pasture, which was posted with 'no trespassing' and 'no hunting' signs when one of the men stepped in a fresh cow pie and slipped, shooting himself in the foot. To make matters worse, when the five men drove back into Merrydale speeding and somewhat intoxicated, they took the last curve too fast and drove into a tree. Carlos saw them as they limped into town carrying their friend. The injuries, including the gun shot, were all quite minor but enough of Merrydale had seen them that the men were quite humbled. Merrywood was again safe for all creatures, including those which kept the food chain active. And John Trouver now had enough evidence to guarantee that the widow O'Realy would be more than repaid for her cows.
Shadow told the men that he had seen some tracks and believed the killings to be the work of a coyote. The unusually dry conditions in the River Mountains must have brought the coyote down to the low elevations in search of prey.
The gardens were buzzing with conversations. Gino and Dark Star lay dozing together. Gino looked more boy than man as he curled against his unicorn friend. A bell rang to catch everyone's attention.
"The sun sets earlier, now." Arnica was bringing Lammas Eve to a close. He knew that everyone still had a good walk back into town. "Tomorrow is another full day. Our Lammas Day feast at the school starts at noon but we must be there by ten o'clock to finish setting up the class schedule for the coming year." The harvest season was now underway. It was fitting that the staff and faculty would meet before the harvest feast in Merrydale.
Dark Star slept well that night, her dreams of running through fields of borage with Gino interspersed with visions of being able to wander through Merrydale and Trillium School with her horn visible to all.
XLVI—Knocking At Trillium School's Door
It was a beautiful September afternoon, the sun shining warm through the trees. The gardens were no longer lush. Most of the herbs had long since been harvested. The perennials were cut back and run through the shredder. Most of them lay moldering in the compost bin. Open jars of seeds continued to dry in the cabin and the roots of dandelion, aconite and a few other herbs hung in the shade of the drying shed for the afternoon. The nights were now cool and the roots could easily attract dampness. Arnica moved them into the kitchen every evening.
It was the afternoon of Autumn Eve and Trillium School was holding its staff meeting at the cabin. The gathering was casual for the faculty was nearly the same as their coven! Dark Star loved company. The hatchling was prancing about, running back into the woods along the path where Gino, the coven's teen, was setting lanterns along the path's edge to the Stone Circle. Then she'd run out into the gardens, her iridescent coat a lovely blue flash in the sun as she raced up to Holly who was harvesting concord grapes from the arbor. Dark Star would gaze at him longingly and laughing, Holly would hold a couple in his hands.
A look of pleasure on the young unicorn's face, she would trot to the large wicker basket where Diana Dolorum, not yet five months old, lay cooing in the shade of the large rowan. And then the hatchling would go running back to Gino in the woods. The gardens were filled with merriment!
The baby's parents sat nearby on a blanket with mugs of fresh herbal tea. Iris' long braid hung down her back as she took notes. Dolly, the school's principal, was thinking out loud, exploring the topics in need of discussion. On another blanket right next to them Jewel was softly reading a story to Dagon. Five just after Beltane, Jewel was home-schooling his preschool studies although Dagon, having been through the portal into the Realm of the Faerie with Dark Star when a year old, was very precocious. It was believed that he would grow up to be a highly skilled Bard as an adult.
Arnica was picking apples, wrapping each in paper and setting them into flat boxes for their winter stay in the root cellar. Arnica was the elder of the group and he and Dolly spoke back and forth as they went about their work.
There was talk of new classes and whether they should begin next year or at the next semester. The first classes had begun just a year ago with fifty students. This year there seventy-one students.
"Seventy-one, and there would be more if we could accommodate them." Deodar shook his head in wonder. "Where are they all coming from?"
Iris looked up from her note-taking, "Merrydale may seem like a village but there are many families in the school district tucked in and among Merrywood."
"And it's a good school. We have experienced teachers." Arnica wrapped an apple, bright green with a blush of red. "And the Earthkin like the idea of having a school where their children can learn to love and care for the Earth."
"Did you hear about the Loon School?" Amber called over from the table. A folding table had been set up not too far away. Pearl, Flying Raven and Amber were talking with Gino's mother, Rosetta. They were planning a new class to be offered starting the first week of school. Amber was from the Loon Tribe in the River Mountains. During the summer when she visited her people she sat with the committees who were working with the first indigenous people's school. "Even the Descendant Tribes see our Trillium School as a role model!"
"What are the results of the voting?" Pearl, small and delicate of build, taught art and music. An earlier discussion led her to create a ballot which was sent to all the students.
"Let's see," Flying Raven said adjusting her glasses. The coven's scribe had tallied all the voting. "There's definitely a majority of students who feel that cooking should be required although most of the girls felt that the class should be only for them." The ladies murmured quietly at the expected news. "But listen to this! All but two boys indicated that the class should be required for everyone—even the boys!"
"Boys?" Rosetta gasped. She was already intimidated at the thought of teaching cooking, even to the girls but the others knew she'd do well. They remembered how Gino's mother stood up to the principal of Merrydale's junior high school upon learning that Gino wouldn't be allowed to register unless he told them he believed in 'the one true god.' Rosetta was a very capable woman.
"I got a post card from Shadow Tail," Amber said. The women knit their voices together like a multicolored shawl. Shadow had recently moved back to the Lower River Plain, just below the River Mountains. His studies with Arnica and the year he spent helping out with Trillium School were excellent experience and his new skills were much in demand as the Descendant Tribes worked on their plans for their own school.
Dagon's father, Lotus, and Gino's father, Carlos, joined their family and friends. They had been in Arnica and Holly's tool shed, sharpening the spades and hoes for next year's season.
"That cheesecake was so good," Holly smiled at Flying Raven, "I think I'd better go stretch or I'll never be able to make it through tonight's ritual!" Holly had been unable to resist Raven's secret recipe for chocolate cheesecake. He sat on the nearby grass and did some simple yoga to help his body recover from the huge, family style picnic lunch.
"Everyone's here?" Arnica looked around. It was time to get on with the meeting. Just as the herbalist was about to call for attentiveness, Dark Star quietly stepped up behind him and nuzzled him in his grey beard, catching him quite by surprise which filled the gardens with laughter. Arnica laughed as he and the hatchling tumbled to the grass.
And then, just as sudden, he stood up and handed Gino a basket. "Young man, would you take this frisky filly through the gardens and collect the fruits and flowers for tonight's ritual?"
The freckled young man had grown so since Carlos and Rosette gave him permission to begin studying with the coven. He was getting tall and looked so proud at having this responsibility.
"Dolly?" Arnica turned the focus over to the school principal and sat down next to Holly, leaning affectionately against his partner's shoulder.
"Rosetta is ready to start the cooking class."
Gino's mother looked doubtful but everyone knew her well. Six or seven voices all chimed in at once, "Yes, she is."
Rosetta laughed. "I am."
"It seems that every day I'm in the office someone's knocking at the door asking if they can register their offspring at Trillium School." Deodar was actually very proud of the school. "Yesterday I had to turn away three families. That would have been seven children. And they weren't even Earthkin. I knew them when I was still at the Church of the Martyr."
No one was surprised. Nearly all of Merrydale loved Dolly. He and Iris were the center of spells and prayers and the baby Diana was the star of the town this summer.
"Lotus, did you make arrangements with your job?" Arnica asked.
"Yes, it's worked out just fine." Lotus, young Dagon riding on his shoulders, would be working at the school one day a week, helping Carlos. Lotus' carpentry skills were going to help the school adjust to its growth and, next semester, he would be teaching a class in wood working.
"Iris will also be starting the new social studies class next semester. Jewel will watch the postal shop one afternoon a week. We haven't decided what to call this course." Dolly and Iris were thrilled to be able to work together.
"I talked with the mayor," the postmarm said, "and he's willing to come in a few times and talk about the town government. He thinks he knows at least one Representative who will come to the school next year and talk about Parliament."
They spoke about the school lunches, about new books. Carlos and Lotus had built new shelving for the new school library. They joked about names for Iris' course in citizenship. Arnica spoke about a letter he received from a coven in Mill City who wanted to visit the school later this semester in order to consider building an Earthkin school. Dolly asked them to start thinking about furthering the athletics and exercise program.
"Can you imagine," he said. "In a few years there might be games with other Earthkin schools!"
Then, with the business complete, the afternoon in the gardens was great fun. Carlos and Rosetta went back into town and the others, the coven, finished preparing for the Autumn Eve ritual.
The coven stood around the inside perimeter of the stone circle. With the few candles and the waning sunlight, their earth-toned robes blended into the woods and they looked the part of woodland dryads and elves.
Amber held a thick braid of mountain sage. The artemisia family plant had been picked by her Loon sisters beneath a recent full moon and ritually dried and bound in the sacred lodge. Amber called upon the Great Mother and the Great Father in the words and tongue of her peoples and then passed it to Holly as it began its path around their Circle. Each would bless it and fill it with love. On Monday morning Amber would smudge the school with it just before the doors were opened for the first students.
Dark Star whinnied gently. She was laying at the center of the circle at Arnica's feet. He stood holding his staff high. "Now do I prepare to enter the dark half of the year. I know the Mystery of Autumn: that I am the harvest. I carry with me the seeds of my future and seek the blessings of all which the Cardinal Four bring to me. Now it is time to step beyond myself and enter the realm of the sacred. Let me become as the autumn tree, setting free the leaves of my ego. Let me shed into the wind all that which holds me back. Let me become as the autumn flower, my seeds ripe and ready to be sown at the slightest movement. Let me prepare to join the Mother at Hallows and give me the strength to do what I must in the coming weeks to prepare for the descent into the dark. As the Sun sets into the Autumn sky, I shall carry His light around the Circle and ask for blessings of Mother Earth before She descends to the Underworld. Let my voice speak for all of the Devas…"
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