It’s a little nerve-wrecking to pull a prank on someone you admire … on the other hand, she doesn’t want Mother Nature to think she’s leaving her out of the fun! So, she hatched a sneaky little prank for her.
The patch of woods Fly would usually hang out with woke up that April morning to a lot, and I mean a lot, of tiny little “for sale” signs on nearly every tree. Next to bird nests (but not too close, so the parents don’t get scared!), near squirrel holes, right by a rabbit den entrance .. dozens and dozens of hand-drawn little signs on toothpicks !
IT HAS BEEN A VERY LONG TIME since she partook in wordly traditions. The passage of time is ever inevitable. With that inevitability, it also tends to completely pass her by. What use does Earth's soul have to stop every other week to observe some frivolous tradition, some bastardized old ritual made into a silly holiday? What need is there for it, when the cycle of life and death continues on a scale incomprehensible to beings that live less than a century? It is that variable that gives way to one simple personal rule. Do not get too attached to things that inevitably die.
What is also inevitable is Mother Nature HATES rules. Even ones she herself makes.
And so she makes a habit of keeping a close eye on this patch of the forest, one that has become Fly's favorite haunt. This is where she would call to her with another burning question, another story to share, another tribute to offer -- much like the worship rituals of old, but warmer, softer. Less official. And when her own attention is elsewhere, she gets reports from the trees, whispers from the wind, and gossip from the wildlife.
It is this gossip that first gets her attention. The skittering insects, the nesting birds, the ( absolutely bamboozled ) squirrels, the disgruntled rabbit -- all are either staring at, circling, chewing on, or trying to fight the bright tiny signs nestled outside their abodes. What is this, what is THIS? What has the child done NOW? Mother, remove this accursed effigy from our blessed territory!
❝ All I see is that this has been deemed a prime real estate. Astutely so. ❞ Her voice is solemn and cool, speaking a primordial tongue all living beings will understand. ❝ I am not your keeper. Will you let this infringement on your liberties stand, or will you submit to gentrification? Take heed of the sharp ends and remove the effigies yourselves. Better yet -- gather them, and bring them back to the estate agent that sold your lands. Make your voices heard. ❞
And as the forest critters rush to do just so, a slight smile -- one of a quiet trickster -- sneaks onto Mother Nature's lips.
