Friday, April 7, 2023 Fig Newton Part 9: Wandering Willow

Willow was known to enjoy a good wander, so she became known as Willow Wanderer, a pleasing name to the ear and especially to her big rabbit ears. But she could just as well have been called Willow Murmurer for her habit of murmuring to herself as she meandered along.

On this beautiful day, Willow was ambling through the woods searching for what she called “treasures of the earth.” You and I might think she was looking for silver and gold, but we would be mistaken. All treasures to Willow were strictly culinary ones, things she could pick, nibble, and put in soups and stews and other such delights. She was a connoisseur of the hidden and overlooked victuals in the ground. Anyone who received an invitation to a meal at Willow’s home could count on having something deeply satisfying, the kind of food that makes you rub your belly appreciatively when the meal is over, just for the sheer joy of remembering what you just put into it.

And so, Willow ambled and murmured, only running when her ears told her to, which wasn’t often in these silent woods.
“Oh look, some buttercups,” went Willow. Nibble, nibble.
“Do I see raspberry leaves?” murmured Willow. Those went in her bag.
“Ah, that must be a snippet of kale,” said she. Nibble, nibble.
“Is that a carrot? Hmmm, no, it’s a parsnip. I’ll take one for my soup tonight.”

All of a sudden she realized she’d been hearing the chattering of the river for awhile and it was getting louder. “How did I get so close? And what’s that floating out there in the middle?”

Something was indeed floating in the river, gently moving with the current. Before she had a chance to see what it was, a small boat came around the bend and she quickly hid behind the bushes. As the boat started to go by, Willow received a shock upon seeing none other than Phineas Fox in it. How glad she was that she had hidden, for foxes and rabbits are no more friendly in her world than they are in ours. “Phineas Fox!” she whispered to herself. “What is he doing in a boat? There’s mischief involved if Phineas is in it, there’s mischief all over!”

As Phineas Fox went by, she heard him calling out, “Wait up! Can’t you get caught on a tree limb in the water or something? Help a fellow out!” The boat was a little too small for him and Willow giggled to herself to see him trying to steady himself in it while he rocked back and forth with the waves. He had an oar in his hands, but his flailing around with it wasn’t helping him at all.

She watched him until the boat went out of sight around the next bend in the river and then gave a sigh of relief. “Oh my, that was a close call. Willow, you wool-headed wanderer, pay attention!” But then she chuckled again at the memory of Phineas trying to row the boat.

Willow tucked her bag under her arm and began running for home, wanting to be somewhere safe. Catching sight of a glimpse of something yellow, she hid again, but came out upon seeing it was only Clive delivering the mail. He was slow but you could always count on him.

“Clive, you’ll never believe what I just saw!” Passing on news was almost as enjoyable as finding a good tidbit to eat and Willow relished the opportunity to tell Clive what she’d seen. She described Phineas’s wobbly plight in the small boat so well that both of them were alight with amusement.

Clive was a curious snail and peppered Willow with questions about which arm of the river she’d seen him on, where was the sun in the sky at the time, and could she describe the object she’d seen him chasing after. On that last subject, Willow had to stop and think. “It looked like a basket of some sort, but I couldn’t see what was in it,” she told him. “And now, I must get home. My nerves are a little frazzled. Yes, I’m feeling a little frazzled.”

She left Clive and continued on her way, and he went on his way looking thoughtful. As a deliverer of mail, he was also a collector of information. He tucked it all away just in case. He had finished his rounds and was heading home himself.

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If you don’t give a fig about this post, I’ll delete it in the morning.

To start at the beginning of this story, follow this link:
Fig Newton Part 1
Next episode: Fig Newton Part 10