The Witch Cocoon

One hundred years she had waited.

     In the darkest deep of the forest, a stirring began. The Witch Cocoon grew and
grew. The stem raised so the leaves could could peek out and unravel, spreading
out over the other plants. It's wide, bright green leaves, became a welcoming
contrast in the dark forest. 

     Sitting on a log close by, a beautiful fairy named Stinney, was whispering to the
little brown rabbit, who had his face in his paws, cleaning breakfast off his whiskers.

     "Rabbit, you must go get Owl", she said with great anticipation, "The Witch can't
release from her cocoon if the Owl doesn't sing, ...hurry!"

     "Oh, like I want to help a Witch emerge? What are you, nuts? I've heard stories,
ya know," he said as he continued, hoping there wasn't an animal close that
might actually do her bidding.

     "Stories, psh-shaw! Get now and find Owl, before I promise to play tricks on you
the rest of your life!" With that said, Stinney began to flutter so fast the Rabbit couldn't
see her, giving him little pokes and tickling him. First one side, then the other, until
the Rabbit could take no more.

     "ALL RIGHT! ALL RIGHT! Give me a break, for crying out loud!" Rabbit retorted
and hopped off in the opposite direction.

     Stinney yelled, "Turn right, or so help me! You're going the wrong way!" The fairy 
decided she was going to have to do more than ask, and put the suggestion in
her furry friends mind. She found the closest mushroom and hovered over it,
gaining energy with her wings, threw her hands forward in the direction of Rabbit,
and with eyes closed, sent her fairy dust to the hopping rabbit.

     Rabbit stopped and shook his head. Felt like something was in his ear. Then he
hopped off, whistling a happy tune. Moments later Stinnery heard the Rabbit call
out for Owl. Whew..., she thought. 

     Stinney turned around to watch the Witch Cocoon. Oh dear, it's already starting,
I hope they hurry. In front of her, as the wide leaves had laid open, the silky
purple threads began weaving and growing. It was an oval shape, with small budging
movements. The cocoon began making low humming sound, as the butterflies 
grouped, to flit and flutter around it. The sounds the butterflies gave off, was in
perfect harmony with the growing cocoon. Surrounding the Witch Cocoon plant
were the white globe flowers, that also, only came up every hundred years.
This was Stinneys first sign of the coming. She had missed her friend who was
soon to be born again. 

     "Aren't you forgetting something?" The deep royal voice said, from behind her.

     Stinney was so frightened she spun herself, arms, legs, and wings flailing, right into a
a Hawthorn tree. The big tree caught her and giggled. Her eyes were wide and popping
out, looking to the presence who spoke, she hollered, now holding her chest,
"Wolf! Dear me, don't do that!"

     Wolf was the color of the darkest night, with a little gray sprinkled close to his eyes,
on his chest, hanging from his belly, and a tinge for his feet. He slowly circled the
fairy, shaking his head, looking around, with a bit of a glare in her direction.
Then he stopped abruptly, ears forward, nose up, smelling in the direction of the
meadow. A worried look crossed his face. 

     "Do you have it?" Stinney asked. "And what are you looking at? You're making
me nervous!"

     Wolf glanced at the cocoon, then peered for any sign of Rabbit and Owl. This is
a terrible stress, he thought. So soon... and someone coming.

     "Are you listening to me?" Stinney impatiently buzzed around the Wolf.

     "Would you quit? We have something to take care of," he said, as he dropped
the bag of stones in front of the fairy. "You guard these, I have to detain our
friend the Wizard Jestis, who seems to have appeared at an inopportune time."

     Stinney started crying, "Not now! Not anything else! I can't take this!"

    "STINNEY! Listen. I need you to be calm and prepare the Owl, when he gets here.
I do have friends, you know. The gnomes of Netledge Holler have helped me 
create a distraction for the Wizard. They have created a perfect match to our
Cocoon, with a trap. Once the Witch is transformed, she will be fine. We just
have to hold him off until then. It wouldn't hurt for you to call your friends too.
I know you want to keep this special event to yourself, but we need all the
help we can get!" Wolf declared his piece and trotted off toward the meadow.

     "Where are you going?" Stinney asked desperately.

     "The Wizard knows I will be close to the arrival, and I want to make sure he
visits the wrong cocoon. Now, do as I say!" The Wolf's words trailed off as
he disappeared with one final leap over a bush.

     The humming from the cocoon was getting louder, and it was growing in size.
The purple threads seemed to be alive, and white sparkles began to dance
around it. In five groups, the butterflies fluttered to a square dance. Do-see-do...
Stinney was entranced with the activity. She shook her head. Ok, she thought,
I'll call my friends. I must see the Witch blossom with nothing to cause havoc.

     Just then, a dark shadow covered the area, and a swoosh that sent the Owl
to the large pine next to the cocoon. "You'd think they could grow this thing
closer to a comfortable tree, if I'M to help. Did you also know, that I like
to sleep during the day? Rabbit is lucky I let him live!" Owl said grumbling,
eyes half closed, annoyed that one of his feathers was sticking out. He fixed the
feather quickly and spun his head. "Where is Wolf?" Owl asked. "I see you have
the stones. What kind of show are we running here?"

     "You're pretty ungrateful. The one we help today, will be guarding your owlets.
Wolf has gone to draw Wizard to the trap, and I have to call my friends. Things
are NOT going smoothly, and I'm beginning to wonder why I took this job in the
first place. If she wasn't so dear to me, I wouldn't. Now, if you'll excuse me for
a moment, I must prepare these stones for you and call my friends." Stinney said
as she flew to her log and pulled out a little bull horn. 

     Stinney blew on the horn, which only she and her friends could hear. Even the
Rabbit, with his great ears, could not hear her horn. She then held out her hands,
palms up, at both sides and closed her eyes. Fairy dust was seen all around her,
and from it, twenty fairies materialized, buzzing with excitement. Through their
minds they communicated and the fairies took strategic places among the
woods, very serious with the job at hand.

     Then Stinney took the bag of stones near the cocoon. She took the red silk scarf
from the bag and laid it on the ground in front of the white globe flowers.
Then she placed four stones in the corners to make a square, with the remaining
stone in the middle. The stones each had a carving on them, and when she touched
them, found a great energy emitting, and they began to vibrate, almost hovering
above the silk. 

     "Well, let's get this over with. I have sleeping to do," Owl grumbled, trying to keep
his eyes open. His head drooped and all a sudden it jerked back up and
he said, "WHOO!" 

     "Sshhhhhh! The Wizard will hear you, if he hasn't already!" Stinney said nervously,
as she jittered about. "Oh hurry, dear Witch... AAAAAHHHH!! Would you STOP
sneaking up on me!" Stinney had just bumped into Owl as Wolf appeared from behind
again, a slight grin on his face.

     Wolf then looked up at the sky and said, "It's almost time. Wizard will not be detained
long, are the fairies in place? Rabbit, come over here and take your place on the West.
Owl, you are in the correct spot. Stinney, over on the North, and I will stay here. Good,
you have the stones ready. Owl, do you remember your job?"

     "But, ...of course. I may be sleepy, but I'm definitely not stupid!" Owl said opening his eyes wide for the Wolfs benefit, looking down at him with arrogance.

     The humming from the cocoon changed to a soft high pitched song, so beautiful, all the sounds of the forest stopped. The butterflies formed a star pattern and rotated, silently. It became quiet everywhere as the moon came between the sun and Earth. The large shadow could be seen through the trees, getting closer and closer. 

     Wolf gazed at the stones, concentrating, as they lifted themselves in the air above the
cocoon. Then they separated, sending the corner stones, one each, to Owl, Wolf, Rabbit, and the fairy Stinney. The shadow reaching closer, they began to chant, and the cocoon started to vibrate and turn in circles. A slow opening formed at the top and the giant butterfly worked and worked to open the threads. The excitement and energy of all wasfelt in the air, as they breathed and chanted more. 

     There was trouble in the woods... Stinney was receiving thoughts from the fairies,
they were having trouble holding the Wizard back. Then black as night covered the
forest, and the Witch Cocoon began to glow a bright golden light. The purple cocoon
changed to blue, as the giant butterfly finally escaped. 

     Wolf sensed the trouble also. "Owl, begin!"

     Owl turned his head three times, spread his wings and hooted his deep beautiful
song three times, and said, "Dear Earth, I breath in, yet I breath out. To this I
am thankful and pass to Butterfly." The giant butterfly began to open it's wings,
the colors peeking from within the golden glow, were changing, melding.

     Wolf howled a longing and powerful howl, ...and even knowing the Wizard would
hear him, howled deep from within, up at the special sky, and said, "Dear Earth,
Fire is in my heart, yet by fire we are alive. To this I am thankful and pass to
Butterfly." The wolves eyes turned red as blood with flames dancing in them.
The giant butterflies wings opened even further and it's whole being
began to stretch, with antennae popping up.

     Wolf looked at Rabbit, with eyebrow up and glaring. Rabbit, who was diddling around, jumped and began to thump his back paw heavy and consistent. The drumming
was vibrating the plant and the Rabbit said, "Dear Earth, water I drink, and yet
it heals us also. To this I am thankful and pass to Butterfly." With his front paws holding
a bouquet of clover with water droplets clinging, he stretched it out toward the
giant butterfly. As the wings of the giant butterfly came completely open, but the
legs and head still struggling.

     Just then the Wizard Jestis appears in a puff of smoke, ready to take aim with
his lightning fingers to the giant butterfly. 

     Wolf spoke to all around the cocoon, "We must not break the circle, Stinney hurry!"

     Stinney sang out in softest opera voice, almost entrancing the Wizard, her hands
holding dirt to the butterfly. Her eyes open this time, she said, "Dear Earth, I stand
on your solidness, yet I fly. To this I am thankful and pass to Butterfly." With the
greatest bright light, the giant butterfly, the size of a human, shot straight up,
fluttering at lightning speed, just in time to miss the Wizards bolts. 

     They all looked up, as the sun began to peek past the moon, and as the light
touched the giant butterflies wings, the wings turned into the finest royal blue
cloak that covered the butterflies body and as she spun, beautiful hands
and feet poking from the cloak, her arms out, legs spread and head to the sky,
her face appeared, and the raven hair danced from hood. Light shot from her
being to the sky as she lifted her arms, and sparkles fell to her friends.

     Owl quickly grabbed the birch twig with Wolf's hair, Rabbit's hair, Owl's wing feather, and Stinneys dust attached. He flew upward to greet her and hand her the wand
they had made for her. With face glowing, deep green eyes, and lashes lowering
she humbly took the wand and moved her hand in a circle, covering her friends
below, in protection from the Wizard, whom she raised her gaze and sent
competing sparks in his direction. She slowly lowered and pointed the wand that
now had a multicolored globe of energy suspended around it.

     In a gentle but deep and demanding voice, she declared to the Wizard,
"This is my time. Be gone, and hope your are not punished for your actions!"
Butterflies came by the thousands and blinded the Wizard so he couldn't focus
on the Witch. He became frustrated and disappeared in the same fashion he arrived.

     The Witch looked down at her friends, and said, soft and lovingly, "My name is
Owl Fae RabbitWolf. It is from your love I was born, so I shall takes your names
and thread them to my being. You will never be forgotten and I thank you for
your strengths and giving." 

     "Now, Stinny, come here sweet, and tell me what you've been up to..." the Witch
requested, as Stinney flew to her shoulder and they walked along the forest
path. Wolf, Owl, and Rabbit followed, wanting to be close to the miracle of
the Witch Cocoon. 

     Behind them, the white globe flowers closed and hid themselves in the greenery.
The large cocoon plant lowered and folded itself within the brush around it, ...to be hidden for another hundred years.

© 2001 Kerry Meireis 

http://www.dreamwater.org/biz/kerrybear

http://www.dreamwater.org/kerryntheart