The Little Gardener

The tiny gardener awakens early, she needs to plant the seeds of summer in time for the sun and rain to nurture them. Donning her little work boots, Edele quietly dresses, brushes her teeth and tiptoes to the door. She manipulates the forbidden lock mechanism, the little impish child, silently closing the door behind her. She grabs her shovel which had been lying by the flower bed and headed for the ideal spot for planting the seed of the flower which bears her name.

Papa had bought her a pack of seeds the day before. It was secured in her pocket.

Her parents named her Edelweiss, they considered her a gift from the gods. The Alpine legend says that those who gain an edelweiss are destined to live a long and prosperous life. The flower is a talisman against bad luck, a symbol of courage and a noble blessing. They always smile when thinking of naming her "Leontopodium Alpinum (Nivale)", which is the scientific definition of the name Edelweiss. What a mouthful that would have been.

Momma said the seeds needed to be sown outdoors in early spring, before the last frost started, as a cold period is necessary for the seeds to 'ger-mo-nate'. She wondered what that meant.

Firmly, Edele grips her gardening tool, clearing a lovely spot to begin her work. The flower will need a lot of sunshine, edelweiss revels in the heat so it can bloom profusely. Kind of like the young child herself, who loves the bright lights of nature.

How fortunate is this little gardener, she is not too young to appreciate the gift of living in nature which she has been blessed with. Her house sits perched upon a most glorious lot of elevated land, from her window she can see an abundant vista of undulating mountain terrain, green hills and floral beauty as far as the eyes can see.

Stepping from her front or back door, she is surrounded by the beauty of a landscape which envelopes her senses with the most glorious orchestral silent song. What peaceful thoughts such an untamed and luscious Eden-like garden-scape can offer...nature in all of it's raw beauty.

Edele has dug the hole, dropped a few seeds in and covered the seed with enough earth to nurture it for growing. Next she gets her watering can, then proceeds to pour water to moisten the soil. She had seen Momma plant flowers many times...she knew how to do it right.

Between the water and the sun, her edelweiss was ready for the spring frost and summer growth. Sunshine and splendor. Our young gardener stood back to admire her handiwork, feeling very proud of her accomplishment.

......

The front door flew open noisily, awakening the child from her peaceful reverie, her parents rushed out in a panic.

"Edelwiess...oh my God, where are you"? Her mother shouted, sounding quite as if she had been crying.

"I'm here in the garden Momma. I was planting my flower...why are ...."? The young child's voice trailed off as her mother bent door to scoop her into a bearlike embrace, hugging her so tightly, she could hardly breathe.

"Never mind Edele, you are safe, that is all that matters". Her Papa hugged them both.

"Edele, darling...next time you wish to plant your flowers, can you please let us know, there are animals and danger which you cannot see. Promise me you will wait for Momma or me...Ok!"

"Ok, Papa, I will". The child answered, trying to breathe, they hugged her so tight.

Little Edelweiss wondered what the fuss was all about. All she had wanted to do was plant her flower that bore her own name. Furthermore, all the animals were her friends...even the bear.

Maybe it was the human animals which she needed to be careful of. Mr. Carpenter down the valley was kind of mean...and his son told her he would drop her off the cliff.

Secretly, she thinks he likes her...boys are like that. They are both the same age and he was just being silly. The other neighbors were really nice.

Young Edele feared no one. But she promised to listen to her parents from now on.

She was ok now, she could watch from the window for the plant to grow really tall tomorrow.

Skipping happily by her parents side, Edelweiss bid the seeds good morning. The day had just begun.

As Edele sat eating breakfast, her parents mused on her independent and fierce nature.

"What if something had happened to her, what would we have done. I don't even want to imagine such a thing". Her father said, staring lovingly at the beautiful child.

"Remember what you said when she was born"? Mother asked.

"What in particular, I said a lot of things". Father laughed softly, remembering the happy morning.

"The first time that you saw her, you said...

"I loved her to the point of invention". I never really understood what you meant until now. I feel that way now too". Mother explained.

"Well, we practically invented this house on top of the breathtaking mountaintop, this view is the envy of the birds flying overhead". Father stood looking out at the beauty of this new day.

"Yes, I appreciate the fresh air and the uncompromising beauty of the land, the chance to live without the restrictions of the city". Rising from the chair, she joined him at the window.

"Yet, loving someone or something to the point of invention means that you would do anything for them...sacrifice, change your lifestyle...go the many extra miles to make them happy". She laughed suddenly.

"Inventing a way to keep the latch on the doors child resistant would be another way to go".

"The real reason we moved here was to give her freedom...I don't wish Edele to feel like a prisoner, we will speak with her again about supervision. She will be all right. Do not fret so, mother, this is the safest place for her".

Momma smiled. Edelweiss did love mother nature to the point of invention. Who were they to rob her of her free spirit.

Outside the window, a tiny bird whistled in agreement.

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June Prompt