Grandma’s house snuggled with several soft fir trees. Her home sits in the middle of a vast glade. The various birds serenaded her daily. The creatures of the forest enjoy being close to the inviting warmth.
The telltale smoke sneaked out the chimney as mom’s car pulled up. We jumped out as soon as we could. Mom and dad had to go away for a few days. So here we were. Oh! I’m sorry. I’m Becky and that silly boy running to the door is my twin brother, Billy. He is smarter than me today as grandma always gives the best hugs. As soon as mom drives off, I run to the house. I have some catching up to do, and Billy has probably already got first dibs on grandma’s walnut cookies.
Once inside, I asked what the music playing was. Grandma waggled her eyebrows like a professional. Then she spread out a smirky grin, “I was just finishing up with Songs From the Wood by Jethro Tull. Now we are grooving to Rumours by Fleetwood Mac. I was quite puzzled, “Grandma, why are you speaking like you’re British? Well, grandma let out quite a belly laugh. Billy and I started laughing hard on account of grandma. It was pretty contagious.
Then there was a knock on the door. Grandma invited him in and introduced us to Marty. He is a neighbor ways from grandma’s house. Marty had walked up with a full wheelbarrow of split wood. Suddenly his face lit up. “Miss Ellie, (That’s grandma’s name, but we’re not supposed to call her that.) you’ve started Rumours here.” Marty and grandma started snickering. Billy and I looked at each other and then at Marty and grandma.
Marty moved closed and leaned towards Billy’s ear, “You’ve heard the whispers; haven’t you?” My brother was kind of bewildered. Grandma cackled, “Oh, Marty, you’re not spreading tales to my grandkids now; are you?” Marty looked up at grandma and quipped, “Now Miss Ellie, you’re not going to keep the rumors of the secret of the woods from them?” Grandma shook her head and walked away. Marty continued, “So, you haven’t been out in the forest here; have you?” Wide-eyed, Billy and I shook our heads.
Marty called out to grandma, “Miss Ellie, I’m going to take these youngins out to the edge of the woods if that’s okay with you.” Grandma came back into the room. She was a bit stern as she told Marty, “I want them back in here within fifteen minutes.” “Yes, Ma'am, “ was the reply.
Marty is not a large man. Our dad would call him wiry. He walked between Billy and me. We were on a narrow and crooked path as we neared the end of the glade. Without warning, the passage was much wider as we were in the midst of a bounty of ferns of many species. Marty pointed to the roadway that snuck under the elegant canopy of healthy branches.
Marty stood upright and stuck out his chest, “This route is fit for kings and queens.” Billy had that strange look on his face, “What’s down there?” Marty lowered his voice and bent down, “Rumor has it that the secret to happiness, hidden in those woods, beckons adventurers to embrace her.” Billy’s facial expression turned into somewhat of a scowl. He got within inches of Marty’s face and asked, “Have you ever been in there?”
Marty stood upright again and turned and laughed heartily. “I need to get you back to your grammie.” I was a little perturbed, “Well, Marty have you ever gone down the secret path?” He laughed again, “I have to keep me secrets, ya understand.” Billy and I looked at one another. We did not like this sort of thing.
Inside grandma’s house, Marty excused himself; saying that he needed to attend to chores at his home. Grandma thanked him and came back in. “Well, are you children ready for lunch?” We told her that we were and she instructed us to wash our hands. I would have thought that grandma, of all people, would have cut us a break on that, but I guess adults have their rules.
Lunch was a family favorite: tomato sandwiches. They were even more special since grandma always bakes the bread. Dad says that God invented tomatoes just for our family. Billy was about halfway through his sandwich when he asks, “What lies beyond the Velvet Green?” Grandma arched her eyebrows, “What do you think?” Billy shook a bit like he was having a spasm, "I Don't Want to Know." Grandma smirked, "Haven’t you heard the Songs from the Wood?" I inquired, "Do you mean the Songbird?" Grandma pursed her lips, "We’ll talk later, now drink your Cup of Wonder."
Billy and I lie in the hammocks on the west side of the house. I turned to him, “Are you curious about what is in the woods?” "Never Going Back Again," was all he said. I told him, “I’d like to see what’s there.” He mumbled, "Go Your Own Way." As soon as he was asleep, I ran to the edge where we had been with Marty. I ventured in a few steps. The woods were so inviting. It was beckoning me to go further. I decided to go back. I would rather have my brother with me. However, a voice inside of me was taunting, "Don't Stop." I did not quite feel like the "Hunting Girl, " so back to grandma’s I went.
I ended up getting a short nap in the hammock, before grandma called out, “Come on in, sleepyheads.” It was not long, and my brother was getting lots of love from grandma. I used to think that he was spoiled until I realized that he was more clever than me.
We had soup that I was tempted to use a knife and fork. Grandma grows some bodacious potatoes and carrots. A killing frost was still weeks away, so the parsnips were still hiding in the ground. Plus grandma likes to saute them rather than tossing them into the soup pot.
To bed down in the attic, we had to remove "The Chain." Once the blankets wrapped around us, grandma kissed us both and said, “Good-night.” Then looked back and spoke, "Dreams."
Grandma liked to sit by her fireplace even in the summer and inhale the intoxicating wood aromas. It was "Fire at Midnight." She often amused herself that she was "The Whistler." She elicited images of her wedding day and the music genre of "Pibroch.” Then as winter approached that year, "Ring Out, Solstice Bells" echoed through her mind. Now, these children under her roof were her memories.
My eyes flickered open. I could not remember dreaming. The feeling was so comfortable up here in grandma’s attic. Billy was still out. I got dressed and went downstairs. The scent of coffee attacked my nostrils. I smiled at her and gave her a big hug. She could tell that my eyeballs were sailing on her coffee mug. “Oh Becky, would you like a sip?” I nodded my head like a bouncing ball. Whoa! Now I know why adults enjoy the drink so much.
“What’s on the menu for my Junior Explorer today?” My eyes darted out the window towards the woods. Grandma chuckled, “It’s the rumor of the woods; is it? You can go out dear. Just don’t further than the patch of Jack-in-the-pulpit.” I ran out but slowed down as the heavy dew soaked my shoes and pant legs. When I arrived at the secret path, I could feel my heart beating faster. Calculatingly, I shuffled a step at a time. The woods down the way was not quite as dark as I thought that it would be. Somehow, light sliced through the tree tops. I heard the birds fluttering throughout. In what seemed like eons, I saw an area thick with Stag's Horn Moss. I virtually inched along. Then I spied "Jack-in-the-Green."
After a few deep breaths, I made my way back to the house. What did I see? Frustration set into my being. In the kitchen, Billy was walking with grandma; clutching on to her. All throughout the day, it seemed as if I was going through the motions. I didn’t want to go any further in the woods without Billy, but he was ecstatic hanging out with his beloved grandma. Before I knew it, we were back in the attic. Tonight, my mind would not shut down. I could hear grandma singing next to the fireplace. "You Make Loving Fun." Soon that was followed by "Oh Daddy." I got out of bed and threw on the nightcoat that grandma let me use. “What are you doing up, child?” I replied, “I heard you singing strange songs.” A faint smile crept on her face. “I miss your grandpa. We had such wonderful times together.” I crawled onto her lap and gave her a supporting hug.
I woke up in the attic and did not know how I got there. Billy was gone, and the smells from the kitchen were taunting me. When I got to the table, there was Billy with that mule-eating-green-tomatoes grin. He had a stack of cornmeal and blueberry pancakes slathered with butter and maple syrup. I was beginning to think that I should be taking lessons from him.
When grandma sat down with us, she told us that our parents would be back that late afternoon, so we better make the most of our remaining time. I stared at Billy, “You ARE going to the woods with me today.” His cockiness evaporated from his face. Grandma chirped in, “Well if it’s both of you then you can go further in.” A wry smile sprung forth.
The fear of the unknown is the unknown. I mean it’s just woods. There are animals and birds in there so how bad can it be? These innuendos of rumors in the woods have to be adult faery tales. They think that kids lack imagination. We invented it.
When Billy and I passed the spot of the Jack-in-the-pulpit, I told Billy that we were going to validate or disprove these rumors. It was not that I was like Alice. Something was drawing me. Then a silence hit that was thicker than a morning fog. The road circled a throne. On it sat a lady with a long flowing gown. Suddenly Billy was brave. He asked her who she was. “I was an ancient queen. My illusions shattered and my kingdom up for sale, I sit here looking to pick up the pieces and go home. Billy confidently declared, “You’re the ‘Gold Dust Woman.’" She nodded sadly. Billy looked at me, and we left for grandma’s house.
We enjoyed the rest of the time with grandma until our parents came in the driveway. After all the pleasantries and long goodbyes, we were in the car riding. Dad inquired, “What did you kids do at grandma’s?” Billy looked at me and spoke up, “Oh, we listened to Jethro Tull and Fleetwood Mac and explored the adventure of the rumor in the woods.” Without missing a beat, dad offered, "That is all Second Hand News."
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