[TWWM] Those Connected by Fate

Location: France

Although Twyla often felt the pull towards the ballroom, where she would dance and twirl across the smooth floor, tail fanning out around her, she spent most of her time in the gardens. The courtyard was quite large, compared of course to her incredibly small stature. The gardens were her home though, and she loved exploring within the high walls. The first few days of her life as an esk were full of wonder and intrigue. Her newfound intelligence was always being expanded upon as she tested the limits of her form. She learned about floating and navigating the skies, and how to phase out. She'd drift slowly into invisibility, blending softly into flowery background of the blossoms around her. Giggling, she'd blend into the peony bush entirely, only her wide dark eyes peering out curiously. During the daytime, servants and other humans would wander in and out of the ballroom and garden, doing various tasks. One task that caught Twyla's eye in particular was a certain older man who insisted on cutting up the beautiful flowers. At first Twyla was horrified, shedding tears over the fallen leaves and branches after the man had left. But as days past, she saw the plant heal and sprout upwards even taller. She watched intently when the man returned, observing what he did. From a new perspective, she watched as he gently cupped the limbs in his hand, measuring its size and growth, and trimmed it carefully in only a few places. He would go, around the garden, every few days doing this. Trimming, clipping, shaping. Then he came with new tools on a hot day, watering them carefully about their roots, poking holes in the soil with his finger, allowing the crystal clear water to pool in the dusty soil. Twyla watched all this with amazement, learning all that she could from the man. The weekend came, unbeknownst to her, and she waited for the man. He never came though, but she had almost hoped that he wouldn't. It was her turn to try.

A flurry of petals and leaves, she zipped off through the pathways, dancing excitedly towards the high wall of bushes that circled the area. Eyes wide, she floated through them, peering judgmentally at every leaf and stem. "THERE!" she squealed, darting towards a wilting leaf. Her tiny hands deftly removed the offending piece, placing it on the cobblestone near the bush. "Another!" as she darted back into the brush, returning soon after with a tiny shriveled up stem. Again and again she rushed into the bush to return with an ever-increasing pile of rubbish. Every scrap and flaw she could find she removed, finding an incredible peace and calm in the task. After hardly any time at all, she found herself circling the bush, floating in and out of its cover, looking it over. She had found and removed every flawed bit, anything that could hold it back from its true brilliance. She floated away from the bush, comparing it to the others beside it.

"Hmm." she thought, "You look just as pretty as the other ones. But if this makes you healthier, I'll keep going!" she zipped towards the ground again, attacking the next bush. Joy and peace filled her heart as she dissected the garden, one shrub and plant after another. The heap of wilted leaves grew larger than she was, yet she kept going. For her, it wasn't a quest for perfection, but that of a loving mother, giving a much-needed haircut, or removing an no-longer needed band-aid. The next day she returned to the task, and by dusk, she had scoured nearly the entire garden. The heap of trash was nearly the size of a dog at this point, and she giggled.

The next morning, the human's weekend had ended, and Twyla hovered gleefully inside the edge of the fountain, hiding although she knew she was invisible to them. The gardener ambled into view, tools and gloves hung about him like a Christmas tree. His gait slowed as he approached the garden, and the heap of leaves and twigs. Crouching, he inspected it, looking around confused. Twyla tried not to laugh. The man looked over one shoulder, then the other, stood, and scratched his head. "Who...Did I? I wouldn't of left it here though... wha?" Hat in hand, scratching his head like that, he looked so comical. Twyla doubled over in a fit of laughter, her petals shivering. The man shrugged and picked up his watering tools and went about watering the thirsty plants. He continued to mumble to himself, "I'll have to ask around and see who did that, by golly look at this, not a single leaf out of place..."

Twyla hopped after him, giggling.

Over the next few weeks, the mysterious gardener kept helping, never to be discovered, and the courtyard flourished, growing larger and more brilliant than any garden the man had seen. Twyla snuggled in her little nest beneath the peony bush, her funny little secret keeping her smugly entertained.