Analy High School - Azalea Yearbook (Sebastopol, CA)

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The Flower That Grew Between By EVA WILLIAMSON Third Prize The golden-red light of the setting sun fell in slants and cross¬ slants on the open pages of “Warden’s Fourth Reader” as it rested silently in Teddy’s lap. Teddy had been vainly trying to read his lesson for the next day but myriads of little figures con¬ tinually danced all over the book. Now they were yellow, now red, now black. They sometimes danced clear off the page, and seemed to chase each other around the floor, walls and ceiling of the room but always they would come back to torment and torture him. Teddy raised his chubby little hands to his eyes, as if he wished to hold them in place, and then he knew where the weird little figures had come from. They had jumped out of his eyes, because some were still there, between their corners and his nose. However they did not intend to stay long if they could find an opening from which they could escape, as they were fighting and tumbling over one another in their wild flight toward liberty. Teddy wondered if they to knew about Little Sister. The day had been intolerably hot and dry; even now Teddy thought the sun would never cease shining, as it insistently beat down through the many-paned windows upon his book. The book was opened at Longfellow’s poem “The Reaper and the Flowers” and Teddy read: There is a Reaper whose name is Death And, with his sickle keen, He reaps the bearded grain at a breath, And the flowers that grow between. « Teddy had read this poem before. He did not see why it should impress him so but today a big lump rose in his throat and a huge tear, after squeezing out of the corner of his eye, rolled perilously down his cheek until it reached a point midway between his nose and mouth, where is vanished from sight in the deep re¬ cesses of a dimple which had not been effaced by the lines of mys¬ tery and sorrow that marked his face. 18

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Meanwhile, all alone on the island dwelt the old man Wisdom, and sadly he smiled as he thought of the suffering of his people were undergoing, for in his heart they were always his people, as he had grown to love them dearly; he had also grown to love the island, especially the pine tree, and he sat under it and listened to all the breezes, singing through its branches. But then it never whispered stories to him, but unmoved by the soft winds, seemed to listen to their song, although it never answered back. One beautiful day the great white ship sailed back to the island, but its sails were black for all were not returning, and al¬ though the old man had foreseen this, nevetheless his smile was sad, and patiently he awaited the coming of the people as he sat under the pine tree. Slowly they came, bearing with them some crippled, some blind and some sick, but when they saw him as they had left him, they smiled and happiness came to all alike, and they sat beneath the great pine tree and told him of their experiences in the world of life. When all had done the old man smiled on them kindly and started to speak but suddenly he stopped and listened, and all the people listened and gazed in wonder at each other, for the branches of the great pine were whispering and nod¬ ding to each other and telling the stories which they heard told by those who had travelled through the journey of life. And ever since the pine trees have whispered to each other as the breezes stir their branches, and perhaps they will always do so, for who knows ? 17

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The sun had now disappeared behind the hill and the room was filled with vague, fleeting shadows which were soothing to Teddy after the bright, dancing figures had left his eyes. Teddy closed the book and softly stole out by the kitchen door so that he should not make any noise. He went to the barn-yard to seek comfort in the friendly chickens and turkeys but they too were sad and unhappy, or perhaps affected by the heat for they had already retired to the protecting branches of the large pepper- wood that drooped over the corn-crib. Teddy ' s father had not worked all day. Early in the morning he had hitched old Molly to the buck-board and had started off toward the village ten miles away. About noon he had returned with old Doctor Addison. They had entered the house together and neither had left it all afternoon. Every member of the family looked worried and sad. At noon when Teddy had gone in for his luncheon nobody else appeared except Mary Ann, his faithful old nurse and cook. She merely patted his head and murmured “My blessed darlin ' , then, without explaining any thing, she hastily turned around and, under pretence of examining a dying plant in the window, wiped her eyes on the corner of her apron. As there was nothing to interest him out of doors, Teddy crept into his room and sat down by the open window. He knew that his mother would come into his room for her good-night talk, even if it were mid-night before she could find time. “Mums will tell me what ' s the matter, he muttered, and then sat tracing the pattern of the rug. After many minutes his mother came in softly. She placed her hand on his head and stood thus for a long time, looking out the window, apparently at the tiny moon but in reabty at nothing. Teddy thought his mother had never looked more like an angel than she did this evening as she stood so silent and beau¬ tiful. The way the moonbeams played with the ripples of her waving hair reminded him of the ocean as he had seen it on the moonlight nights when he had spent such happy hours on the beach with his mother, father and little sister. “But that was before Little Sister fell sick and mother became thin and worried, he thought. Teddy ' s mother stood by the window for a long time, evident¬ ly trying to gain courage to speak to him. At last she turned 19