Lessons from Leaves. Written late Summer of my 21st Orbit
Inungwi's Fables from the era of the subterreanean drift At the foot of a craggy basin stood an aspen tree named Gratterng. The basin was so deep that the roots of Gratterng extended into the Underworld. Since there was little light in the basin the soil had been dry and lifeless for many orbits. But Gratterng set to work on this, stretching their leaves upwards in fabulous blooms of yellowish greens and sending messages through their roots to those from the beneath to come.
Gratterng had no fruits to offer so they offered their bark, their wood and their leaves. 'Come to me and I will provide you with shelter. Come to me and I will sustain your life'. And so many insects and hyphae and other undercreatures came and lived in, on and around Gratterng. And every year when Gratterng shed their leaves they said 'let these children of ours bring you health and energy and beauty' And the insects welcomed the leaves, and sculpted them into ghostly forms that nourished them for winter. They named this time of year the Festival of Shadows for all the incredible forms that were conjured onto the ground by the layering of the skeletons of leaves.
So, through cycles of death and decomposition, life found a way there in the craggy basin until one year when the children of the basin refused. It started at the time when they were just emerging out of their buds along the branches of Gratterng, just beginning to learn how to shimmer in the wind, glistening in the sun. They looked so glorious the ants would go on marches to the leaves, to give thanks and to look out at the world from there. Well early that spring, a piskit named Eolib came flying from the skies above. Eolib flew down to the level of the leaves and began whispering to each leaf
'you are so beautiful, why do you have to die?' before flying to the next leaf and whispering
'you are so unique and special. why do you have to die? 'before flying to the next leaf and whispering
'you are more special than all the other leaves on this tree' 'why do you have to die?' before flying to the next leaf and whispering another seduction to a leaf.
And so on and so forth until all of the leaves had been told they were better than the other leaves. After Eolib had done his work the leaves began competing. One would cry out 'I am the most beautiful, watch how I can bend the rays of the sun as I ripple in the wind' and then all the rest would compete against them in this challenge. Then another day one leaf would cry out 'I am the most beautiful, watch how I turn the rain into rhythms on my skin'
When autumn came around the competitions continued. 'I am more special than you all, look at the bronze of my skin!' 'No I am more unique than you! Look at the amber of my skin' And so on and so forth until it got to the time of the orbit for the leaves to begin their descent into the basin and to continue the cycle of life. When this time came, and the air grew colder, the leaves began to fall. But through their fall the competitions continued, so taken by Eolib's words they were.
'Look how I dance on the wind!' 'Look how I catch the updraft!' Until the leaves got to the soil at the bottom of the basin, where surely they would end their competitions... The critters were waiting there for the leaves. It was the time of the orbit to start preparing the earth for the long winter ahead. It was the time of the orbit to begin their festival of shadows. But there was a problem this year. For the critters followed the Lurra rules, meaning they could not take what was not given to them. And since the leaves would not relinquish their private ideas of their individual splendour, they would not give themselves to the ground and to the critters.
In fact, the leaves continued their competitions.'Look at me, I will remain whole longer than you!' 'I will never decay!' And so they stayed there, fully intact for months and months. Eolib's words were so powerful that they never left the leaves. And so the critters went hungry that year. But they so loved and trusted Gratterng that they stayed by their side and waited.
After the hard winter, all were happy to see light up in the sky. It was spring again and the leaves had begun to bud again. Gratterng was mystified by the leaves refusal to give themselves, but respected them as their children. Gratterng promised the critters and the soil and the hyphae that this year would bring a new set of beautiful leaves for the soil, that this would be the most beautiful Festival of Shadows they'd ever known. But sure enough, just as the leaves had exited their buds Eolib arrived from the skies with his sharp mouth and cunning mind and whispers to each leaf
'you are so beautiful' why do you have to die?' before flying to the next leaf and whispering
'you are so unique and special why do you have to die?' before flying to the next leaf and whispering
'you are more special than all the other leaves on this tree why do you have to die?'before flying to the next leaf and whispering another seduction to a leaf.
And so, when it came time of the orbit for the leaves to make their dance to the ground, each of these children of Gratterng believed they were better and more important than anyone else. And so they refused to give themselves to the critters. And without wind down in the basin, the leaves built up on top of each other. Since Gratterng's crown of leaves was so great and full, the pile grew deep and started to fill up the basin. Now this year Gratterng was worried for the basin that they had worked so hard to bring life to. So Gratterng called out to all the creatures of the basin and said
'please my children, recognise the cycles of giving that make life and refrain from your atomism' but because of the words of Eolib, the leaves thought this was a trick. Gratterng was trying to convince them to die so that one of their other children could become the most beautiful and important of them all. So they refused. Gratterng was dismayed, without the decay of the leaves the cycles of life would halt. So Gratterng called again to all the life in the basin. 'If you are hungry, have what you want of me, I promised you life and so I will provide. Come critters and hyphae, eat well this winter'
The critters and hyphae of the basin loved Gratterng so much that at first they resisted. But since this was the second winter without leaves they were desparate and after months of refusal they eventually took Gratterng for their word. By the time of the next Orbit, when this cycle continued, Gratterng was a haggard tree, with indents and tunnels chewed out of them. As spring approached they tried once again to convince the leaves by crying out.'please my children, recognise the cycles of giving that make life and refrain from your atomism'
But all that came out was a soft crack as one of Gratterng's branches fell to the bottom of the basin, crushing some of their children. This cycle of decay won out that summer as well. Once again, Eolib persuaded each and every leaf of their self-importance. So when the Orbit came to autumn the leaves in the basin piled up higher and higher, suffocating Gratterng. But Gratterng gave themselves again, 'If you are hungry, have what you want of me, I promised you life and so I will provide. Come critters and hyphae, eat well this winter'
The critters tried once again to resist Gratterng's offering but midwinter is a hard time without food and so they eventually accepted. This, final year, was too much for Gratterng. Too much loss and internal decay. The critters tried to maintain Gratterng's water systems and structural integrity but they could not. So before the winter had finished Gratterng had broken into chunks which still lay at the bottom of the craggy basin.
**************
This was one of the stories that struck me most from the library they have here in Hallowa, but there are hundreds of stories like these here. I should head back to the garden's now though, the midday heat has lessened now. I'm probably late for my herbalist class, but who wouldn't be with all these books…
Inungwi's Fables from the era of the subterreanean drift At the foot of a craggy basin stood an aspen tree named Gratterng. The basin was so deep that the roots of Gratterng extended into the Underworld. Since there was little light in the basin the soil had been dry and lifeless for many orbits. But Gratterng set to work on this, stretching their leaves upwards in fabulous blooms of yellowish greens and sending messages through their roots to those from the beneath to come.
Gratterng had no fruits to offer so they offered their bark, their wood and their leaves. 'Come to me and I will provide you with shelter. Come to me and I will sustain your life'. And so many insects and hyphae and other undercreatures came and lived in, on and around Gratterng. And every year when Gratterng shed their leaves they said 'let these children of ours bring you health and energy and beauty' And the insects welcomed the leaves, and sculpted them into ghostly forms that nourished them for winter. They named this time of year the Festival of Shadows for all the incredible forms that were conjured onto the ground by the layering of the skeletons of leaves.
So, through cycles of death and decomposition, life found a way there in the craggy basin until one year when the children of the basin refused. It started at the time when they were just emerging out of their buds along the branches of Gratterng, just beginning to learn how to shimmer in the wind, glistening in the sun. They looked so glorious the ants would go on marches to the leaves, to give thanks and to look out at the world from there. Well early that spring, a piskit named Eolib came flying from the skies above. Eolib flew down to the level of the leaves and began whispering to each leaf
'you are so beautiful, why do you have to die?' before flying to the next leaf and whispering
'you are so unique and special. why do you have to die? 'before flying to the next leaf and whispering
'you are more special than all the other leaves on this tree' 'why do you have to die?' before flying to the next leaf and whispering another seduction to a leaf.
And so on and so forth until all of the leaves had been told they were better than the other leaves. After Eolib had done his work the leaves began competing. One would cry out 'I am the most beautiful, watch how I can bend the rays of the sun as I ripple in the wind' and then all the rest would compete against them in this challenge. Then another day one leaf would cry out 'I am the most beautiful, watch how I turn the rain into rhythms on my skin'
When autumn came around the competitions continued. 'I am more special than you all, look at the bronze of my skin!' 'No I am more unique than you! Look at the amber of my skin' And so on and so forth until it got to the time of the orbit for the leaves to begin their descent into the basin and to continue the cycle of life. When this time came, and the air grew colder, the leaves began to fall. But through their fall the competitions continued, so taken by Eolib's words they were.
'Look how I dance on the wind!' 'Look how I catch the updraft!' Until the leaves got to the soil at the bottom of the basin, where surely they would end their competitions... The critters were waiting there for the leaves. It was the time of the orbit to start preparing the earth for the long winter ahead. It was the time of the orbit to begin their festival of shadows. But there was a problem this year. For the critters followed the Lurra rules, meaning they could not take what was not given to them. And since the leaves would not relinquish their private ideas of their individual splendour, they would not give themselves to the ground and to the critters.
In fact, the leaves continued their competitions.'Look at me, I will remain whole longer than you!' 'I will never decay!' And so they stayed there, fully intact for months and months. Eolib's words were so powerful that they never left the leaves. And so the critters went hungry that year. But they so loved and trusted Gratterng that they stayed by their side and waited.
After the hard winter, all were happy to see light up in the sky. It was spring again and the leaves had begun to bud again. Gratterng was mystified by the leaves refusal to give themselves, but respected them as their children. Gratterng promised the critters and the soil and the hyphae that this year would bring a new set of beautiful leaves for the soil, that this would be the most beautiful Festival of Shadows they'd ever known. But sure enough, just as the leaves had exited their buds Eolib arrived from the skies with his sharp mouth and cunning mind and whispers to each leaf
'you are so beautiful' why do you have to die?' before flying to the next leaf and whispering
'you are so unique and special why do you have to die?' before flying to the next leaf and whispering
'you are more special than all the other leaves on this tree why do you have to die?'before flying to the next leaf and whispering another seduction to a leaf.
And so, when it came time of the orbit for the leaves to make their dance to the ground, each of these children of Gratterng believed they were better and more important than anyone else. And so they refused to give themselves to the critters. And without wind down in the basin, the leaves built up on top of each other. Since Gratterng's crown of leaves was so great and full, the pile grew deep and started to fill up the basin. Now this year Gratterng was worried for the basin that they had worked so hard to bring life to. So Gratterng called out to all the creatures of the basin and said
'please my children, recognise the cycles of giving that make life and refrain from your atomism' but because of the words of Eolib, the leaves thought this was a trick. Gratterng was trying to convince them to die so that one of their other children could become the most beautiful and important of them all. So they refused. Gratterng was dismayed, without the decay of the leaves the cycles of life would halt. So Gratterng called again to all the life in the basin. 'If you are hungry, have what you want of me, I promised you life and so I will provide. Come critters and hyphae, eat well this winter'
The critters and hyphae of the basin loved Gratterng so much that at first they resisted. But since this was the second winter without leaves they were desparate and after months of refusal they eventually took Gratterng for their word. By the time of the next Orbit, when this cycle continued, Gratterng was a haggard tree, with indents and tunnels chewed out of them. As spring approached they tried once again to convince the leaves by crying out.'please my children, recognise the cycles of giving that make life and refrain from your atomism'
But all that came out was a soft crack as one of Gratterng's branches fell to the bottom of the basin, crushing some of their children. This cycle of decay won out that summer as well. Once again, Eolib persuaded each and every leaf of their self-importance. So when the Orbit came to autumn the leaves in the basin piled up higher and higher, suffocating Gratterng. But Gratterng gave themselves again, 'If you are hungry, have what you want of me, I promised you life and so I will provide. Come critters and hyphae, eat well this winter'
The critters tried once again to resist Gratterng's offering but midwinter is a hard time without food and so they eventually accepted. This, final year, was too much for Gratterng. Too much loss and internal decay. The critters tried to maintain Gratterng's water systems and structural integrity but they could not. So before the winter had finished Gratterng had broken into chunks which still lay at the bottom of the craggy basin.
**************
This was one of the stories that struck me most from the library they have here in Hallowa, but there are hundreds of stories like these here. I should head back to the garden's now though, the midday heat has lessened now. I'm probably late for my herbalist class, but who wouldn't be with all these books…