Patience

Clouds float slowly across the moon, casting long shadows amongst the trees and creating a feeling of movement all around. The leaves rustle and crunch as Patience creeps through the undergrowth. Patience is small, barely as tall as a dandelion, with a tiny bald head and tiny little ears that hear everything. Tiny little eyes that see everything and tiny sharp teeth that poke out of a tiny petulant mouth.

Patience stalks the barn cats and the herding dogs, biting their feet while they sleep. Patience steals the blood from new born lambs and milk from the dairy cows. The locals call Patience a blight on the countryside.

Patience calls the locals yammer-heads and whispers village gossip into the ears of babies while they sleep.

Alone in the woods Patience waits, the nights work is complete…the moon rises higher in the sky, the clouds grow faint, the Milky Way glitters. Patience waits, curled into a small ball, snuggled into the moss on a fallen tree.

The moon sinks as the sun starts to rise, Patience unfurls and stretches, and stretches, and stretches. Arms and legs, torso and head, ears, eyes and mouth stretch and grow.

“Ah, lovely.”

Patience turns toward the sun, drinking in the early morning warmth, slender fingers brushing the dew from arms and face then sliding through the red curls now easing their way out of the scalp.

The day is bright and warm, birds sing and the flowers open their faces to the light. The village is awake and feeling pleased, with its self and the weather. The sound of children flows down the main street as they make their way to the school house, laughter and the occasional good-natured shout fills the air.

A small girl clutches a drawing, catching sight of the teacher she runs toward the school, her curls bouncing, excited to share her artwork.

“Miss, Miss, look, I drew this for you,” the little girl gasps, holding out the drawing.

“Why Emily that is wonderful, you’re a crackajack artist you are, for sure,” the teacher smiles down at Emily.

“Och, thank you Miss Patience.”