Grandma's Garden
Come on, come sit with Grandma Nuray. Here, I have snacks for each of you. I see you have a new friend with you today. Here you go. I have enough for everyone. Don't be shy."
Grandma Nuray sat in the dirt of her garden, welcoming her company. The tomatoes had grown tall on wooden frames. Chives, oregano, and catnip were spaced along the base of the tomatoes. The tomato stalks displayed a mix of green, red, and purple fruit, soon ready to eat. The ground was not so muddy anymore. The cool Spring rains, long gone, replaced by hot days of the growing season, left the ground dusty and cracked on the sunny edges.
There had been a lot of commotion in the town the last few weeks, and her small garden was a welcome retreat. Today in the town, there was an ending of sorts, some resolution to a longstanding battle. But in her garden, she had more important things to do. It would soon be time to start making stew and mark the end of the season.
Everyone settled on the cool dirt for the second best part of a visit with Grandma Nuray, besides the snacks, it was storytime.
"I was thinking about the beginning. The garden looks quite good today, and I couldn't help but think about the small seeds it started out as. To look at the garden today, you wouldn't expect the humble beginning. It made it through so much weather and trouble just like The People of the forest."
"The beginning for us wasn't the birth of the stars or some myth about how the world formed. It happened after the formation of Jagged Uplifting, after the cities were turned upside down. But, before the Great Wyrm's victory over Damik and The Kingdom of Many-Arrows. They were just a prelude to The People of the forest."
"My grandmother's grandmother used to say there was a time the forest was almost gone. She would tell the story that the grandmothers of her time decided to help the forest. They would have tea and gather their stories like we do even today. They told their sons and daughters to respect the forest. This didn't suit the needs of the Kingdom though. Eventually, Damik sent his brother Timal to break up the disruptive gatherings of grandmas."
"When Timal led his guards into the meeting, the grandmas offered them tea and an honored spot to listen to the stories. And didn't that boy just sit and listen. That was the beginning. So listen to your Grandma."
The back door to Grandma Nuray's house opened. Her granddaughter stepped out and reached for her Grandma's arm to help her up. "Grandma, are you talking to those cats again? We need to get to the market."
"Yes, Sanem. They came for a story." Grandma Nuray replied. "Oh, these bones are old. Thank you."
As Grandma entered the house, Sanem looked back at the cats and whispered, "Just remember Grandma's like to embellish."
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