I Am Consciousness Itself

 
 

                           A Sam, Mary, Jenny and Elliot Story 

                                         By C. S. Roberts

"Hi everyone! I'm here to tell you about some friends of mine. Their names are Sam, Mary and Jenny. They are great friends who have all sorts of adventures and fun together. I met them one day while I was sitting with some of my animal and fairy friends in the deep woods. Sometimes I go with them on their magical sojourns. 

Who am I you ask? Well, my name is... gosh, I'm not sure how to say it in your language, just call me KOL that means Keeper of the leaves, cause that's what I be. 

                                                                        Artist Unknown
Anyway, on this particular day, I wasn't with them, but I heard about it later and I thought I'd share it with you. This is the Story of The Gratitude Tree.

                      THE TREE A SAM, MARY, JENNY AND ELLIOT TALE

The day was beautiful, not too warm, not too cool but just the right temperature to make one want go on an adventure, so the friends had decided to take a hike in the woods just outside town. They were four in number, Sam, Mary, Elliot and Jenny. Sam was the tacit leader, and the rest usually went along with whatever he wanted to do. Of all of them Jenny would stand up to Sam more than the other two. Today Sam had suggested that there were secrets to be discovered in the woods and, because it did sound so appealing and Jenny was game, they all thought the idea was sound.

They struck out early in the morning with no real plan or preparation but, at the time, that didn’t seem important. The mist was rising from the wooded valley below lending a feel of mystery and anticipation to the trip. The road out of town was rather boring because they saw it every day but just on the other side of the city limit sign the group became very interested in the landscape through which they trudged. The woods moved in close to the road with the ferns and undergrowth creating enticing paths that beckoned to the children. The further away from town they went, the thicker and greener the forest became. With Sam in the lead, they passed many an interesting path until he found one that he just could not ignore.

As he turned down what seemed to be a game trail, probably used by the wild deer in the area, he realized that the others had stopped. Turning to see what had caught their attention Sam had to laugh at the looks of awe on their faces. The wonder of the forest had them spellbound. He cleared his throat to startle them back to the adventure at hand and they fell in behind him. The deeper into the woods they went, the more their excitement grew. Their senses were tingling and they were both afraid to proceed and anxious to push on all at the same time. The smell of rich damp loam mixed with the tangy sent of conifers of all types was tinged with the sweet fragrance of honeysuckle, delighting their senses and drawing them on.

 

Sam pushed limbs and twigs out of the way holding them for the next one to take their turn holding it for the one following. There were odd looking flowers and mushrooms of all sizes and shapes just off the path that intrigued Mary and Jenny, but the boys took no notice. By now Elliot and Sam were walking abreast so that they could decide on a strategy for their exploration while Mary and Jenny brought up the rear. The girls were caught up in picking some of the wildflowers that grew along the trail. They had wisely decided not to mess with the mushrooms because they had heard that some of them were poisonous and they didn't know which were which. While the boys lead the way, accentuating  their conversation with sword play, provided by sticks that had presented themselves for the fencing pleasure of imaginative adventurers .

The deeper into the lush woods they went the deeper the twilight under the trees became. The four, being so interested in their conversations that the passing of time wasn’t noticed until the sun began to lower enough for them to become aware how late it had actually gotten. As the children began to realize where they were and how late it had become, their voices fell quiet, and they started to pay attention to their surroundings a bit closer. Their foot falls were silent on the tree needles that carpeted the ground from many generations of  shedding and new growth and shedding again. The nocturnal animals that were beginning to stir were frighteningly loud and not being able to see them, made even the smallest rodent sound huge. The eerie hooting of the owls made the hair on the children's necks stand on end and to top it off, Mary and Jenny were becoming hungry, tired and a bit frightened. This led them to complain to Sam, who was beginning to heartily regret his suggestion of the day. Elliot was blessedly quiet as he went on ahead, oblivious to the apprehensions of his friends. They had all grown tired and the evening was becoming uncomfortably cool, not to mention that the girls talk about food had their attention riveted on the fact that they had not eaten in hours nor had any of them had the foresight to bring food with them.

 

Sam was just about to admit that they were lost and suggest that they try to retrace their steps when Elliot, who had gotten way ahead, came pounding back down the path, exclaiming excitedly that he had found something amazing. All discomfort and fear was forgotten with the announcement and everyone hurried after Elliot to see what the find was.

 

Not much farther down the trail they had been following, right in the middle of it stood the largest tree any of them had ever seen. It was so tall that they could not see the top of it and the branches spread out for what seemed to be miles, totally blocking out the sky as far as they could see. The large strong branches were gnarled and whorled from many years in the weather and they held the nests of many beautifully colored birds that hopped, flew and fluttered all about. Some of them even swooped down to investigate the children and take their findings back to the others in the upper reaches. The tree's  roots stood high out of the ground where they were close to the massive trunk, some of them were as high as Sam’s waist. The bark was thick and crackled which made convenient pathways for the myriad insects busily going about their own little buggy business ignoring the children who were pointing at and discussing them. If the friends had joined hands in an attempt to encircle the trunk, the four of them would not have been able to girdle even an eighth of it. But none of these things were the exciting part. In the center of the trunk was what looked like a door drawn in light. Mary, Jenny and Sam didn’t see it right away but when Elliot pointed it out, they wondered why it was there and how they had missed it. The light was yellow and very shiny and against the rough dark bark it should have been visible for a long way away. There did not seem to be any windows like the ones you would find in a proper shelter, but the door was just so inviting and it was getting cold enough for the children so see their breath in puffs of white mist as they spoke.

None of them were sure what to do with the door but doors are meant to be opened right? So, Elliot put his hand on the tree trunk door and pushed. The mysterious door swung open silently and the children found themselves looking into a very large brightly lit and empty room. By now the temperature outside was unpleasantly cold and dampness had joined in to make it very uncomfortable, so the promise of light and warmth drew the four friends inside and the door closed behind them without any help or sound. Panicked, they pushed and pulled the place where it had been and, to their relief, it opened again. Satisfied that they were not imprisoned in the tree they all sat down with their backs leaning against the walls to decide what they should do with this new situation.

Mary and Jenny began to feel hungry again and told the others that they sure would be thankful for a cheeseburger and some fries. No sooner had they finished speaking than cheeseburgers and fries appeared in their laps. They were all still gawping at the food when Elliot decided that he could be thankful for a large bowl of ice cream which he received on the spot. As they exchanged looks of disbelief, Sam demanded a turkey sandwich and nothing happened. After some discussion and replay of events, Mary suggested that he be appropriately thankful for the food, and he just might get it. As it turned out, she was right and after Sam rephrased his request, the sandwich appeared in his hand. The ravenous explorers ate in silence until all had finished their food.

 

Then their discussion began.  After much talk and conjecture about the magic door, tree and food the group decided to see what else they may need to ask the tree for. Jenny suggested that because it was dark outside and they would not be able to see their way out of the woods, they should just stay where they were until morning. All of them hoped that their parents would not worry. There was nothing children could do if they did except try to explain when they got back home.

 

That decided, and since all were in agreement, the four of them  started making suggestions about what they would require, with gratitude of course, to make their stay comfortable. Each one tried to ask for something to make the tree feel and look more like home. The first thing each of them wanted was a bed. They quickly discovered that they had to be touching the wall of the tree when they made their request as well as have a very clear picture in their mind of just what they wanted. With one hand on the wall of the tree and their idea firmly in mind each watched in awe as the beds came out of nowhere. It started out sort of misty and, as the child held the picture of their bed firmly in their mind, the mist solidified into a useable bed. By adding gratitude to that process, soon each of them had their own room furnished with a comfortable bed and everything else they needed for an overnight stay. The mental exercise on top of the long walk and filling repast had the friends very tired and, after saying good night to each other and the tree, all were soon deeply asleep.

The next morning Sam, Mary, Jenny and Elliot woke refreshed and a little surprised to find themselves still in the tree. As they discussed the fact that each one of them thought it had all been a dream, they requested and got a wonderful breakfast from their awesome new friend the tree. Mary pointed out that since they had all been away for the entire night their parents would probably be very worried and that they should get home as quickly as they could to avoid more worry than they had already caused. Each of them reached out a hand to the tree and thanked it for taking such good care of them and bid the beautiful room goodbye. To their amazement, everything vanished, just dimmed until it was not to be seen. Their things, beds, the room the door and…the huge, enormous, beautiful tree all gone into nowhere and the four were left standing at the edge of the road into town with the sun setting, staring bug-eyed at each other as their parents drove up  to collect them, just a little concerned because of the hour. It was the same day as when they had started their adventure!

 

Each of them, Sam, Mary, Jenny and Elliot, made a quick vow to each other not to tell about the tree. Who would believe it anyway? The children said good-bye to each other and climbed into their family cars to be taken back home to remember and wonder and hope to see the tree again.

 

© 2013 Chessie Roberts, all rights reserved

Chessie Roberts is a Singer/song Writer, Spiritual Teacher, Mind-set Mentor, Meditation Coach, Author, Wiccan Minister, Lecturer and the Founder/Creator of Evolution of Self: Journey into Body, Mind, Spirit Balance. Her experience with severe, crippling arthritis was her catalyst to share her healing, experiential, self-improvement program with those who wish to rediscover their balance of Body, Mind, Spirit. This creation gave her the writing bug and so the Sam, Mary, Jenny and Elliot Stories were created.