A Little Character
Wardell the Un-Ambitious Elf With a Mushroom On His Head!
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After a rain storm, when the clouds finally swept away, when all the world was filled with the slowing drips of water, the woods glowed green. Where the trees were tallest, emerald moss carpeted the forest floor, rolling little hills of vibrant color that soaked up the moisture with hunger.
The moss enjoyed a rainstorm, as did many other inhabitants of the woods. The birds enjoyed the music of the rain, the squirrels enjoyed the fallen nuts, the trees enjoyed the feel of cool water reaching down, down into the earth to their furthest roots....and one elf, an un-ambitious elf enjoyed it as well.
At least in these woods.
Wardell supposed, that there were other elves in other woods but he hadn't the desire to go looking for them. It wasn't laziness, not really, it was Wardell's way of life. Ambition he'd been born without, but what he lacked in desire to go out and do more, see more, accumulate more he more than made up for in solidity and consistency.
If he sat beneath a particularly pretty tree, cushy green moss under his tush, to survey the world unfolding before him, one dripping rain drop at a time...you could be sure he would be there the next day as well. And the day after that, and the one after that as well.
Great heaps of time could easily slip by whilst Wardell sat and contemplated the beauty of the world around him. Even if it were just one teeny tiny slice of the world there was still much to see. Cheerful birds winging by, breezes that tickled one moment and chased shivers across his toes the next. The scent of wood, the scent of green, the scent of flowers, each breath a completely new smell to captivate his senses.
The feel of bark at his back and dirt on his toes, the feel of raindrops splashing on his skin. Plip, plop, plip, plop. No one, and I mean no one, could appreciate a moment and a pretty spot like Wardell.
He wanted for nothing, loneliness didn't dare creep into his soul, fear never touched his heart, envy was as foreign to him as war and pain. He was the very essence of contentment.
When the rains came, pounding down through the trees, the drops stung his his skin but he didn't mind. Wardell knew it wouldn't last. He tipped his head back and let the cool waters from the sky trickle across his face.
When the winds picked up he smiled, listened to them howl and on occasion he howled back, wondering if the winds were listening to him.
Leaves were flung from the trees, and for a long time when the light was still bright enough he watched their frenzied dance through the air, listened to the skittering sound they made as they tumbled from the branches.
When the wind blew harder, Wardell sat as calm and implacable as the mighty trees rooted around him. He felt the force of the air pressing against his body and imagined it was a hug from the sky. He thought he could taste salt in the air and wondered why.
When bits of moss were peeled from the trees and flung through the woods with wild abandon Wardell giggled. The wind was having a fit and he was witness to it. He saw every thing it touched before him. And when one particularly wet and heavy piece of moss was tossed at him by the shrieking storm that raged through the forest, Wardell felt it slap against his head.
It didn't hurt, it tickled actually, soaking wet, cool water trickled down his back and along side his ears and made him snort with pleasure.
He sat while the storm abated, and he thought about the moss on his head. Because that was the way of Wardell. He didn't act when he could think. He didn't do when he could observe. He didn't move when he could relax and absorb, he truly experienced every moment to it's fullest.
He thought about how he felt, sporting a cap of brilliant green moss on his head. And what he thought was that it was grand! Having no hair it made the perfect hat. It smelled wonderful, a dark earthy fragrance like that of the forest itself.
The storm passed, as storms do, blowing itself out on a last huffy breath.
Sunlight slowly crept through the canopy of branches overhead, cautiously easing between the leaves, slipping silently and warmly through the forest. The world glowed. Every rain drop illuminated, in that moment Wardell felt as if he was inside a perfect jewel.
A long time passed before he thought of the moss on his head again. Wardell had forgotten it, having become entranced with the wild berries that had sprung up since the rain. Thick patches of lovely red berries that sweetened the air with their perfume. Wardell had tried them, found them intoxicating and had become quite absorbed in the flavors that danced upon his tongue.
He should have been surprised when the voice from above called "Hello?"
But being Wardell, he swallowed his berry and cheeks pinkening with the pleasure of a new discovery answered back, "Hello."
The mushroom had been aware of Wardell for quite some time. He didn't realize it was unusual for a mushroom to be sprouting from a pile of moss on an un-ambitious elf's head, having never existed before. It had taken awhile for him to find his voice, to grow his smile, but in that time, while his jaunty red cap grew wider, shading his slim body, he'd been aware of the presence of Wardell.
Itzal, that was the mushroom's name, had listened with delight to the soft hums and ohhhhs of Wardell as Wardell experienced the world about him.
He'd felt immediately, from his first conscious thought, that here was a friend, someone to pass the time with.
Wardell and Itzal did become friends. Wardell was delighted by the cheerful presence above, pleased his mossy green cap had offered him more than springy comfort on his head. The gift of a fungi friend was one he treasured.
Itzal, having discovered his voice used it. A lot. And Wardell enjoyed that too, listening with the practiced patience of one who sat through rainstorms, he listened to the varied and amusing things that Itzal chattered on about with true enjoyment.
There had been nothing missing in Wardell's world before Itzal, but much was gained from the first moment the cheerful "Hello?" had carried down to his elven ears.
As much as Wardell had enjoyed the vibrant green woods about him, sharing it with a friend made it all the more wonderful.
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