The Treasure Cave: sea tales of Tiptoes Lightly (3 page)

How
Plants came to the Earth

Once upon a
time,” said Tiptoes, “Kalor and Vallor lived on the sun. Kalor was warmth and
Vallor was light and they were brothers. Kalor was older and darker, and Vallor
was younger and luminous. They liked to be together.

One day they
were sitting on the sun and looking around.

‘The earth
looks much too bald,’ said Kalor.

‘Yes,’ agreed
Vallor. ‘It’s as bald as a goose egg.’

And it was
true; the earth was as bald as an egg because that was in the days before
clouds and trees.

‘We will have
to ask Sister Vive for help,’ said Kalor.

So they went
to Sister Vive and found her sitting under a golden pomegranate tree.

‘Sister Vive,’
said Vallor, ‘the earth is as bald as an egg.’

‘Yes, that has
been bothering me too,’ said Sister Vive, and she reached up and plucked a
pomegranate.

She opened it,
scooped out the seeds, and held them in her hands. Kalor breathed on them and
made them glow bright red. Vallor shone on them and made them shine like stars.
Vive cast the seeds into the sky, and down, down they fell upon the earth,
shining like golden rain. Some fell into the oceans and lakes; they hissed and
sizzled and sent up clouds. The rest fell on the land and were buried deep
under the ground.

Kalor and
Vallor sat on the sun and waited. They watched the first clouds cover the
world. They watched the rain, the first rain, wet the soil. Then Kalor sent
waves of warmth to the earth. The seeds soaked in the warmth. They sprouted and
grew, and Vallor sent rays of light to the earth as the leaves unfolded. The
plants bathed in the light and soon made flowers. Last of all, when the flowers
had faded, Sister Vive sang a song and caused the seeds to scatter over the
ground for the coming year.”

“That’s how
the first plants began,” said Tiptoes, “and why they love the light and warmth
so much.”

“But what
about the fire fairies?” asked Tom Nutcracker. “You never told us about them.”

“That’s just
the first part of the story,” said Tiptoes. “But the rest will have to wait.”

“Why?” said
June Berry, disappointed.

“Because
supper’s ready,” said Farmer John, looking in the door. “Time to wash your
hands.”

The
first Trees

After supper
Tom Nutcracker and June Berry cleared the table while their dad made the beds.
They sang as they washed the dishes:

“This
is the way we wash the dishes:

Fill
the tub and add some fishes,

Let
them swish their scaly tails

And clean the cups as big as whales!”

And they sang some more as they put the plates and cutlery away.

“Store
the plates upon the floor,

Throw
the bowls into the drawer,

Stack
the knives upon the shelves

And let the cups go hang themselves!”

When they were
finished they went to the living room and found Tiptoes sitting close to the
fire.

“Can we finish
the story?” asked Tom.

“Let’s wait
for your dad,” said Tiptoes.

So they sat
and watched the flames flickering over the logs and the smoke rising up the
chimney. After a while Farmer John came in and drew the curtains.

“You’re quiet,”
he said.

“We’re waiting
for you,” said Tom. “Tiptoes is going to finish her story.”

“Oh, I see,”
said Farmer John, settling down on the sofa.

He looked
around for Tiptoes.

“She just flew
up next to me,” said June Berry, patting the armchair.

Farmer John
nodded, but still didn’t see her. Tiptoes smoothed her blue dress and continued
the tale of the fire fairies—but as soon as she began Farmer John’s head nodded
forward and he fell fast asleep.

“All over the
earth,” said Tiptoes, “the seeds of Sister Vive sprouted and grew. These were
the first plants. Some were tiny, some were tall, and some were so small they
were hardly there at all!”

“Just like
today,” said Tom.

“Yes, except
they didn’t look like plants do today,” said Tiptoes. “Oh no, not at all! They had
only three things: warmth from Brother Kalor, light from Brother Vallor and
life from Sister Vive. If you saw one today you’d hardly see it at all—maybe
just a delicate light hovering over the ground. The trees were especially
wonderful. They were like living fountains that sprang from the earth. They
were flowing, glowing, shining fountains of light.”

“That sounds
beautiful,” said June Berry.

“They were,”
said Tiptoes. “But if one of those trees was here today you could walk right
through it. You’d be walking along, tum-dee-tum, minding your own business,
when all of a sudden you’d be warm. ‘Why am I so warm?’ you’d say, and take off
your jacket and scarf. Then you’d see shimmering light all around you. It’d be
rising out of the earth and springing high into the air. And if you were sick
and feeling bad you’d instantly be better and full of life. Way back then whole
forests of these wonderful trees grew on the earth, and Kalor and Vallor were
pleased.

‘That’s much
better,’ said Kalor.

‘Much, much
better,’ agreed Vallor. ‘Now the earth doesn’t look like a bald goose egg any
more,’ and the two brothers patted each other on the back and said what a great
job they had done.

Their younger
Sister Vive was happy too. She gazed down and knew that her seeds would change
the earth—and that the earth would change her seeds.”

Tiptoes
stopped speaking and looked at Farmer John. Suddenly his head jerked up. He
looked around the room with bleary eyes.

“I had such a
strange dream,” he said. “I saw trees of light, but the light was flowing and
growing like fountains of water.”

“You dreamed
the story,” laughed Tom and June.

“I did?” said
Farmer John, rubbing his eyes.

Tom and June
nodded yes.

Farmer John
yawned and looked at his watch.

“Nooooo!”
cried Tom, throwing himself onto his dad’s lap and covering his watch. “Don’t
send us to bed. Tiptoes hasn’t finished the story. She still hasn’t told us
about the fire fairies.”

“But look how
late it is,” said Farmer John. “We’ve had a long day and it’s way past bedtime.
Tiptoes will have to finish her tale some other night.”

Tiptoes
goes out at Night

That night
Tiptoes slipped out of the cottage. She flew into the mist that rolled inland
off the sea. Far away she saw the yellow glow of Summer’s Fort, and here and
there the lights from other houses gleamed in the darkness. High in the sky the
silver half moon was pale and misty.

Tiptoes
stopped and listened. She heard the waves breaking on the shore. Their sound
went on forever, always shifting, always changing. She flew to the sea and
skimmed the waves of the falling tide. The breakers were gleaming white and
pearly in the moonlight as they curled and crashed and ran splashing up the
beach.

Tiptoes turned
north. The long strand ended and the rocks began. She flew over pocket coves
and bays and beaches only big enough for one or two people. Seaweed covered the
low rocks or swayed back and forth in the swirling sea. She came to the flat
rocks where the seals hauled themselves out of the water. Beyond was a wide,
sweeping bay with a pebble beach and backed by close mountains. Out to sea, a
mile or so from shore, was a lighthouse with its light going round and round.
It was telling sailors to keep away, keep away, there’s ragged rocks in the
bay!

Tiptoes
returned. She flew back along the cliffs and bluffs, past the sea stacks and
the lonely sea arch, past the caves hidden under the rocks, and in through the
keyhole of Farmer John’s cottage. She found June Berry’s woolen sweater lying
on the chair beside her bed. Tiptoes slipped inside one of the arms, curled up
comfortably and fell fast asleep.

~
Sunday ~

The
Cave

Farmer John
lay in the shelter of a sandy hollow. It was sunny but windy, and he was
soaking up the sun. His hat lay over his eyes and he listened to the thunder of
the surf pounding on the beach. Behind him he heard the voices of Tom and June.
They were exploring the rocky bluff that ran along the shoreline.

“Look,” said
Tom, scrambling up a steep slope. “There’s a hole.”

“Wait for me,”
said June Berry, scrambling after him.

They stood on
a narrow ledge about half way up the bluff. All about lay fresh, untouched
soil, all jumbled up. Higher up the soil and rocks had fallen away, leaving a
scar.

“The dirt must
have fallen down last night,” said Tom. “See how new it is—there’s not a single
footprint.” He got down on his hands and knees and looked into the hole. “It
opens up,” he said, digging away the dirt on the ledge. “Let’s go inside,” and
before June Berry could say anything he had vanished.

June Berry
hunkered down, but the opening was too low. She got onto her hands and knees
and peered in. She saw Tom looking back at her.