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Shannon and her Auntie Nicole walked
through the heather. They each carried a basket over their arm. Shannon’s
auburn hair blew in the breeze. It was long and hung down her back, nearly
to her waist. Auntie Nicole wore a scarf over her light brown hair. She
didn’t like the wind to mess hers up. "When will we be there?" Shannon
asked, impatiently.
"Soon, Shannon. Be patient!" her
aunt replied.
"You said there was something at the
top of the hill, something wonderful. What is it? Please tell me," Shannon
pleaded.
"You’ll see in a few minutes. Isn’t
the heather lovely at this time of year? There’s nothing more beautiful
than the hillsides of the highlands, covered with purple heather," Auntie
Nicole smiled.
"I think the heather looks more pink
than purple this year," Shannon noted.
"You’re right. It is more pinky this
year. I think it depends on the way the sun shines on it. Over there,"
Auntie Nicole said, pointing. "It looks purple, doesn’t it?"
Shannon turned to look. "Aye, it
does, but right here, it looks pink."
They walked up the hill slowly,
stopping now and then to rest. Shannon saw a tree standing at the top. "I
see a tree! Is that what you brought me up here for, to look at a tree?"
"Yes," Auntie Nicole replied. "It’s
not an ordinary tree though."
"Oh, what kind of a tree is it
then?" Shannon wondered. They reached the top of a hill. She stood and
looked at the tree, examining the trunk, the branches and the leaves. "I
don’t see anything special about this tree," she pouted.
"Let’s eat our picnic first. You’ll
see, but not until the sun is high in the sky. What did your mum pack for
us today?" Auntie Nicole asked, curiously. "Let’s see," she said, reaching
into her basket. "I’ve got a tomato and cucumber sandwich. She’s cut the
crusts off them. How quaint!" She pulled out another bag. "Och, she’s
given me a bitty sandwich. I love bitty sandwiches, even if they are
cold." She opened the bread up. It was buttered on both sides with thick,
crispy, golden-fried chips lying on them. "She’s sprinkled some salt on
them too for me. Och, this is grand." She emptied the basket. She had a
strawberry tart, a bottle of lemonade, a few chocolate fingers and a piece
of broiled chicken. "What’s in your basket? I’ve got a feast here."
Shannon took her bags out. "Mum gave
me a ham and cheese sandwich with pickle on it. I love that. I especially
love cheddar cheese. Does Uncle Daniel send you cheese from his dairy
farm? He sends us a lot of it. I love cheese."
"Aye, we get plenty of cheeses from
Uncle Daniel," Auntie Nicole answered.
"Oh look, she gave me a bag of
shortbread with caramel and chocolate on top. Yummy. I’ve got some chicken
flavored potato crisps and some treacle toffee too," Shannon said.
"Let’s eat. The sun’s getting
higher. Soon you’ll see the surprise," Auntie Nicole laughed. "This has to
be our secret, Shannon. I’ve never brought anyone here before. I like to
keep the little treasures for myself, but I don’t mind sharing with you,
now that I’m getting bigger."
They finished their picnic lunch and
put all the rubbish back into their baskets. Shannon lay backwards and
rested in the heather. "Look at that cloud? It’s shaped like a school
bus," she giggled. "Does it look like that to you too?"
Auntie Nicole looked at the cloud.
"Aye, it does. I can see the driver and all the children in it too."
"You cannot. You’re just teasing
me," Shannon said. Just then she heard a noise coming from the tree. "What
is that?" she asked.
"It’s the magic," Auntie Nicole
answered.
"Magic? This is a magic tree?"
Shannon’s mouth dropped as she watched what was happening. The leaves
started to shake and shimmer. The tree seemed to be growing things from
the ends of the branches. "What’s happening? Is the tree growing more
leaves?"
"Better than that. Follow me,"
Auntie Nicole said. The two of them jumped up and headed for the tree. "It
only lasts about five minutes, so you have to pick as many as you can, but
not too many. Don’t be greedy. This happens every day when the sun is high
in the sky."
"Pick what? Leaves?" Shannon asked.
Auntie Nicole pulled down a branch. At the end was a blob of color. "What
is it?"
"Pick it off. Hurry," Auntie Nicole
urged.
 Shannon picked it off and looked at
it. "It’s a gumdrop! This is a magic gumdrop tree!" she laughed in
delight. She picked several more, as did Auntie Nicole. A few minutes
later, the tree went back to normal. "Wow! I got ten gumdrops!" She put
them down on the picnic basket. "There’s a purple one. I’ll bet it tastes
like grape."
"Ah, but that’s another surprise. It
doesn’t. It tastes like whatever you want it to taste like, as long as its
something purple," Auntie Nicole said.
"You mean, I can want it to taste
like purple heather, and it will?" Shannon questioned.
"Yes, that’s right. Once I wanted it
to taste like a purple snake. It was horrid, so be careful of your
choice," Auntie Nicole warned.
"I think I want this purple one to
taste like grapes," she said, not brave enough to choose something
different. She picked up a red one. "Hmmm, I think I’d like this one to
taste like a red plum." She took a bite of it. "It does. It does taste
like a plum. Oh, Auntie Nicole, this is wonderful. Thank you for showing
me the magic gumdrop tree."
The two of them sat and nibbled on
their gumdrops. Shannon ate a pink one that tasted like cotton candy, an
orange one that tasted like a carrot (she didn’t like that one too much),
and a blue one that tasted like blueberries. Auntie Nicole ate one or two
of hers. "Don’t eat them all at once. Take them home and have some
tonight, after your supper. Remember, this is our secret."
Shannon put the gumdrops into her
basket and they headed home. "Can we go again soon?" she asked her Auntie
Nicole.
"Aye, lassie. We’ll go again on
Saturday. Good night," she said and left for her own house.
Shannon put her other gumdrops on
the table in her bedroom. Each day she ate one. She had fun trying to
think up things that were different colors. The one she enjoyed the most
was a yellow one that she wanted to taste like a banana.
Every week, Shannon and Auntie
Nicole went to the top of the hill to have a picnic and gather gumdrops.
Shannon never told another soul. It was their secret. |
