Day 305: In Her Garden

In Her garden
by
Matt Zurbo

 

One day, Lilah got lost in her own garden.
(Girl walking, doll lolling in hand by her side, 2ft long bee hovering behind her.)

It wasn’t that big, not normally, but she’d had a bad day.
(Girl falling backwards as bigger Bully Girl 1 pushes her back over kneeling Bully Girl 2.)

Or two.
(Bullies laughing as they toss about main girl’s doll. Girl behind them, pleading.)

So today, it was almost as if the garden decided to go forever.
(Girl, unhappy, stepping off old wooden back porch onto garden, that, the further it goes, the more it had grown, as if somehow getting larger.)

“Oh. I like this,” Lilah whispered.
(Girl, tiny, beneath GIANT apple tree base. Apples are above, each one at least as large as her.)

Birds were always pretty, but from up close, they were amazing!
(Girl, watching a rainbow bee-eater hover just above and in front of her. Numerous species – blue-breasted wren, magpie, scarlet robin, firetail, spotted pardalote, etc… in background. Bee is behind girl’s back.)
“There are so many of them…” Lilah said, breathlessly.

And lizards; 
“Little dinosaurs…!” she giggled.
(Girl watching lizard upside-down on a blade of grass in front of her, now about four foot long.)

Insects were everywhere. Everywhere!
(Girl, still small, bee still with her, in giant garden, watching line of blue ants in grass, bogong moths on tree trunk, a few butterflies in air, thrips, two mosquitos, a centipede burrowing into and out of dirt, dragonflies, a green crickets, etc…)
“I had no idea there were so many in the world,” she smiled.

From up close they looked like aliens.
(Girl tilting head to look at bee, hovering up and to the side of her, in wonder.)

But, oh, the best were the flowers…
(Bee leaving her/going ahead, to banksias.)

“Their smells are so strong!” Lilah crooned.
(All sorts of native flowers – more banksias, bottle brushes, wattle, Stuart’s desert peas, proteas, etc… Bee feasting on the pollen. A small tree frog or two on the stems/branches.)

The air was Heaven!
“How could a bee not find them? How could a bee not want them?”
(Girl hugging/burying face in and orange native gumtree flower.)

And the shadows were dangerous…
(Girl, arms wide, eyes closed, in love with giant garden. But in shadows of plants we can see hidden, spiders, ticks, a snake, frog, a bird diving, claws out, at a mouse. Bee is, still feasting above her.)

Cats were the worst.

(One cat jumping down, trapping lizard. Other breathing black air with white images of various skeletons – frogs, mice, butterflies, baby wallabies, baby owls, etc… Girl on other die of page, oblivious, riding a Christmas beetle.)

(Cats rearing back as bee is between them and girl, who’s back is to all, still oblivious, bending too look intently at small people in the grass.)

(Girl looking at three bullies, even smaller than her, tiny, behind chased by a spider.)

(Girl’s face watching spider trap two bully girls in its web, and a mosquito attacking other.)

(Bullies, dis-shelved, in palm of main girls hand.

(Girl’s hand tilted from grass edge to concrete. One bully girl is still rolling off. The other is stunned, sitting on concrete, the third is running away.)

(Girl looking down, smiling, bee watching beside her, butterfly in sky above them.)

Lilah’s garden was more than a jungle…
(Girl playing with a group of ladybugs.)

It was another planet.
(Wide image of girl walking with bee towards reader, looking straight up in wonder t surrounding jungle/garden.)

And the sun…
(Sun, and its rays of light, mixing with green light of leaves as girl walks along tree branch, with bee.)

The sun was glorious!
(Girl dancing, the sun and its light above her.)

(Girl, normal size, sitting on edge of wooden porch, head tilted, leaning on wooden porch support, watching (bee and) garden.)
The End.