Wednesday, December 9, 2009

A Love Story

Since we had already taken a break from Goat’s Log for festivities with Hyggehus, Pinky suggested that we tell a part of the Summer Island story that Goat is unlikely to mention except in passing. That is, the revelation that Willabear was in love. It came as a surprise to Monster E. too! (Only one other Animal of Big Bed Land has fallen in love, and that was when Mooselers admitted to a serious crush on Nell Shipman, the extraordinary writer/actress/film editor of the silent screen.)

Willabear was a relatively recent arrival in BBL when he went to Mouse Fairy Island this summer along with Lefty, Goat, and Chinaberry. Willabear has always been a dapper sort, and the Animals find this one of his fine qualities, along with his extremely relaxed attitude (which is genuine and not for show.) The combination of dapper and relaxed- even to the point of floppy!- is most unusual and piquant.

At the Island, Willabear pointed out that he needed a bath. Monster E. can be
remiss in this area and often needs to be reminded. Since there is no running water at Summer Island, Violet Mouse Fairy helped fill a large basin with water from a hand pump in the kitchen for washing dishes that brings water up from the river. Violet has great and unusual insight into the Animal heart. When Willabear told her that he would like a fragrant shampoo with his bath, she began to guess the secret that he later revealed to her: that he was in love- and that his love lived in Big Bed Land.

As soon as she mentioned this, I realized at once who the Animal of his affections must be. “Glamora the Giraffe!” I said to myself, I said, “Self, it must be Glamora.” I had always suspected that great mystery dwelt behind those dramatic eyelashes of questionable authenticity. Through Willabear’s eyes, I perceived the complex beauty of her imagination and it felt like walking into a very three-dimensional snowflake—with planes of color on each crystal facet that
kept turning into different landscapes: an unfurling frond of fern that became a paisley jungle of skirt drying on a chair next to a radiator clanking its way through the beat that chorus girls danced to when Forbidden Passion was a shade of lipstick red and frost furred the thin edge of the windowpane… Glamora was right to lower her lashes! A less capacious soul than Willabear’s could get completely lost in her eyes.

The Animals and Mouse Fairies are helping the happy couple plan a winter wedding. Glamora has already tried on her veil which came from the Council thrift shop. Who would have guessed that a place called the “Thrifty Shoppe” would be a place you could purchase a wedding veil for a giraffe? And on dollar-a-bag day too! What wonders life holds.

5 comments:

  1. Ah, this explains why Gertrude has been dancing around singing, "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it all along." Knew what? I couldn't imagine, but now she's all giggles and blushes and sends her very best wishes to Glamora and Willabear for a magnificent wedding! Gertrude is so wise and always knows the things that matter most, as does, no doubt, her Big Bed Land twin Grizelda.

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  2. We are so thrilled with the upcoming wedding. Violet and Mouse Tulip made her a wedding dress (well, okay, Violet says it is more like a cape) and a bouquet of silk flowers. The monster cat, Siri, is determined to eat the flowers. We really must get them in the mail!

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  3. Dear Mouse Fairies,
    the Animals are very thrilled too! It's not every giraffe that has her wedding finery stitched by Mouse Fairies, you know-- we all feel this great honor deeply.

    Dog suggests that you remove the flowers from the roving Monster eye of Siri-- Glamora fervently agrees.

    I could never begin to put into words how magical it was for me to spend time with Mouse Fairies and Sir Hickory at Sugarbush this summer! Remember when you let Goat write in the Island guest book, the first ever Animal to write in that book that has been kept for-- how many years? Once back in the West I forget how amazingly long history can be for you Easterners! Remember telling me how your great(?)-grandfather moved buildings across the frozen river with horses? The Animals still love to hear the stories of their Summer Island over and over!

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  4. Pinky, are you the chronicler of this love story? Your description of the snowflake leads me to believe you've been visiting Monster-J's poetry blog!

    What excitement is in store for all of you! A wedding! How enchanting!

    (We are pleased to report from the Hyggehus that Monster Animal Daisy is getting back to her old self again. The boys, Gilbert and Red have been banished from the kitchen at feeding time so the ladies, Daisy and Blanche can eat in peace. Then the "hounds" are released from their captivity at the top of the stairs and Monster K must do her level best to reach the kitchen before they jump on the counter and start scarfing down THEIR meals.
    Daisy is relishing her food without the vulture-like scrutiny of her brothers and has even got some of her "spitfire" personality back—knocking things off tables when she wants some kibble and standing as close as possible to Monster K's bright screen thing with the pictures and words in order to persuade her back into the kitchen. We are greatly encouraged.)

    We look forward to details about the upcoming nupchills.

    The Hyggehus Gang

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  5. From Pinky: Dear Poetikat,
    it just thrills me to hear you say my name like that, and so nicely too! I will tell you that many of the Big Bed Land Animals have been affected by M. John Hayes' poetry, although it comes up when we least expect it! Also that Monster E. has always loved objects or words or numbers that transform into landscapes or other objects, ever since her first advent calender when she was just a young monster.

    We are all very happy that M. Daisy is better and it sounds like a great thing that she can have her own peaceful mealtime! Monster E. + J. try to do this at times with just 2 outdoor cats who manage to fight about food even if there are two full dishes on the porch! Same with the big furry alpaca and llama monsters. If Penelope doesn't get her oats first, she gets huffy, then there's spitting, and then no one can eat oats because their mouths taste so bad from the spit!

    Pablo Monster likes to sit with M. Eberle when she's at the bright screen thing too! Sometimes he can't resist walking on the keys and trying to take a bite out of them, even though he knows he's not supposed to! In fact I think that makes it more fun for him!

    And do please take care of yourself as well as your monsters and Animals, dear Poetikat.

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