Time stood still. All around Tilly, the children who had been running to catch the drifting tufts were suspended mid stride. Adults who were helping their children catch tufts or who were chatting with family and friends were frozen in place. Tilly looked at her parents and Macey just behind her. Not one of them moved nor said a word. She frowned as she turned back towards her leaf.
“Old Mai,” she said, as she put her hand on the branch, “what’s going on? What are you up to?”
The energy flowing through the branch was almost more than she could bear. She snatched her hand away. Then, to her amazement, right before her eyes, the tuft began to sprout. A tiny stem and three little white leaves sprouted from the top of the tuft and seven little white roots grew out from the bottom.
“Oh!” Tilly said, “This is the little plant I saw in the Retell!”
As she reached up to touch it, she saw something move in the leaves higher up. She peered at the leafy patch but couldn’t see anything other than leaves. It was probably just the wind. Only problem was … she glanced around her—it was dead calm. She searched the leaves again trying to figure out what had caused them to move. Maybe she was seeing things. She was just about to turn her attention back to the Tuftling when….
“Eeeek!” Tilly screamed as a grasshopper leapt from among the leaves and landed with a thud on the branch a little further along from her. It was huge! Ugly, gnarly, and nasty-looking, it stared straight at her as it stalked, ever so carefully, down the branch towards her.
“Oh, no!” she cried. “Get away, you awful thing!”
She flapped her hands and sucked in a big breath. She could feel panic rising within her and tried to stay calm … but fear won out. A cold sweat broke out all over her body and her stomach did a sickly flip. She took a couple of steps back from the branch and was on the verge of making a run for it when she noticed that the grasshopper was no longer looking at her but at something else.
“Oh no!” she cried as it dawned on her…. “You’re after Old Mai’s little one!”
What on earth was she going to do now? She looked over her shoulder. “Macey, help!”
But Macey, like everyone else, was still suspended in time. “Macey?”
Tilly felt sick. Macey always came to the rescue. Macey was the brave one, not Tilly. If Macey couldn’t save the little one, who would?
“Mum? Dad?” Tilly started to cry as she tugged at her motionless parents. She was surrounded by people but no one was moving and no one could help her. She had never felt so alone in her life.
“Old Mai, please help!” she said as she looked up into the branches above. But nothing happened. “Old Mai, why won’t you help?” She sobbed. “This is your baby!”
Slowly, deliberately, the beastly grasshopper crept ever closer to the Tuftling. Tilly felt like she would faint. She shuddered when it touched the Tuftling with its antenna then positioned itself ready to bite. The tears poured down her face. She felt so useless. But when the grasshopper opened its mouth, something inside Tilly snapped.
“No!” she whispered then cleared her throat. “No! You leave her alone, you horrid thing!” Anger surged through her and then something else … courage?
“I will not let you eat Old Mai’s little one!” she shouted. With that, she grabbed the grasshopper by one of its antennae and jerked it off the Tuftling.
Squealing she flung it away and watched as it flew up and landed on the branch above her.
“Get away!” she shouted and flapped her hands at it. The grasshopper took no notice of her and crawled along the branch towards the Tuftling again.
“Aargh!” Tilly jumped up and down. “I’ve had just about enough of you and your kind.” Balling her hands into fists, she raised them and shook them at the grasshopper.
“You will not scare me anymore!” she yelled at the top of her lungs.
With a squeal she reached up and grabbed the grasshopper by one of its legs. It tried to fly and Tilly let out a scream. She almost dropped it but she held on as it struggled to free itself. It tried to climb onto her hand. Scream! It tried to spike her with its other back leg. Scream! It even tried to bite her. Big scream!
In fact, she pretty much screamed the whole time she wrestled with the nasty thing but she was getting really mad and more and more determined to win this battle.
With a final screech, she grabbed it around the head, threw it to the ground, and jumped on it. Just as quickly she jumped off again and did a funky little adrenaline dance. She was panting like she had just run the length of the street and was shaking all over. She dared to glance at her conquered foe and gagged at the sight of it. But then, with trembling fingers, she wiped the tears from her face and started to laugh.
“Woo-hoo!” she cried as she pumped the air with her fists. She had just triumphed over the leader of an alien race! Well … it felt like that anyway.
“Well done, Tilly,” said a voice behind her.
Tilly screamed again as she jumped around to face the interloper. “Oh my gosh, Chime Maker!” Tilly placed her hand over her thumping heart. “I nearly peed my pants!”
The Chime Maker chuckled at that. “I apologise, my dear,” she said, “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Oh, that’s all right, Chime Maker,” Tilly waved her hand in dismissal. “Did you see what I just did?” She so hoped she had. She really wanted someone to share in her victory.
“I did indeed,” the Chime Maker nodded, “and I must say I am very impressed. Not only did you face your fear of grasshoppers, but you overcame it in order to save the Tuftling. You should be very proud of yourself.”
Tilly beamed at the praise. She did feel kinda proud of herself. She let out a happy sigh then turned her attention back to the Tuftling, “This is Old Mai’s baby I saved, isn’t it?”
The Chime Maker nodded then looked at the Tuftling. “Yes, it is.” When she looked back at Tilly, she had tears in her eyes.
“I’ve waited my entire life for this moment, Tilly. This is the first offspring Old Mai has produced in a thousand years.”
A sense of awe washed over Tilly as she realised the significance of what the Chime Maker had just said. “And we got to witness it. Wow!”
The Chime Maker came over and hugged Tilly, “We are very privileged to have taken part in this very special event, dear.”
“And by the looks of it,” Tilly replied as she looked around at all the people still suspended in time, “we’re the only ones. How come? And how is it possible for Old Mai to freeze everyone, anyway?”
The Chime Maker chuckled and quirked an eyebrow, “How is it possible for Old Mai to show us the future?”
“Oh … yeah! That’s good! I’d like to know the answer to that question too … so?” Tilly looked hopeful.
The Chime Maker gave her a slow, secretive smile and shook her head. “I don’t know. But what I do know is that Old Mai has her reasons for what she does and it is always for the best. We just have to trust her.”
“Aw come on, Chime Maker!” Tilly crossed her arms and frowned. “I know you talk to Old Mai. You’ve got to give me a bit more than that!”
The Chime Maker chuckled, “All right, dear.” She looked up into the branches above her. “What would you like me to tell her, Old Mai?”
She tilted her head as she listened to her reply then turned her attention back to Tilly. “There is a reason and a purpose for everything, Tilly. Today was the chosen day, not only for Old Mai to reproduce herself but also the day set for you to be delivered from your greatest fear. The circumstances surrounding the arrival of Old Mai’s offspring played a vital role in this. Had your friend or family members been available to you, you wouldn’t have faced nor overcome your fear.”
Tilly’s mouth dropped open. “She did that just for me?”
“Just for you.”
Tears welled up in Tilly’s eyes and she shook her head. “Why would she do that just for me?”
“Because she loves you. You are very dear to her, Tilly. She wants you to know that.”
“Oh, wow!” A deep sense of love and gratitude bubbled up from deep within Tilly as she went over and hugged Old Mai’s trunk. “Thank you, Old Mai.”
She was rewarded with a fuzzy tingle that ran from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. It made her laugh. “I love you, too!”
“Old Mai also wants to know if you would take care of her Tuftling,” the Chime Maker said.
Tilly bounded back over to the Tuftling. “This just keeps getting better,” she said as she gazed at it. “I’d love to.”
No sooner had she spoken than the Tuftling lifted off her leaf and twirled down towards Tilly. Tilly put out her hand and it settled on her palm. The moment it touched her, everything returned to normal.
“What have you got there?” asked Tilly’s Mum as she came up behind her.
Beaming from ear to ear, Tilly looked from the Chime Maker to her mum as she held up the Tuftling. “It’s Mini-Mai.”
“Oh, my goodness!” Mum turned to the others. “Will you come and look at this!”
The Chime Maker smiled and winked at Tilly then slipped through the crowd.
For the next half hour or so, Tilly showed off Mini-Mai to all the townsfolk who wanted to get a look at Melody Gardens’ newest member. She rehearsed the tale of the Tuftling so many times that her voice grew hoarse. Finally, when everyone’s curiosity was satisfied, it was time to head home.