Jimmurai

 Chapter 1 

Dad was obsessed with ruining the lives of his two teenage daughters. First he bought an old clunker, a vintage car, he called it, that he was going to restore. My sister Julia and I would duck in the back seat, red with embarrassment

“Leila, you think anyone can see us?”

“I hope not, Julia.”

A month ago he put our home up for sale and bought a house out in the country.

My friends and I strode to the mall one last time, sauntered to the ice cream parlor and then ambled to the dollar movie, all our favorite hangouts.

After the movie, we paused in front of the theatre. Alexa threw her arms around my neck weeping. Katelyn stroked my hair and gave me a tissue.

“I’m going to miss you,” Tori sobbed.

Every few steps we stopped to wipe our tears, till we reached my front door.

The next morning Dad drove us, in his clunker, twenty miles out into the country to our new home. The car sputtered and coughed all the way there. Dad turned onto an endless driveway and stopped in front of an old stone farm house.

Smack in the middle of the front yard I spotted a creepy old oak. I slid out of the car and strode toward it. I stretched out my hand and touched the fat, gnarled trunk with my fingertips.  The old oak, with its twisted branches reaching toward me, resembled an angry tiger ready to leap on me.  I gasped. With its ruffled leaves and twisted knots it looked angry. Or maybe just grumpy, like grandpa.

“Oh, Leila, what a hideous tree.  We’ll have it chopped down before the end of the week.” Mom startled me. I hadn’t realized she followed me.

Goose bumps ran up and down my spine. I always got goose bumps when magic was near. I spun around and grabbed her shoulders.

 “No, Mom, you can’t,” I yelled. “This tree is ma… ah, cool. You can’t chop it down. And look, a few birds have built nests on it.  I bet some squirrels live in it too.  Mom, please.”

Mom shook her head.  “I think it’s creepy. It reminds me of trees you see in horror movies. The poor little birds will have nightmares.”

“Please, Mom, don’t chop it down. It’s absolutely gorgeous.”

Mom smiled.

“Well, we’ll leave it be for now,” she said walking away.

I took two steps back to admire the tree. Mom was right, the oak did not look right in this well-manicured yard.  Tall pines lined one side of the driveway.  Few straight, tall maples were scattered on the thick lawn.  By the house, ornamental trees and bushes alternated with flower beds.  A fountain, resembling a waterfall, chattered with the bees.

Our new home was an old stone farm house with a high pitch roof and row of white rocking chairs on the front porch.

Curious to see the rest of the property, I scuttled to the back of the house to discover a huge deck, vast backyard, a large pond and the woods.  Julia stood by the pond staring at the water.

“What’s wrong, Julia?” I said.

She ignored me.

“Are you thinking about your friends?” I asked.

Julia pretended not to hear.

“Are you sad because you’re not gonna be able to walk to the mall anymore?”

Julia shot me an angry look.

“I bet Mom will drive us to the mall sometimes.”

“Don’t you get it? I want to be left alone,” Julia said, stomping back to the house.

I sighed and gazed at the pond for a few minutes, then I ambled back to the tree. Something about it puzzled me. Of course, the old oak reminded me of…

“It looks like Grandpa,” I yelled.

*******

Grandpa had been a grumpy old man. One morning he had walked into the dining room, his thick white hair ruffled, and he yelled at Dad.

 “What in heaven’s name was all that ruckus this morning?  You woke me up at the crack of dawn.”

Then he turned to Mom.

“Why isn’t the coffee ready? You know I am out of sorts till I drink a cup!”

He turned and scowled at Julia. Then he grabbed my hand, led me to the kitchen and smiled.

“Get the sugar bowl,” he said, reaching for the box of salt.

He emptied the sugar bowl, filled it with salt and brought it to the dining room table. He again put a scowl on his face for the rest of the family. But I knew that on the inside he was laughing.

Julia put a heaping spoonful of ‘sugar’ on her cereal. Mom and Dad put ‘sugar’ in their coffee. Grandpa and I didn’t. The seconds seemed to hang in mid air as Grandpa and I waited. Julia’s face reddened and she coughed while cereal burst out of her mouth landing on cups, dishes, napkins and even on Dad’s head. 

Dad’s coffee went down with a loud gulp and his eyes popped out. He put one hand on his throat and he clutched Mom’s arm with the other. Mom had to yank herself out of his grip. She ran to the kitchen sink and drank a tall glass of water. Grandpa and I doubled over with laughter, and Grandpa even fell off his chair.

The next morning, not long after dawn, I tiptoed into his room. I had discovered something very exciting that I wanted to share with him. I called his name, but he didn’t answer. I shook his shoulders, but he felt cold and stiff. A gripping fear squeezed my heart. I knew then that I would never again be with Grandpa.

*******

Now, a few months later, I felt like I was standing in front of Grandpa again.  Could this old oak, that reminded me so much of him, allow me to talk with him one more time? Would I be able to share my discovery with him?

           I jumped up, grabbed the lowest branch and walked my feet up the trunk. I swung my body over and stood up. Grabbing the branch above me, I hoisted myself up and straddled it. I looked down into the main part of the trunk. It was completely hollow. I shimmied toward it and dangled my feet into its cavity. I lowered myself as much as I could and then I let myself drop. Within seconds, my eyes adjusted to the light that poured form above. I saw a spider scurrying to fix the web I damaged. A few ants climbed up and down the trunk. The bottom was covered by a mixture of dirt and crushed bark.  This is so cool, a secret hiding place.

          I looked up. I could see a small piece of sky and the ruffled leaves. I have to make sure Mom doesn’t destroy this tree. This is awesome.

          I climbed out and sat on a thick branch. I was high enough to see the road and the properties across the street. The ranch style house directly across had a large barn and a couple of horses. Further down the street a large colonial stood proud with its white columns. An oversized detached garage with one of its doors open revealed landscaping equipment.

          Loud voices attracted my gaze. A tall, stocky boy, with scruffy, dark hair, was yelling and gesturing at two cowering girls. He swung his fists and almost hit one of the girls, but she was quick to jump out of the way. He grabbed the other girl by her shoulders and cackled. The first girl kicked him so hard on his ankle that he let go and both girls managed to run around him and darted home.  I clenched my fists.  Great, we have a bully in the neighborhood. A loud rumble startled me. The moving truck was finally here. I jumped down and darted home.

          “Mom, Dad, Julia, the truck is here!”

          For the next few days, I emptied boxes and arranged nick-knacks, picture frames, and clothes in my new room.  In the old house I had shared a room with Julia.  A long time ago we were best friends. But once we were both teenagers, we couldn’t be in the same room more than ten minutes. I miss the days we got along.

I reached into a box and pulled out a picture frame with a recent picture of me and Julia. I set it on my dresser and looked around my new room. It had a large bay window overlooking the pond and the woods. I sat on it and stared at the mess in my room.

          “I’ve had enough, I’m going outside.”

          I raced to the oak, climbed up and lowered myself in. Immediately a green mist that smelled of grass, trees and flowers surrounded me.  I was scared at first, but the sweet smelling mist filled me with contentment.  I climbed out of the hollow trunk, sat on a branch and looked around.  I was gazing upon a world wrapped in mist, a world that was not home.  Trees and bushes were barely visible through the mist. Was this was an enchanted garden? With my heart pounding, I climbed down the tree and, as soon as my feet touched the grass, the mist dissipated.

Chapter 2            Jimmurai

          I was in a strange new place, yet the oak was the same.  I sauntered toward a patch of wild flowers, but tripped and fell on the grass. I stood and turned to see what made me fall.  An odd looking man was fast asleep on the grass. He had young, handsome features. In place of hair, his head was covered with dark green, shiny leaves.  His torso and arms were those of a man. But from the waste down he looked like a tree.  His legs were like tree trunks, his feet looked like roots and he had a long tail covered with leaves.

I gasped.  Where am I?  How did I get here?  I tiptoed away from the creature so I wouldn’t wake him.  I gazed at this strange land.  Its boundaries were clearly defined by thick, green fog.  The whole land must have been the size of our property. It was filled with tall oaks, maples, pines, chestnuts and other trees I didn’t recognize. Flowering bushes, rose bushes, evergreen bushes lined pathways. Flower beds were filled with lilies, dahlias, daffodils, daisies and other bright flower.

I walked to the edge of this enchanted land and stepped into the thick green fog, but it was like penetrating into a wall of modeling clay. I walked around the perimeter to try and find an opening. Instead, I found a patch of fog that was not as thick and through it I could see a magnificent tree. It was an enormous sugar maple. It looked familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I had seen it. I tried to walk up to it, but the fog was impenetrable.  I ambled back toward the oak, wondering how I would ever get back home. Suddenly something grab my left hand. I screamed, my heart thrashing in my throat. My legs were shaking and goose bumps made my arms and back tingle. I yanked my hand away and climbed up the tree, where I felt safe. 

“Incomiiiing.” Thud!

Terrified, my body jerked. I lost my balance and plunged to the ground.

“Incoming what?” I screamed.

The funny looking creature had thrown himself face down on the ground and covered his head with his arms.

“A leaf,” he screamed. He sat up and held up the leaf with a big grin on his face.

“You scared me. How could you be so mean?” I said, jumping to my feet.

The creature hung his head and pouted, but he rolled his eyes upwards and peeked at me. I giggled.

 “Fine, I won’t be mad at you. Just tell me how to get home.”

The creature jumped to his feet, stuck out his hand and said:

“Meet to please you.” He was no more than four feet tall.

“What?”

“Meet to please you. Meet…to…plea… Oh, pleased to meet you.”

“But that’s something you say after we tell each other our names.”

“Jimmurai,” he said.

“I want to go home,” I said.

“Ok. You tell me your home, and I’ll tell you how to go name.”

I burst out laughing. “You’re doing it again.”

“Tell me…your…NAME! I’ll tell you how to go …HOME!”

“Leila.”

“Pleased to meet you, Leila,” Jimmurai said, grabbing my hand and shaking it vigorously. “Tree into the climb and tree back out and…

“Stop, Jimmurai!” I said. “You’re not making any sense. Try again.”

“OK…Tree into the…Climb into the tree…and climb back out. You’ll be home. To come back, just climb back in.”

“Thanks. How come I’ve been in the tree a few times already and I never got here before?” I said.

 “I was tree-ing in my sleep...”

“Jimmurai!”  I was totally irritated with him.

“Look, I’ve been… sleeping for decades. I get my words mixed up.  Anyway… I was…sleeping in my…tree. You were able to wake me up because you are trying to tree my save...”

“You mean save your tree?” I interrupted.

 “Yes. Once I was awake I was able to use my magic to bring you here. My weak is still magic and… Sorry, my…magic is still weak. Bringing you here knocked the wind out of me.”

Jimmurai yawned and stretched.

“I am very tired,” he said. “Back you’ll come promise…I mean…Promise you’ll come back.”

Again he yawned, climbed on the oak, stretched out on a thick branch and fell asleep.

I sat on the soft grass and leaned against the trunk. What just happened? Am I dreaming? I can still feel him shaking my hand. I looked down and noticed a mark on the palm of my right hand. It was a rainbow and it was fading. Grandpa had loved rainbows and taught me how they form.  I put my right hand on my heart and smiled, silent tears running down my cheeks.

*******

Grandpa had come to live with us when I was nine because, after Grandma died, he became very lonely.  I looked a lot like Grandma. She had the same silky brown hair and big brown eyes. She had a round face and rosy cheeks, and she was always cheerful and helpful.  So I became Grandpa’s most precious gem.

The day he moved in I was afraid of him. He roared at Dad:

“Will you be careful with my suitcases? I have breakables in them.”

Then he bellowed at Mom:

“Move this chair out of the way. Do you want me to break my head?”

And when Julia dropped a small parcel on the floor he snarled:

“For heaven’s sake, dear child, do be careful with my stuff.”

When he looked at me, I ran to my room and crouched behind my bed. My heart was pounding and my hands were shaking.  He laughed whole heartedly as he walked into my room.

“Look what I have for you Leila,” he said.

Slowly, I crept out of my hiding place. The face, that had looked so angry a minute before, had a big smile.  Grandpa handed me a tiny box.

“I’ve been carrying it in my pocket since Grandma died. She always wore it around her neck.”

I had opened the box and saw the most beautiful locket. Inside were a wedding picture on one side and a picture of an older woman with a rainbow in the background.

 “That’s Grandma and me,” he said. “Grandma had wanted you to have this. She used to take care of you when you were a little baby. By the time you were a toddler you used to follow her around and call her Bibi.  Then, just before your fourth birthday you moved away. Your daddy got transferred and you all came to Michigan. How your Grandma missed you. Oh, I missed you too, but I had to be strong for Grandma.”

I was touched by the gift.

“Grandpa, will you put it on me?”

Grandpa put the locked around my neck. Then with a twinkle in his eye, he said:

“Come, Leila. Help me play a joke on the rest of the family.”

I giggled as we walked back to his room. He picked up a wooden crate with lots of holes on it and placed it on a tall box.

          “This is the new family pet. He is quite harmless, really. Just don’t let him climb on you.” He started to open the crate when Dad blurted out:

          “Stop! What do you have in that crate?”

          “A boa constrictor. Like I said, he is harmless. Unless he climbs on you. In that case he can squeeze you to death.”

          “Dad, you promised me you wouldn’t bring any exotic pets into my home.”  Dad sounded angry.

          I couldn’t to figure out how the rest of the family hadn’t noticed the twinkle in Grandpa’s eyes. But when he lifted the lid off the crate Mom screamed, Julia clutched Mom’s waist so tight they stumbled and crashed into the wall. Dad lunged for the crate, tripped over his feet and knocked the crate and the box over. He stood up, walked around the crate and picked up a long, plush, colorful snake.

*******

I looked up and gazed at a leafy tail swinging back and forth to the rhythm of a soft snore. Jimmurai’s arm was hanging down. Disappointed, I decided to go home. I clambered up the oak and lowered myself in, climbed back up and looked around.  Seeing my home and yard made me feel relieved. I jumped down, scrambled to my room, closed the door and sat on my bay window. My heart was still pounding, and I gawked at the wall in front of me. 

          It was late the next morning when I sauntered in the kitchen. I couldn’t fall asleep the night before thinking of Jimmurai. 

          “Good morning, Mom. Good morning, Julia,” I said.

          “Do either of you want to go shopping with me?” Mom asked.

          “Are you going to the mall?” Julia said, perking up.

          “Which car are you taking, yours or … Dad’s?” I asked.

          “No, I’m not going to the mall, and yes, I’m taking Dad’s car.  You know he won’t take that piece of junk to work.”

          Mom and I glanced at each other and burst into laughter.  Even Julia, who had done nothing but mope around since we moved into the new house, giggled.

          The piece of junk we were laughing about was a 1961 Buick Electra 225. I had no idea what that meant, but it was supposed to have an aqua blue exterior and a white and blue interior. Instead it was mostly rusty on the outside and a discolored gray on the inside. It had needed a new engine which Dad installed a few weeks before, and lots of other new things. Dad had paid very little for the car and he was going to restore it.  I couldn’t understand why he didn’t buy a new car to begin with.

          “You know, girls, the old Buick is the same kind of car Grandpa used to drive when Dad was a little boy. It was very beautiful.  Dad wants to restore this one so that it will look like Grandpa’s.”

          “Mom, can’t you drop me off at the mall and then go shopping?” pleaded Julia.

          “I’m going the opposite direction,” Mom said.

          “Please, Mom. I haven’t seen any of my friends since we moved in. There’s nothing to do here. I’ve been home the whole time. My friends have been hanging out and I’m never with them.”

          Mom smiled.

          “Go get ready Julia,” she said.

          “I’m calling my friends,” Julia screamed as she ran up the stairs two by two. “What time will we be at the mall?”

          “What about you, Leila? Don’t you want to see your friends?”

          I did miss them, but I wanted to see Jimmurai. “Maybe next time, Mom,” I said. I grabbed a breakfast bar and ran out the kitchen door.

Chapter 3                      A New Friend

         

          I approached the oak and caught a glimpse of orange locks hanging from my tree.

          “Hellooo?” I called.

          A young stranger jumped off the tree. Skinny as a noodle and at least a foot taller than me, a red haired lad with a face full of freckles stood in front of me. His eyes were green, his nose thin and straight, and his smile covered half his face.

          “Hi, I’m Sean. I live next door.”

          “And this is my tree,” I said. How am I supposed to visit Jimmurai if he doesn’t leave?

          “I’ve been climbing this tree since I was four years old. Me and my best friend Todd. He used to live here. But two years ago this old couple moved in and they always chased me away. I’d sneak in their yard at dusk thinking they wouldn’t see me. But they must’ve sat at the window to spy on me. Then they’d yell and say they would call the police if I didn’t leave. I missed the old oak. But then I saw you and your sister move in and hoped you wouldn’t chase me away. We could have picnics under the tree like me and Todd used to do. We used to…”

          “Do you ever come up for air?” I interrupted.

          “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to be rude. What’s your name?”

          “I’m Leila. I guess I’ve been rude too. It’s just that this tree has become my hiding place. A picnic, uh?”

          “Me and Todd used to invite our friends and at dusk we would sit by the oak, have a picnic and then tell ghost stories.  We told stories that would…”

          “That’s a great idea! My Mom wants to chop down the tree. But if she sees a bunch of us having fun she might change her mind.”

          “Oh no! This tree has been here forever,” said Sean. He sounded horrified. “My grandpa used to climb it when he was little. Even my dad used to play here. And I have been playing here since I was real little. My whole family grew up with it. It’s very special and…”

          “Oh, don’t worry, I’ll save the tree.” I cut him off, and sat on the grass leaning against the trunk. “Sit down and let’s plan a picnic.”

          It did not seem possible for Sean’s smile to get any bigger. Yet it seemed to have grown to twice its size. He sat right next to me, his legs almost touching mine, and described the neighbors.

          “Miranda and Morgan live across the street from you in the ranch with the horses.  They are shy, but they know how to prepare delicious snacks for a picnic. We need to invite them. Their neighbor, Travis, in the big colonial, is rude and mean and always trying to pick a fight. We don’t want him at our picnic. Ashley, Brian and Colt are the triplets. They are so funny and very friendly, but they waste a lot of time fighting with each other. And Colt is the best story teller ever. We can invite them. Everyone else is …Ouch!! What d’ you do that for?”

I was fidgeting so much I accidentally kicked Sean’s ankle. I wanted to visit Jimmurai and wanted to rid myself of Sean.

“Sorry. It was an accident,” I said jumping to my feet. “It’s just that I, ah…, I need to go home. My mom will be home soon and I have to help her put the groceries away.”

Sean stood up. His smile changed into a frown.

“Do you have to?  I thought we could hang out all morning. I have so many stories I could tell you about this tree.  Did you know that it’s hollow?  My grandpa says it’s magic. He says that someday someone will come along who will …”

“All right, Sean. I’ll stay a little longer. Why does your grandfather think that this tree is magic?”

Sean beamed.

“You can feel the magic, can’t you?” he said.

Could I trust Sean? Should I tell him my secret? His face looked honest, his eyes eager and his smile friendly. And he cared about the tree. Still, I wanted to hear more about my tree before I shared my secret.

“Well, now that you mention it.  But tell me about your grandfather,” I said.

“Grandpa’s best friend used to live in your house. They used to play a lot by this tree. It used to be their favorite hiding place. One day they were both smushed inside, hiding from their parents so they wouldn’t have to go to the dentist. Grandpa told me they were surrounded by mist and transported into another world. They met a fairy there that looked like a tree and his name was…”

“Jimmurai!” I had goose bumps all over my body.

“Leila, you’ve been there, haven’t you?” His eyes and his mouth were wide open and he let his arms dangle to his side as he gaped into my eyes.

“Yeah, I have. Jimmurai is real funny. I was on my way to see him and I was upset to see you here because I didn’t want to tell my secret to anyone.”

“And you mustn’t,” Sean said. “Let’s promise each other that we will never tell anyone. I think we’d put Jimmurai in danger. My gosh, Leila, you woke up the magic!”

“Do you want to meet Jimmurai?”

Before I could finish my question, Sean had climbed into the hollow trunk. I followed him in and we were squashed against each other. Immediately we were surrounded by the green, fragrant mist. It twirled around us, faster and faster. We were floating in the mist, ecstatic and amazed. Slowly the mist dissipated and once again we were squeezed together inside the tree. Sean pushed me up and I sat on a thick branch. He followed and sat next to me and gazed all around.

“Where is he, where is he?” Sean asked.

          I jumped down and found Jimmurai squatting by the tree studying a column of ants making their way to their anthill.

          “Hi, Jimmurai, I brought a friend,” I said. Sean was standing beside me.

          Jimmurai looked up and squealed with joy.

          “Leila, Leila! I’m so here you’re happy!” He leapt to his feet, threw his arms around my neck and rested his head on my shoulder.  “You’re my friend best.”

          Sean’s face disappeared behind his huge smile and wide eyes. He shifted his wait from one foot to the other, but remained speechless

          “You mean your best friend?” I said. “Thanks, Jimmurai. That’s real sweet. But we just met. How can I already be your best friend? Oh, and you’re still talking funny.”

          Jimmurai took a step back and, planting his fists on his hips, stared at me. He had a mischievous smirk on his face.

          “That’s because you are my…only friend.  And I am … happy … you are … here.”

          Sean cleared his throat.

          “I’m Sean, my grandpa used to play with you. He used to come here with his best friend and play with you. He told me all about it. I’ve been climbing into this tree since I was four years old but I’ve never been brought here. I used to try so hard and sometimes I was almost brought here. But my grandfather said that some day someone would come along and…”

          “Does he ever air up for come?”

          “You mean come up for air?” I said. “Sometimes.”

          “Do you remember my grandpa?” Sean asked.

          “I remember two boys who used to play and come with me.”

          “Who used to what?” Sean said.

          “Used to…come and …play…with me,” Jimmurai said.

          “Jimmurai, did you put a rainbow on my hand yesterday?” I asked.

          The tree fairy grinned.

          “Did you like it?” he said.

          “Yes. But, what does it mean?”

          “A long time ago there was a big sky in the rainbow. But when all the asleeps fell fairies, the rainbow disappeared. It has been time for a long gone.” Sean stared at Jimmurai wide eyed and then laughed whole heartedly. Jimmurai hung his head and pouted. We tried to guess his thoughts.

          “Jimmurai, you only need a little practice. Soon you won’t get your words mixed up.  And Sean and I will get used to how you talk and we’ll understand you.”

          Jimmurai looked up and his grin was back.  We sat under the shade of the tree and Jimmurai began his story, with some help from us.

          “Where do I start?’

          “Try the beginning,” Sean answered.

          “In the everything the Great Fairy King made the beginning: all kinds of fairies, and the Great In-between.”

          “Not that far back!” I said.

          “What’s the Great-In-Between, and what were you trying to say about the rainbow? Are there any other fairies?” Sean said.

          “The other sleeping are fairies,” Jimmurai said.  “When no one asleeps in us we fall believe. The gift is a rainbow from a sky fairy…”

          “Stop Jimmurai,” I said. “We can’t understand you.”

          Jimmurai let out a dejected sigh.

“This is going to time a long take.”

“I think you mean: This is going to take a long time. Oh don’t look so sad Jimmurai,” I said.

Suddenly Jimmurai let out a piercing scream.

“Someone is treeing my hurt! Someone is treeing my hurt! Please stop them, stop them, now!”

Sean and I leapt to our feet, climbed up the tree and dove into the hollow trunk. In no time we were sitting on a thick branch looking down into our own world.