October 6, 2014 - The Tale of the Fall Leaves

There once was a peapod pixie who was unhappy being a peapod pixie, and as everyone knows, this is a bit odd because peapod pixies are generally a happy-go-lucky lot.  But this particular pixie was bored spending the majority of her time amid her green peas.  She did not enjoy outsmarting dragons as her cousin did in the oft-quoted Ballad of the Peapod Pixie, as she found them to be rather long winded.

What this pixie wanted was adventure and travel, but how can you have that when you aren’t much bigger than a pea?  So one day she hopped out of her pod and landed on the ground next to a very large boulder, which turned out to be an acorn, but that’s how the world looks when you’re a peapod pixie.  This was no ordinary acorn, though, as it belonged to Old Jack, who had magicked it long ago to keep guard in the forest as he went about his business in the meadows, with fall being the busiest time of year for him.  Not knowing it was a magic acorn, the peapod pixie leaned right up against it to take a rest.

“Excuse me?!” said the acorn.

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry,” responded the peapod pixie, “I didn’t know you were . . . something.”

“Well, I am something.”

“Indeed you are, sir,” she said, “and I am so pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Well, you know how acorns are, what with holding entire forests within themselves, and this acorn was no exception.  He puffed himself up with pride and introduced himself, explaining his most important job working with Old Jack.  The peapod pixie was very impressed, and soon the two of them became friends and talked on and on.  She told him of her dilemma, of no longer wanting to be just a peapod pixie.

The magical fall leaves.

“I might be able to help with that,” said the acorn, with an air of self-importance.

“How so?” asked the pixie.

“Well, it just so happens that I know a little magic myself, and I might be able to send you on an adventure.”
“Oh, would you??” she exclaimed.  “But how?”

The acorn didn’t want to admit that he didn’t really know, so he puffed himself up large and jumped on her, thinking that might spread some of his magic.  But after he rolled away, he couldn’t find her anywhere.

“Pixie!  Pixie!  Where are you??”

“What do you mean?” she asked, “I’m right here.”

“Uh oh,” he said.

“Uh oh, what?!?’

“Well, I’m afraid you’re a green leaf now,” he said.

“A leaf?  You must change me back at once!” she yelled.

“I don’t know how.”

Just then Old Jack came up and grabbed the acorn and asked if he had anything to report, and the acorn only mumbled noncommittally.  So he stuffed the acorn in his pocket and hopped away, busy as always.

The peapod pixie was beside herself not knowing what to do.  Now she was just a little green leaf, and she surely did miss her peapod.  Just as she was about to give up, a cardinal hopped by and said hello.  Apparently, he could see that she was no ordinary leaf, but a magic peapod pixie leaf.  He bumped into her a bit, and lo and behold!  A part of her turned red!  Surprised, the cardinal flew away.

“Oh, no.  Now what?  Now I am a green and red leaf!  What next?” she thought.  She didn’t have to wait long when a parakeet stopped by.  He came to investigate the red leaf, but when he touched it, part of it turned yellow!  Off he flew in a hurry with the pixie feeling more confused than ever.  But before she could even think, an orange tabby cat walked by her, rustling against her.  Instantly, part of her turned orange!  Then a chestnut fell on her and part of her turned brown!

Now the pixie was green and red and yellow and orange and brown.  She was certainly unique and was afraid she would standout too much.  She didn’t have much time to think of that, though, because just then Nature gave her secret call to all the creatures of the woods as she always does at the change of seasons.  On command, the wind picked up and blew the colorful leaf all over the place.  She was bursting with Prana at this point, as all the forest creatures were when answering Nature’s call.

And suddenly she had an idea.  She swarmed around every leaf she could find, and as she did, they each turned brilliant colors just like her.  She flew and flew, brought everywhere by the wind who was intrigued with her new ability, and before long, all the leaves of the forest were brilliantly colored just like her.

Nature looked everything over and was very pleased with what she saw because she loves extravagance.  She liked pixies who took initiative and used the Prana in new ways.  So she decreed that every fall, all leaves on the trees would take on these new and brilliant colors, led by the whirling peapod pixie, who was now permanently a leaf pixie.

And it has been that way ever since.  Whenever you see a particularly brilliant fall leaf whirling about in a circle, you can be certain that it is the once-peapod pixie making her rounds to all the trees, announcing the autumn change wherever she goes.