Angelica Under the Tulip Tree
Each week in the month of June, I am sharing a flash fiction story in the genre of magical realism. This week’s title is “Angelica Under the Tulip Tree.” I hope you enjoy!
Angelica Under the Tulip Tree
by Megan J. Wheless
“Wish, wish, wish,” the feathery plant called across the gentle breeze to the pollinators.
Wasps dragged their lanky bodies, propelled by papery-thin wings, across the mountain bald. Ants climbed the circular tower of exposed granite and quartz at the base of the rhododendrons whose flowers blazed magenta and orange. All heeding the call. All carrying their wishes inside their tiny bodies.
June on Craggy Mountain was a special time of year. Bright sunshine ushered in the day with rabbits nibbling dandelions and bears foraging for ramps and wild onions. Humid afternoons brought flashes of rain that soaked the hawthorn trees, drenched the tall grasses, and prepared the wild berries for a dazzling late summer debut. And in the golden hour, life strolled forward to stretch itself in the fresh air. It is during this time that the green globes of tiny flowers blossom forth from the wild celery that makes its home under the giant tulip poplar trees along the deer paths. Languid bees, who had first tasted the nectar of the wild herb, were honey-drunk. Their pollen-laden legs bumped across blades of grass or skimmed across pools of shallow water in rock crevices.
Angelica archangelica, filled with an elixir both intoxicating and slightly-poisonous if too much is ingested, cures what ails one with a heavy heart.
The hiker did not know what she had stumbled across when she sat her pack near the base of the tulip poplar tree. Her hips ached from climbing the winding path on her way to the top of the bald. She was nearly there before she decided to take a break in the shade. As she nibbled on trail mix and sipped from a flimsy, plastic water bottle, she noticed an unusual humming noise nearby. She swatted away a few gnats then stood to explore.
She had been hiking and camping in the area alone for two days now. It was the only thing she could think of doing after having lost her job at a high-pressure and high-stakes marketing firm. At forty-one, she never imagined herself single, childless, jobless, and soon to be homeless if she didn’t come up with the couple of thousand dollars for her mortgage.
Scanning the area, she noticed the humming area was the loudest at the base of the tulip tree. "Surely the sound isn't coming from this plant," she said aloud and pressed her ears closed with the tips of her fingers. The "hum" was barely audible this way except for the stress-induced tinnitus she always carried with her from bouts of TMJ and anxiety since childhood.
She unplugged her ears and knelt down next to the pale green flowers that looked like tiny stars in a circular universe. One of the flower balls tickled her nose and she laughed. Recovering from the hearty sneeze that followed, she inhaled the bittersweet fragrance deeply. "I wish I could carry this lovely scent home with me," she said as she leaned in closer and brushed the petals with the back of her hand.
The humming sound grew louder and she felt her chest swell and her lungs felt full. She exhaled through her mouth and tasted a hint of nectar on her tongue.
"Oh!" she exclaimed and braced herself up against the tulip poplar's trunk before daring to look again at the curious herb.
The humming dialed back and she stepped closer to the plant. This time, she put her cheek to the petals and nuzzled up to the plant like a cat. "I wish I could be as soft as you," she whispered.
The crescendo of the hum rang in her ears and made her scalp tingle. She felt an electric current move from the right side of her body and end at her left, leaving behind a ripple of warmth in its wake. Her hips felt freer and her feet lighter, almost as if she was floating above the moss covered ground.
"This is wild," she said as she stretched her arms overhead and arched her back. The wild celery responded in kind and swayed in the gentle breeze that stirred them both.
"What other thing can I wish for?" she asked the plant. She bent her knees and came eye level to the flowers when she saw a fat bumble bee dancing across the blooms.
Without warning, the humming song stopped and the bee flew away.
"You're right. I'm sorry," she said to angelica archangelica. "I am getting greedy. I have no need for another wish. Being here with you is enough."
The plant hummed a low note in agreement.
"What do you wish for?" the woman asked. It seemed like a reasonable thing to ask this giving, living being.
The hum sounded like the white noise of the woman's refrigerator late at night when she was alone in her condo, staring at the ceiling and wondering why her life felt like a dead end.
"Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm," the woman hummed in a shaky voice. "Like this?" she asked the plant and hummed again.
The plant hummed a little louder in encouragement. Before long, she hummed in harmony and began to sway gently with the dance of the wind. The bees returned and so did the wasps. Ants began to circle around her feet. The woman closed her eyes and continued to hum. Her voice knew what to do. She began to slowly circle her hips. Her body knew what to do. And she silently thanked the wild celery, angelica archangelica, for reminding her heart what it needed to do. And together, along with the bees, the ants, and the wasps, they hummed their heart song and let the soft, gentle rain that began to fall, wash over them.