by Helen Fox
“How come you have retired, Wilfred? Have you been in poor health?” Gaspar asked his question in a deep tone of concern to hide his disappointment. A young new leader might not fall for his scheme. It was possible he’d heard Wilfred talk about Gaspar’s devious past, and would be wary of him. Shame, for it had been going so well.
“No mate,” Wilfred replied, “I’m as fit as a fiddle. Hugo is a good son, but I still guide him and I’m certain he will be a sensible and fair leader to our people.”
Eighteen
Gaspar was about to carry on, when two young wood flies pushed their way through the crowd and came running in, crying and gasping for breath.
“What is it, children?” Wilfred looked concerned. “Get your breath back and then tell me.”
“Hugo was cruel to our fathers,” one of them cried between sobs. “They were having a spat, a disagreement really, when Hugo rushed at them and threw them in a deep muddy puddle. They nearly drowned. When they were able to stand on their feet, he ordered one of his men to lock them up in the detention hollow. Why? They did no wrong. It is very unfair,” both children cried and ran out.
Heads shook with disapproval, and muffled whisperings spread across the crowds of wood flies but died down sharply. Dead silence followed and all heads turned as one towards the voices that were approaching. The crowds shifted back as a young wood fly who carried himself in a dignified way and some three others who trailed behind him walked in.
“The children were upset, Hugo,” Wilfred said in a deep grave voice. “You were cruel to their fathers. Is that so?”
“I wasn’t cruel. I split them up before they came to blows. They slipped in the mud. I sent them to the detention hollow because we need to set examples for our children,” Hugo retorted.
Wilfred shook his head. He didn’t look happy. He shuffled his body into a more comfortable position and turned to Gaspar. “This is Hugo, my eldest son,” he said. “The other three are my younger ones.”
Hugo walked slowly and stood in the middle of the crowd. He was tall, lean and handsome. His sharp and intelligent eyes turned from his people and came to rest on the grasshopper.
“Me and your father go back a long time,” Gaspar said, beaming at him. “Pleased, to meet you Hugo. I was speaking to your...”
“No need to repeat yourself, grasshopper,” Hugo said, cutting him off bluntly. “Me and my brothers were very close and heard it all to the end.” Then Hugo, arms behind his back took a few paces forward to face Gaspar and for a long second his eyes held him in a curious searching stare.
“That’s it, I was right,” Gaspar thought to himself. “This smug young wood fly will ruin my plan or worse, kick me out.” But to his great relief, Hugo looked away and in a formal voice, he said. “Now, grasshopper, tell us why you’re here. Are you seeking revenge on the spider, or you’re aiming at something else?”
Gaspar drew air through his nose to stop it running, and with an air of confidence he said, “I’ll gain nothing by seeking revenge, though I feel bitter cause her cruel remarks about the grasshopper world and the wood fly population were totally unfair. Like your father, I strongly believe somebody should tell the spider that. As to what I’m aiming at, it’s nothing big, just a small corner in the beautiful land of Blossom Valley where me and my men can live a peaceful life with the wood fly population as our good neighbours. But In a scornful manner the spider has made it clear she won’t allow wood flies or grasshoppers on her private land. So there’s no other way but to move in by force.”
Wilfred shuddered. “You mean go to war with the creatures of Blossom Valley?”
“You’re putting words in my mouth, mate,” Gaspar protested. “I never said war, cause that’s an ugly word. You go to war when there’s an enemy to wipe out. There’s no enemy in Blossom Valley, only a handful of creatures. I went there on a scouting mission, didn’t I? I said by force, cause that’s the only way to get what you want. Humans do it all the time.”
“We’re not humans,” Wilfred argued. “We’re wood flies, and a peaceful sort, I’ll have you know. Violence doesn’t solve problems. It brings disaster, suffering and pain.”
“Father, listen to me. If we chose to settle in a place where rabbits, hares and moles burrowed, bees, wasps and birds nested, would any of those creatures turn us away? Did the birds of Blossom Valley ask permission to nest there? Did the squirrels, hares, rabbits, the ants and any sort of bugs, ask the spider’s permission to walk, hop or crawl on the land of Blossom Valley? I’m certain they didn’t. So why can’t we do the same?”
“Cause,” Gaspar blurted in, “the spider doesn’t want the wood flies or the grasshoppers on her land.”
Hugo’s eyes flashed with anger. He stood bold upright and raised his voice to be heard across the clearing and beyond. “Discriminating between creatures is cruel and should not happen in a free world. I believe it’s time we brought pride to the wood fly world and told the spider we’re equal to any of them and don’t deserve her hostility and contempt.”
“Slow down, slow down son,” Wilfred shouted. “You’re young and overwhelmed with pride and ambition. We’re not seeking revenge here. We never have. Revenge leads to conflict, to death, to distraction and misery. Besides, there’re our people to think of, our women, the young ones and the elderly. The safety of our people comes first and you’ll do well to remember that, Hugo.”
“I am young yes, and I am ambitious, but I am not foolish. I will not be seeking revenge, father, I’ll be claiming my people’s rights.”
Wilfred struggled to stand on his feet and shouted. “Enough! Proper decisions can’t be made when the soul isn’t calm or the mind clear. We’ll continue tomorrow when tempers have soothed. I have half a mind to go to Blossom Valley myself and talk to the spider. Have a peaceful argument.”
“Never,” Hugo shouted. “Where is your pride, father? We are not going to plead with the spider to take us in. This is a new world we live in now, father, not the good all days you and your cronies have known.”
“I can go,” Gaspar offered eagerly. “I’ll have no problem pleading with her. In fact it would be better if I did, cause I’ve already seen and spoken to her.”
“No, grasshopper,” Hugo said sharply. “We don’t need a representative.”
Gaspar was hurt but tried hard not to show it.
“I haven’t been beaten yet,” he thought. “My scheme hasn’t totally collapsed. It has roused this stubborn young leader. It has driven him to rage. Rage leads to revenge and revenge will lead Hugo to Blossom Valley. All is not lost.”
“Before I bid you good day,” Gaspar said with a tone of flattery in his voice, “I want you to know that I admire you, Hugo. You are what a great leader should be. Whatever decision you make, bear in mind that me and my men will be glad to support you.”
“I don’t need your flattery, grasshopper, and neither do I need your support,” Hugo said sharply. “A handful of untrained grasshoppers would present problems instead of offering support. But thanks,” Hugo concluded and walked away.
Neither Gaspar nor the wood flies were aware that all this time Swift, the scout bird, had been hiding in the old oak tree and was about to fly to Blossom Valley to report all that had taken place. But when he spotted Gaspar in conversation with Rosa a few yards away from the old oak tree he carefully flew down, hid inside a cluster of thick grass, and listened to all that went on.
***
“What the hell are you doing here? Have you been following me?” Gaspar was fuming. “I told you I’d come and find you if I had news. Actually I was on my way to do just that.”
“Were you now?” Rosa said, laughing sarcastically. “Then I saved you the journey. I came out to look for you and, lo and behold, where do I find you? So the wood flies are the powerful friends you talked to me about, are they?”
Fur
y welled up inside Gaspar. He leapt at her and grabbed her neck. “You’ve been spying on me Rosa,” he growled and tightened his grip. “I won’t have that. I told you to be a good girl and wait. Why have you been spying on me? Tell me or I’ll throttle you.”
“Try and I’ll scream my head off. The wood flies will pour out and I’ll tell them who you really are. Look, look, they’re coming.”
As Gaspar turned round to look, his grip on Rosa loosened and she got away. She heard Gaspar say in a rasping voice, “I’ll get you Rosa, I swear l will.”
Rosa waited until all was quiet, and cautiously crawled towards the old oak tree. She hadn’t gone far, when she bumped into a large number of wood flies feeding on some decayed plant roots. “Which one of you is Hugo?” she asked in a husky whisper.
“Who wants to know?” Hugo asked, shooting Rosa a frosty look.
“I’m Rosa, and I’ve come to warn you not to trust the grasshopper. He is a scheming, conniving creature and everything he has told you is a lie. I’ve lived in Blossom Valley for a very long time and I know how things work there. I can help you get inside the valley without conflict and loss of life. I know of a good and tested way but I can only reveal it to the leader.”
Rosa moved slowly away and Hugo followed her into the thick foliage of the elder tree, and listened to what she had to say.
When Hugo went back to his feeding and Rosa flew away, Swift sped off for Blossom Valley.
***
Gaspar was restless. A niggling feeling was telling him that Rosa was up to something, and he needed to find out what it was. He took Dug, the one eyed grasshopper, and another two and went out searching for her. Gaspar’s instinct told him to try Penny Clearing first. His instinct proved to be right. Rosa was there. Her head stuck out from the grass blades, quite close to the old oak tree.
“Hello, my lovely,” Gaspar said with a beastly grin on his face. “Fancy finding you here! Were you planning to visit the wood flies?”
“No I wasn’t,” Rosa replied. “I went on a long flight and I was having a rest. Is that a crime?”
“Too many lies, Rosa, too many lies,” Gaspar grunted. “But they’re ending here. Put her in the wire cage, fellas, and bolt it securely. Leave the cage on the banks of Penny River. Soon the water will carry her downstream and out into the ocean.”
“Gaspar, don’t do this to me. I’m begging you. I promise I’ll do as you tell me. Please!” Rosa cried.
The grasshopper turned his back and leapt away.
Rosa started screaming, crying and banging her head against the cage walls. “He promised me a life of luxury in Blossom Valley and look at me now! Caged like a rat in a trap. Be warned! He’ll do the same to you. He’ll get rid of you, mark my words. What has he given you all the years you’ve been serving him, doing the dirty work for him? Nothing but misery, look at you! Don’t you think you deserve better? This new scheme of his will fail, I’m sure it will. He’ll be hurt and he’ll turn nasty towards you. Get rid of him and start a new life as far away from him as possible.”
“She’s right,” Dug whispered to the other two. “We must put an end to this miserable life of ours, be free of him, go where we want and do as we please. We can stick together or go our separate ways. Let her out, fellas, bring the cage here. The boss is bound to come and see that the job has been done. When I raise my right arm to scratch my brow, we’ll surround him, get hold of him and force him in the cage. No second thoughts, no sentiments. Agreed?”
“Hello, fellas,” Gaspar called in a crisp, chirpy voice. “Job’s done?”
“We’ve always obeyed your orders boss, haven’t we?” Dug replied, and raised his right arm.
All three grabbed Gaspar and pushed him into the cage.
“What’s your game, fellas? Surely this is a joke. You’re having a laugh, aren’t you? Now let me out.”
“We should have done this a long time ago,” said Dug. “We’d still be your slaves if it weren’t for that ladybird.”
“What? You set her free?” Gaspar growled.
“Yes, boss,” said Dug. “She’s free and at long last we’ll be free too! Free from you and your schemes!” He held the cage tightly in his hand and hurled it into the river. The swift current carried the cage downstream and out of sight.
Nineteen
Plato had been in Penny Wood a few minutes and was looking forward to a peaceful nap on his tree top when he picked up the message from Swift summoning him to Blossom Valley and gathered that Swift must be bringing news from the wood flies. He ruffled his feathers, flapped his wings and took off. Thelma and George were waiting for him.
Before long Swift joined them, briefly nodded his head in greeting, and without much ado started to report all he had heard up in the old oak tree.
After Swift had finished, Plato, who’d been listening carefully, spoke in a plain voice. “It is clear the wood flies were angered by the grasshopper’s lie that Blossom Valley refuses to allow foul creatures such as them on their land. I believe the wood flies, could live with this, for they are not an easily offended sort of creatures nor are they vindictive enough to mount an invasion of Blossom Valley. But along comes Hugo, the young wood fly leader who gripped by enthusiasm and pride, visualises himself as a great military figure leading his men against Blossom Valley. He sees himself and his people settled in the magical gardens - as the grasshopper described them–and he, a celebrated hero flying amongst the graceful butterflies. To keep his dream alive he has to act fast, for fear the enthusiasm of his people might wear off, or us be alerted.”
Thelma jumped to her feet. “We must start preparing Blossom Valley for an imminent invasion, for this young Hugo is driven by passion and madness to get what he wants and could cause us unimaginable pain. The wood flies must, I repeat, must be prevented from getting inside the Valley.”
“Thelma is right,” Plato said to George. “We have no time to lose. I want you to be by my side at all times. Being a night bird, my vision is weak in the day, so you will be my second in command, as they say in the military world.” Then, turning to Swift, he said.
“Good work, Swift! Thank you. Before you’re off, find the blackbird, sparrow and crow flock leaders and tell them I’ll be meeting them on Thistle Hill by the black rock before sundown. If they want to know the reason, you’re free to tell them.
“I’ll do that, Plato,” said Swift, “but before I go, there’re things that took place outside Penny Clearing you need to hear.” He told them in detail about the brawl between Gaspar and Rosa, and her meeting with Hugo.
“Yesterday, quite by chance,” Swift carried on, “I spotted three grasshoppers pushing Rosa into a wire cage and Gaspar watching from close by. When Gaspar had left, Rosa managed to turn the three grasshoppers against their boss by saying, amongst other things, that his scheme with the wood flies would fail and their life would be as miserable as before. They believed her and set her free. Her words must have fuelled their anger and ignited some spark of freedom inside them, for when Gaspar came to check that the job had been done, they locked him in the cage and threw it in the river. I thought you needed to know,” he said then disappeared into the clouds.
“I’m glad the grasshopper is out of the way, but Rosa is alive,” Thelma said with a sigh.
“Hugo must have laughed at Rosa’s sleeping weed plan, Thelma,” Plato said with some amusement in his voice. “He wants invasion and conflict, to show off his leadership and heroism. Hugo is itching for glory. His egoism would never allow a meagre ladybird to win his battle and anyway, they’ d be needing tons of sleeping weed to put our birds and the entire valley to sleep, and they couldn’t get tons out of the small sleeping weed Rosa knows of. Now, Thelma, put Rosa out of your mind and turn your thoughts away from your fears. Put on a brave face and talk to the creatures inside the valley. Remember, creatures can pick up on your anxiet
y. Tell Tawny Owl to have her team on standby. The first aid tent must be sited by the gate. She’ll know the rest and, Thelma, it is going to be alright, trust me.”
Conti was the first to be told. “Oh my! Oh my! The wood flies are coming!” He burst into a wild croak and began diving in and out of the water like a demented frog.
“Stop it, Conti!” Thelma shouted. “There’s no need to be alarmed.”
“I’m not alarmed,” Conti spluttered, “I’m excited. Oh my! Oh my!”
The rest of the creatures were neither excited nor afraid. Only Speedo had something to say. “I’ll be alright myself cause I’ll scoot into my shell and stay there, but what’s going to happen to the ants, Thelma?”
“You don’t have to worry about them, Speedo. They’ll be safe in their underground chambers. Everything will be okay.”
***
Meanwhile, the bird leaders flew to Thistle Hill to find Plato waiting for them.
“Gentlemen,” he said with a solemn expression on his face, “I trust Swift has told you about the disturbing situation we might have to face. I presume you’ll want to refresh on air defence...”
“No need for that, Owl,” the blackbird leader replied with a touchy note in his voice. “We are well trained and always prepared to face a sky enemy, and that, as you may know, can happen quite often across the skies.”
“I didn’t mean you might lack skill. Please don’t take offence,” Plato said timidly.
“Being a night bird, I miss most activities that take place across the skies during the day.”
