Helen can’t identify the strange sonorous sounds coming from outside. Usually in her little corner of the world, the loudest noise early in the morning is the red squirrels arguing with each other as they sit on branches, trees apart.
But this sound is unfamiliar, not the high-pitched shrill squirrel bickering she’s used to. Helen runs out the front door, the spring rain falling on her as she instinctively looks upward. A strange looking plane is overhead. Old-fashioned propellers make a swishing sound, yet the beautiful light blue body is sleek. Helen notices the glint of sun on the front, which of course isn’t possible because it’s raining. But no – there, on the left horizon, blue sky emerges, along with an impossibly bright rainbow.
The plane is close enough that she sees a door open from the belly of the plane. A belly door? Whatever, something soft and white flows out of this opening – a lot of somethings. A few float down toward her, and the flying object moves on south, toward the part of town that is more congested with neighborhoods and storefronts.
By now, the sun is shining brightly as if rain never existed, as if squirrels never bicker and as if life is easy and enjoyable. With a sigh, Helen turns back toward her tiny cabin in the woods.
Her friends call her Henrietta T (a take-off of Henry David Thoreau) because of her desire to live alone in the woods, to live a simple life, to not depend on anyone, and to earn a meager existence from her writing.
She thinks of herself more as Louisa May Alcott of Little Women fame than Henry. Like Louisa, Helen chooses to be single and to live by her words. That said, she sometimes yearns for a soul mate, but has decided that none exists.
One of the leaflets, for that’s what seems to have floated down like white handkerchiefs, has fallen into her row of pink tulips that she planted last fall. She plants her feet firmly in front of her, dismayed at this act of litter.
“Who, now, is supposed to pick up all of this trash? Henrietta T, of course,” she mutters, charging toward the paper, grabbing it with a ferocity that surprises her. Can’t she just be left alone? Can’t the world just leave her alone?
But she might as well see what the leaflet is selling. A new restaurant opening? A coupon for a six-pack of beer? Her skepticism shrouds her like a shadow. Helen opens the wrinkled soft paper and reads:
Helen falls to her knees, allowing the tears to roll down her face like a salvation. Alcott’s quote opens her like the tulips in her garden, whose pedals joyfully greet the sun.
Perhaps she should try to be more like a tulip, and less like a bickering squirrel.
A message from the sky! This is a character that would be worth developing. xo
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Yes, I like Helen and would like to meet her on my walks around Walden Pond. 🙂
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A story with a moral
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Thanks, Derrick. I think most good stories do have a moral, subtle as they may be.
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Beautiful, Pam! I saw this like a movie in my mind.
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Oh, I’m so glad. And I could see Saoirse Ronan play the part of Helen as she played “Jo” so well in the latest Little Women film. ❤
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Let me know when the contract’s signed! 😀
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😉
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I think I’d like to know more about Helen. Great story, Pam! xo
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Thanks, Jill. Yes, I think Helen is a complex, fascinating woman.
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I loved the story, Pam. I kept thinking about Earth Day as I read about Henrietta T. in the woods, in her own small cabin, surrounded by trees and flowers and rain and rainbows. Thanks for sharing.
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Henry David Thoreau was the first true believer and American writer about taking care of our amazing Earth and Mother Nature. And Louisa May Alcott loved Henry, so yes, I think this story does have deep roots in Earth Day (how’s that for a great pun/metaphor?) 🙂
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Excellent pun! 🙂 I need to go back and read books by both Alcott and Thoreau.
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Thoreau is best in short segments. His words are inspirational but they are written in the verbiage of his time. But just reading his quotes found around here in bookstores and on bumper stickers inspires. 😚
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Beautiful, Pam! And so fitting for Earth Day. 🙂
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May every day be Earth Day and may we always be worthy of love. 💕
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❤️
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Be a tulip, not a squirrel. And so with that message safely lodged in my mind I shall go forth and bloom. Happy Friday, Pam.
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Smiling. Not that we are denigrating squirrels of course. I have become great friends with some of them in our yard. As long as they stay away from my tulips!!!
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Nice story Pam and sadly I relate too well with Henrietta, living my comfortable, isolated life having given up on love and dreams. Maybe a fairy will drop a love note on my patio? 😃
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Consider me the fairy and the note what you read in my story. Done. Now go find your dreams. 🙃🌷🙏😘
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LOL. You spoiled my excuses! 😜
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A great lesson, Pamela. Thank you.
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I think you and I know the importance of opening up to others but a little reminder in a story is never a bad idea. I hope Helen finds her way. 🌷🧡
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I hope Helen finds her way too.
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Great story!!! I love the ending, but I was held spellbound to the finish…wondering about these messengers. I love the way you said her heart should open more like a tulip. Tulips are such beautiful flowers…even when they wilt, they are lovely still.
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What a heartfelt and lovely comment, Linda. I think we perhaps get messages all around us, even if they don’t come in flying leaflets, telling us to open our hearts like a tulip. 🌷
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You are so right! The messages are there all the time…we just have to be open to them! 🙂
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I could see the magic through your words Pam… a lovely message for reigniting dead dreams. You never cease to charm with your stories. Love and hugs.
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Your words always lift me up, Balroop. 🙏 So the next question is – what makes love worthy, or what makes us worthy of love? Hmmm, one idea is kindness, empathy, and compassion to all. 💜
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You do have a way with words! Lovely!
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Awww, thanks so much Billy Ray. That means a lot coming from another Warrior. 🙏☺️
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🙂
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As always Pam you had me on the edge of my seat wondering what the leaflet would say. A great message for all of us.
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I would be like Helen and very annoyed at the litter from the pamphlets. As the writer of this story I was surprised to find out that they had a strong message for all of us. Thanks of course to Louisa May Alcott. ❤️
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I read that Louise May Alcott didn’t want to write LIttle Women but was forced into it by her publisher because her more radical ideas about a book wouldn’t see. I enjoyed this post, Pam, and remembering this bit of trivial information.
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Thanks so much Robbie. Not sure where the story came from in my head but as soon as I “saw” the pamphlets coming out of the plane I thought of Alcott and Thoreau. Weird! Yes Louisa May liked her stories of fantasy and danger but the publisher wanted her to write about something she knew. Her family. Worked out well! 😊
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Thanks for sending missives from over the rainbow today. (Better than a fortune cookie cliche with tiny truths.}
Not long ago, PBS did a special on Alcott’s life. This from her early writings: “My bird fluttered on the threshold of its cage, but Love lured it back, for its gentle mission was not yet fulfilled.” Not sure what this quote actually means, but obviously this bird will never bother with a bickering squirrel. Maybe it’s a trilling bird, thrilled at the tulip she beholds.
May this be a good day with a fabulous weekend ahead, Pam!
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Interesting quote. I guess good quotes make us think and wonder about the meaning. 🤓I have visited the “Orchard House” – where Louisa May lived with her family and wrote her books – many times. She inspires me! 🌷
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Very sweet, and hopeful.
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Tulips show us how to open up! 🌷
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Very good analogy.
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A very poetic story, Pam — and quite visual too. Hugs on the wing.
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Since you are a master of visual storytelling, Teagan. I thank you much for the writing compliment!
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Great story, Pam! 🙂 Sharing… xo
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Thanks for sharing, Bette. I imagine your tulips are just starting to bloom in Maine. I took the photos here of tulips from our recent visit to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square PA where there are acres of them!. 🙂
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Daffodils and violets are in full bloom! ❤ Tulip buds are growing taller each day… Blooms will soon be on the way! Happy Spring! xoxoxo
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YAY!
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Lovely, Pam. Yes, we should try to show our best side (tulips) instead of our worst (bickering squirrels). At first, I thought you were going for humor. It struck me funny if someone would actually go to all that trouble for a coupon for a six-pack of beer. As if she were expecting a note from her Prince Charming.
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That’s what’s fun about flash fiction. A reader (and in truth, the writer too) never knows WHERE the tale will lead. I’m quite thankful the flyers weren’t for something banal, like beer. 🙂
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You did it again, Pam, with the unexpected ending. Haha, knowing your writing, I tried not to guess!! Good job! I liked the tulips!
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Smiling. Yes, unexpected endings are the best. A lot like life, day by day, so many unexpected things that fall from the sky (or in our mind, or from an e-mail, or a call from a friend, or…) 🙂
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Haha, I can add a lot more to your list, Pam. 🙂
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Beautiful message that hit its target.
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Thanks, Dennis. Thankfully the flyer/message hit the target – Helen’s heart – and not her tulips! 🙂
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Great story, Pam, with a moral Louisa would be proud of.
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You couldn’t give me a greater compliment, Mary. Louisa May Alcott is one of my idols. And at times, a mentor when I listen to the whisperings as I write. ❤
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Lovely story but like her, the litter bothers me! Umm, is that Lincoln from Anneli’s backyard, doing a cameo?
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Oh, you made me laugh out loud! You noticed! Yes, it’s Anneli’s Lincoln, but we can’t let him know we called him a “bickering squirrel.” He could take offense. https://wordsfromanneli.com/2020/02/29/leaping-lincoln/
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Hehee. I’ve come to appreciate Lincoln.
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What a wonderful story with a proper message. I’m with Merril. I could easily see this as the opening of a movie where it goes back to tell us how she ended up there and where she goes (or not) from there!
More, please 🙂
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Helen seems to be a woman/character who many of us connect with in some visceral way. SO interesting. I’m keeping her in my writing arsenal! Yes, her story, past and future, could be quite fascinating I believe…. ❤
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Yes she is! Isn’t that grand when it happens? You must definitely keep her in your arsenal 🙂
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I enjoyed your story, Pam, and the upbeat message. Thank you, and happy writing, my friend.
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Thank you, Jet. Writing DOES make me happy, for sure, as well as fields of tulips. And planes if they send fanciful worthwhile messages like this one…. 🙂
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Tiptoe through the tulips . . . with squirrels!
Happy Earth Day!
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For those who live through winter, tulips are HOPE in pink, red, and yellow all over. 🙂 To Earth Day – everyday. ❤
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Love the tulips in your masthead!
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I took that photo walking around the neighborhood. Tulips bring a smile to EVERYONE’S face around here. 🙂
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This story made me think of an Emily Dickinson poem:
“A word is dead, when it is said
Some say –
I say it just begins to live
That day.”
Thanks to somebody in that strange little blue plane, Louisa May Alcott’s word lives on. 🌷
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Ohhh, Barbara. THANK you for sharing Emily’s poem. You are such a wonderful being! I must admit that I didn’t know that poem. Now it’s printed and on my writing table. Louisa certainly would agree with its sentiment. ❤
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You’re welcome, Pam! I’m so glad the poem resonated with you as I imagine most writers would appreciate its thought. 💙
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A lovely spring story, Pam. I guess there is hope for love for Helen, not quite the recluse she believes herself to be. And though those bickering squirrels can be quite entertaining, I wouldn’t want to be one. Loved this. 😀
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I felt badly about calling out the squirrels for bickering, but they really do squabble early in the morning. I want to call out to them “Relax and smell the tulips!” 🙂
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Ha ha. Our hummingbirds squabble more than the squirrels!
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Oh, for sure. Once our hummingbirds arrive (hoping within the week) we watch their downright ferocious fights. Jeez, talk about possessiveness over a feeder! I think the squirrels squabble just to hear their own voices. 🙂
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I already love Helen and I’d love to know more of her story before and after the strange delivery from the sky!
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Helen seems to have touched a chord with a lot of readers. I think there’s a lot of her in us, the introverted ones, who go between enjoying our alone time, and yet needing the company of others — or at least one special other. ❤
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Beautiful words strung together making absolute sense…
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Thank you so much. Just visited your fun blog – keep it going!
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😍😍awwn! Thanks a lot!
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Lovely 😍😍😍
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Well done. 🙂
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xo THANKS.
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Hi Pam, I really enjoyed this. I felt Helen’s emotions as she read the paper from the sky. What a great mix of supernatural and human emotion. 🙂
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I seem to enjoy including both emotions and some supernatural within a lot of my stories (magical realism?) . But from my perspective, we LIVE with those two elements every day. ;-0 🙂
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I think you may be right, Pam. The older I get, the more I believe in that. 🙂
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Pam, you will have us all looking up into the sky for a mysterious plane delivering a flurry of heartfelt notes of wisdom! 😀 I’m deeply intrigued by Helen and for me, there is SO much more I want to know about her, the life she led earlier, what led her to her reclusive existence and what effect the note will have upon her future! As always a joy to read and you leave me wanting much more! Hope you’re having a lovely week, my dear friend! hugs xx ❤️
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I’m kind of hoping for the mysterious plane myself. And I’m going to keep trekkingin the woods to look for Helen. When I find her, I’ll ask about “the rest of her story.” 🙂
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You always manage to hit a nerve with your incredible stories. I loved and felt this one. It’s interesting what makes a person shut themselves off from any chance at love and happiness. I read this yesterday, wandered off to do a bit of research on something I read here and got lost. Second reading today and I love it even more.
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Marlene, you know just the right words to say to a writer. THANK you. I love this character, Helen, and I’m going to keep her in my repertoire and perhaps focus on her more in future stories. So interesting to me how many of my readers here related to Helen. I think there’s a bit of her in each of us. ❤
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Helen is a star. This could be a great story! What else is new, lol 🙂 xx
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At this pace, to finish all the stories I’ve begun, I better live until I’m 120! 🙂 Thanks, Deb.
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I hope you do 🙂
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The day very joyful when the squirrels starting the new day at every morning. I don’t see red squirrel at here my place but there are gray squirrels. They are really fun. I feel so good everytime I saw them.
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Gray squirrels are much more civil than the smaller red squirrel, which can act quite crazy and chase the bigger gray squirrel for seeming no reason at all. 🙂
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After all, the squirrels are truly amazing
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