Just another WordPress.com site

Posts tagged ‘nature’

A Future Garden

By Rachel H Grant

The trees moved in time to the music of the city. The moan of car engines, the shriek of seagulls, and anonymous voices on the wind, laughing, crying, the teasing tone of life.

They held hands in silence. It felt so good to breathe in the pure vitality of nature, the kiss of the sun on their cheeks.

Finally Mark spoke. “They will never destroy this park. It is our heritage.”

Gilly squeezed his hand tighter. “You haven’t heard of the plans then …”

“Oh, I’ve heard of them all right,” scoffed Mark with a humourless grin. “But it will not happen. No, this park will survive us all.”

They rose as one. Leaving the park, they did not notice the rot at the foot of the trees, their lower leaves yellow, their life force slowly leaking away …

A cold wind rustled through their branches, snatching the dying leaves, whispering of cruel decay.

Two wide tress with leafy branches extending up and down to the earth
Image by Joe from Pixabay

**

Mark and Gilly, their wrinkled hands closely entwined, surveyed the scene with amusement.

“Didn’t I say, all those decades ago, that the park would survive us all?” Mark had a twinkle in his eye.

“Yes, but you hardly meant like this…” Gilly gestured at the scene before them.

In the twilight chill a large crowd had gathered on Union Street, facing Aberdeen’s civic square in eager anticipation. Before them, on a makeshift platform at the edge of the square, the City Provost smiled down. “Tonight,” he proclaimed with fire in his voice, “we see the resurrection of a piece of this great city’s history. This will be a night to remember – I assure you all that you will not be disappointed. As many of you know, 50 years ago we built a civic square on the site of a former city garden. Today we have a world class civic square to be proud of. A unique design featuring a variety of innovative features, our civic space quickly became the envy of the world. During the first five years following its completion, Aberdeen’s tourist trade increased one hundred fold. Internationally acclaimed, our civic square acted as a magnet to the world. No state visit to the UK was complete without a day in Aberdeen. And this continues to this current day, although now our country is covered with replica civic squares. As city trees began to die of an infamous but as yet unidentified disease, it was a natural and easy decision to replace urban green spaces with concrete public areas. Yes, Aberdeen became the pioneer of our times…

“But enough of history. Why are we here this crisp Autumn evening? Of course you all know … But humour me, because I like the sound of my own voice, and I want to tell you anyway! When we decided to mark the occasion of the Square’s fiftieth anniversary, we thought long and hard, but slowly the answer became obvious. We looked through our archives and were enthralled by the beauty of the former Union Terrace Gardens. With cutting technology on our side, we decided to recreate Union Terrace Gardens in all its glory. Yes in 3D technicolour, computer graphic imagery of the majestic trees and the bowl shape of the garden, will reign supreme each night in Aberdeen. So we will have a civic square by day, and a city garden by night … I am so excited, so without further ado I now switch on the new Aberdeen city gardens!”

A sigh rose from the crowd as a magical silver night-time garden appeared before them. “Is this what you hoped it would be?” murmured Gilly.

“Better,” said Mark with his eyes transfixed. “It is so long since there has been a tree anywhere in this city … I had almost forgotten what they looked like. But this … although not real, so so beautiful. Yes, in the end, the gardens lived on. As I always said they would.”

Behind the couple two men slid away.

“So what do you make of it?” asked the taller, hooded man.

“Very impressive. Everyone will want one. A virtual garden. All the countless planets that have no trees … they will pay very good money for something like this.”

“Yes,” agreed the first man. “Aberdeen never fails to deliver. I first visited this city fifty years ago, when they created the civic square, which is now my best-selling product of all time. There are some galaxies which still haven’t heard of it, of course … but with the right sales pitch, eventually I am certain Aberdeen Civic Square will have been exported to the whole universe. If only these poor human fools knew! Fortunately intergalactic law does not recognise human intellectual property rights. No, Earth will not see a penny out of the trillions they have made for us … and , to be honest, very soon they will see nothing at all, ever again, the way this planet is going. More trees dying every day, soon there will be none, and that, my friend, will cause the extinction of the entire human race. Trees are inextricably linked to human biology and to oxygen, in ways which even the greatest scientists of this world do not comprehend. Yes, one day, another ten years even, they will all be gone. But there’s no time for sentiment in business. A de-populated Earth will become a top tourist destination. To see the pyramids, the wondrous architecture, the real Aberdeen Civic Square … yes, there is a whole holiday industry just waiting to happen.

“But the civic square. We must come back in daylight so you can fully appreciate its greatness. From the crystal caves, little rooms filled with magnificent crystals, the perfect meditation chambers, to their giant Harry Potter chessboard complete with life size characters, to the children’s wall where the latest primary school art is displayed, to the underground restaurant with a secure glass roof (yes you can see people walking above!), and every table features a different menu from a specific period of history … Education meets culture meets art meets inspiration, the civic square is truly unique. Which is why, of course, I am a rich man. So many worlds want their replica square. I have a lot to thank Aberdeen for.”

**

Another fifty years on, and Earth was a changed planet. The souls of the trees had departed in despair, their centuries long mistreatment taken its toll. With all trees gone, the human race gradually died of incurable lung disease.

Now all that was left … was a multi-galactic theme park. And pride of the tour was, no less, Aberdeen Civic Square.

The virtual Union Terrace Gardens, as predicted, became a universal best-seller. The largest 3D version of the Gardens was on Planet Zantana. Tourists from all neighbouring planets came to appreciate its beauty, many never having seen a real live tree in the flesh.

And they wept tears as they contemplated the fate of the trees on Planet Earth.

**

Mark and Gilly walked through Union Terrace Gardens holding hands.

“I once said,” mused Mark, “that these gardens would never die. And I was right.”

“But darling,” said Gilly softly. “Have you forgotten? These gardens are not real. They were created by our minds. Nothing we see has any substance…”

“Of course,” agreed Mark. “We are in heaven, and through the love in our hearts Union Terrace Gardens will live forever. In the end, we won.”

Eternity embraced them, in a world that could never die.

Mark squeezed Gilly’s hand more tightly. They continued to walk, as the spirits of long deceased birds sang in the trees. In the perfect world of dreams, all of nature was at peace.

**

On Planet Zantana, a breeze whispered in the computer generated Union Terrace Gardens. Slowly, raindrops began to fall. But there was no rain on this planet. The water was tears, the tears of the soul of Earth’s rainforests, crying for peace, and for a paradise lost forever.

A wood of trees with pink flowers beneath them
Image by Jaesung An from Pixabay

Category:

Uncategorized

Tagged with:

Lion Lament

By Rachel H Grant

Aberdeen’s air hummed with purrs and promise. The majestic Cowdray Hall stone lion crouched on his pedestal, ready to jump but frozen like a feline future in ice. A poem in granite, the silent stone beat of his heart whispered in the wind, heard only by the seagulls above.

Scuplted as a war memorial in 1925, the wisdom of a century glistened in the lion’s still granite eyes. As the festival of street art called Nuart simmered in the summer streets, the lion stared silently on a city stitched with poetic paint. Rain ran down his face like tears, a hidden song in his eyes struggling to break free.

Stone lion crouching with front legs stretched out and mouth open

Night descended like a blanket from heaven, cloaking the city in mystery. The lion blinked, as impossible ignited behind his eyes. Then slowly he rose, sniffed the air and leapt effortlessly from his plinth. He walked regally along Union Terrace. Drunken revellers pointed and smartphones flashed, recording a reality in freefall.

The lion entered Union Terrace Gardens, the lighting above sparkling on his granite back. He found the leopard statue, and touched his head gently to its forehead. Silver light shot in to the sky like a shooting star in reverse.

A perfect image of the two statues kissing hit social media like a cannonball the next day, however was quickly decried as deepfake footage. The lion, back on his plinth, stared silently ahead, secrets like granite gems in his heart.

Several weeks later, the Aberdeen football club won a home match at Pittodrie Stadium. At midnight, a stone lion slowly walked round the stadium, then crouched still as frozen snow while again drunken revellers happily snapped photographs. A social media storm rained the next day, a torrent of footage and a heavy rain debate on whether or not the images were real.

The lion became a legend. After every match won by Aberdeen, he was there at midnight at the stadium. And every time a cruise ship docked at Aberdeen for the day, a lion statue would be waiting at the port, an Aberdeen hello that defied history and flirted with reason.

Known as the Secret Statue of Aberdeen, he gained his own Instagram account. Aberdeen’s tourist trade exploded like a supernova. The lion statue became one of the most famous monuments in the world.

The next summer, a Nuart festival yet again painted hues of hope across the city. The lion rested in the sun, an invisible smile behind his stone eyes. At night, he wondered the city. Art danced with adventure, as a portrait of impossible crossed the streets. The lion headed to Duthie Park. Once there, he circled the granite statue of the greek goddess Hygeia, placing his forehead on each of the recumbent lions at its foot.

Slowly and one by one the four tiny lions began to move. Together, the feline fivesome slid silently through the park, then to the River Dee beyond. Magic melted like mute meows in the air, a roar in a night that did not hear under a full moon that did not care.

However the war memorial lion cared very much, for his city … and for the future of all felines. A vision of forest teased his brain, as a wildcat called telepathically for help.

In the morning, the lion was gone. His plinth was empty.

A social media storm hit the world, with thundering shock and lightning lament. #comebacklion went viral.

The lion did not return.

However, after several days a new statue appeared at dawn in his place. A Highland wildcat.

The people of Aberdeen flocked to see the new city attraction, disbelief and delight dancing hand in hand. The wildcat cat hovered on its haunches and stared ahead with still stone eyes.

Beautiful and bewitching, this statue now became the number one tourist attraction of Aberdeen. And come the tourists did, in their thousands.

Wildcats were suddenly the feline fashion of the day. The critically endangered felines became the top celebrity charity trend, gifts to the Highland wildlife park breeding programme flowing in freefall.

Then one evening, another group of drunken revellers witnessed the stone wildcat walking confidently down Union Street. She walked through the leafy suburb of Ferryhill, and joined the lion clan in Duthie Park. Together they frolicked on the grass, free as wild felines and wise as the stone they were made of.

More and more tourists flocked to Aberdeen like birds of photo prey. International interest in the Scottish wildcat roared like a lion on the hunt. Aberdeen had birthed another wonder of the world.

Miles away under a soft moon, a stone lion stood silently at the top of a mountain, surveying the world like an ancient guardian. Seen from a corner of your eye and then gone, as his legend spread he became known as the Wildcat Warrior. Always there, near the kittens in the forest, watching over them like a feline angel in stone armour. Glimpsed from afar, then gone as soon as you grew near. A ghost of the forest, a living myth that eluded the eyes, a shadow always behind you, seen and then gone like a memory of distant childhood, feathers of fancy in the wind.

The lion roared softly, staring at the moon like at a long-lost feline friend. Whispers of wildcat wisdom purred in his stone heart. Forests spread below like a garden of the gods. The lion roared again, however there was no man to hear. Only the magic of the night, and the stars above, silent witness to a miracle.

The lion slowly walked down the mountain. The wind whispered in the trees below, wildcat secrets in the air. Somewhere a cat meowed. Above, the moon shone like a stone lion on fire. Below, a lion shimmered in the moonlight, a legend on legs, a myth in granite. He entered the forest, and disappeared. All was still, the only sound leaves blowing in the wind, stray souls seeking their home.  Enchantment faded as the moon slipped behind a cloud.

In a city many miles away, a stone wildcat shone in the moonlight. Small stone lions played below her plinth. She purred a feline poem, knowing that the wisdom of wildcats would one day heal the world. The moon continued to glow brightly, lone witness to the wonders of the invisible world below.

Far away, a lion roared again, and then a silence like the sleep of millennia cloaked the land.

Category:

Uncategorized

Tagged with: