The Story of Scarlet Toadstool

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22320, 18 January 1936, Page 4 (Supplement)

The Story of Scarlet Toadstool

By A. B. GLOVER, 63 Standen Street, Karori, Wellington

IT was sombre and cool in tho pine plantation. Outside in the big open world tho sun shone with a mellow golden light, touching the upturned flower faces with a soft kindliness, piercing with quick lights the outspread branches of tho trees. But in tho pine plantation, no errant sunray strayed, Brown needles carpeted the earth, forbidding the green of grass, or the precocity of weeds, brown shining needles in a thick mat, and the great rucked black trunks of pines. It was almost frightening iu here. Birds whistled in the tree tops, but they rarely ventured below. It was queer and eerie, and perhaps a little sad at tho great tree's feet. A Scarlet Toadstool had stretched her head from the matted needles. She looked about her and found the world a strange dark place, and sometimes she was sorry that she had not stayed boliihd in tho rich, kindly earth. It was too late now for her to return, so she made tho best of things and glowed with a fiery red in tho midst of her brown and sullen surroundings. The Scarlet Toadstool was lonely too. Tho big tree roots hemmed her in. She was in a gnarled and rugged fortress and soon sho would die. She cried a little, then thought how silly sho was, so held up her head and glowed and glowed. But once, as tho tears dried on her face, she heard a queer choking sound, and looking round saw a strange thing. A tiny green head had thrust its way through the choking needles. " Dear me." Scarlet Toadstool said. " Dear me." Tho little green head seemed limp and weak. It hung so strangely that Scarlet Toadstool thought perhaps it was asleep; or perhaps . . . dead. But no. Gradually it seemed to become stronger and stronger, and soon it lookpd about and around and finally it saw Scarlet Toadstool. Scarlet Toadstool bowed politely. " How do you do?" The, green head nodded back. " I don't 'think I'm very strong yet. You see I've only just arrived up hero and things are very queer." " Yes," Scarlet Toadstool agreed. " Very queer, and very lonely. I'm awfully pleased to see you though. I'll be able to talk to you. Tell me, what is your name? Mine's Scarlet Toadstool."

The little bead bent on one side. " I must remember. You see I'm very young, but I think. . . Yes, I'm sure. . . My name is Karaka." " Oh!" Scarlet Toadstool smiled. " I know. The birds have told me about your people. It's a fine namo." Then she grew afraid. Karaka didn't seem to be at all strong, and now he was here it was "a shame for him to die. She thought and thought. She _ looked around and saw that in the big open world the sun was warm and golden. Great green trees, looking so strong and happy drank in the brilliant light, and suddenly she knew why Karaka was weak and tired. He wanted sunlight. Frantically she looked up, but far, far above, the pines stretched across, dark and forbidding. It was no use. Karaka would die. " Do you feel any stronger?" Scarlet Toadstool asked him anxiously. " No." Karaka moaned. " No. Weaker." Scarlet Toadstool felt very helpless and lonely. She wished a blackbird would coine and give her some advice. Blackbirds always knew everything . . . but to-day not even ono would venture into the plantation. Perhaps the wind. . . Then Scarlet Toadstool clapped her hands. Karaka looked up, surprised. " Of course. The wind brought you here. He's responsible for you. Wait, and in a while he'll bo along and I'll speak to him." " I hope ho comes soon." Karaka sighed. " I feel very weak." » " Hold on. Bear up. Watch how I glow and how beautiful I look against the brown needles. Think of yourself as green and strong ... as a glossy dark tree, bearing golden berries. . . Be strong. . . Help's coming." Poor Scarlet Toadstool was very anxious to save Karaka, but it Avas quite hard work because Karaka didn't help her much and just sighed and drooped. Then the wind came. Puffing and blowing along, swirling round the pines, resting, rolling along in a lazy happy style. Scarlet Toadstool called out. " Mr. Wind. Will you stop a moment please?" Wind looked found. " Oh, it's you, Toadstool." " Yes. I wanted to hoar your advice about Karaka." Wind stared. Poor Karaka was shivering and sighing. " Well, well. How did he get here?" Scarlet Toadstool was very brave. She said. " You brought him. . . And Mr.

Wind, I think, perhaps, you should have taken him just a little further on, out into the big open world and the sunshine. He's dying." " Dear me." Wind felt very sorry for poor Karaka. " It's all my fault too. I got lazy, you know, and 1 just dropped him hero, and didn't think that the poor littlo chap wouldn't get any sunshine. Dear mo!" Scarlet Toadstool shook her head. " It's very sad. But Air. Wind, couldn't you get the pines to let just a littlo sunshine in?" Wind looked up, but ho was a little afraid of the pines. " You see Scarlet Toadstool, sometimes I haven't been to them. I've blown off their branches, and so on. Just harmless fun, you know, but they get a bit wild with mo. I'm afraid if I asked them they'd refuse." " Oh." Scarlet Toadstool felt very miserable. Wind had been thoughtless and cruel, and even now he couldn't do anything. They were both silont. They watched poor Karaka who seemed to grow weaker and weaker. Tho pino needles were choking him, and his poor little head sagged dejectedly. Then Wind shook himself. " I know, I'll go up and ask the pines to have a word with you, Scarlot Toadstool. They'll listen to you because you are good and brave." Scarlet Toadstool shivered. " Oh dear. Oh, I'm too afraid." She looked up at the towering trees, the long, long, great tall trunks, the massive branches, so big and frightening. Even the roots were terrifying. " They might bo angry and trample on me." she cried. But Wind had gone. Scarlet Toadstool shivered and shivered. She saw that Karaka was almost dead, but she was too afraid of tho pines to care. Then Karaka sighed. " Goodbye, Scarlet Toadstool." Suddenly Scarlet Toadstool felt brave and strong. " Hold on. . . Hold on. . . T'm going -to speak to the pines, Karaka. Hold on just a minute." Karaka blinked his eyes. " Aren't you scared?" " Not a bit." But poor Scarlet Toadstdol'e voice shook. " I'm not afraid of anyone." But when Wind came back and said, " Look up . . . and speak out," she was very, very frightened. She looked up and saw, far above her, the faces of tho pines. First she thought how fierce they looked, then sho saw that really, they weren't very fierce, after all, so sho spoke out to the biggest one. " Mr. Pine, poor little Karaka is dying because there's no sun down hero. Please can you let just one ray in to save him ?" Mr. Pine roared down. " Who put him there P" Wind shifddered. " I did. I'm sorry, but I did." " Wind again," they all said, and Wind looked very ashamed of himself. " Well . . . well . . . we'll see what we can do!" " But there's no time to waste. Karaka is nearly dead." They murmured away amongst themselves, and Scarlet Toadstool waited, far below. The biggest pine bent down at last. " Scarlet Toadstool, if we let the sun in, you will most probably die. Sunshine is not good for youl" Scarlet Toadstool nodded. She had thought of that, but poor Karaka had looked so sad. " I know. But some day Karaka will become a tree, some day glossy dark leaves will clothe her boughs and golden berries will bring light into the plantation. I'm only a toadstool. I won't live very long, anyway. . . I've made a bright spot in this dull old place, but Karaka's berries will be ever so much brighter. Please let in the sun."

The trees nodded. " Very well, Scarlet Toadstool. And you are brave and strong." As they spoke two trees drew apart, the tangling boughs separated, a shaft of dazzling sunlight shot through the gloom, a warmth crept about them, and the scent of honey and flowers fillod the air. Karaka raised his head and breathed deeply. "Ah . . how good . . how good ..." he smiled. Wind scurried away, glad to be off. But the poor Scarlet Toadstool sighed softly. Tt was so hot and glaring she felt herself drying up, withering and dying as ,the summer sunshine came pouring down in waves of light and heat; she gasped feebly and bent her head! Then she saw the proud head of Karaka, and felt glad. "Bo strong, Karaka. Cover your branches with golden berries, and sometimes, perhaps, you will tell your children the story of the Scarlet Toadstool Goodbye, Karaka . . . goodbye!"

Starting next week, a delightful serial for the small folk, " THE ADVENTURES OF BUD AND- PETAL," by Althea Fahcy