Paradoxically Yours...

Somewhere...

(prompt: 'animal' 28/4/17)

"I don't think Mum's ever coming. I've been waiting longer than all the rest of you put together, 'cos I'm the oldest. And I'm telling you, this is taking FOREVER!" Kim actually had a whimpery kind of sound - almost a sob - coming from deep down his throat. Mostly he was a cheerful kind of fellow, able to frolic and gambol around with the best of them. Frolic? Gambol? Now there's a couple of words I haven't used in the longest time. Next you'll be talking about capering and cavorting. REALLY! Kim gave himself a hard mental shake. This just won't do. Not at all... not at all.

Sheba and Benjy stopped their play, seemingly sensing the restlessness radiating from their big brother. Kim paused his pacing to look them both directly in their eyes, swivelling his head from one to the other. Up close like this, he needed to look up at them. It's all very well to always treat me as their big brother, he thought, but heaven help us all the day the pair of them realise how much taller they both are than me. As always, Sheba lived up to her 'Earth Mother' reputation and cuddled up close, her love a tangible thing - like the softest and warmest, most comforting blanket in creation.

Dearest Sheba. She was the closest to the memories of his Mother's loving hands. Kim sighed. He'd thought all the pain and longing were meant to be put aside in this magical place - just couldn't exist here, in fact. This was the golden land of the family's dreams, the place where every fervent wish would come true. Every wish. Eventually.

Kim shrugged. The strange feeling was growing - kind of like fear, but not. Impatience, certainly and... was that a tiny tickle of excitement making his heart slowly start to beat faster? And faster? Kim raised his head as high as possible, craning his neck and peering every which way. There's something! What is it?

And like a ripple across a pond, the feeling seemed to flow through the whole family, and one by one heads lifted. Lifted and looked, eyes darting in all directions. And noses twitched as the tiniest hint of something familiar drifted through the air. More and more heads turned every which way, trying to identify where that near-forgotten scent was coming from.

It was Muffy, the youngest member of Kim's beloved family who saw the first hint of movement and colour through the dappled light cast by the forest across the river and over the bridge. And it was Muffy who first shouted, almost hysterically, "MUM! It's our MUM! It IS!! It's REALLY HER!" Like a crowd scene from an old movie, Kim led all the kids in a mass surge forward - onto the Rainbow Bridge and into her outstretched arms. And she couldn't stop crying and laughing and kissing and hugging.

The sounds of ultimate happiness were near-deafening - a great cacophony of yelps and woofs and miaows; maa-aa-s and baa-aa-s and grunts; bok-bok-boks and wuk-wuk-wuks, almost drowning out the kangaroo clicks and the possum huffs and puffs. And high in the nearby great shady trees, hundreds of birds sang their heavenly chorus.

Suddenly, the sound of thundering hooves all but drowned out the great outpouring of love and happiness and caused the Mother to turn her head, a confused expression on her face. "But I never mothered a horse—" and then suddenly her mouth widened in a smile of incredulous joy. "It's him! Of course he'd have to come and find out what was going on! Of course he'd have to be here - if there was happiness to share!" And she started laughing as though she'd never stop as she heard him - not neighing, but singing - OF COURSE!

Author's Note:

Once upon a time on a favourite writer's forum and refuge, I shared a link to one of my actual storytelling recordings and asked Edd to share one of his voice. He happily agreed, and then gave me this link I have copied from his own post!

http://mredd.me.uk/downloads/Mr.Ed.mp3

A sense of humour and loving heart beyond compare.