The Withering Rose by Shawn Troutman (free books to read TXT) 📕

corner of the hollow, her dead hair and twigs her bed. Emma closed her eyes and imagined her brother and his friends hopping through the snow, gathering food. She imagined Cole leading the way to a grove full of acorns; Patch grumbling as he carried handfuls of food back to The Pine, and Russ making fun of him. She imagined all of these things and she wished that she could be with them.

***

 

"Did you see how bad she's gotten?" Cole asked. The two squirrels climbed the massive trunk of The Pine. They were heading toward the Central Branch. Russ was considerably farther ahead of Cole, but would slow down for moments to let his friend catch up.

"Yeah..." Russ trailed. "She- I'm sorry Cole." he laid a hand on Cole's back.

Russ’ touch did not bring Cole comfort. It made him feel worse. Cole closed his eyes and began pulling at the fur on his head. He groaned and tilted his head up, trying his best to keep the tears from falling down his cheeks. "Russ, what can I do? How can I save her?"

"Cole." Russ removed his hand. "Maybe you can't. Maybe you should just-"

"Ugh," Cole cried. "She's too young to be going through this." His despair was a fissure down his throat, that caused his voice to crack.

Russ was struggling to continue the conversation. He had an idea of how he could help, but he wasn't sure if Cole would like his suggestion. He scratched his head, and debated whether he should share his thoughts. Russ imagined Cole would disapprove, but could not stand idle while his friend pulled himself apart over his sister's sickness. "Sharik," he whispered. His ears laid back and his head hung low as he waited for Cole to lash out. There was only silence.

***

 

"I know you don't believe, but she's helped my family through a lot," Russ explained. "I'm sure she'll know what to do." The two friends were scaling the highest branches of The Pine where Sharik resided.

Through the harshest of winters, The Pine had always held strong. The evergreen's needles stayed amidst the hazy sun and frozen ground. The high branches of The Pine were shorter and thinner. Though the branches were weaker, they were safer than the lowest branches where Cole and his sister were forced to live. At the lowest branches a predator could snatch a squirrel not paying attention to its surroundings.

"Russ, I'm willing to listen but I don't like this," Cole murmured. "It's just superstition. Squirrels exalt her like she has every answer when she's right. When her teachings fail, it's conveniently forgotten.  Multiple interpretations of her cryptic word leads to needless squabbling between our own. She could come down to us and explain her teachings; help us. But she perches herself on the highest branches of The Pine and looks down on us while we suffer, die and starve. And still you revere her to be better than the rest."

Russ ignored Cole's rambling. He had heard it all before. Doubters amongst the squirrels always vocalized their views. In the past he had tried to argue against them, especially against Cole, but it was a fruitless effort. There was no point in trying to reason with him, because he knew that when things looked hopeless, even doubters eventually turned to Sharik.  

"We’re here," he whispered as he finished climbing a small branch. 

At the end of the highest branch of The Pine nested a pure white owl. Her stance was tall, powerful, and peaceful. She looked to be made of the world's white sky and glittering ground. Or maybe the world was made of her. Small black dots speckled her lower back feathers.

Her back was to her visitors. She twisted her head in a circle until it faced the squirrels; her body did not move. Large yellow eyes stared sharp and fierce at the two climbing along her branch. She looked confident, magnificent, flawless, and divine. Cole struggled to look at her.

Russ bowed before the bird. She nodded in return. Cole mimicked the bow without reverence, as courtesy to for his friend. The bow helped ease the tension he felt. Cole had never been up so high before. The view made him feel small and insignificant. The Woodlands were massive compared to him. This tree was just a small dot in a landscape filled with pines, till the mountains on the horizon. Then there was this bird standing before him, perched so high that she could gaze upon all The Woodland. She was amazing to behold, though he did not want to admit it. He hated that just seeing her made him feel weak and foolish. The way her glowing yellow eyes focused so intently, made him uneasy; so he bowed.

"Blessings through the offerings-,” the owl sang.

"-of turmoil and suffering," Russ recited.

"You've climbed the highest branches of this tree," the owl spoke. "You can gaze upon my world and see all my reality. Why have you come to me, Children of the Pines?"

"Mighty Sharik. My friend comes before you today because his sister is ill. He seeks healing. I know that you would have an answer," Russ said. "Please prove to him your wisdom."

The owl stared at Cole. Her fierce yellow eyes seemed to pierce through him. Was she seeing something in him others could not see? No, this bird could not be that wise. She was just trying to conjure her next words, Cole reasoned. She would take a guess as to some cure for his sister based, on information she could gather observing him. It would be cryptic nonsense like everything else she has offered.

"A rose lingers in the darkenedwood

Bloody brambles protect if they could

Succumb to solstice the petals wither

Ending in solar warmth's deliver

Salvation."

The two squirrels remained silent, waiting for the owl to say more. She did not. Sharik turned her head around, aligned it with the front of her body, and looked over the woodlands from her high vantage point. She looked out over the snowy forest, maybe even past it, her yellow eyes seeming to gaze at something more.

"Thank you," Russ said, still bowing. "Thank you for your wisdom Sharik."

"Are you kidding me?" Cole rose to his hind legs and pointed a finger at the bird. "I ask about my sister. Not some stupid flower!"

"Stop it." Russ grabbed Cole.

"You're better than this Russ. Stop letting her make a fool of you. Challenge, ask questions, demand answers!" Cole shouted. "What are we supposed to do with your little poem?"

The owl did not reply.

"Answer me!"

The owl remained unphased.

"Just as I thought," Cole sneered. "Silent when we need answers."

"Cole, please," Russ begged. "Not here, not in front of Sharik."

Cole shoved Russ aside, and began his decent down the branches of The Pine.

Russ lingered a moment. He stared at Sharik. She did not look back to him. Ashamed, the red squirrel pursued his friend down The Pine.

Cole had gotten a head start. He was descending rapidly, snapping twigs as he made his way back down to the rest of his kind. The black squirrel took careless leaps from branch to branch. He wanted to be as far away from Sharik as possible. His mind was racing, angry that he had even given her his time.

"Cole wait," Russ called out, struggling to keep up. He scrambled down the pine branches. "Cole, will you stop?"

"My sister's life is in my hands, Russ," Cole called back. "I will not stop."

"She may not be wrong," Russ yelled from above.

Cole paused. He twisted his body and crawled up the trunk of The Pine, back to Russ. "Tell me."

"I saw a flower."

Cole waved dismissively to his friend, annoyed. "I've no time for this Russ." He started to turn away.

"When we were gathering food, I saw a flower. It was a beautiful red rose. It was withering away just like Sharik said. I'm sure that's what she wants us to find."

Cole's brow perked with interest. His eyes opened wide and his demeanor humbled. Cole felt his soul exposed. It was  A veil had been lifted and sun had delivered its warmth to his spirit for the first time. He did not realize it at the time, but he had found hope.

"Where was it Russ?"

Russ crawled along his branch, away from Cole. His ears laid back, his head hung low. Again, he found himself in a position where he did not want to talk to his friend. He did not want to tell him what he knew, but he had to. "I saw it from up in the tree where I was looking out," Russ told Cole solemnly. "It was past the fox's den."

***

 

Cole and Russ scratched on the outer rim of Patch's hollow entrance. A frail gray squirrel crawled to the entryway to answer. Her body was thin, her spine visible through the skin on her back. She looked up at Cole with beady, blank, black eyes. The child was one of Patch's siblings. She was starving.

"Lilly." Cole forced an awkward smile at the sight. "May we come in?" Lilly did not respond. She stared at Cole with her blank eyes. Maybe she was losing her mind from lack of food and water, he reasoned.

Cole took Lilly's silence as invitation to enter. Patch's home contained multiple chambers for his family. From the main chamber, six halls would twist and turn through the heart of The Pine, leading to individual chambers for the whole family. Patch's clan had once been much more prestigious than Cole's family, and they could afford to live in the higher branches of The Pine.

The main chamber Cole was standing in, housed a feed box. The lid to the box was left opened. Cole peeked inside, small remnants of food remained in the box. Meals were being rationed tightly here.

Within the chamber, four other squirrels laid huddled together for warmth. One of the squirrels was losing his fur and was placed at the center of the pile. Cole recognized Patch's father in the huddle with his broken, twisted leg.

"This is terrible," Russ whispered.

"It is." Patch emerged from one of the halls, glaring at Cole. "What do you want?"

"I need your help," Cole replied. "My sister is- There's a flower. Sharik says it will cure my sister, but I need your help getting it. It's past the fox's den.”

"So?" Patch crossed his arms.

The response shocked Cole. His mouth dropped open. The surprise was just a spark that ignited an inferno of anger. Russ grabbed Cole by the shoulder before he could react. Cole, calmed himself, regained his composure and continued to reason with Patch.

"I just need the flower, you can have the food," Cole said, looking at the other squirrels in the pile. "All of it," he emphasized. 

"Is this true Russ?" Patch asked, doubtful that Cole would be willing to give so much.

"No splitting,” Russ said. “All the food is yours."

"Then I'm in," Patch agreed, extending a hand to Cole. Cole eagerly extended his own and they shook. 

The three friends departed from Patch's decrepit hollow in search of food and hope. Though none of them would admit it, they were thankful to be together again.

 

***

 

Russ had already taken his usual position in the tree. He could overlook everything in the clearing from there. The rust colored squirrel could see the red flower withering in forest shadows. It rested in a bush of thorns just beyond the fox den.

Below, Cole and Patch crept on all fours into the clearing. They both took short hops through the cold snow, closer to an acorn. They reached the acorn quickly. The brush had never wavered. Patch grabbed hold of the nut. He looked back at Cole happily. Cole was not smiling.

Cole stood on his hind legs and nervously scanned their surroundings. He anticipated the fox would come from any direction. Maybe she was hidden behind a tree this time instead of the brush.

"I don't like this," Cole murmured.

"Can't accept we actually got something easy? Hey Russ," Patch shouted. "Who says there has to be suffering and turmoil to receive blessings?" Patch laughed. That was the moment Russ began to wave his arms.

"Run!" Russ shouted