Freewriting 3 - Elders and Oak Leaves

Such an untidy line. Uncontrollably ugly. If meerkats really were poisonous, then toads and their uncles would be out of a job. And with that thought we turn to tonight's eponymous hero, Mr Kent Cudgel Brown. There was a queen of a distant land who was curled up by a clear river, reading an improving book, as they so often are. As she read, her mind fogged over and she fell asleep, for the day was hot and humid. The queen, who shall remain anonymous for the protection of some of her friends, dreamed of a silver oak leaf that, when plucked, would transform the plucker into a swallow that they may travel in freedom for eternity. Many souls dared not pluck for fear of getting caught, plucked and eaten for breakfast, but one elderly woman - as brown as an acorn and sturdy like the oak tree itself - stepped forward and plucked the silver leaf. The gathered crows waited with tensed breath - to no avail. Nothing happened, nothing at all. When t hey asked the old woman why she remained as herself, she smiled a toothless, cracked smile and replied "Not all freedom is material." With this simple utterance she sat carefully down under the oak tree's protective wide boughs and died, a trace of the wizened grin still on her lips. The silver oak leaf fell from her hand, instantly dulling and becoming brown and vulnerable like its manifold brothers. At this, the queen awoke. Leaping up, she ran into the water and became a seal. She died many years later beneath the weeds, delightfully contented and surrounded by furry grandchildren. Her human husband had visited every Friday, right up until the eve of her departing.