The Magic Minute

 By Harriet May Savitz                         

11^th Happening

 Julie Yellowhammer was tending to her children when she received the message from THE ONE.  The little Yellowhammers peeped from their hole in the tree where Julie had built their nest of wood chips.  She was proud of them.  They would grow into fine handsome Yellowhammers with golden yellow underwings and brownish back feathers. 

There were morning chores to do.  Julie had to search for food.  She enjoyed ant hunting on the ground and rushed to get her cleaning done so that she could do her food shopping.  There were plenty of ants about.  She could count on that.

It was just before Julie searched for food that she received the message from THE ONE.

“Julie Yellowhammer.  I need your help.  I want you to gather GOOD NEWS immediately and bring it to the Golden Eagle on the beach.”

Even though Julie had hungry children waiting, she could not refuse THE ONE’S request.  It would not take her long, she decided, to gather GOOD NEWS.  She made arrangements for someone to watch the children, then flew off in her quest for GOOD NEWS.

The Golden Eagle waited impatiently on the beach.  The MOLLUSKS and the FISH waited with him.  None of them were certain exactly what they were waiting for or when it would happen.

A Yellowhammer swooped from the sky.  “I was told to deliver my GOOD NEWS,” said Julie Yellowhammer when she reached the beach.  As a member of the Woodpecker Family, Julie was accustomed to spending a good part of her day on the ground searching for ants.  In fact, that’s where she wished she could be at this moment.  Those on the beach didn’t look friendly to her.  Nor very interesting.

“I bring you GOOD NEWS,” said Julie Yellowhammer.  “I visited a school today.  There were teachers.  There were students.  They were learning.  They were studying.  TENANTS learn something every day somewhere in the world,” she told her audience on the beach.

Julie Yellowhammer expected a “Thank you,” or a, “That’s nice,” or a “How wonderful.”

We want to go to WAR!” shouted the FISH

The MOLLUSKS continued their DEEP THINKING.

“Well, that certainly was a waste of time,” said Julie to the Golden Eagle.  “I’m going back and feed my children, then peck on some wood to put me in a better mood.”

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