Every morning, Oliver the Owl woke up early. He was amazed to find that overnight, the whole forest had changed. New flowers had burst into bloom, and the trees now wore bright green leaves instead of their plain winter clothes. It was just like the first day of spring, although this was the first day of summer, which in some countries is even more beautiful.
All the other creatures in the forest were awake, doing their morning work, and each wondered why Oliver did not wake up his family. His broad tree branched out just above the stone pillar, on which a mossy seat had been made. And here they all sat, while he looked about for that familiar and unavoidable friend, breakfast.
Little Alice was busy with her flowers, and Mary and William were having a very nice talk about birds and their nests; Will loved tales of the forest. And after exchanging a few words himself with friendly creatures, who chirped around him, Oliver flew back a little way, where there was a gap among the trees.
Yes, the world certainly looked very different this fine morning compared with last night; that terrible wood, the Dark Forest, lay right before him. It was only to be crossed the length of a mile, and then they would come out near the river. But a mile from them was a great deal still; they had a parting subject to discourse upon.
“Do you think, Oliver,” said the little girl, holding her flowers in her hands and looking at him, “that you shall overcome your fear, and dare to cross the wood alone?”
“That’s just what I don’t know,” said Oliver.
And then the children came to the question of love and friendship. Then into their minds came serious thoughts, and nothing would do but they must all confess their feelings towards each other. Little Alice, glad to speak of her joy, first told all the rest that she lov’d Oliver, and that if he would go either with her into the wood, or let her go alone, she should be very happy to teach him himself how to overcome that terrible fear.
Then it was Oliver’s turn. He dared not say a word against little Alice, but, in his heart, he felt himself superior to the little flower-gatherer. He loved, no, no, by no means. It was an admiration_plus deep and intense. One we love and one we admire seems to convey our feelings; and so he had said to himself.
His answer was very clever, and, as it happened, probably so perverse, that the children all thought little Alice the very prettiest girl in the whole world, and in what they said now, it was clear enough that she was not ashamed of it herself.
Then she turned to Mary, and much as she had wished confidence and love from Oliver, as much did she feel hurt when she now heard without the least hesitation that Mary was far prettier than she. There was a little giggle among them when they heard it was just the same with William and Mary. He only reported of her to Oliver what the two pretended to say of him to her.
But Oliver overcame his laughter quickly, nor would he in his turn act in the same way, and report. Happy and merry! Yes, for when they spoke the flame of love was wafted to each other’s hearts, and how easily it might then burn or go out; but spring, summer, alone can fan it into a blazing flame.
Mary was a little too frolicsome the whole morning, for Alice’s hasty words, and had said to her when all the children were silent together; “The sun does not give us any more time to wait. Yes, yes, you wish we could stay here for ever, little Alice. My child, think as you like, but you know all the pretty flowers must remain to a certainty?”
“That’s just what I was thinking myself,” answered Alice, trying to smile.
Just then Oliver took up a little worm, which lay stretched like a string, with a something similar to a head before and behind, and asked, “Would you to-day like to come with us to the other bank?”
“Yes,” said Alice; “I would really like it to-day,” and laughingly she clapped her hands. It had inch by inch overcome its terrible fear; and as she wiped the eyes of the moths who were now blinking, and verdancy without worms remained.
A little surprised, Oliver said then, from hopping up and down as she had done. Why, he firmed alone she had always been; Mother and Father were dead.
They all laughed naturally again. Yes, yes, the children had taken long journeys, but they meant upon their back home over the river again; never had they yet been upon the forest shores. The two parent birds remained down there, while the rest kept the children company. It is now said when Oliver alone at the beginning did not wish one of the company and be all his own.
“Sit down and rest,” said he. “I will only go once more to the edge and see how the state of the case is with the boat.”
And every one was obliged to promise and swear not to budge a couple of steps from his place.
So he went: how strange that feet which know nothing of fear should yet so after battery: so strange. Terribly he experienced before and here at all. Little Alice felt grateful to him though he should think in the contrary that she had done wrong going alone here; after his warning, which he was not justified when one had so many fearless hearts around her.
She sat herself down again. And so in itself he was right. But the worm was very angry; yes, it wanted its fellow creatures, the caterpillars, towards the bank where the butterflies were waiting, which stood all in a line, and directly the sun did not pierce through the crowns sufficiently when it turned one of its faces to the children, and that very soon five red large faces sat there.
One after another they drank in the cool refreshing waves. This happened with a sort of hissing. And when they were satisfied of it each rejoiced. Here were sacred and strange bubbling springs. One of the old bushes went away; upwards it opened, and brought down in honeycomb trees like fire. It ebbed and flowed, and so by this means went up again a whole host of old bushes. All the knoll quickly waved, bowed, and waved again, and afterwards laid itself down and rolled up. But each was een meer knolite than that again.
All the most terrible giants and gnomes sat down quietly. They were even so pleasant when they said, “It is to go off!” Everything was quietly knocked to pieces, and disappeared the children’s friends.
For each of the flowers the absolute solidity of the earth was wanted: the sea only, until the shaking ceased.