Rambling through the forest at this time of year always fills me with a hungry, wide-eyed curiosity. As my feet carry me through the mossy glades, I never know what I might find. One day it’s a chubby hedgehog, rummaging around for a bite to eat, the next it’s a round of robins, returning from their winter travels. It all makes the forest feel aflutter, full of movement and vigor, with wonderful new things to be discovered. And goodness, this week at the Well of the Green Sister we even found a huge… but, well, I’m getting ahead of myself.
So, dear reader, my companions and I had returned to the Well of the Green Sister to try to unlock the great stone door. Lorenz tested the key in every opening he could reach, but it was no use. To continue we would need a ladder, and unfortunately, there was none close by. Alexander suggested we take the stairs going up instead; we had not yet explored that way, and he wanted to look down on the door through the gap. Perhaps a different perspective would help.
The stairs brought us to the second storey of the arcade where we had a lovely view of the forest as well as the flowery courtyard below. “Let’s look in here first,” Alexander beckoned, and he moved towards an open room he’d just found. It was small but had many heavy shelves, all ladened with ceramic jars. There were dozens of them, each about the size of a fist and decorated in varying floral patterns. I wondered what they might hold, but upon lifting their lids we found that all of them were empty. Rather curious. But then Alexander timidly raised one to his nose, sniffed, and held it out for us. Sweet? Yes, it was very faint, but we could all smell a sugary fragrance. Maybe in the past, someone had stored sweetened preserves inside. Carefully, we put the jars back on their shelves and moved on to examine the opening we’d seen from the chamber below.
It had six sides and a raised stone wall so that from a distance it looked a bit like a fountain. We each leaned over the edge and looked down, our heads casting long shadows through the dusty sunlight. Alexander pointed excitedly; the door was practically beneath our feet. But goodness, all I could see was how far down it went, and I began to grow dizzy. Turning away, I sat with my back against the little wall and breathed deeply until my vertigo passed.
I took the moment to look up into the branches of the towering white tree. I realized that, strangely, it had not lost its foliage in winter like the other oaks. Nor now did its branches seem affected by the springtime. It was peculiar. But the bees buzzed around it happily, and this made me smile. As I watched, oh, I saw where the bees were going! Hanging between two of the thick, knotted branches, was an enormous hive. Goodness, I’d never seen anything like it! It was bigger than me, and while the bees I know usually hide away in hollow places, this hive was out in the open, the beautiful yellow comb hanging in tiers like puffy sheets.
I quickly pointed it out to my friends and we marveled together. Alexander said, “Mrs. Algar told me hives only grow by a foot or so every year. This one must have taken decades to build!” He wondered aloud what it must be like to live as a bee, bumbling in the flowers and gathering up nectar to take back home to turn into honey. Lorenz, ever the diligent teacher, noted how that was quite a creative way of thinking. Alexander said, “That doesn’t count,” and stubbornly crossed his arms. But he gave us a crooked smile all the same.
One little bee buzzed down and landed on Lorenz’s arm. He softly brushed it off, and I observed as it flew away and landed near an odd spot on the floor we hadn’t yet noticed. It was just a yard or so off: another stone flower with a hole carved at the center. Oh, my heart jumped! Could it be the secret keyhole we’d been looking for? Lorenz rushed over and tried the key, but… no luck. We wondered what the hole might be for. It seemed to be directly over the door. Could it be some sort of vent for the chamber below? Who could say? Nevertheless, the sun was getting low on the horizon and we decided to end our exploration for the day.
So, dear reader, if there’s one thing this spring keeps reminding me it’s that surprises are certain to be waiting around every corner. Though we didn’t open the door yet, we did discover the room with the sweet-smelling jars, the lone carved flower, and the giant honey hive. Goodness, to imagine those tiny bees created it all by themselves... It makes me wonder who made the Well of the Green Sister. Who left behind the empty jars? Who carved the stonework with such beauty and care? And where did they go… Perhaps the secret lies behind the door.