A MOMENT PASSED (2)

"Mihony et weldt writh" a scribbled inscription read, carved into the wooden board above the bedroom door.. on the inside so only he could see it every daybreak. Noone was allowed to enter the room, noone ever had been invited into the room. Not even sleep.

In fact, the room wasn't used as 'his bedroom, but he always had to visit it at daybreak for the simulation of waking his daughter he never had the pleasure to meet.

"Your father loves you more than anything" He'd say upon entering. "He sacrifices his passions to help you stand in this world self sufficient, undaunted and incorruptible by it's allure, instead to be tested at most by it's trials, without the handicap of poor parenting, and always a place of joy to return to would you feel lost." Then, he faced the inscription and for a moment would stare into space, then start his own day.

The most part of the day consisted of work in the garden, growing a great number of vegetables, flowers and roots, inspecting the layers of his waterfiltration system and making sure the ropes on the swing weren't damaged by mr. hops who was not a mister at all but a tiny bird that had taken the garden for himself at times it's master wasn't around.. ..Named after his typical manner of hopping around on the ground.

Mr. Hops didn't like ropes perhaps.

At the end of the garden, just inside the fence stood a short pole halfway out of the ground the lenght of a regular post.. on it a classical letterbox, just incase any letter would ever find his way.

Ofcourse none would ever come from any other person considering his own made property was hidden in the deeper part of the woods, far away from any roads used by recreants. But he'd like to think that gnomes were real.. just to lighten the mood, and they had to be able to reach the letterbox so he made it smaller. It were things like these that would help to keep away from deep despair. Atleast to him the world was confined to something out of a fairy tale. ..

The letterbox read what he could remember of his 'first name, scribbled on just like the bedroom inscription.. "Gems" It was all that still sounded a bit like it anyway.

As far as Gems was concerned not remembering anything about his last name was no big deal.. "Last names are to pass on", Gems would mutter to himself everytime the thought came up.

-

One day, inspecting the swingset, mr. Hops was sitting on the ground uninterested at Gems's pressence, he seemed to be staring at the letter box..

Carefully Gems picked up mr. Hops, something mr. Hops allowed rarely unless feeling tired.

"Did you spot a gnome, mr. Hops?" Gems queried while stroking the little bird's head softly.

"There are no gnomes" mr. Hops replied and flapped its wings, but not enough to fly. But i think you might have a letter, i saw a postman deliver one and i wonder what it says.. you rarely get any letters, if ever at all..

Gems walked to the letterbox, sat down on his knees and felt inside the box. "I don't really feel anything inside the box, are you sure there even was a postman?"

mr. Hops jumped out of his other hand and flew off..

Gems scratched his head.. the bird must've been wrong.. there's no way any postmen would ever come to this hidden part of the woods and noone even knew him to be sending letters.. atleast noone since he left town.. and that was so long ago.. he still had hair those days.. none anylonger.

Either that or mr. Hops had pulled one on him, probably because he didn't like ropes, perhaps.

-

Autumn came, Gems had installed a few more playsets because a swing could get boring for the little girl, and he had made sure there were a few more types of flowers that weren't just for yield but could also spruce up the grace. Gems himself never used any of the playsets, he was too old and they would break. Sometimes mr. Hops would use them but not for long, and never the rope of the swingset.

Sometimes he wondered though, who the figure standing outside the gate was.. but not because he was worried. He knew it was an animal, just not what kind. It ate some of the leaves at the gate's edge and because it wasn't a very high gate it kindof ruined the idea of being veiled from the outside world.

One oktober morning Gems walked out wielding a glass of water hoping to chase the animal off forgood, he didn't want the leaves to be reduced to none, what if there was a stray lumberjack that would stumble upon his abode?

"I will throw my water at you if you don't stop eating those leaves!" Gems uttered, not loud enough to be called a yell.. Afterall a yell could travel far enough to have someone inspect it. "Im not actually eating them" the animal replied in a whispery voice.. "Im laying them on the ground"

Gems felt a bit better at the idea that atleast the leaves weren't being eaten but he was still not all too happy about the fact that it ruined any and all cover.

"Could you.. atleast put them back when you're done?" asked Gems to the animal.

"Well, that will take a while" the animal replied. "Im far from done, but eventually i suppose."

Gems felt better knowing eventually the animal would put the leaves back, it was inconcievable that the wall of green that protected him from becoming some kind of sightsee for the townsfolk would dissapear forever, and he didn't 'really' want to throw water at the animal.. so he agreed.

-

Wake up!! Wake up!! mr. Hops called. It was .. probably around 3 oclock at night.. "I'm quite literally part of a giant letter!"

Gems didn't really want to believe something so ridiculous.. mr Hops had lied to him before about a letter ..and of all things a 'giant' letter didn't sound realistic at all.. who would drop off a giant letter.. and why would they make mr. Hops a part of it?

Slowly Gems opened his window and looked down from where mr. Hops had called.

Everywhere he could see was the brightest paper.. and on top of it stood mr. Hops.

"I told you!" mr. Hops said. "shall i write you something?" and hopped around writing on the paper.

"I can't read that" Gems replied while arcing a bit around from the window, even on the roof there seemed to be paper.. "who sent the letter?"

mr. Hops flapped his wings.. "well not a gnome cause there are no gnomes, it was the postman i think".. and made some more writing on the paper.

"I've never seen a postman here and i've lived here such a long time" sighed Gems.. "don't write too much on the paper, i'll go back to bed because i'm really tired." and went back to bed.. Gems wasn't too bothered with the paper, it felt actually nice someone finally sent him something but he also pondered about how he somehow had forgotten how to read..

The next day Gems saw that mr. Hops had written alot, but he still couldn't read it. Gems decided that mr. Hops was allowed to write letters and he himself was going to stay inside not to be reminded of his forgetfulness, it could mean that soon he would not be able to read his own name on the letterbox any longer.. or worse.. the inscription above the bedroom door..

-

a few months later Gems saw that the animal had put some of the leaves back, and mr. Hops seemed to have made so much letters he had to send them all away so the garden no longer had any paper. Sadly the rope swing had fallen down so mr. Hops also was more cheerful because he didn't like ropes, perhaps. .and Gems was more cheerful because he had still been able to read the inscription every morning.

On top of the roof stood a fishbowl and Gems was rather unsure how it had made its way up there. "Did you put the fishbowl on the roof, mr. Hops?"

Mr. Hops hopped around and didn't speak. Perhaps he had written so much that he had forgotten how to speak and could only write from now on.. Atleast he wasn't bothered by the rope anylonger.

"I'm going to climb the roof to take it down, we wouldn't want it to fall off the roof and break." sighed Gems as he walked to the back of the house where he had nailed planks into the wall to function as a ladder.

On top of the roof Gems discovered the fishbowl had escaped the roof and itself had climbed on top of one of the tree's next to the house.

From there it looked at Gems.

"I guess it's a game to you" Gems said to the fishbowl. "Im old and i cant climb the tree, so you'll have to get back to the roof yourself" and climbed back down the wall planks again..

Down in the garden Gems could see the fishbowl had climbed back onto the roof.

-

One day in Juli mr. Hops was sitting on the rope swing that Gems had repaired, apparently he didn't hate ropes that much afterall. Or perhaps he had sent one of the letters to the rope and the rope had written him back and then they became friends.. thought Gems.

mr. Hops used the swing to be able to stare at the roof.

"the fishbowl got sick" said mr. Hops. "i think he might have a fever" .. "He has stayed on the roof for too long, perhaps we must bring him medicine".

"No way" Gems sternly uttered waving his finger "medicine isn't good".. "I'll go talk to him" and he climbed back up the roof by the wall planks, it had been awhile and with creaky knees and some huff and puffs it took a bit longer than before.

On the roof he noticed that the fishbowl had remembered from the while back and had once again escaped to the nearby tree, despite his fever.

"Im not bringing you medicine, i just want to see if you're okay" Gems tried to calm the fishbowl.

"I'm ok, im just looking at your flowers, they look very nice and i hope they are for someone special" The fishbowl emitted while resting its head on the treetop.

"They are, my daughter likes them very much because they have soft colors" Gems concluded somewhat touched as he descended the wall planks again..

He was glad that the fishbowl was allright, apparently mr. Hops had pulled one on him again.

-

The days went by quite fast, atleast Gems wasnt alone.. he had mr. Hops who had befriended the rope, so that was covered. The fisbowl was enjoying the flowers, and sometimes he noticed the animal at the gate again..

The animal.. Gems hoped the animal wouldn't be laying leaves on the ground again, what if someone saw the fishbowl on the roof..

"Your father loves you more than anything" Gems started the mantra he repeated every day when he noticed something highly concerning.. something that was different, something had changed.

On his daughters bed sat a gnome.

"Gems" the gnome started.. somehow knowing his name.. "the animal is putting the leaves on the ground again, and mr. Hops sends letters to the fishbowl"

"What!?" Gems startled..

"Don't worry about it" the gnome continued with a strange little laugh.. "Don't you remember why i said those words all those decades ago?"

Gems felt a sense of terror set on him, dark panic, despair.. "I don't want to know. ..i dont want to know".. "they are MY words.."

 "Yes, my words" the gnome said. "who did you grow those flowers for?"

"My daughter" Gems sighed lowering himself to the floor, kindof to sit at the same height as the gnome, but he was also tired and afraid..

"Have you ever met her?" asked the gnome on his daughters bed..

Gems held his head in his hands, he could feel a long beard slide between his fingers.. "Im old, aren't i?"

"You haven't" said the gnome.. "You haven't met your daughter because she has never been here"

"I dont have a daughter" Gems cried.. "but maybe she will someday send me a letter"

The gnome looked up as if he was about to sigh himself.. then turned to Gems again.. "mr. Hops sent the letter, your daughter wont send you a letter.. there's no way she would come all this way to this hidden part of the woods"

"But there was no letter" cried Gems..

"There was no letter" continued the gnome.. "there was no mr. Hops"

Gems had to catch his breath for a moment.. "but he's right there!, outside!"

"No he's not" uttered the gnome.. "its just a bird"

Gems slammed his hands down on the floor and angrily confronted the gnome "then what about the fishbowl!! and what about the animal!!"

The gnome climbed down the side of the bed, walked around the room like a detective and explained himself; "I've been here a long wrong time and yet its like a moment passed, sometimes remember bits and never good things true.. but i know time goes fast" then turned around and paced around the other way "When all things right around, are all things turned against you.. you'd have to hide worldwide and everything in sight works to that end is that not what i said my friend? Yes i do every morning.. after our paths have crossed." Then turned around again and walked as he had before.. Gems in turn stood up and started walking the room aswell..

"Your father loves you more than anything.. He sacrifices his passions to help you stand in this world self sufficient, undaunted and incorruptible by it's allure, instead to be tested at most by it's trials, without the handicap of poor parenting, and always a place of joy to return to would you feel lost"

Gems noticed there was no gnome..

There was no daughter, not here and not anywhere in the world..

There was no mr. Hops.. just a bird outside..instead.

There was no animal laying leaves on the ground.. just autumn..

There was no letter to write on. .. just winter's snow..

There was no Fishbowl on the roof.. or at a treetop.. just the sun of spring and summer..

And the post..man.. was what he had become..

It was but a rare moment of lucidity, conciousness.. in which he knew he was old.. demented..

But the world was different now and he had to live far away from it just not to be trapped in a hospice.. 'no.. NO... he rather be demented in his fairytale garden, where a gnome might oneday send him a letter, and he could build playsets and grow flowers for his daughter.

Gems scratched his head, looked at the wooden board above the bedroom door and stared into space.. just a moment.. just for a moment he felt like he could read the scribble etched into it.. .. "enmity with the world"..

And just for a moment.. just for a moment.. James remembered his name.

-

Outside, Gems inspected the swingset and noticed mr. Hops was sitting on the ground uninterested at Gem's pressence, he was staring at the letter box..

Carefully Gems picked up mr. Hops, something mr. Hops allowed rarely unless feeling tired.

"Did you spot a gnome, mr. Hops?" Gems queried while stroking the little bird's head softly.

-FIN