CHAPTER VI
AT THE HEART OF A TREE
Ivra and Eric ran until the stars were almost lost to them under the snowroof of the forest. Once Eric stopped to tie his sandal-string which hadloosened and was bothering him. Then the stillness of the world startledhim.
He cried to Ivra to wait, and she came back to his side. "Don't befrightened," she comforted. "There are Forest People near us. They wouldwalk with us, for some of them are going to the party too, but they areafraid of you. That's why they've drawn their white hoods over theirheads and keep away. Once we are inside the Tree Man's, though, it willbe all right. They'll come in too, and not be afraid any more."
"But why are they afraid of me?" asked Eric, tugging at hissandal-string. "No one else has ever been afraid of me. Even Juno, Mrs.Freg's cat, who was afraid of 'most every one, liked me and jumped intomy lap. Why are the Forest People afraid?"
"Well, they are Forest People, you see, and you are an Earth Child.Mother and I weren't afraid of you, of course, because,--we aren'texactly Forest People."
Ivra paused and the silence came back. Eric looked up at her.
"Are you cold?" he asked.
"No, no." But she began to jump up and down and knock her heels togetherto get warm. Eric still struggled with his lacings. Ivra stopped jumpingand went down on her knees in the snow to straighten them out for him.Eric's fingers were awkward with knots, and besides, now, they were numbwith the cold. But Ivra had everything right in a minute. She crossedthe strings over his instep and tied them snugly above his ankle almostbefore he could think. Then they ran on. In starlit spaces Eric caughtglimpses of hurrying figures, so swift and light he could not tellwhether they walked or flew. Their cloaks sparkled white in starlightuntil he was not sure but they might be starbeams, and not Forest Peopleat all.
One suddenly started up just at his elbow, and was away like the wind.Ivra began to run and to call after it. "Wild Star! Silly Wild Star!It's only I, Ivra, and my playmate. Wait for us!"
Eric followed her, running as fast as he could, but the snow held himback, and all the trees in the forest seemed to gather to stand in hisway. Ivra came back to him, laughing. "They are so afraid of you! No onewill come near us until the Tree Man is there to protect him."
Soon they came to a big beech-tree standing in an open space withsmaller beeches making a circle around it. The starlight showed,strangely, a narrow door in the trunk. Ivra pushed it open and Ericfollowed in after her, wondering at going into a tree.
They were on a flight of stairs lighted by starlight from a windowsomewhere high up. At the head of the flight they came to a door, andthrough the crack beneath it streamed a warmer light than starlight.Ivra opened that door gayly, and through it with her, Eric went to hisfirst party.
It was the jolliest room in all the world. The firelight and candlelightdid not reach so far as the walls, but left them in soft darkness. SoEric had the feeling that the room was really much too large to beinside of a tree. But in spite of its bigness, it was very cozy. Thefireplace was in the middle of the floor, just a great hollowed boulder,heaped with crackling twigs.
The candles, red, green, yellow, brown and orange, stood circlewise on atable by which the Tree Man sat, carving a doll out of a stick. Aworkbasket on the table was overflowing with bright threads and piecesof queer cloth.
Eric saw these things because just for a minute he was too shy to lookat the people in the room. Almost at once he had to look at the TreeMan, however, for he came and shook him by the shoulders. Eric had beenshaken by the shoulders before, so he shrank away. But this was verydifferent from Mrs. Freg's shakings. The Tree Man was chuckling, notscolding, and the dark eyes that Eric looked up above the long whitebeard to find were friendly and wise.
"Do not fear us, little Earth Child," he said. "It is we that have causeto fear you. You have only to blink your eyes, pretend to be knowing,and we are nothing. But your eyes are so wide and so clear, we trustyou. Ivra told us there was not the tiniest shadow in them, not even theshadow of leaf. Only hunger. But we're not afraid of hunger. Come, havea good time at the party."
Then the Tree Girl, the Tree Man's daughter, came to him. She was shy,and shook all her soft brown hair about her cheeks. A circle of littleyellow leaves kept her hair from her eyes, which, in spite of herbashfulness, were steady and kind like her father's. "I am glad you arehere." she said. From that minute Eric felt at home in the tree.
Eric and Ivra were the first of the guests. The others perhaps had beentoo scared to come. But soon knock after knock sounded at the door, andin flocked the Forest People who had been invited.
First came the Bird Fairies, five of them together, merry and goodlittle creatures as ever lived in the wood. They had arrived only thatday from their summer homes in the far north, 'way up among thesnow-barrens. They always spent the winter in this wood, living in theempty birds' nests and spending their time making up songs to teach thebirds that would come back in the spring. Bird Fairies cannot sing anote themselves, nor carry an air, but they make up fine songs for thespring birds, who while they can sing with beautiful voices really havebut few ideas.
They are fluffy, cuddly, swift little creatures, tiny and quiet. Onemight think them of little account just at first, but not for long. Forthey are the farthest-traveled of all the Forest People, except the WindCreatures only. Now they were fluttering in, and off came their whitecloaks and forth they hopped in bright colors, little feet twinkling andpattering, little wings lifting and wavering. They gathered around theTree Man, nestling in a row on his shoulder, running up and down hisarms, giving all of the news of their long journey into his ear. Hechuckled and chuckled and soon sat down by the table again, nodding hishead with delight at the tales they were telling him.
Meanwhile, another group entered,--the Forest Children. The ForestChildren are little girls and boys who live all by themselves in mosshouses deep in the thickest of the forest, and know nothing of mothers,nurses or schools. They came tumbling, cheering, and skipping in, curlsbobbing, eyes shining. When their white cloaks were taken off with thehelp of the Tree Girl and Ivra, it was plain to see that they had nomothers. Their frocks were torn and stained, and half theirsandal-strings untied and flapping. The Tree Girl sighed as she pattedthe bobbing curls into some order, tied the laces and straightened abuckle here and there.
Now the room was musical with sound.
The last guest arrived, Wild Star, who had run away from Eric in theforest. He was a Wind Creature. Wind Creatures are growing-up girls andboys who live near the edge of the forest. Like all fairies, they canonly be seen by Earth People on a day that is clearer than a day shouldbe, or by people like Eric who have no shadows in their eyes.
Wild Star dropped his bright white cloak as he entered. His wings werepurple, the color of early morning, high and pointed. But they clappedthemselves neatly down his back to avoid the ceiling. He was a beautifulboy, wild and starry, and that is how he got his name. Wind Creaturesare strong and swift, a little too wide-awake and far-traveled to bevery intimate with the Forest People. But Wild Star, though he was asswift and strong as any, often came to the Tree Man's, and often playedwith the Forest Children in their moss village for days together. Heloved the Tree Man, and now he sat down cross legged by him, and laidhis bright cheeck against his knee.
So the party began.