cnida

Frankly, Valentino wasn’t even sure why he was in the Conservatory. It’s not like it ever made him feel any better. The shaggy brown esk lay with his head between his paws, the pacific bleeding heart squished into the floor as he failed to see the beauty in the majestic world around him. It wasn’t as though the Conservatory itself was any different: had he been any other esk, he would have no doubt been mesmerized by his surroundings. Stained glass windows in warm, sunset colors stretched from the floor all the way up to the ceiling, lit by glowing orbs just beyond the edges of the room. Cane grew thick up around a meandering river of sparkling amber liquid, more spilling from cuts in the cane to feed its flow. At the end of the river was a deep hole, where esk could hear the fluid splashing down into a pool below. Esk from all biomes, all walks of life, all ages and levels of experience milled about the wellspring, enjoying the energy and stability radiating from the

Bonbon’s boundary was normally alight with activity- from the gentle happiness of his forest home, to the delighted squawking of kids during outdoor recess from the adjacent elementary school. During the winter months, however, both aspects of his life fell silent. The cold seemed to seep into every nook and cranny of his grotto, the stone becoming cold and inhospitable, the trees drawing inwards and fleeing from the frost, the animals hunkering down and retreating into their warm dens and nests. At the school, the children left for something called ‘winter vacation’, the building left dark and uninhabited as the falling snow warred against the thick layer of salt and sand poured on the blacktop. During times like this, the little esk would often retreat into the Conservatory. The eerie silence gave him the heebie jeebies, you see, and he’d fight that feeling by seeking the company of others. Today was different, however. It wasn’t often that Bonbon looked up and saw a swath of

It was warm and sunny one late May day, the 3rd grade class at Auburn Elementary abuzz with excitement as they chattered about summer vacation. The teacher, still somewhat green, tried in vain to gently get the class’s attention. She had an announcement as to what they’d be doing in the month leading up to June- something that would involve no tests or pop quizzes. That got the children’s rapt attention. With a kind smile, she bade the class to gather around her desk, placing a strange container on top. It was a wire cylinder surrounded by a fine green mesh, with one door on top closed by a zipper. With a green swirl around the outside, it looked almost like a stretched out slinky. She bade the children to lean in, and after a moment, some of the kids could see inside. There was a layer of green leaves on the bottom, with one darker green, serrated leaf on top. And there, gleaming like a precious green jewel, was a tiny round egg. The children gasped and murmured amongst themselves

Bonbon was splayed out on a bed of soft moss, relaxing in the warmth of a sunbeam. The air was cool and languid, the atmosphere of his boundary peaceful. Dragonflies darted around the cattails growing up near the tiny pond in front of his grotto, some landing daintily on the fluffy seed heads. High above, birds chatted amongst themselves without urgency. Like Bonbon, the world was sleepy. Distantly, Bonbon could hear the swell of noise and laughter of children that marked the beginning of recess. For just a short while at noontime, the normally silent schoolyard would be just as lively as the forest just beyond its paved parking lot. Inwardly, he smiled, and he snuggled down into the moss for a little catnap- -At least, he was planning to before he heard an out of place noise. He stood up, looking to and fro. Separate from the far away sounds of cheer and play, there was the sound of sniffling and held back sobs, coming from the area of the forest nearest to the school. Bonbon’s