Page 47 - GINGER
P. 47
“Call him here? What rubbish! He needs to know the song, and anyway, why? What will
you explain to him?”, Pristly asked, clearly annoyed.
“He knows the song. Maybe he can help us in some way. He has always been my life-
line.” Ginger told everyone, reminiscing about him.
“Ginger, I understand you miss him. But there’s no way we can communicate and get him
here.” Haanz told her.
Ginger lowered her head still thinking of possibilities and probabilities, looking at the blue
door.
‘All the world’s a treasure of blue…hmm. hmm. hmm…’, she hummed the song thinking
about her Papa, missing him more now.
*
* the memory *
*
“Ginger, come outside; come, we have a little guest today!” Papa called her outside with
a smile audible in his tone. “I am painting Papa”, she told him in a regular tone.
“For once Darling, can you put your brushes aside and just come and see? You will like it,
I promise”, he said. “You need to get out of that room of yours.”
She stepped out in the courtyard, preoccupied with her brushes and the faults in her
painting, when she saw Papa sitting crouched and coo-cooing sweetly. She bent across
to look.
“Aww…a bird.” She smiled looking at the bird that was pecking at the spread out nuts
on the floor. “How did she get here Papa, all alone?” She kept admiring her.
“It’s a Woodpecker. Do you know what a woodpecker is?” He looked up at her smiling.
She raised her eyebrows in surprise and curiosity.
“He’s peckin’ it all day long, he pecks a few holes in a tree to see…”, he stood up singing
now and doing a cute jig. “If a Redwood’s really red, to peck a few holes in your
head…Ho-ho-ho-ho!”, he tapped on her head teasing her.
Ginger chuckled looking at him in awe and joined him in the dance, as he held her arms in
his hands and waltzed her around the woodpecker.
“Yeah that’s a Woody woodpecker’s song!” He sung and chuckled.
“Papa!” She giggled, and the woodpecker stood looking blandly at the crazy lot,
unaffected and not bothered, drilling his nuts, as the courtyard resonated with joy.
