The Wheelbarrow Girl

Readers, be prepared to be enchanted by this whimsical tale. This story is not for the fainthearted but only for those who still believe in the power of magic. You are invited to meet the most amazing girl I know. In her words, she's the Wheelbarrow girl, but Sunmoon is her everyday name.

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Life in the forest

Once upon a time, in a forest nestled in the heart of the Prairies, and a stone’s throw from a crystal blue lake, there lived a young, exquisite and remarkable six-and-a-half-year-old girl.

The ancient, gigantic trees in the forest were covered in lichen, mosses and ropey tendrils, creating perfect hiding places for trolls and gnomes. These bad boys were always up to no good and annoyed even the squirrels, tadpoles, dragonflies and fireflies, who would extinguish their lights the minute they saw them.

Our heroine, with her sun-kissed mop of hair, she was known by two names: her given name, Sunmoon, and her special name, Wheelbarrow Girl, because she was no ordinary girl. 

(It is wise to note that Wheelbarrow Girl can climb stairs in high heels without breaking her neck.) Things didn't always go as planned, but she was determined.

The always laughing forest dwellers, fairies, pixies and gnomes, who were devilishly brilliant, often added the prefix feisty, flashy, frivolous and fiendish to her name because she was all of those things.

In fact, one could say, “she is all the seasons in a day” The wise old Eagle Owl hooted sitting on his thick, gnarled branch, while batting his long eyelashes every once in a while. The shenanigans taking place all around him kept him awake and really infuriated him. But, he was tolerant, anywhoo-whoo, he thought, they would be fair game when he went hunting that night.

You might wonder what Sunmoon’s special powers are. Well, for one, when she was around, everyone could magically see the world through rose-tinted sunglasses.

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Cycles of the Seasons

Every winter, the sun would disappear, and the moon would appear for much longer hours. The earth would be covered in deep white snow, which crunched under her fur-lined boots.

It took six or eight months of biting cold until the sun’s warmth and brightness returned, the snow would melt, and as if by a magical spell, Sunmoon would transform and unfurl like a ballerina into Wheelbarrow girl.

This was not just any transformation, but a special power she possessed. This super-superpower allowed her to assist her Ouma in a unique way, by becoming a wheelbarrow that could carry heavy loads with ease, a feat only possible due to their unbreakable bond.

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Summertime Adventures

Another amazing thing happened when the days became longer and the sun a little warmer, while the earth was still wet and wintry. Mushrooms and toadstools mysteriously sprang up overnight; some were red, green, orange, or crimson, while a few had spots, appearing as if by magic. These were the forest dwellers’ summer homes, and it marked the time they could abandon their treehouses for a few glorious months.

The faeries would open their curtains, put out their entrance mats with “welcome” written in bold letters and say, “Come inside, let’s have tea.”

“Oh my giddy aunt!” the friendly shopkeeper with her wobbly, rosy cheeks would say because Sunmoon loved Summer when she could slip into bright, hot pink Crocs from Australia.

She loved them so much that her Mama bought a pair two sizes too large, just in case. These enabled her to roll over the cobblestones, green grass, push herself up hills and down dales as her grandmother scooped leaves and twigs into her barrow.

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Unbreakable Bond

Her Grandmother, an ancient, frizzy, grey-haired, old woman who lived in a truck, was her constant companion whenever she was around. Their bond was as strong as the branches Wheelbarrow Girl rattled over, a bond that could never be broken.

Sunmoon’s second superpower was to accurately predict someone’s age with just one look. Her Ouma was thrilled to be 24 again! Old, of course, but she still had some miles on her speedometer, Sunmoon said sagely. Even the  Snow owl hooted at this prediction.

Her Ouma, as she was known, believed their magical bond was beyond extraordinary because when Sunmoon was born, her Ouma cut her lifegiving umbilicus with a special pair of sharp, pointy scissors, and this act made their bond unbreakable.

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Swimming With Otto

One day, while the little girl was picking up pebbles on the lake shore, a big, fat otter stopped nearby. His magnificent pelt glistened in the sunlight.

He said his name was Otto and that he had only one question to ask the girl. “Can you swim?” he asked without preamble. "You are very rude! My name is Sunmoon in case you’re wondering." She dropped the cute pink shell she was holding, rolled her eyes, tsk, and said, “Of course, I swim like a fish. Why do you ask?” he grinned from one funny, furry ear to the other, which enlarged his already big brown eyes. “If you do, follow me, and I’ll show you deep underwater caves right here in the lake.” She sighed and said as if speaking to a child, “Not on your Nelly old boy. I do not swim with strangers.”

Otto laughed, “Just checking”, he grinned mischievously, showing his big, fat teeth before flipping off into the depths of the lake.

To prove a point, Sunmoon dived, arching her back and stretching her long arms out, covering her head to make sure she wouldn’t belly flop, and swam, dipping and diving, mimicking cheeky Otto. This gal was a water baby, alright.

When the White-tailed doe tip-tipped, skittishly, on slender legs down to the water’s edge with her calf, Sunmoon stepped out of the water and wrapped herself in her big, fluffy beach towel and sat down on a log to dry off before sneaking back into the forest for the night.

To have all these superpowers was something Sunmoon didn’t take for granted. 

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Animal Companions

Sunmoon had a special fondness for cats, and in her tiny kitchen, she had a Mum cat with her four fur kittens. The littlest one, a brindle black, white and ginger cat, was the runt of the litter, but, like Sunmoon, this little miss was amazingly feisty and could climb up her legs using her very sharp nails like a rock climber. “Ouch!” Sunmoon would cry out as tiny pinpricks appeared on her nutty brown legs, “That hurts!” but Mama always had colourful band-aid strips to make the owie go away. A soft kiss and hug could do the trick, too.

Sunmoon’s love for animals, especially Cupcake, her favourite cat, was as warm as the sun on a summer’s day, and it filled her forest home with love and laughter.

One day, while foraging for seeds, roots and salad greens, Sunmoon and her Ouma almost tripped over a hen's nest with four eggs nestled in soft downy feathers. Every day, Ouma would check on the eggs, but one day, Sunmoon’s aunty reported that the eggs had disappeared. She thought a fox or coyote had taken them to feed her litter of pups. 

On their way home, they spotted the hen all alone in the water. She was the only duck without her clutch of chicks. 

With broken hearts, the two adventurers returned to the nest for the very last time to make sure all the eggs were gone. Only the feathery nest remained. 

Waiting in the window for Sunmoon’s return was Cupcake. As soon as the door opened, she meowed loudly, jumped gracefully to the floor, and wrapped her body around Sunmoon’s legs, her long, fluffy tail curling with delight.

Sunmoon picked her up, kissed her tenderly on the top of her head, and both fell onto the couch for cuddles. Cupcake caterwauled loudly and slapped any kitten spoiling her fun away without thinking twice.

They were old enough to keep themselves busy, and it was her turn to have all the attention. With his tail between his legs, the kitten whimpered and slinked back to his nest, where his mother was feeding his siblings.

“You are so jealous, Cupcake!” Sunmoon reminded her, twirling her tail. "Not a very nice trait!”

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The Power of Words

Another thing Sunmoon loved was books, especially picture books picked up from the sidewalk free libraries scattered all around Timber Town, near hovels and caves dotting the winding forest footpaths.

She would spend hours reading and imagining herself the heroine of stories, often sharing her favourite parts with her animal friends. That was her third superpower.. turning an ordinary story into an adventure. One not to be ignored.

Foxes, rabbits, frogs, pink flamingos, and wild, spotty dogs would follow the Wheelbarrow girl wherever she roamed, collecting books. After reading her stash of books, she’d return the pile and collect new books to share with her barrow full of pet friends.

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Psssst Look Ouma... Snake

The wheelbarrow girl had no fear and often teased her Ouma with a pet snake, an ugly, pink and blue brute that she would curl around her arms and neck for protection. At night, this ugly monstrosity would be her pillow, scaring the rain spiders and bats that lurked in the black, dancing branches swaying in the wind.

When the moon was full, shadows danced, and squirrels played on knobbly branches, running along like cartoon characters shown on a wall.

Whenever she happened upon a snake, slithering across a path or into a rabbit hole, Wheelbarrow girl would grab a stick and, with all her magical powers, would catch the snake, no matter how awful or vicious or not, and then she’d terrorise her Ouma with it.

Whenever she found a snake—no matter how fearsome—she delighted in showing it to Ouma.Ouma, who came from Africa, where there are brown ones, yellow, green, grey and black or stripey ones and the size of slithery snakes, and was well aware of their poisonous ways. What’s more, nothing would convince her that these cold-blooded, coiling killers could be friendly. Not even a wooden one. In her mind, no snakes were good snakes.

Her fourth and unfortunate superpower, according to Ouma, was her ability to rattle a snake out of its hiding place. While it scared the bejeezus out of Ouma, Wheelbarrow girl laughed until she cried.

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When the world loses its sparkle

But like all forest folk, there are times when a whirlwind is triggered on the outer edges of the forest, which tends to unsettle everyone, even the Wheelbarrow girl. She finds her annoyance levels rise like thunder, and with lightning speed, she can lash out in retaliation at anything in her path.

To her credit, she has learned that sometimes she needs to rest, read, and recuperate with a glass of water and a snack. She does this without fuss because, in her heart, she wishes to be kind, gentle, and forgiving of the annoyances that creep about in the undergrowth.

On her favourite T Shirt is printed in bold black letters “We are Buddies NOT Bullies".

And that, dear readers, is her greatest Superpower. Most importantly, she knew she was only a human bean.

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The Power of Stories

Sunmoon’s greatest test came one afternoon when her Funcle came to visit. He is a giant of a man with a beard and salt-and-pepper hair, and everybody says he's a smart cookie.

To test his new invention, a lie detector, he tested Sunmoon without her knowledge, and when his buzzer failed to alert him, he put her to the test.

Sunmoon had to answer twenty questions, and if she replied with a fib (a lie), he said, "You’ll be on a slippery slope, Sunmoon, because my lie detector will buzz deafeningly”. Poor Funcle tried his best to trick Sunmoon, but her honest answers made his task impossible. She could not tell a lie, no matter how hard he tried.

Although he didn’t say as much, just grunting his approval, Funcle was very impressed and knew his new invention was a winner.

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Almost the end of Summer.

Right now, it’s almost the end of the summer, and Wheelbarrow Girl has to return to a new school, starting her Pre-Primary year. Everyone in the family is so proud of her and will be rooting for her, knowing full well that she’s the brightest button in her class.

Sunmoon will wear her brightest, prettiest dress to school, where she’ll meet new friends and a new teacher. “The year ahead holds so many possibilities”, she says, spluttering as she brushes her teeth before bedtime.

Her Ouma guffaws loudly, thinks she’s hilarious and swallows a massive mouthful of toothpaste, which triggers a coughing fit. This only fuels Sunmoon’s giggles, who can hardly control her electric toothbrush.

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Ouma The Fearless Explorer

In a while, crocodile, her Ouma will return to her beloved Africa on her zippy broom, where she’ll return to her tiny-tiny house and a mouse near the ocean. Her days will be filled with dreams of Sunmoon, and in her heart, she’ll be telling her about whales, dolphins, penguins, small fish, a whopper blue gill like the one Wheelbarrow girl hooked, and large octopi who live in rock pools.

During the day, Ouma will apply a swirl of vibrant Chanel red lipstick to her lips and cover her noggin with a straw floppy hat before heading out for a walk to collect shells and stones along the cliff path, as she does every other day.

In her garden, she’ll plant fragrant flowers, yellow daisies, blue cornflowers, calendula, and red and pink poppies to remind her of her walks with Wheelbarrow Girl when they explored the forest. She’ll not forget white Baby’s Breath, the mushrooms and the squirrels.

At night, her Ouma will gaze at the full moon and hopes to see a Wheelbarrow girl whizzing past. When all one’s magical powers are unleashed, anything becomes possible; that’s the power of the mind and imagination.

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This little story is dedicated to my granddaughter, Isla.