The Girl and the Talking Hedge

The Girl and the Talking Hedge - Author : Ebru Mina TOMURCUK

Every morning, Mira skipped down the garden path in her yellow rain boots. She wore her bright red overalls with the little daisy patch, and her two short pigtails bounced as she ran. The garden was her favorite place, full of buzzing bees and nodding flowers. But the very best part stood at the very end: a great green hedge, tall and wide and wonderfully mysterious. 1

The hedge was old and sprawling, woven through with moss and tiny white blossoms. Two sleepy knot-holes in its branches looked just like gentle eyes, and a crease in its bark curved like a smile. Sometimes fireflies rested in its leaves, glowing softly like tiny lanterns. Mira liked to sit beside it and listen to the leaves whisper in the wind. 2

One sunny morning, Mira heard something new. "Good day!" chirped a tiny voice from deep inside the hedge. She leaned closer and heard rustling, nibbling, and soft little giggles. "Hello?" Mira whispered. "Can you hear me?" A small robin poked her head out, her reddish-orange breast glowing. "Of course!" said the bird. "We can all hear you. Welcome!" 3

The robin fluffed her feathers and hopped onto a branch. "I am Pip," she said, a single feather sticking up like a cowlick. She carried a tiny woven twig nest decorated with one blue flower. "And this is Bramble." A plump brown rabbit wiggled out from below, her long floppy ears swaying and her pink nose twitching. "Pleased to meet you," Bramble said politely, a green leaf tucked behind one ear like a bow. 4

Mira laughed with delight. "You can talk! All of you!" The hedge rustled warmly. "Of course they can," said a slow, kind voice. "I am the Old Hedge, and I look after everyone here." Mira pressed her hands to her cheeks, her hazel eyes wide. "I promise to listen," she said. "I am very good at listening." And she sat down right there on the soft grass, ready for anything. 5

For many days, Mira visited the talking hedge. She met beetles and bees, a sleepy mouse, and a chatty squirrel. She listened to stories of acorns and rain and first flights. "You are a wonderful listener," Pip said one afternoon. Bramble nodded, nibbling a clover. "Most visitors just make noise," she said. "You sit quietly and truly hear us." Mira beamed, her freckles crinkling. 6

Then one morning, Mira arrived to a terrible fuss. "It is MY spot!" Pip chirped loudly, her cowlick feather trembling. "It is warm and high and safe for my eggs!" "It is MY spot too!" Bramble thumped a big foot. "It is cozy and low, and my burrow needs the warmth!" The squirrel covered his ears, and the mouse hid under a leaf. 7

"I was here first!" said Pip. "I need it more!" said Bramble. Their voices grew louder and louder, and the pretty blue flower on Pip's nest wobbled. Bramble's floppy ears drooped, but she would not give in. The other animals watched and worried, peeping from the leaves. The happy hedge felt grumpy and loud, and nobody was smiling anymore. 8

Mira looked at the two friends and thought hard. She could pick a side, but that felt wrong. "Stop, stop!" she said gently. "May I sit with you?" The animals fell quiet. Mira sat down in the soft grass and folded her hands. "First, Pip, please tell me what you need." Pip blinked, surprised, then took a breath and began. 9

"My eggs need safety," Pip said softly. "High up, where cats cannot reach. That warm spot is the safest I have ever found." Bramble listened without hopping. "And you, Bramble?" Mira asked. "My burrow needs warmth for the winter," Bramble said. "The ground there stays snug and dry when the wind blows cold." One wanted high, the other wanted low, and both were a little bit right. 10

Mira looked at the Old Hedge, and it rustled back kindly. "I have an idea," she said. "What if we share the cozy spot? Pip, your nest can go up high in the warm branches. Bramble, your burrow can stay down low in the snug earth. The hedge is tall!" Pip tilted her head. Bramble twitched her nose. "Up high?" said Pip. "Down low?" said Bramble. "Both at once?" 11

So the animals got to work. Pip wove her twig nest into the high warm branch, and the blue flower looked lovely there. Bramble dug her snug burrow below, arranging soft grass and leaves just right. The squirrel passed up twigs, and the mouse carried moss. Mira helped where she could, holding the flower steady. Up high and down low, each home had room, and neither friend lost anything. 12

When they finished, Pip and Bramble looked at each other. "I am sorry I shouted," Pip said, her cowlick feather drooping. "I am sorry too," said Bramble. "Your nest looks beautiful up there." Pip sang a small song, and Bramble thumped her foot happily. The other animals cheered, peeping and chattering. The Old Hedge crept with green light, and its knot-hole eyes crinkled with a smile. 13

From that day on, the hedge was peaceful and happy again. Pip sang from her high warm nest, and Bramble snoozed in her snug low burrow. Sometimes they swapped snacks and stories. "You listen better than anyone," Bramble told Mira, her floppy ears lifting. "That is why we are friends," Mira said, smiling. Listening, she learned, helps everyone understand each other.