Trust Me, I'm a Flower: And Other Tales.

By Garrett Hunter

What on earth could cause a spirit to stop dancing?
What should we do when we are lost in the great hall?
Will the little lies we tell our children destroy them, or might they ultimately save them?
Can the damage inflicted by a cruel teacher on a boy at infant school ever be repaired?
What becomes of a child who sets out on a dangerous river journey?
Was there a miracle at Primrose Hill?
Just who is Katie conspiring with in the kitchen as her mother sleeps sounding upstairs?
What is the difference between fate and destiny?
Have you ever failed anyone, perhaps someone who loved you? What became of them?

In this collection of tales and contemporary fables these questions are answered and many others are raised. Yet they all serve to remind us how hope and faith and humanity can prevail in a world of hidden sorrows. Ultimately uplifting, these stories will linger in the mind long after the pages of the book are closed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Apr 28, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456780043

Garrett Hunter

Garrett Hunter was born in Dublin in 1959. He has lived in Ireland, England, Australia, France and Croatia. He studied screenwriting at the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA) in Sydney, and in Central Saint Martins College in London. In the winter of 2009/10 he left his career in architecture to become a full-time writer. He has written several volumes of poetry, a collection of short stories and two screenplays. His feature film screenplay 'A Secret Burning' has received critical acclaim and is soon to be published as a novel. He currently lives in Warsaw, Poland.

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© 2011. Garrett Hunter. All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 2/24/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4567-7133-1

Ebook 9781456780043

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FOR MY PARENTS

BETTY & TOMMY HUNTER

All I can say at the end of the day is the search goes on

Never, it seems

In my sleep, in my dreams

May I linger long.

-Thrune

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

With special thanks to

Asia Piesniewska, for her unending patience and support.

Tikka Hun, for her friendship, and for the beautiful cover design.

Larissa Jonid, for her friendly advice on matters linguistic.

Katie Hunter, for being the inspiration for Trust Me, I’m a Flower (and for being a flower).

Mark (Molix) Malone, for the generous use of his island (where many of these stories were written).

The people of Ciovo, Croatia (it is their island really) for the warmth and hospitality they offered to a lonely writer.

For dear departed friends, Rob (Robbo) Robson and Frank Murphy, for your influence, and for the good times we shared.

Contents

VINCENT LUDWIG MARTIN AND THE 4TH SPIRIT

THE GREAT HALL

THE PLAYGROUND

THE SEAHORSE

THAT WAS THE… THIS IS THE…

FATE FISH

PRIMROSE HILL

SKYE BLUE

TRUST ME, I’M A FLOWER

The Clause

VINCENT LUDWIG MARTIN

AND THE 4TH SPIRIT

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THE THREE GODS of heaven call upon four dancing spirits to inform them they are to be sent to the Great Hall, to live as people, amongst people. This causes the four dancing spirits to dance around–as they do–in a seemingly happy way. Although of course, they have no concept of happiness. One by one the spirits are called forward–from their dancing–to be given their worldly destinies.

The 1st Spirit

You are to be given a great gift to bring to earth. You are to be gifted with the ability to see beauty in all things, and moreover, the talent to capture this beauty and show it to the world, so that in their dark hours, they might look at what you have created and remember the world is full of light and beauty. At this the 1st spirit dances around–as spirits do–in a seemingly happy way. But, say the Gods, you must also carry a burden onto the earth, for it is the way of earthly living. Although you shall see beauty in all things, and through your work spread happiness, you shall live out your existence alone, you shall never know, other than in the most fleeting of moments, this happiness for yourself. At this the 1st spirit momentarily stops dancing. For, even though he has no concept of happiness, he already senses its loss.

The 2nd Spirit

You are to be given a great gift to bring to earth. You are to be gifted with the ability to hear music in all things, and moreover, the talent to pluck this music from the whispering air and play it to the world so that their crying hours and their laughter hours can be expressed in the wonder of the beautiful music you have given them. At this the 2nd spirit dances–as spirits do–in a seemingly happy way. But, say the Gods, you must also carry a burden onto the earth, for it is the way of earthly living. Although you shall hear music in all things, and your music shall touch the souls of people everywhere, ultimately this music shall be taken from you and you shall live out your days in an unbearable silence. At this the 2nd spirit momentarily stops dancing. For, even though he has no concept of music, he already senses its loss.

The 3rd Spirit

You are to be given a great gift to bring to earth. You are to be gifted with the ability to find wisdom in all things, and moreover, the talent to shape this wisdom into beautiful words and to speak with great force of truth and freedom. Your words will empower people to break from the chains of oppression and move forward as brothers and sisters towards a brighter future. At this the 3rd spirit dances–as spirits do–in a seemingly happy way. But, say the Gods, you must also carry a burden onto the earth, for it is the way of earthly living. Although you shall see, even in your dreams, a future of peace and justice for all mankind, you shall never share this future with them, for you shall be stolen from the earth before these joys are known by you. At this the 3rd spirit momentarily stops dancing. For, even though he has no concept of earthly life, he already senses its loss.

The 4th Spirit

You are to be given a great many gifts to bring to earth. For you are to be gifted with a measure of all of the gifts of the other three spirits. And moreover the sense that you have these talents waiting to burst forth from your heart. You shall be shown such wonders on earth, in the glory of the dawning of the day and under the light of the moon, in the golden light of the sun and in the falling rain, the majesty of the earth will unveil itself to you, even without your asking. And the truth and beauty of the world as expressed by the previous three spirits shall be known to you, along with the wisdom discovered by spirits that have gone before. At this the 4th spirit dances–as spirits do–in a seemingly happy way. But, say the Gods, you must also carry a burden onto the earth, for it is the way of earthly living. Although you shall know of the bright light burning within you, although you shall sense the energies of the entire universe waiting to be expressed through you to all the peoples of the world. You shall let this beauty waiting to shine from within you wither and die, simply because you choose to do so. At this the 4th spirit momentarily stops dancing. For, even though he has no concept of choice, he already senses its immeasurable weight.

THE GREAT HALL

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AND SO WE find ourselves in life’s great hall. We have no knowledge of this place or of how or why we came to be here. We have not arrived here by any decision of our own but by decree of the universe. From the day we are carried into the great hall the reason for our presence within it is–and shall remain–a mystery. At first we are helpless; we need others to keep us safe, to nurture us and to watch over us. These others are as extensions of ourselves, we cannot imagine being in the great hall without them. With them the great hall is like an infinite playground; to our eyes everything is as new as we are, everything is waiting to be touched and tasted. And yet there soon comes a time when we seek to strive out alone, when we tug at the bonds