Chapter 6

Starr woke up feeling refreshed. Morning Starr came into the tent as she was waking. “Friend,” she said. “Take and eat these berries I picked on my morning walk.”
Starr took the berries and ate them. They tasted good. “What time is it?” she asked, thinking of her friends.
“It’s time to be peaceful and happy and to join in our search for what is good.”
Starr decided to walk out of the tent. It was still early, checking her watch to see that it was about 9 o’clock. She still had plenty of time to meet her friends.
“Ah,” said Wise Lover. “Our sleepy-headed friend is awake. There is a party gathering to help our friend Joe Biblioski gather in the harvest from his cherry trees that we all enjoy.”
“But I am so tired,” replied Starr.
“You do not have to help if you do not want to. But, you should always repay the kindness of others when you are able to,” said Tara.
“Well can I at least take a shower first?”
“Shower?” Tara and Wise Lover looked at one another knowingly and smiled.
“No, I am afraid not, weary one,” replied Wise Lover. “But if you wish you can join us when we all bathe in the stream later.”
“I am afraid we don’t have all the modern conveniences you are used to at home,” laughed Full Moon. “Let’s get going.
The four of them walked over to a wooden tool shed. Tara took two baskets and handed them to Full Moon. Wise Lover and Tara each picked up a rope, carabineers, and a strange shaped basket. Starr looked slightly puzzled.
“What are you going to do?” she asked Wise Lover.
“We will be picking cherries off the trees,” he replied without answering.
The four of them walked out of the shed and into the woods. They followed a long winding path. As they walked Wise Lover talked all about the plants and animals they saw along their walk. It took them a very long time to go a relatively short distance, because he knew so much about the native fauna and flora. By the time they reached their destination it was about 10 a.m. by Starr’s reckoning.
Eventually they came to what was obviously a small cherry orchard that had about a dozen trees and twice that many bushes encircling the trees. It was very beautiful, especially for such a small orchard. The trees were such brilliant and vibrant colors that it looked more like a giant’s flower garden.
Starr noticed people already in the trees picking cherries. The odd looking baskets were hanging off the lower branches of the trees. She could not see how the cherry pickers had climbed up the trees, but they were using the ropes to swing from branch to branch like monkeys. She watched them obviously amazed.
"You've never seen tree climbers before, have you? asked Full Moon.
"Uh, uh." replied Starr.
"They are so ordinary to me I forget that some people haven't ever even heard of them."
"I haven't."
"We'll we better get going. Joe needs us."
While they were talking Wise Lover and Tara were preparing to climb up the trees. They hitched the rope to another rope attached to the tree to form a pulley system. They then attached this to themselves using what appeared
to be an intricate series of knots to form a kind of harness and to pull them selves using this obviously intricate system.
“You and I will use these baskets to collect the cherries from the bushes.” Full Moon handed Starr one of the baskets that she had been holding. Starr joined the others and began to pick cherries. It was relatively easy work, but it was hot, and her back was not used to all the bending and squatting. When the sun was at its highest point, a little before noon, they took a break.
“Come,” said Full Moon. “Have some of these cherries that we picked.
“I thought they were for the pies?”
“Not all of them. Not even Joe could bake that many pies.” Full Moon chuckled. Starr joined her, glad for the break. While they were eating a healthy stout old man walked by.
Full Moon called out to him “Joe, come meet our new friend Starr. She is a traveler like one of us, looking for that which she does not know, and is full of many questions.”
Joe walked over to them, “So you are a great traveler as well.” He chuckled. He had a big belly that jiggled when he laughed. “Perhaps you can teach us something, unlike our wise friends.”
“So you’re the one responsible for all of this?” Starr was eager to learn something.
Joe laughed. “I tend the orchard and bake pies, but you are forgetting our friend Darien Malloy.” “Who is he?” asked Starr. “A great businessman who owns these orchards?”
“No,” this time it was Full Moon’s turn to laugh. Her laugh was quiet and respectfully condescending in contrast to Joe’s booming laugh.
“Darien is a great teacher and leader, and our friend.” She got up and motioned for Starr to continue picking cherries.
Starr remembered her friends and realized she must go soon. “I need to go. I told my friends I would meet them after lunchtime.”
“Alright. If you must go. May our paths meet again.” She paused in reflection. “I will tell Wise Lover and Tara that you have left. It is a weary path that we must travel, often lonely, but frequently in the company of friends. You should ask Joe’s grandson to show you the path back to the place from where we have come.” Full Moon pointed to the boy Starr had met the previous evening.