Free Fractured Eden by Steven Gossington Page B

forever.”
    Marley laughed. “You had a deprived childhood. Everyone should picnic now and then.”
    Aaron looked down and shook his head. “I’ve been deprived of many things.”
    Marley played a pretend violin and hummed a song.
    Aaron laughed. “What song are you playing?”
    “ ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,’ by Hank Williams, Jr.”
    Aaron began to dance with Cristal. They moved in circles and he twirled Cristal under his arm.
    Marley looked up. “I can hear the birds warbling louder now. They’re watching you.”
    Aaron stopped and listened. “The birds must like it when folks picnic around here. They can all fly in and join the party.”
    He bowed to Cristal. “Thanks for the dance.”
    Cristal continued to dance solo as Aaron broke into the moonwalk dance.
    “Mommy, look at him.” Cristal pointed at Aaron sliding backward across the grass, his hands on his hips and a big smile for Marley on his face.
    Marley giggled. “You’ve got some great moves.”
    “I’m glad you think so.”
    After the dancing, it was time to clean up the picnic table.
    Aaron took a deep breath. “I want to learn how to line dance in a real cowboy dance hall. Can we go some evening, and you can show me how?”
    Marley nodded. “Sure.”
    “How about this Wednesday?” He held his breath.
    Marley sighed. “Okay.”
    Aaron clapped his hands together. “Awesome. I can’t wait. Dinner’s on me, too.”
    Marley walked away and tossed trash in a nearby bin.
    “Since there’s a day for just about everything, I’ll bet we have a National Picnic Day,” Aaron said.
    “That would be a safe bet. There is one, in April.”
           “Yeah, I would’ve guessed sometime in the spring. Let’s picnic again on the next official day, and maybe before then, too? This is a great way to spend an afternoon.”
    Marley turned and carried the picnic basket to the car.
    Maybe I’m coming on too strong . Slow down, Aaron.
    Cristal ran over to a nearby trail. “Come with me,” she said, waving her arms.
    Aaron motioned to Marley. “Let’s go. You’ll have to tell me about any critters we come across.”
    “Okay, follow me,” Marley said. “Now for another lesson. Over 300 species of birds live in the Big Thicket, and many are on the endangered list. Look for orchids. Twenty types of orchids grow in here, along with, get this, more than one thousand species of plants and ferns.”
    Aaron whistled. “I can’t get my head around all that.”
    They walked and skipped along the narrow trail for a while, accompanied by chirping birds and scurrying squirrels. Marley pointed at a bluebird as it flew over them. At one point, Aaron heard rustling in the bushes at the side of the trail. Marley parted branches and peered in. “Look, our nine-banded armadillo.” Aaron bent forward to see and jumped back as the armadillo scurried away.
    Marley laughed. “It won’t hurt you.”
    Cristal ran up to Marley. “Look, Mommy.” She held out her hands cradling a large green frog. “Can I have him? Please?”
    “No, his home is here. Let him down gently.”
    As Marley stood up from crouching, her hair glistened in a breeze. Aaron marveled at the intense colors of fluttering birds and swaying foliage behind her.
    “Why are you smiling?” Marley said.
    Aaron blushed and put his hand to his forehead. “I had this vision of the Garden of Eden. What it might’ve looked like.” He shook his head. “Sorry. I know that’s crazy.”
    “No, it’s not. I get that feeling in here sometimes, too.”
    After about an hour’s time, they returned to their picnic area.
    Aaron wiped his sweaty forehead with his handkerchief. “Okay, nature girl, you’ve convinced me. There’s a huge variety of plants and critters in the Big Thicket.”
    Marley smiled. “We’ve only scratched the surface.”
    During the drive back to town, they sang along to country music and Marley knew the lyrics to most of the songs. Aaron drove with the windows down and