Love With A Beetle
Disclaimer: I do not own Thumbelina. I do own the poem Thumbelina sang in this chapter.
Author note: As much as I like Cornelius and enjoy the Thumbelina/Cornelius pairing it always bothered me how fast they fell in love and thought Thumbelina would be a better match with someone else. Plus, I love Gilbert Gottfried.
Chapter 1: The beginning
It had been one month since Thumbelina came to be at her mother's farm. Although she was born with the body of a sixteen year old, her personality and behavior was very reminiscent of a newborn fawn. She was still getting used to the new big world when all she had known before were red enclosed walls made of a soft material.
When she was inside the flower she wondered at the world beyond the petals of her birthplace and at the huge lifelike shadows darkening the areas not covered by a strange bright warmth. She discovered newfound hope in the warmth which was prevalent for a good part of the day through the gossamer petals. Before falling asleep with the sweet scent of her rose bed filling her nose she caught the sound of voices of various timbres in her ears.
She passed the time by imagining up stories of what the outside world would be like. Would she be surrounded by other little people who also lived in flowers or would those talkative moving shadows reveal themselves to be giants so big they could crush her flat? Did little beings other than herself even exist? All she knew was that the flower was gentle on her skin like a mother's hug and she hoped the beings outside would be as loving.
When the day of her introduction to the world came she marveled as the strange warmth revealed itself to her by way of the petals slowly opening upon around her. She was shocked at the sight of the new world and all of its huge living things and objects. She felt fear mixed with excitement at the thought that perhaps the lady she came to call mother was as kindhearted as she initially presumed. She was also startled that the farm animals had the ability to talk as well as sing.
Her mother called herself April and was quick to welcome her, with April halving a nut, hollowing it out, and placing bits of cloth soaked in lavender to make a bed for the young lass. She also used her sewing and mending skills to make dresses for her new daughter, with the ones of lighter colors being Thumbelina's favorites; as well as giving her some of her old doll clothes from when she was a little girl.
In her time since her birth April also showed Thumbelina step by step how to mend, sew, knit, sing, dance, wash and dry clothes, clean, cook, garden, write, and read (most of which were fairytales) She marveled at the images in the books, getting wide-eyed when seeing the pictures of little beings her size: bugs, beetles, spiders, toads bird and fairies. She felt as if a huge weight had been lift off her shoulders upon discovering the existence of fellow little people. April also made it a priority to read the words of the fairytales to Thumbelina to improve her literacy.
She liked these stories. But though reality was all well and good it was still nice to mentally use the stories to spark her imagination and take her on wonderful daydreams, especially when her mother taught her lessons in etiquette. She managed to curtsy without falling over but April was insistent that she perfect it and also that she'd wear a corset which she obtained from her childhood dolls.
One day when Thumbelina was reading with her mother she had a thought. She worried how her mother would perceive it considering how out of the blue it was but she gave it a go. She asked her how she came to be in the flower and April answered that she didn't understand it either but that her dreams were answered the day she went to visit a good old witch who gave her a barleycorn to plant.
"And I was created from that barleycorn, Mother?" Thumbelina asked.
"That's right Thumbelina." April answered.
"If only the good witch could've made me big. I would get into a lot less trouble then."
"I suppose but I wouldn't ask for you to be anything but what you are, Thumbelina. It's a part of you." April said calmly.
"Mother, do you think I can meet this good witch one day? I would love to ask her some things." Thumbelina said.
"Perhaps you will, child. Perhaps you will."
In addition to flowers, Thumbelina took much enjoyment in the sun and feeling it on her skin. It enveloped her like a hug and she made a game out of putting her hand in the air in such a way that it looked like she was holding it.
When speaking with April one day she sought her advice on the matter.
"Mother, is the sun really so small to be able to fit in my hand?" Thumbelina asked.
April gave her a curious look. "Oh my dear, I can do so as well. The sun is actually quite massive."
Thumbelina looked flabbergasted. "Then that means its bigger than the whole world?"
"Bigger than a majority of the planets around it too." April agreed. "These are called Mercury and Venus before us followed by Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. On earth here we wouldn't last long without it."
Thumbelina wondered at this. "So mother, does that mean we could either end up dying from the cold if the sun ever went out or be crushed by it due to its size or…"
April stopped her. "Heavens my dear, the things you come up with in that pretty little head of yours." She shook her head with a smile on her face. She then picked up Thumbelina with her hand and gently touched her to her own face in the form of a hug.
"My darling, you are near and dear to my heart. You needn't worry about the sun. It will be here long after were gone for future generations to enjoy as well. In fact should you ever lose your way you should look to the sun and know that I shall be looking at the same sun as well. We all share a place in this world after all. And that goes for the moon as well since it shines at night with the light from the sun and the stars would also guide you."
Thumbelina hugged her mother back, tiny tears pinpricking her eyes.
"Thank you Mother."
The animals, contrary to her first impression, were very friendly and warm to her barring moments where they would unintentionally breath so hard that it would send her toppling over once into the animals drinking water.
As Thumbelina grew into her singing abilities she discovered one day that her singing was so beautiful and clear it could not only charm people but also animals as well. Of course, what else could one expect from a world where animals had the ability to speak? Since discovering this she would spend afternoons calling the farm animals as well as wild animals such as birds. One such bird, Jacquimo, was a friendly swallow who spoke in a different language (French is what he called it). He also had a knack for singing and telling stories. She found enjoyment in spending time with her new animal friend whom offered her rides on his back and showed her the sights of the land. He sang with her, and discussed his favorite fairytales. They kept in touch with Jacquimo informing her that should she ever need him for anything she should whistle and he would surely come find her.
With time she grew used to her limbs that were graceful at times and sent her awkwardly stumbling at other times. Though despite the trouble her tiny body often put her in she felt she was becoming slowly accustomed to her new world and managed to get by intact each day, always getting out of trouble in just the knick of time.
Though she felt everything was as it should be she couldn't help but silently resent the fact that she was tiny, wondering if she would ever find someone her size to interact with, maybe even fall in love with. It was perhaps the feeling that there was something missing from her life which led her to go flying occasionally with Jacquimo or go off on walks, the wonderful sun her constant companion.
It was a beautiful day in Thumbelina's opinion. Her mother had given her permission to wander the woods, provided she was back by late afternoon and took the family dog Hero with her. Hero's guidance was due to several factors, one in which she left home on a particularly nice day when daydreaming and singing and was snatched by a mother bird gathering food for its young. She was so frightened she didn't think to call Jacquimo and was saved by the timely intervention of bees that made a hive right above the birds nest, because they had been made fractious by the onslaught of wings and chirping. Whatever the case, the incident conditioned her to fear birds, except her swallow friend Jacquimo.
Another reason for Hero's accompaniment on her walks was the close bond they had developed in the weeks since her birth. He was essentially her guard dog when she was sleeping and provided a comfort during cold nights, sleeping near her to share body heat and barking in a language she could surprisingly understand. She would cling to his side, counting down the time until sunrise, yearning for the warmth of the sun. But she also came to find, due to the words of her mother, comfort in the moon and stars; their silver glow promising tranquility and peace.
Thumbelina alternated between enjoying the sights of the forest around her, reveling in the warmth of the sun on her face, and doing her best to avoid Hero's drool as she was walking near him since every so often a dollop of his spittle would nearly fall down on her like huge raindrops, which she felt she could drown in, or worse yet, get on her dress and hair. Plus, she smelled Hero's breath before which wouldn't exactly make her smell pleasant.
She hoisted a metal thimble in her arms which her mother gave her so she could gather some of the sun kissing smelling foliage to take home. She would gather what she'd find on the ground, herbs mostly and flower which she found that she had an attachment to, and Hero would grab plants that were too high for her to reach.
Her mother had told her about the other seasons and she found that while she wasn't looking forward to the cold of autumn and winter she knew her mother would provide her with the shelter and clothes needed to endure it.
As she walked along she was stunned by the sounds of the forest and thought to include her own music into the foray. She thought long over what she wanted to sing about and opening her mouth, a sweet airy passage from a book sprang forth she remembered reading from during April's lessons. She often found herself using her imagination to ease boredom and turning poems into songs would be one of her ways of doing so. It put Hero at ease as soon as he heard it. As she sang she imagined her mother reading to her and it put her at ease.
"Oh detritus of falling leaves
Encased below ever warming seas
The saccharine nectar spreads on my lips
Blowing warmth to others with your sips
Feeling the warmth with my hands
Spreading joy across the lands
A calming feeling drapes upon your form"
She stopped suddenly as they passed a pond. She caught the sparkle of the sunlight in the water with her eyes and continued with her song unaware of the ponds occupants, including one now amorous toad named Grendel whom was voicing his opinion to his mother that he was enamored by Thumbelina and her singing.
"Beautiful shade shields you briefly
As I carry you with me most politely
Cradling a lovely smile in my dream
Letting your goodness reign supreme"
Hero twitched his ears at a sudden rustling of leaves and barked at Thumbelina. She jumped upon hearing a fluttering of wings.
"Hiya toots!" Cackled an obnoxious high voice in between peals of laughter.
Upon seeing the ugly beetle before her Thumbelina suddenly found herself regretting how her voice seemed to travel and enrapture all who heard it.