May/June 2023

Leeka the wizard and her trusty oak wand pledge to save the depleted forest Leeka, the wizard, was frantically looking around for her lost wand. A silk- smooth wand of oak. Stone-sturdy. Embedded with multicolored flashing opals. Perfect for a wand! It was the gold in her heart. Tired, she gave up. Yet, still hopeful, she decided to search the forest for ivy to decorate, if not her old wand, the future one that would choose her. Stopping her search was something big and twisted into chunks of wood—her wand! Leeka slumped and sighed. “Oh, dear. All morning wasted. Wasted!” Leeka looked up at the sky and started to recall another faraway time in the quietest forest of all, where the trees reached and stretched to the blue sky, where ivy wrapped the high trees like friends and the mosses hung around the branches like damp pieces of cloth, where the sunbathing foxes snoozed on smooth rocks, and the air smelled fresh from the morning shower—in this quietest forest of all, she had happily trotted back home with White Raspberry, her then-intact opal oak wand. She sighed back to reality. Oh, how the forest had changed—bereft now of many trees and moss, clean pools, and animal dwellers, except for some new owls. But no ivy, no love, no sweet blackberries, no fresh rain. There Leeka sat and began to stare at her old wand, wondering if her magic could repair the badly wounded but delightfully old forest. Still, she needed a wand. Finally, she stood up and took a deep breath. I will not forget about the old wand. I will salvage it as part of the old forest that needs to be protected. Then she sprinted towards the lively center of the forest, where her ancient Great Oak Grandfather lived, alive as alive can be, and her very best friend. He had made her wand from one of his branches and now spoke to her with his kind language, which she had learned to understand. “Leeka, my dear! So delighted to see you again, my youngest granddaughter!” “Greetings,” Leeka replied. “Happy to see you again, my oldest great-grandfather.” Stars covered her like an endless comforting blanket with shining eyes; the moon sang a sweet dreamy song just for her; owls elegantly perched and flew off trees as she fell asleep. Yet the great old oak noticed Leeka looking down at the ground. How unusual, he thought. What’s causing her to be like this? The puzzled ancient oak bent down and brushed her with one of his branches, feeling a thick barrier of sadness surrounding her. He whispered (so the other, fellow oaks could not hear), “What’s wrong? You seem so sad.” Leeka looked up and sniffed. “My wand is broken. Would you kindly mend it?” Then she began her chant sharing why mending the wand would be vital: My stone-silk-smooth wand is hurt! He is the gold piece in my heart and yours. Our bond is now in need of saving, as is the diminished forest around us. By healing this wand, our shared magic will again be in tune— the rushing river will return to fill the dry bed, animals will snooze happily in the clean mist. Protected by our magic, this greenest of dwelling places will always be a safe refuge, never a polluted desert! And every creature’s joy will infuse the magic aura to protect us all! Grandfather Oak replied, “My heart is broken with yours. Our shared piece of gold, your cherished wand, shall be mended. Your good and compassionate heart, aiming to protect and heal this forest, brings new magical insights to me. By saving this forest, we save many other lives besides our own. Your wand shall be with you tomorrow. Just remember it might be a little bit different!” “Ah, thank you! You are also a piece of gold in my heart! Will you and I be a little different too?” teased Leeka while handing her wand to the wise old oak. *          *          * Night had descended, so Leeka camped out, lying under the starry night. Stars covered her like an endless comforting blanket with shining eyes; the moon sang a sweet dreamy song just for her; owls elegantly perched and flew off trees as she fell asleep. Leeka awoke to her white oak wand embedded again with opals. White Raspberry was back! She sat up and ran to hug White Raspberry, but he dodged away. He also started hopping around her like a rabbit while he unexpectedly grew a foot taller. She stared at Raspberry in confusion, but reached out and managed to grab him. When she tried to put the wand in her basket, she held it with so much enthusiasm that it leapt and flew. All of sudden, she was up in the air like a helium balloon, clutching a wand with a mind of its own. Up in the air, she finally remembered her grandfather had asked her to bear with possible changes. However, she now lacked power over White Raspberry. How could that be a helpful change? Ah! Or perhaps now she and Raspberry would have equal power? White Raspberry spoke up: “I just wanted you to see the devastation caused by deforestation. Look down to your left.” To the left, some trees were withered and gray; others were gone, leaving empty spots. Up so high, she could see other forests crying for help. Leeka became keen to learn how forests could be regenerated and how deforestation could be reversed. White Raspberry could read her mind, so when Leeka wondered if her new wand would want to learn this new magic, he answered before she had even asked: “Yes, of course, Leeka! I’m made from those trees, and I will thank them for saving my life by protecting them.” Outstretched Leeka smiled with thanks and joy. “We just don’t know how to perform the right magic, but