Newton and the Treefellows (2 of 3)

As I was still a little unsettled about Professor Aristotle Treefellow's potential designs upon me, I decided to take one brother's advice and visit my other brother. My twin Newton Butterglove has always been clever. When he was a child it didn't surprise any of us that Professor Treefellow sought him out as a pupil. We figured Newton's long association with this estimable owl must assuredly give some insight on how best to handle him. Consequently I made a call at Newton's home.

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"Hello Jackson," he said when first he saw me, "was I expecting you? You know me when I'm in deep-thinking mode."

 

"No, don't worry, Newt," I said, suppressing a smile, "I came on the off-chance you could offer me some advice."

"Intriguing. Let's go and get comfortable."

Newton led me to his living room. Audrey - his wife - was there with their twins and she sighed with relief when she saw us.

"Oh good, Newton," she said, "I'm glad you've taken a break. I need to pop to the shops and these two want watching."

"That's fine, but Jackson wanted a word..."

"Then you can both watch them, can't you? I won't be long."

With that, Audrey left and two little girls were left watching us. Newton raised his brows at me then held his arms out to his daughters. They ran to him.

"Daddy playing with us?" said Donna in a sweet, high-pitched voice.

"And Unky Jacky?" said Dinah.

"Maybe later, my beautiful bon-bons. First, Uncle Jacky has to talk to Daddy."

"Aw," said Dinah, sticking out her lower lip.

"Puzzle?" asked Donna.

 

"They've decided they like puzzles," Newton whispered from the side of his mouth. He delved into his pocket and extracted a piece of paper that he unfolded and handed to the outstretched hands of his daughters.

 

"What is it, Daddy?" said Donna.

Dinah peeked at the tightly-drawn lines covering the sheet of paper. "It's a maze!" 

 

"Yes girls," said Newton, "oh, where are you going?"

The twins had skipped to the corner of the room, preparing to solve the maze Newton had drawn for them.

"Well," he added, "that should keep my little darlings happy for a while." He grinned. "You need to fold the paper to solve it."

My clever brother had a way about him.

"So, Unky Jacky," he said, "how can I help?"

o 0 O 0 o

After I'd explained myself, Newton nodded slowly. "You're right to come to me. Aristotle has a way about him that you need to understand. It took me a while to figure him out, but I was a child."

"What can you tell me about him?" I said, not really knowing what I needed to know.

"I think it's important you realise that all the Treefellows are more than they appear. They are older than any of us. Even the children. They have learned much during their lives. Their longevity could create a distance between other Sylvanians with a shorter lifespan but only if you let it."

"How do you handle it?"

"Don't let yourself be intimidated. Treat them as equals. That usually takes a while to realise, meaning that you can be influenced to do things out of a sort of inferiority complex. Don't get into that rut. From what you said, there's a danger you might go that way if you don't put a halt to it."

"What do you mean?

"You were effectively summoned to their home by the three boys. Then, as Aristotle spoke to you, the three girls circled you, making you uneasy as they examined you. That wasn't by accident."

"It was unnerving."

"They were learning about you. They all have their specialities. Grumpy sees the downside of any situation. Winky sees the absurd. Blinky thinks laterally. Fussy is a stickler for accuracy. Grizzly is particularly empathetic, and Sniffy is fixated on solutions, eliminating irrelevancies. Together, they are brilliant analysts providing information to Aristotle and Arabella."

"How does knowing that help me?"

"It may not, but now you're aware that there's nothing sinister about them. They are all devoted to preserving the Sylvanian way of life, which is what we all want. Keep that at the back of your mind. These days, we uphold Sylvanian values in our own way. It doesn't always need to be on their terms. Maybe it did in the earliest days of Sylvania. Not now. Knowing this will help you face Aristotle as an equal."

I considered my brother's words. It made sense. We were equals. My unease was due to the imposing way the Treefellows presented themselves. I had to put that aside. Concentrate and assess what was being said rather than be swayed by how things were said.

"If you treat Aristotle as an equal, he will respect you," said Newton. "The kids may be a little surprised at first, but they will adapt. Arabella will sort them out."

I nodded. "Thanks, Newt. I think this helps. I was probably swayed when I learned that Aristotle's earliest ancestors moulded how Sylvanians developed. That is true, isn't it?"

"So I've been told. But that's only from what Aristotle told me. He did mention one aspect of early Mellowdene history that was new to me, suggesting owls had been involved, but if you're talking about the very beginning, I couldn't say. I'm no expert on early history and legends. If you're interested in the lore of the land, then you are probably best talking to someone like Mulder Honey-Fox. I'm told he has investigated all sorts of weird and wonderful occurrences and that's helped him gather a decent overview of ancient history."

"Hmm. Darcy found him a useful source."

"A useful source. Yes, that's a fair description."

Maybe I could talk to Mulder, but that wasn't a priority. However, I was intrigued about Newton learning something new about Mellowdene. I asked him. He was happy to explain.

"I always wondered how the four families knew where best to divert the waters from Sweetwater Lake. I didn't believe it could be luck. How could they know the layout of the relevant subterranean watercourses?"

"And?"

"The Owl Collective brought in some moles. They mapped the underground rivers and dug a tunnel to a suitable entry point. Supposedly this location was secretly revealed to a few of the rabbit founders. The moles left, and the rest is history."   

"It sounds like the Owl Collective were really the ones that allowed Mellowdene to come into being."

"They were significant, assuredly. I don't know to what extent that covered the rest of Sylvania."  

"Is that more Mulder Honey-Fox's area of expertise?"

"Probably. As I said, the lore of the land is his thing."

"Okay. If I decide to pursue this, I'll try him."

A high-pitched voice came from the corner of the room. 

 

"We can't do this maze, Daddy!" complained Dinah.

"You can," said Newton. "Think beyond two-dimensions."

"Ooh!" said Donna, and the two small girls resumed their puzzling.

I smiled. These tiny children were definitely Newton's daughters.

o 0 O 0 o