By Ruby Bonham
Pika was back in the park. The other elementals were glad to see her and eager to hear about her adventures. She told them about water sprites, forest sorites and then the gnomes of Arizona. When she told about meeting Tobi’s friends and family, Tobi smiled his shy smile and agreed to tell them how he came to be in this park. A far away look came over him as he remembered the journey and started to explain.
“I was pretty young for a gnome. One day I was listening in on a conversation in Casa Grande. Some of the humans were talking about finding a place in the Pacific Northwest (where ever that was) where they could create a new park for RVers. They wanted a place that wasn’t so hot in the summers and more green than the desert. I found this very interesting as I had never been out of the desert. As I listened I found myself drawn to a short bluish man and his wife. I knew he was close to the earth and grew beautiful plants. I began to think about making the journey with them to find this special place.’
‘The blue man had a Bounder motorhome with several places I could hide on the trip. I told several gnome friends of my plans and they wished me well. While listening to the humans plan their search, I heard that they didn’t all agree on what they were looking for. Finally a group of them set out. They visited several places trying to find the perfect spot. Finally after much debate and changes within the group, they came upon this 90 acres. It was wild, untamed ground, covered in roses and black berry vines. I had never experienced such a place. I was used to prickly plants but these blackberry vines made up for the ‘ouches’ by providing the most delicious berries. I was hooked! Yumm. I could not get enough. I met and got to know the other elementals in the area and they welcomed me. I met Tia and Gema, a couple of young fairies who were excited at the prospect of creating a park for human travelers. Then there was Troi, a slim, regal elf who worked with the woodland creatures. Boi was a wolflike creature who patrolled the area. All of them were eager to contribute to the building of the park.’
‘Work began and I was the constant companion of the blue man. He and his wife worked every day to dig the trenches and lay out the grid for the utilities in the fledgling park. It was muddy, grueling work as there were many underground springs that created stability problems. As time passed, I became less leathery in my new environment and the blue man grew to look more ‘gnomish’. Humans can be disagreeable at times and here was no exception. People came and went as arguments erupted about the vision for the park. Not all humans are willing to compromise so some left in a huff. The ones who remained continued to build and now we are nearly 40 human years later. Many changes have occurred over the years. The blue man lived to see his dreams and hard work come to fruition. I guided him in creating organic soil and in the planting of trees and shrubs throughout the park. I would like to think he knew of my presence even though his human mind might balk at such. Sadly he has passed from this life, for humans do not live near as long as gnomes. I still feel him, for now he is in spirit, he is more aware of me and how we worked together.’
‘I don’t miss the desert. This is my home now. I work alongside the Landscape Committee even though they may not realize that I am there. There are a few like the music lady and the story lady who feel the presence of the elementals and welcome their help.” Tobi finished his story with a sigh. He hoped the story lady had understood and could make the members of the park more accepting of the mysteries around them.
The music lady is writing more inspirational songs to lift the heart and bring the humans forward out of the darkness of the planet. It is time for change if the planet is to survive. Sister parks are working with elementals as well, where humans of like mind can create a new light filled atmosphere. Tobi wandered away to his favorite berry patch where he could munch to his little gnome heart’s content. There is hope for the park and he is glad to have been a part of it.
Ruby Bonham
10-31-2026