Natural History of Middle-earth: A Tour by Himring

Singing and Sewing

Valinor, Years of the Trees

Characters; Indis and Miriel

For a series of image prompts, including a print showing seven cedar waxwings (link: The birds of California)

Indis cleared her voice a little, Miriel’s gaze attentive on her face. But as soon as Indis began singing, Miriel’s needle began moving at a speed bewildering to the eye. Indis stopped, disconcerted, and the needle stopped, too, after a moment.

‘Go on,’ said Miriel, with a bright, encouraging smile. ‘I am listening! You had stopped at seven birds sitting…’

Indis resumed, and once again Miriel’s needle flew over the cloth.

‘Look,’ she said, when Indis’s song had ended.

And there it all was, what Indis had seen and sung of: flights of birds, butterflies, grasshoppers, flowers in the fields!