Skeleton Bushes (background story to Ladybird Fly)

This story is about a Prairie Princess who is enamoured with Ladybirds. Some might call them Ladybugs but she is a princess and remembers the childhood rhyme “Ladybird ladybird, fly away home! Your house is on fire, your children all gone. All but one and her name is Anne. She has crept under the pudding pan.”

One fall day, she and her mother find so many ladybirds! She fishes them out of the leaf bags. Better than that, she finds a ladybird ring at the local gift shop. She uses the last of her money to purchase the ring and then goes on a family picnic to Nose Hill where she promptly loses it. Her family is certain that she will forget about the ring but she does not. She resolves to return to the hill as soon as it is possible. Winter comes too soon and she cannot get to the hill again until spring. She goes there on her own and finds nothing but SKELETON BUSHES!! That is until she finds a greater surprise is in store. Don’t hold your breath for a typical happy ending. She gets more than she bargained for.

As she journeys on the hill, she comes upon many treasures and bits of earthly wisdom. I hope that you will go to a Prairie hill and find your own.