The Marks of a Leader: A Heart of Compassion and a Clever Mind to Inspire Others
Amelia develops her own kind of leadership
Because of the results from last week’s survey, this newsletter will have two chapters, not just one! This works well because they fit together, as we think you’ll see!
When Amelia had met The Raven With Blue Eyes, at Mayflower’s home in the trees, she had been told that she was not ready to join and fly with The Raven and her Squadron of Crows. This was disappointing to Amelia. With all the suffering she saw in The Blue Moon Circus, she knew that the birds needed a leader, and although she did not feel she was up to being a leader like the Raven With Blue Eyes, she decided she needed to be her own kind of leader and her own kind of hero, one who could come up with a plan that would solve the problems of her followers while freeing the captive performing birds of The Circus.
The only good thing Amelia could think of about her new situation was that she had been mistaken for Mayflower, and because of that, Emily would still be safe.
The Absence of Love had been there in The Garden, and it was here in The Circus even more powerfully. But as far as The Absence of Love was concerned, the chicken named Amelia was somewhere out in the world beyond the hungry gaping mouth of the Big Top Tent. The Absence of Love had no idea that she was right there in Professor Accipiter’s Circus. More importantly, The Absence of Love had no idea what Emily could do when she drew a picture of Amelia.
But Amelia could not imagine how Emily could draw a picture that could free the birds. Looking at the colorful circus tent, there was no way that anyone would imagine the fear and the pain of the captive birds inside, especially in the darkness of night.
Evil hides from Goodness, and although Evil hates being seen in the bright light of day, its results can still be heard in the cries of its victims even when no light shines.
Amelia also knew the White Peacock in The Professor’s cabinet has a special ability to open a door to another place and bring things from that place. This was like what Emily had done with her drawing gift. She had opened a kind of door that let them fly together. Emily had helped her find her way to this destination, a place called Moon—only it was not the Moon up in the sky. Amelia had almost forgotten how The White Peacock seemed to have a connection to The Absence of Love and was terribly prized by Professor Accipiter. She did not want that for Emily.
“So, good morning, my dear. Did you rest well?” asked The Sewer Rat. “You should have now that you are practically guaranteed the top spot as The Master’s favorite.
“Have you had enough time to think about your lovely predicament? I suppose you now know what we are up to here, or at least have a good idea about it all—either by your snooping around or what these other bird friends may have told you.”
“Why are there no songbirds here?” asked Amelia.
“I do not prevent them, nor does The Master. They choose not to visit here. Only some scatterbrained Starlings visit The Circus. Here come some now. They are indeed a plague, but I do enjoy it when they mob Teeny Clotilda.”
They looked up and watched as the Starlings descended. Amelia and The Sewer Rat laughed together as they watched the Starlings surrounding and then chasing after Teeny Clotilda while she frantically tried to ward them off with her wooden spoon and frying pan with no success. They seemed particularly interested in pulling out clumps of her wig.
“Don’t you think she is only getting what she deserves for what she does to them when she gives them a pastry covering?”
“Well, that is a rather antiquated and out-of-date way of looking at the world!” said The Rat. “Imagine the bizarreness of being given anything in life, and especially what you deserve! Let me help you wise up to the ways of the world.
“It’s all about these shiny things called coins that the people bring here to buy things with or throw down into the circus ring when the show is over. The Professor has quite a collection of them, but I have an ever-growing stash of them that no one knows anything about.
“If you have enough coins, you can use them to get the good things in life that you believe you deserve. But you can also use them to keep away the bad things in life that you know in your heart that you truly deserve. Coins are the ultimate decider, and whoever has the most coins has the most power and influence to get whatever they want. Coins make you your own decider. It’s as simple as that! You can decide your own consequences and the consequences for other too!
Amelia wished that she had not heard what he had said. She liked things just as they were, the way that chickens had always understood them to be. She didn’t like knowing coins worked like that or that the birds in the circus were being held captive and forced to perform just to get more coins for Professor Accipiter and The Rat to afford only the rewards they wanted for themselves with absolutely none of the consequences that should go with mistreating helpless birds.
Suddenly, Amelia felt weary of The Circus and wished deeply for The Garden.
Does The Rat’s perspective on the power of coins seem to have a ring of truth to you when you look at events in the world today?
Professor Accipiter’s rules for Amelia had become less restrictive, and she was able to roam as she wanted almost anywhere within the circus grounds. But she could tell that he was growing anxious about having a special show for Christmas Eve and into the New Year.
Amelia’s many smaller ideas for attracting visitors to the circus had worked well, but they had all been devoted to bringing in more money. She needed an idea that would bring in even more money while freeing the captive circus birds.
And then, as she watched The Sewer Rat and his train circle around the ring with the bird performers during a regular afternoon show, she knew what she had to do.
As soon as the show was over, she called to Professor Accipiter. “I know what will turn your Christmas Eve show into an extravaganza,” she said. “You need to redesign the train cars. They need to be more colorful. Make them look like presents that people would receive.”
“Yes, I like that idea,” said The Professor who turned to The Sewer Rat and asked, “Why couldn’t you think of something like that? After all, you are responsible for the train.”
The Sewer Rat glared at Amelia.
“You must make sure that the bird performers have new costumes with sequins and glitter,” said Amelia. “They must look almost as if they are presents themselves.”
“I can do that,” said The Sewer Rat. “I have always made the costumes before, and there have never been any complaints.”
“But you have never made costumes for birds,” said Amelia. “If you had, they would be looking so much better than they do right now.”
The Sewer Rat bared his two teeth and hissed at Amelia.
“Continue, Miss Mayflower,” commanded The Professor.
“Make me the performance director. The birds will perform so much better for one of their own.”
“But that is my special job,” protested The Sewer Rat.
“Don’t worry,” said Amelia. “You will have the most important role in the show dressed up as Santa.”
“I would enjoy being loved by children,” said The Rat. “They love Santa Claus, don’t they?”
“They do, indeed,” said Amelia, and The Professor agreed and reassured his best friend, The Rat, as well.
The next day, because Amelia was able to spend most of her time surveying the activity around the circus grounds, she quickly befriended The Leader of The Field Mice who had once been fearful of her.
“Listen to me,” said Amelia. “I have seen for myself what happens to those of you who are taken away by the hands who run this circus. The Professor has a pet in his caravan wagon that he keeps locked inside a cabinet. I have seen how he feeds your friends and family members to his pet. If you don’t believe me, scurry up to his wagon’s side window this evening. Just watch, and you will see for yourself. If you will help me, we can end this madness.”
“So you will be able to prevent our friends and family from being taken away and eaten? What do you want in return?”
“You must trust me, just as I must trust you. What I am asking you to do for me is to help The Sewer Rat to sew special Christmas Show costumes for the birds who perform. There is special sewing you must do which he will know nothing about. I can guide you in what you will need to do, and your missing loved ones should be back with you in time for Christmas.
And so, Amelia enlisted the help of The Field Mice. They were just like those who had ruined her travel bag, but they were also just like the ones who had helped Pearl with sewing her Comedy Coop costume.
Once outside in the warm sunlight, Amelia began to look around the circus grounds, and she spotted The Sewer Rat scurrying about all the activity. He also spotted her.
“I’m not so sure whether you really are the one named Mayflower,” The Sewer Rat called up to her on the iron perch shaped like a “T” in the center of the training area. “You sound a lot like the one named Amelia from the little garden of the little house in the middle of the little city.”
“How do know what I sound like?” I have hardly said a single word to you since I arrived here.”
“I was listening that night when Teeny Clotilda snagged you under the wagon.”
“Spy!” called out Amelia. “Spy!”
Several of The Clowns looked towards Amelia.
“Please keep your voice down,” pleaded The Sewer Rat. The Master doesn’t like anyone knowing what he does.”
“We likely sound alike because we are both Plymouth Barred Rocks. You may know chickens well enough to have learned our language, but all chickens sound the same to anyone who is not a chicken.”
“If you truly are Mayflower, let me inspect your tail feathers. The Professor grabbed you in the forest by the river when he almost captured you, but he was only able to hold a single feather. Show me where you are missing a tail feather, and I will believe you.”
“Not so quick,” said Amelia. “Chickens molt and then grow their feathers back again—You should know that—unless you have been spending more time spying on The Professor than making sure Big Willy is properly taking care of us birds.”
“Don’t get me into trouble with The Master. He is more of a friend to me than he will ever be to you.”
“So that is what it is, isn’t it? You are simply jealous. You think he will prefer me to you.”
“I have known him since before there even was a circus.”
“Well, ever since he has known me, it has been a successful circus.”
“I get no respect. How can you be so mean to me?”
“Because I know there is no place you would rather see me than baked inside one of Teeny Clotilda’s Chicken Pies. And you must know there is no place I would rather see you than being featured in one of her steamy Rat-berry Pies.”
The Sewer Rat chucked. “You are quite right,” he said. “Can we declare a truce?”
“A truce between chicken and rat? I doubt there has ever been such a thing in all the history of the world, but why not?” said Amelia. “I will even help you to elevate yourself to being almost essential again, but you will need some extra help with all of that sewing for the costumes the birds will wear for the Christmas Eve Show.
“Oh, that would be wonderful and so very appreciated,” said The Sewer Rat.
“I have enlisted the help of The Field Mice,” said Amelia. “Stretch out the fabric over a pair of bricks. Station one mouse above and one in the empty space below. The first can pass the threaded needle down and the other can pass it back up again to make a line of stitches. With patience on your part and practice on their part, you will have them sewn together in no time.
“I know someone who used Field Mice to do this very same sort of work. I will teach them as to how it is best done. There are bows which must be securely sewn on to costumes in very strategic places. Those are places which only a bird like me would understand.
“We want you, as Santa Claus, to be bringing the most beautifully decorated gifts to all of the good little boys and girls.”
“And I am the star of the show?”
“Indeed you will be,” Amelia reassured him. “The Professor will prefer you far more than anyone else here because you will have helped him bring in more coins than ever before when your train circles the Circus ring, and the people see the marvelous costumes you have created for the performers.”
“Mayflower, to seal our truce as official, I want you to agree to call me le rat d’égout. Those are the French words that mean ‘The Sewer Rat’ but they sound so much better when spoken in French.”
“Very well, you now are le rat d’égout, whenever I, Mayflower, speak to you or about you,” said Amelia, while believing all the time that even in French his name still sounded gross and disgusting.
Thank you for reading!
Our best advice to you this week comes from Amelia: Be your own kind of leader and your own kind of hero! Then you will be the best for both!
John, Gracie, Bessie, Blanche, Pearl, Emily, and Amelia
Most things sound better in French, so that's not entirely a compliment.