A Story for Easter

“Stop dancing about!” Ant shouted at the lily. He was right on top of the flower and was getting dizzy.
“I’m doing nothing,” the lily protested. “It’s not me. It’s the ground: it’s shaking.”

“Don’t talk daft” said Ant, who of course couldn’t feel the ground as he was standing on top of the lily. “Grounds don’t shake. I never felt it.”

He peered into the distance to where he could see some birds, and some trees and some shrubs, and some huge boulders, and a heap of clothes, and …

“Hang on!” Ant said aloud.
“Yes, do!” replied the lily “or you might fall.”

Ant stamped one of his little feet. “No, – I meant: HANG ON: what’s a heap of clothes doing, lying on the ground near where they buried Jesus a couple of days ago?!”

“I cannot see anything” the flower replied, “you’re in the way.”

Just then, the heap of clothes began to move and Ant stamped another of his little feet in surprise. “It’s moving!” he squealed. “It’s getting up! Oh, it’s a ghost! No, a man – he’d fallen over!”

“What kind of man?” asked the lily who still couldn’t see anything apart from Ant’s stamping feet.

“It’s a Roman soldier” cried Ant, “and now he’s picking up his shield and his spear, and his helmet – and now he’s running away!” He was excitedly dancing on all his little feet, “Oh, look how fast he’s running!!”

“Why is he running away?” the lily asked.

“Not sure” replied Ant hesitantly.

“Maybe he felt the ground shaking, like I did”, said the lily, “and he got scared.”

“Well” said Ant, and he sounded even less sure, “and now I can see that big stone they put across where they buried Jesus – but it’s not in the same place where they put it – something’s not right – it’s creepy….”
He scrambled down the lily’s stem and hid behind one of her leaves.

Now, the flower had a clear view at last and she could see that Ant was right: the big round stone had been rolled aside, she could see it leaning against the side of Jesus’ grave.
“Ant,” she called, “are you still there?”
“Yes, here” said Ant in a small voice from behind the leaf, a bit scared himself.

“Ant,” said the flower, “I think I know what it was that made the ground shake. I think it was when that stone rolled away.”
“But that’s horrible” quivered Ant, “that shouldn’t have happened!”

“Oh yes!” said the lily as she stretched up her neck to get a better view. “I think that’s exactly what should have happened because now I can see the gardener coming, and he doesn’t seem at all surprised.”

“You sure it’s the gardener?” Ant snivelled. “What’s he look like?”

Lily shook her head: she couldn’t think how to describe what she saw.

“He’s all glowing and light!” she whispered and then her face began to crinkle into one big, broad, delighted smile as she kept looking and looking – the radiant light that streamed towards her was warmer than the warmest, brightest sunlight that had ever called her into flower….. and she felt a great change coming over her.
No,” she said slowly. “It isn’t the gardener. And I am no longer just a lily.”

She joyfully lifted her head. “I have become an Easter lily and from now on when people see me, it will remind them that Jesus Christ has risen today and that THAT changed everything for everybody, FOREVER!!