My First Backyard is the final Project for subject ENGL8030, which is part of the Master of Creative Writing degree at Macquarie University.
The story is a journey through memories of an adult remembering their backyard and the Filipino folk tales that linked the plants and trees in that garden, to the Filipino cultural heritage that was enjoyed during the first 5 years of their life.
Narrator: Tessa G
Filipino Folk Tale Narrator: Isabella G M
Child’s voice: Radha M
Images used are from family archives or have been purchased from Shutterstock.com
Music throughout has been composed and recorded by David Tolk and was purchased on iTunes https://davidtolk.com/
– Believe
– Blessings
– Grace
– Heaven’s Light
– Morning Light
Thank you to Tim Ferrier Music for the use of Logic 10 software to mix and edit the voice and music audio files.
I’m very grateful to have had my preschool days filled with magical stories about the plants in my garden. It really felt like I had a fairytale woodland in my first backyard.
My First Backyard
Under the shade of a Narra tree the heat of the day disappears – and so does the sky, obscured behind a deep green canopy of foliage. A gentle breeze rustling through the uppermost leaves blends harmoniously with birdsong and the peaceful flutter of graceful wings.
I remember closing my eyes, listening to the chorus of joyful sounds and feeling the sort of happiness that only a young child with no worries is able to experience.
Time always seemed to stand still under those trees
. 
I also remember lying on the grass and following the trunks of each tree with my eyes and right index finger, tracing the outline of each wide base as it narrowed and soared skyward.
The network of branches seemed to thread endlessly outward, intertwining bright spring-green leaf buds with the deeper green of longer, older leaves.
Narra trees are said to be so strong that even the fiercest typhoon gusts cannot dislodge any branches. Just recently, I discovered that the wood from Narra trees is a type of rosewood that is resistant to termites. Narra tree wood has been used for building houses, furniture and even the keys of marimba percussion instruments.
As a young child, the Narra tree trunks were so wide that it took me more than ten skips to go around the entire bole. Some of the older trees had roots that burst through the ground, creating what I called, “the throne of my kingdom.” Those trees were my own personal fairy-tale woodland. Playing under the canopy each day filled my early childhood with a rich backdrop for my created stories and the adventure games my brother and I invented.
My favourite tree in that backyard, the backyard where I learned to walk, run, climb trees, ride a scooter and tricycle, where I first grazed my knees and where I had my first haircut, is the Ylang Ylang tree. The delicate, sweet fragrance of Ylang Ylang flowers, always brings me back to the simpler, endless and more carefree days of my early childhood.
My memories of the scent of Ylang Ylang blossoms, are of an extremely sweet and ethereal aroma. If you are familiar with the scent of Jasmine flowers, these are similar but Ylang Ylang is more noticeable. I have always said that the scent of Wisteria is like bubble gum. Similarly, Ylang Ylang flowers are like honey or sugar bananas, but in a floral way.
One day as I was collecting Ylang Ylang blossoms, my Yaya (Filipino nursemaid) told me a story about the Ylang Ylang tree and flowers, that made my young mind believe the tree and flowers were magical. Yaya took the most perfect Ylang Ylang blossom and held it in her hand, pointing to the way each petal curled out from the middle, and started telling me the story:
Once upon a time there was a kind couple who lived in a grand house with many rooms. They wanted plenty of children to fill their house with laughter and joy, but the years passed and there were no children. They both prayed for at least one child and God granted their wish with a baby daughter.
They named her “Ylang” or “flower.” However, God said that if their daughter ever spoke to a man, he would take her away from them. As Ylang grew older, her parents protected her from speaking to men and made sure that she understood the promise made to God.
One day her parents were away and Ylang walked barefoot on the velvet lawn under trees filled with birdsong. As she emerged from behind a particularly large tree trunk, Ylang was surprised to see a man standing there. This man had admired Ylang’s beauty from afar and took this chance to tell her how much he loved her. As soon as the man spoke, Ylang vanished. A tree with gorgeous yellow blossoms and the most divine perfume was growing where she had once stood. Ylangs parents returned home to find a man weeping in front of a tree that had not been in their backyard before. “Ylang Ylang!!!” the mother cried.
It is said that Ylang lives in all Ylang Ylang trees. At night when the perfume of each flower is at its peak, Ylang transforms back to a girl and emerges from the flowers, searching for her parents and the man.
Yaya smiled at me and said it was time to go inside the house, but I remember wanting to hear more stories about Ylang. I looked up at the Ylang Ylang tree standing regally in my backyard and held the yellow flowers even more gently. Yaya held out her hand. I was supposed to hold her hand and walk across the garden and into the house, but –
“Do you think Mama will let me sleep under the tree tonight? I want to see Ylang walking in the garden.”
Yaya laughed and said maybe.
As soon as we entered the house, I got a bowl from the cupboard that held my teaset and kitchen toys, half filled it with water, carefully placing the Ylang Ylang blossoms so they floated and bumped into each other. I walked upstairs to my room and placed the bowl on my bedside table. Beautiful.
That night and for many nights afterwards, I had the same dream. It was Ylang walking through the garden and searching for her parents and the man. She was very beautiful but her eyes were sad. I wanted to run and hug her but my legs wouldn’t move. When I tried to call her name, no words came out of my mouth. All I could do was watch her wandering in my garden, looking behind every tree and up into the branches. She just kept walking and searching.
I started preschool at Montessori the week after I heard the story of Ylang. One of my favourite activities was the drawing table, which held paper of different colours, thicknesses and sizes. There were tins and boxes filled with colouring pencils, crayons, pastel sticks (very messy!), sketching pencils and charcoal (even messier than pastel crayons). I spent many hours on that table, trying to find the right shades of green, brown and yellow – to draw the Ylang Ylang tree and flowers. I even tried to draw Ylang but the only recognisable bits were her arms and long brown hair.
Coming home from preschool one day, I ran out into the garden in time to see the most colourful rainbow sitting on top of the trees. It stretched from one side of my backyard to the the other, filling the sky with more colour than a bunch of helium-filled party balloons. I couldn’t believe my luck. Holding my fingers up, the light from the rainbow seemed to make my fingers glow in different shades of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. My hands were becoming rainbows. I showed Yaya and she went to get a book from my bookshelf, to read me a story about the first rainbow.
Yaya gave me the book, asking me to look for the most colourful page. I opened the book on my lap, searching until I found a very bright page: flowers! A huge double page filled with every possible flower shape – each one was a different size. The best part was discovering that each flower had a uniquely happy shade of the rainbow. My fingers brushed the shapes, but they were smooth and flat.
While we were threading flowers into a garland, Yaya told me the story of how the rainbow was created.
Once upon a time, before the world was filled with people, only the gods roamed the heavens and the earth. The most powerful being was the father god, who needed his wife Wind, to help him create order in the world.
Their seven children were named Rosa, Naarangee, Soleil, Ghas, Turquoise, Ocean, and Indigo. Each one helped their father with daily tasks.
Rosa helped her father set the sun while Naarangee helped get the sun to shine in the morning. Soleil made sure that the earth and heavens had daylight. Ghas was in charge of making sure the plants grew. Ocean made the seas and tides flow into and out of the rivers. Indigo was in charge of the stars and moon shining brightly to light the night. Turquoise, the youngest, was in charge of the flowers.
They were good children but Turquoise was always late to family meals. One day, Turqoise didn’t turn up for breakfast, lunch or dinner. She got carried away playing with the flowers in her favourite garden. Her father was so angry that he banished Turquoise from heaven. Everyone was shocked. Despite Wind stepping in to say this punishment was harsh, their father didn’t change his mind.
Turquoise was banished from heaven and her family was so sad that for one week the sun did not rise or set – in fact it did not even shine at all. With the sun in hiding, the moon and stars felt it would be wrong to shine brightly in the dark day – and influenced by Indigo, they also decided to go into hiding. Without the sun, moon or stars, the seas and rivers refused to move. They lay stagnant and almost still, like wobbly jelly in a dessert bowl.
Ghas had been watching all of this turmoil and knew that without the sun or any water source, the grass and plants would wither and die. He did not want his plants or lawns to die but felt powerless and missed Turquoise, whose flowers brightened up his woodlands and lush green forests.
Ghas went to visit Turquoise in her favourite garden and was surprised to see that despite the lack of sunshine and water, every flower was in bloom. The scent emerging from that garden was sweetly fragrant, creating a feeling of peace amd calm. Ghas could hear Turquoise, weeping softly, but didn’t want to surprise or embarrass her by intruding. He waited in the shadows but his heart was aching for his sister.
As Turquoise shed tears, Ghas could see more and more flowers of every different shape, size and colour, start to sprout up around her. He had never seen anything like this before. His little sister was so good at taking care of her flowers that new ones were created from the depths of her despair.
When Turquoise was finished crying, she decided to build a bridge to heaven – made of flowers. As she began collecting blossoms and placing them together firstly on the ground and then higher and higher, Ghas came into view carrying two armloads of flowers. He placed them carefully on the ground beside her and swept her up into a warm embrace. Turquoise wept again but they were tears of joy.
As the floral arch climbed higher into the sky, the rest of the siblings came out to watch. These flowers had their own special light that shone brightly in every direction. The flower bridge lit up the blackened sky, illuminating both heaven and earth. Accompanying the dazzling display of flowers was a delicate and exquisite aroma of sweetness. Everyone in heaven was smiling and feeling happy.
Finally, the floral arch reached the throne room. When father god saw the magnificent flowers, he was overjoyed and asked each of his children if they had made this beautiful display. They each shook their head to indicate “no” then chimed together that this creation was the work of Turquoise. Their father was both shocked and astounded (but secretly pleased). He asked them to bring Turquoise to him. When Turquoise appeared, he asked her forgiveness then welcomed her back to heaven. That is how the very first rainbow was created.
Yaya told me that the rainbow we saw was not made of flowers but colours. The colours live on in memory of the original flowers. Flowers only bloom for a short time and rainbows can shine brightly but can vanish very quickly.
Rainbows have a shorter life than flowers.
Thrilled with my new knowledge about the first rainbow, I wanted to draw them everywhere – and I did. I created rainbows on different types of paper and cardboard on the drawing table at preschool. Pastel crayons on cardboard gave the brightest colours. I also used chalk to draw on my blackboard, sidewalk and paved areas around our house. My drawings of rainbows shone brightly, just like the flower bridge that Turquoise created.
We migrated to Australia a few days after my fifth birthday. I don’t know where my Yaya went after we left the Philippines, but she told the most wonderful stories. Every tree, flower and blade of grass in my back garden was given special significance and meaning.
I loved her stories but these two are the ones I remember the best. I’m very grateful to have had my preschool days filled with magical stories about the plants in my garden. It really felt like I had a fairytale woodland in my first backyard.
Thank you
Image Credits.
1 Personal files.
2. https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/narra-tree-gm479818552-68239673
3. https://www.philstar.com/business/agriculture/2018/12/09/1875340/government-embarks-genetic-diversity-program-narra
4. https://wordpress.com/post/tessagu3.com/24
5. https://www.bu.edu/writingprogram/journal/past-issues/issue-10/lazaro/
6. https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/little-girl-climb-tree-510368197
7. https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/closeup-ylangylang-flower-green-leaf-background-613714979
8. https://mb.com.ph/2021/11/30/aurora-farm-grows-ylang-ylang-trees-and-makes-essential-oils-from-their-flowers
9. https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/pterocarpus-indicus-commonly-known-amboyna-wood-2216166441
10. https://images.app.goo.gl/ehL9vh4tqKtBUTSh9
11. https://pixabay.com/photos/ylang-ylang-flower-plant-2148082/
12. https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/view-double-rainbow-over-green-meadow-1710365290
13. https://whywordswork.wordpress.com/2018/06/04/should-millennial-parents-change-fairy-tales-for-their-children/
14. Avoca Beach NSW Australia. Personal files.
15. https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/rainbow-flowers-71106433
18. https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/child-draws-chalk-on-asphalt-selective-2067964631
17. https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/dandelion-field-dead-tree-under-cloudy-93854536
18. https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/girl-playing-rainbow-flower-field-2082222607
ADDITIONAL IMAGES IN VIDEO
19. https://www.asiaimages.net/image/I00003ltpBZnzHo4
20. https://www.freepik.com/premium-ai-image/there-is-girl-that-is-walking-through-woods-with-flowers-generative-ai_61489315.htm#page=25&query=flower%20girl%20illustration&position=9&from_view=keyword&track=ais
21.
Ambrosia: following my dreams 