Now it was time to take a rest,
Mayo found the place she liked best...
This be the place where the two rivers met,
She and Maddy settled in and soundly slept...

How Mayo loved her husband, Maddy,
He told her many times how he'd love to be a daddy...
His greatest wish was for a little Pinchet boy,
Maddy promised to provide his bundle of joy...

So they made a home in a big hollow tree,
High in its branches, she made a nursery...
Under a beautiful, light blue sky the big day did come,
Mayo gave birth to Maddy's son!

The Pinchets, so busy caring for their new baby, "Madison",
The Wood Witch became sad and very lonesome...
With a giant Redheaded Woodpecker, she made friends,
With "Carolina", her melancholy, abruptly did end...!

The Wood Witch and Carolina flew and flew... all over the place!
Through the magnificent great blue sky they did race!
Soaring down, avoiding tops of trees with the greatest of ease,
Then, haphazardly, flew between that huge grizzly bear's knees!

On one pass, huge brown paws did swipe,
Barely missing them with claws like knives!
The giant Grizzly then let out a fierce, mighty roar,
Wisely surrendering, the two dare-devils quickly made friends with "Thor!"

Feeding him berries and honey, Thor, became a gentle creature,
Brought inside the cave, the Wood Witch, became his teacher...
With Carolina on his shoulder,
He cleared passages, rolling away great boulders...

At the cauldron, with a small dead tree, he stirred and stirred,
Not a drop of sweat, wetting his dark brown fur...
Rubbing stones together, he made large piles of dust,
This pleased the Wood Witch, very, very much!

Suddenly, word of gold, silver and gems,
Spread like fire, from human friend to friend...!
Now, at Mineral Springs, dangerous intruders were streaming in,
The Wood Witch called upon Carolina, her talented friend...

They quickly worked out what they thought, a fail safe code,
Carolina, tap, tap, tapping, high on trees, very loud and bold...
Where people searched the Wood Witch then knew,
Thor, she then sent, roaring and crashing his way through!

The people dropped their booty and ran for their lives,
As Thor let them escape, all could hear their shrieks and cries!
But always, always, the foolish peope came back,
Again, and again, the Wood Witch heard, "TAP!,TAP!, TAP!

Soon, Carolina, was tap, tap, taping all over the place,
With all of this pecking, she developed awful headaches!
She grew very, very confused... where she was, she knew not,
She stayed mixed up, lots and lots...!

To cure Carolina's headaches, the Wood Witch brewed,
An elixir that stopped the pain, but Carolina, stayed very lost, without a clue!
Mother Nature came up with a great solution,
On the north side of trees, moss, became a sign for navigation...!

Mother Nature said, "Always remember, NORTH!, NORTH!, CAROLINA!,
Recognize this and your sense of direction will never be finer!"
Carolina's problem now resolved, into her big, blue sky, off she flew,
Never again, to be lost without a clue!

The trespassers proved to be just too many,
They were destructive and none to friendly...
The defensive team was nearing total exhaustion,
Mother Nature thus forced to take drastic action!

Magic potions and dust were in great supply,
So she let her displeasure wreak havoc, by earth and sky...
A hurricane and earthquake, she blew and shook,
Tornadoes swirled, everywhere you looked!

Again, the trespassers fled in great alarm,
Before they caused any great harm...
The entrances to the cave were then sealed and forever hidden,
Gold, silver and precious stones, to the Smokey Mountains driven!

Mineral Springs became peaceful and quiet,
Now, Mother Nature visiting the Pinchets spectacular loft, waves to the majestic eagles flying by it!
Madison, so strong and with such a handsome, smiling face,
In honor of his mother, two landmarks, Mayo's name would grace!

The mountain and river, by the Pinchet's tree,
Forever to be called Mayo, Mother Nature decreed!
As time went by, Mother Nature's love for Madison, grew in leaps and bounds,
Often, you'd see them, happily fooling and playing around.

Peace and solitude lasted for many decades and generations,
The young animals frolicked in all forms of recreation...
With the Pinchets, Carolina and Thor giving a helping hand,
Magic recipes, potions and dust removed from the cave by secret plan...

Now, humans started to settle on a nearby, hilly knoll,
They were cutting down trees, Carolina tapped and told...
The Wood Witch decided this would be alright,
Smoke, bellowing from chimneys, soon added to pleasant nights...

These humans were caring and quite nice,
All the woodland creatures voted, not once, but twice...
These humans could stay and cultivate land for farms,
As they never put the forest animals in any harm...

People continued cutting down trees, stacking wood for buying,
New settlers came, soon... new babies crying.
Where the Mayo River meets the Dan, they founded a brand new town,
Soon, church steeples, factories and markets did abound...

Once in awhile, the Wood Witch, would sneak into town,
She saw the human babies, love was all around...
"You cute little things, kootchee, kootchee koo",
They would drink Basic Instinct, too!

She decided to cast a magic spell,
The earth turned red and did slightly swell...
She gave these special humans a wonderful gift,
Red earth, to construct houses of sturdy brick...

When Mother Nature saw what the Wood Witch did,
She granted her a long and happy human life to live...
For tireless and devoted service, a great reward,
The Wood Witch, of ugliness, would be devoid!

Using hummingbirds, spider silk and butterflies,
The colors of a rainbow, for her dyes...
They weaved and interlaced with fantastic grace,
Natural fibers of Mother Nature's finest taste...

The Wood Witch in a rapid blur was repeatedly flipped up and down,
Suddenly, she transformed into a beautiful lady wearing a gorgeous gown!
"Belle Southern", now, her name, will forever be,
To be remembered down through history!

Kids point your mouse at the Wood Witch's face to see the magical transformation.

On Mayo Mountain, a beautiful mansion, for her, was built,
A front porch with giant white columns, never to tilt...
Orchards of fruits and plentiful gardens graced her land,
The "Horn of Plenty", a new symbol, filled all hands...

Of all the foods, Belle had a favorite list,
Made by Mother Nature at Belle's wish...
Cornbread, pinto beans, greens, fried apples, so savory,
Country ham, and the best of all, Red Eye Gravy...!

The Pinchets, Carolina and Thor, lived to a ripe old age,
In the cave at Mineral Springs they now rest below huge gems bearing their names...
Belle Southern married a gracious, handsome gentleman,
Their hospitality, known throughout the land...

Of beautiful little girls, they had many, numbered just right,
Made of, "sugar and spice and everything nice"...
For Mother Nature, they answered the call,
Now, beautiful Southern Belles, dance at debutante balls...

Southern Belles, Meaghan and Emilie

Belle Southern, long ago, disappeared in a mysterious way,
Mother Nature knows where, but never will say...
Belle left us a heritage, we'll never forget,
A pretty girl's curtsey always displays her charms and tenderness...

The Wood Witch, in our memories, carries on to this day,
Just close your eyes to see her and Carolina at play...
Her colors of black and orange signify Halloween,
As little children in costume, of ghosts and goblins dream...

(Left to right - Emilie, Meaghan, and Georgia dressed up as The Wood Witch)

When in nature, you hear a loud, mysterious hum,
Could be the Pinchets, together in flight, just having fun...
If you hear a beast's mighty roar,
Don't be too scared, it might only be Thor...

Remember children, things are not always as they seem,
You must always look in between...
All things have a reason for being,
Through awareness, much clearer, you'll be seeing...!

The things you love are never forever gone,
In your heart they will always play a lovely song...
Remember, Mother Nature will always be here,
She has the powers to make things reappear!

Never forget the magical place called Mineral Springs,
The secret cave, with mystical things and wonderful beings...
Check the landmarks, memorize the clues,
They'll lead you to it, you can not lose...

A tap, tap, tapping may lead your way,
You'll not get lost if you interpret what they say...
May precious stones your road always be made,
With silver and gold lining be forever interlaid...

Just one more thing, before I go,
That pot of gold at the end of the rainbow...
It be true, a big black cauldron full... it is the real thing,
Happy hunting, thanks to THE WOOD WITCH OF MINERAL SPRINGS...!