Writers Note: This is what I've got. Don't judge me. Enjoy!
Chapter 1: Melina Dustarn
He held onto her tightly, almost as if he let go he would lose her. How'd things end up like this? One minute she was in his office and the next, wind was rushing up her hair. It was quite a drop. She reached up and ruffled his hair, soft and pleasant. She could smell the wonderful scent of the Truffula flower in his green suit. He was talking to her soft and slowly, his tone was calm, despite what had happened. Suddenly a bright white light appeared and filled her with worry. It couldn't be her time just yet, what would happen to him? Should she even care? She didn't know, she just let the light glow brighter and grasped at his suited arms one final time.
-CENTURIES EARLIER-
Melina Dustarn was one of the finest immortals to ever live. A beautiful girl with long white hair up to her hips with little curls at the end, flawless skin, skin tight dark green suit and dark green eyes. Everyone looked up to her, until she committed to worst thing an immortal could ever do, Grow attached to a Human. She talked and only wanted to established friendship, but her kind wouldn't allow that and the guards were onto her in the blink of an eye. Melina was in the Immortal kingdom in the sky, trying to outrun them she fled to the castle. Melina ran to her father, Xarius, lord of all immortals.
"Father! Father!" She ran into his thrown room, so much gold and silver. "What is it Melina?" "The guards are after me! I wanted to establish a friendly connection with a human, but they found me! I know it wasn't right but I...but I...I'm so sorry!" Guards came pounding in grabbing Melina by the arms. "Father DO something! Please?!" Melina begged, Xarius sighed and shook his head, his white and grey beard waving along. "I'm sorry Melina, but you disobeyed the one rule immortals can not break! I can't move around it. It is punishable by death. The only way easier for you is forever. I sentence you to life in imprisonment." Tears threatened her eyes, "Father...please." He gestured his hand to the door. Melina was thrown into a prison cell in the dungeon. she used to visit here when she was only a child. She would explore the castle grounds, and scour every inch of the dungeon searching for secret passage ways. But she eventually decided that the only way out was through the door and the barred up windows. She looked out through the bars into the castle grounds and began crying.
Centuries later, rumbling echoed through out the castle. People had stopped praising and believing in the immortals, and when that happens everything breaks down. Melina's cell was the last one in the prison room and was getting closer to being erased. Thankfully, she had began secretly filing her barred window a few months ago. With desperate kicking from her, the window gave way and she starred out the window. Her clothes hadn't wearied from centuries of imprisonment nor had her hair lost it's frailty. Her skin had gotten dirty from muck and filth though. Everything disintegrated behind her and with one frightened move, she leapt from the window and plummeted down. She would have landed in the castle garden, but since it no longer existed she fell straight through whiteness.
To her amazement she was passing through with no injury or disintegration. But in all of it she somehow became unconscious. She woke up sometime later in a flower field. The fresh aired smell of nature, and pollen ravaged the area. Melina felt something in her hand and inspected it to find she had cut her hand on a sharp rock. Her eyes widened. If she was bleeding, then that meant she was no longer an immortal. She was Mortal! She slumped back onto the field. Everything she knew was gone, her father, her home, that horrid cell room, and the whole of Immortal existence. She figured that if she was to LIVE here, then she would have to find a home and a suitable town or city.
All day and all night she walked, she passed through a town, so much had changed, for one people weren't living in caves or even huts. They were living in buildings. Everything was so sophisticated from what she remembered, so she was slightly scared. and to make matters worse, it started to rain. She finally came to a wheat field. She ventured through it with what little strength she had left. But she was cold, tired, shaken up, starving and completely hopeless, her feelings messed with her mind. She thought she could make out a house in the distance but she couldn't be sure. Finally her legs collapsed and everything blacked out.
Visions of a faceless figure invaded her dreams, she couldn't hear his voice or see his face, but she could understand that he meant no harm. A hand perched itself on her shoulder and slid its way down her right arm. The other hand touched her left cheek and made its way to her neck. She had a feeling this scene was gonna go further but instead darkness took over and she slowly opened her eyes, wondering who the mysterious gentleman was. She looked around her surroundings and couldn't understand one thing. How did she get in a room? It was filled with boxes and a single bed, which she was lying on. At first she was covered with a blue blanket, obviously the quilt for the bed, but her head removed it when she looked up at her surroundings. A circular window sat above her head. She felt like she was in an attic rather than a bedroom. Due to the bed that was her only lead on what this room was.
The door in front of her opened and, emerging from the light, a skinny figure emerged. As it got closer it turned out to be a boy. He had a fedora, strange stripped jeans and an apron on. She sat up. He stood next to the bed and sat down a lap tray with a plate of delicious looking pancakes on her legs. "Good morning. How are you feeling? Are you O.K?" She sat there speechless, it felt like she had lost her voice. She nodded, and lifted up her hand to inspect it. She found that it was covered by a white bandage. "Great! I know this must be a shock for you, but-" "Where am I? How did I get here? And who are you?" She picked up the fork. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'm freaking out right now." The boy smiled, "It's alright. Your at my house in my room, after I saw you laying out on the road I couldn't just leave you there." He extended his hand, she took it. "Well thank you, and pleasure to make you acquaintance-um...?" "Once-ler." "I'm Melina, hi."
She gobbled up the pancakes. She was so hungry, considering that all she had had for the past few centuries was either disgusting food, sloppy and milky porridge, left overs from all of the rest of the immortals meals or snacks, or the occasionally small snack or huge leftovers from her father. Melina explained who She was; a girl running from her lost home, of course she left out the whole immortal thing. That could shock him more than she already was, But after hearing that Once-ler's family couldn't know about her because they would throw her out, she knew he probably has it rough anyway. Melina watched Once-ler pack stuff into boxes or go to and from his wagon outside, loading things into it. He told her that he was going to find the perfect material for something of his called a Thneed. When Once-ler's family went out shopping for his brothers bret and chet, once-ler went downstairs to cook himself some lunch.
While wandering around she knocked over his guitar. She picked it up, sat on his bed, and played a few notes on it but stopped immediately when Once-ler stood in the doorway. Her ears burned and she placed the guitar beside her. "I'm sorry, it was just lying there and I picked it up. I didn't mean anything by it, sorry." He walked up to her, "Hey, it's alright, I'd do the same thing. You don't need to apologise to me about anything." Melina smiled, "Thank you."
"Listen I"m heading off in a day or two, so do you need any help setting up in a house in town?" Melina tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, "Um, I was actually wondering if I could come with? I mean, I don't have anywhere else to go so...?" He smiled and sat next to her, "Sure, of course you can." Her smile brightened, "Hm Hm, thanks. You know, of all the people I've known in my life, you are by far the most intriguing...Once-ler."
The old man woke up from his flashback dream. It was about HER, he almost couldn't understand it. He looked out his newly fixed window. When the trees had begun growing back, he fixed up his house. First starting with the blocked up windows and ending with his doorbell booby trap and 'the boot'. He still keep the long pipe thing, who knows when he could use that?
The Truffula valley looked as though nothing had changed, it was a beautiful sight. There was more growing each day, he was glad he kept that seed, if he hadn't then he would still be a bitter shut in. And as annoying as The Lorax could be, most of the time Once-ler actually enjoyed his company. Now that The Lorax was basically living there again, he and Ted, sometimes Audrey, would swing by for a daily visit. The Lorax would come in the morning along with the animals who had recently settled in in his kitchen downstairs, and then Ted would visit in the afternoon.
"I'll wish upon a star, and hope it takes me far," "Huh?" Once-ler's attention turned to his bedroom door. "I'll make a wish, and blow it a kiss." Someone was singing, he opened the door and crept downstairs. "If it doesn't come true, it wouldn't matter 'cause I have you." He recognised that song, it was a lullaby, he used to hear it some nights before his 'biggering' got out of hand. "So hush now my sweet, for soon you'll meet," He got closer to the end of the stairs, leading him into the lounge room. The singing was coming from the kitchen. "The person just right for you, they'll know it too. You'll find it in your dreams, in your mind that gleams." He got closer, his gloved hand brushed against one of his lounges. He got to the kitchen, whoever was singing was staring out the kitchen window. "Hello?" The person turned, it was just Audrey. "Hi, I'm sorry did I disturb you?" "No, I'm fine. How did you know that song?"
"It's a special song from before Thneedville." Once-ler turned, Ted rushed into the kitchen. "Hey Once-ler." The aged man smiled, "Well hello Ted, care to tell me more about that song?" "Sure." Ted walked out of the kitchen and sat on a chair at the table in between the kitchen and the lounge room. "Well, it's really old, like I said, before Thneedville." Audrey walked up and sat next to him on another chair. "There's a whole story surrounding it. Well, more of a legend really." Once-ler folded his arms, this he had to hear. Ted continued.
"They say a beautiful girl was cast out of heaven and fell in love with a handsome businessman. She always sang that song, like a tune of her love. Then the man became mad with power and started hurting things and people, including her. She was so upset with herself and him that she climbed the tallest mountain above the sea and leapt to the rocks below. The man was devastated by her passing and joined her. Now their souls flow with the calming waves together and if you listen really hard, you can hear her beautiful voice sing that song on the wind. But the really weird part is that out where the sea is, the place where she jumped...no where else is calm. That's the only mellow place, the rest of the shore line of cliffs are crashing and wild." Once-ler felt disbelief. "It's only a legend. But most mothers do sing that song to their kids at night." Audrey finished.
"How interesting. That's quite a tale." He replied. "Does it describe their names?" Ted and Audrey looked at each other and shook their heads. "Hm, O.K, so how are you two early? Usually your here by midday or just after it." The two smiled, "It's the school holidays so we get plenty if weeks off." Ted said, "We just wanted to swing by early to let you know that we probably won't be visiting this afternoon or for a few days." Once-ler raised an eyebrow, "Why not?" "My mom and Grammy are taking a mother/daughter trip out of town so I have the house to myself, but I have to go help them pack." Ted explained, Once-ler smiled, "Good for them," The two kids walked to the door, "Bye Once-ler!" The man gave a slight bow and waited for the door to be closed.
He suddenly felt a slight annoyance when The Lorax walked out from behind a lounge and sat up on a chair. "Hey beanpole, how's it going?" "It's just fine moustache. Listen I'm in a bit of a hurry here, so can we talk later?" "Actually there's something I want to talk about now," "I'll take a rain check O.K?" With that he hurried upstairs to his bedroom, but he didn't go that fast considering how he barely moved around the house anyway, and his age had slowed things down too. Suspicious, The Lorax followed him upstairs and asked, "What's the matter beanpole? What going on? And where's-" "This is a private matter moustache. Stay out of it!" With that he slammed the door. The Lorax went back downstairs and sat on a chair. This was the first time he had seen Once-ler really agitated since the argument before the last tree fell. Something was up, and he needed to find out.
Meanwhile upstairs, Once-ler ran through a plastic box of newspapers Ted had brought over after the town wall was removed and the sky had brightened. He brought them over as a favour to Once-ler to make sure that he didn't miss out on anything important while he was shut away from the world. He rushed through them as fast as his poor age body could do. He finally found one with a heading that cut a hole so deep through his soul that he thought he had been stabbed. He read the article and his eyes started to burn, he then gathered up all the newspapers similar to that one and placed them in a red and black metal box and locked it. That was his special keep-sake box, he kept the key to it by his bedside, it was for him and only him. Though, after a night of reading all the articles that were similar to the one he picked up, he wasn't sure it even mattered anymore.
Ta-da! There chap 1 done! Tell me what you think but like I said, "don't judge me" Immortal turned Mortal's gotta suck but hey, that's an interesting background for ya.
