Over the Garden Wall,
I let the baby fall.
My mother came out
And gave me a clout,
Over the Garden Wall…
In a forest some time ago, there was a homestead belonging to a large family with hair as red as the autumn leaves upon the ground. Of the many children that the Mother and Father had, their eldest daughter was named Beatrice, and she wore a dress of blue such as a bird in the springtime.
She would sit upon the banks of the small creek beside her house on lonely afternoons and look out into the wilderness. Her only companion was her dog. Sometimes she wished she could go out into the world and meet new people she could call her friends.
One night, the moon was full and round. Beatrice was waiting up and watching out the window and up at the night sky. From a very young age she found it very beautiful and enchanting. All her siblings were getting off to their beds and drifting into sleep.
"Do not forget to douse the fire tonight, dear." Her mother said to her before heading upstairs to her own bedroom.
"I won't, Mom." the girl replied.
She gazed up into the many diamonds of the night. And she imagined what it would be like if she were a bird. And she flew high into the clouds, basking in the sunlight of a summer day. She had been set free from the forest, and flew beyond the reach of the creek. She met many other birds of many kinds, and the breeze beneath her wings was a feeling of pure freedom and glory.
The sun was shining bright, and the leaves were dancing in the treetops. Beatrice perched upon the very high branch of a tall oak. None could stop her now. She didn't have the restraints any longer that she had upon the ground.
A voice spoke to her, and she turned.
"Why have you wandered from your family?" asked the voice. Beatrice looked about the branches, but found no one. "They love you very much, you know." A small spider came forth, with a curious look.
"I know that they love me," said Beatrice to the spider. "And I love them too. But I just needed a break was all. Just a little time to myself."
"Do not be selfish, child, for selfishness can be the death of many." said the spider. Beatrice backed away a step or two.
"Why do you say that? Who are you?"
"Do not be selfish, child." the spider repeated. And it crawled closer to her. It taunted her, and she felt uneasy. "You cannot save them. You have failed them."
"I don't know what you're talking about." said Beatrice becoming ever more frightened.
"It's too late to go back now." said the spider. "It's all your fault."
"Stop it!" Beatrice screamed, fleeing from the branch. She spread her wings to fly, but she stumbled into a thick web that was like a strong twine. She struggled and screamed, attempting to free herself but it did no good. Horrified, she watched as the spider crawled upon her.
"Do not worry." said the spider. "Soon, very soon, you will come to be with me." The last that Beatrice saw was the hourglass upon the spider's back, and everything faded.
She had fallen asleep late at night.
When she awoke, she found herself back in her normal body by the window where she had been. But when she looked up there was an orange glow, and the entire house was in flames. Beatrice jumped up, and ran to the staircase to get her parents and her brothers and sisters.
The fire burned, and when she was nearly at the top, the staircase collapsed, and she fell beneath. Lying upon the ground, she was trapped beneath the burning structure of the building.
"What have I done?" she asked herself, tears streaming down her face. "What have I done?"