A/N: 'Insanity' is on hiatus. I can't find the right words to describe the story concept or the plot. So I'm taking a break for as long as I need to get new ideas. As to how I managed to write six chapters is beyond me, but miraculously I did it.

But... usually when authors are on hiatus they come up with different kinds of ideas for certain kinds of stories. These short stories that I have written, is just my imagination at it's fullest. Also each chapter is at a different time in Iva's life. Some are when she was a kid, some are in the past, or are in present day.

But knowing me, I'm horrible at writing descriptive scenes. So I had a very good friend help me with most of the descriptions, the setting, and the emotions of Iva that are to come.

So, I guess if you were interested in 'Insanity' or the main character, Iva, then this is the right place for you.

Some interesting information: The word "elf " is written with a capital letter, like "Elf."
Meaning: Large creatures, with blond, almost silver hair.

"When the first baby laughed for the very first time, The laugh broke into a thousand pieces, And they all went skipping about, And that was the beginning of elves."

Journey: The Enchanting Voice

From outside my window in the early morning hour, I hear a voice that calls out in a beautiful, melodious voice. I slowly rise from my soft, warm bed, and step toward the window. As I do, I step beyond the bounds of my physical reality. I step beyond myself, stretching my awareness into another realm and reaching out to my full potential.

As my mind moves from a light sleep to full consciousness, I am suddenly aware of the enchanting quality of the voice I hear. I stare out the window for a few minutes, mesmerized by its cadence, before getting on my clothes and going out to explore the origins of the enchanting voice.

As I walk outside, the crisp morning air caresses my face, and my skin tingles. I walk down a gravel driveway that winds toward the general direction of the inviting voice. As I walk, the voice seems to envelop and surround me, making it difficult to determine where it is coming from. The dawning light of the sun is just becoming visible, and the pine and oak trees loom like giant shadows all around me. Rather than feeling menacing, they seem like giant protectors, standing guard along the way.

Upon reaching the end of the gravel driveway, I see the dark outline of a small path that leads downward into the vegetation that grows quite thickly together, making traveling impossible except on already traversed pathways. As I move down the path, I am greeted by the musty smell of the forest floor. I take a deep breath, and as I exhale, I become increasingly aware that the enchanting voice is louder and calls me ever closer, like a beacon of another world.

Further down the pathway, I smell water. I hear a tinkling of a creek. The sound of the water seems to provide background accompaniment to the enchanting voice. Although there is a path, I still have to make my way through the dense undergrowth that grows under the thick canopy of trees.

As I continue through the undergrowth, I can sense Nature all around me in her inherent splendor and divinity. The father I walk, the more I become one with the Natural beauty around me. I pause to say a short prayer of thanks to the sacred land. As I walk on, the voice is clearer and closer.

Finally, I reach a shallow creek with a small waterfall that flows over white blocks of milky quartz-crystal. I stop to rest and to get my bearings. In the still shadowy world of the early morning, I see a greenish-blue creature stir within the waterfall. At first I think I am seeing things, but continuing to watch, I instinctively know that what I am seeing is a Nature Elf, in particular a Water sprite.

For the flicker of an instant, time seems irrelevant and out of focus and the moment becomes an hour. Looking into the eyes and listening to the enchanting voice of the waterfall elf. I realize that the elf is the underlying spirit of Nature, in all it's many aspects. The elf element in everything is that which gives spiritual life and beauty.

Sitting next to the waterfall, I look into the elf's eyes and I see my reflection. I see my ideal self, my beautiful and compassionate self. I also glimpse past and future lifetimes, flowing from the same spiritual well. The world I enter seems familiar, but there is something very different. Like looking in a mirror, I feel I am seeing everything reversed. My perception and awareness seem altered.

As I stand hearing the enchanting voice in all it's splendor with Nature, the greenish-blue elf eyes meet mine and I can suddenly imagine living life to its fullest potential, I imagine miraculous things like world peace, cures for all disease and illness, and a kinder, gentler world, where life seems more fluid and exciting and people are more tolerant. I feel a peaceful, easy energy washing over my body like the waterfall. This feeling empowers me and I feel at one with myself, with the water elf, and with the world around me.

In my life, the enchanting voice represents a calling that leads me back home. Like a salmon moving back up stream to spawn, I feel propelled the seek out my roots, and get a feeling for who I really am. While growing closer to the land around me, I realize my roots have something to do with the energy of the fae, who traditionally were the animate symbols of Nature and Spirit. As out energies connect, I am aware of the completion of a circle that is as ancient as recorded time. Now, the enchanting voice resonates within my being, and we become one.

So far, I've written three chapters, but I still need to think of more chapter ideas of how to define what elves do. It's a little complicated to explain, but I'm hopefully letting you learn about elves, while reading a interesting short story at the same time. And like I said above, each chapter is going to be different. Thought I'd let you know, just to get your imagination started. .

Nekio-chan