It was the darkest night that she could remember. Perfect for gathering a rare nocturnal flower called Le Donna Luna. She had come across a small patch and had been picking them for a few minutes when she heard music coming through the trees. By now she was very good about navigating the forest in the dark, so she went to investigate the strange sounds.
As she grew closer she could hear more detail in the song. It was filled with deep, rich notes. There were subtle changes and right when you would expect the notes to grow quiet there was a burst of energy. It was intoxicating in the best of ways, a masterpiece.
She was begining to get tired when light hit her eyes. There was a campfire barely visible through the trees. Being this late and this far from her village, she wondered if they would let her share their fire.
She pushed her way through the trees and immediately stopped in her tracks. There was a handsome man, dressed in a very ornate waistcoat and outfit, sitting by the fire on a stone. He was playing what appeared to be a cello and its sound ressonated from the cave from behind him. Then, he looked straight at her.
The stranger's eyes were a striking violet, which seemed to glow in the dancing light of the fire. Then, to her surprise, he gave her a friendly smile and gestured for her to join him.
After an hour or two of conversation. He pulled out a bottle of a dark, red wine. He poured it in a shockingly simple-looking wooden cup. He almost took a drink then stopped himself, then held out the cup for the young woman. She took it and took a sip while he pulled another cup from his bag.
"So why are you wandering the forest this late?" The man asked.
"Ive been gathering a rare kind of flower. They only bloom at night." She said, taking another sip if wine.
"I see. I live out here in the trees. Much more peaceful here." He looked around at the stars and plant life, and smiled.
"You dont miss having people around?" The girl asked.
"Not really. Theres the occasional travelers. But I find that nature is all the company I need."
"What do you mean?"
"The woods speak to me. The trees dance in the wind and whisper in my ear. The birds sing the most beautiful songs and I play along." He said while patting his cello. "The forest is thriving with life and personality. Its quite amazing really."
"I see." The girl said, spinning her wine in her cup. "Although I would still like to have good conversations with other people, I think. Perhaps Im just used to being near people." She laughed.
"I admit your company has been a good change of pace for me." The man smiled at her.
Some hours later, the man fell asleep by the fire. But the girl could not find rest. Something seemed off despite how kind the man seemed. She had a growing, morbid feeling like her heart was in her stomach. She decided to explore the camp a bit. Maybe then she could have peace of mind.
She got up from the sleeping roll the stranger kindly provided and began to wander. It was a fairly simple camp, aside from the fire there wasnt much here, not even a tent. She was about to lay down when she heard a strange sound come from the cave behind her. The morbid feeling rushed back to her.