Phragmites swayed in the wind and dragonflies swept past her. The breeze whistled in her ear as Persephone plucked a narcissus flower from the ground. Its roots hanging limply above the mound of dirt that she pulled it up from. A yellow cup of petals sprouting from the center of it and opium white petals protruding from behind them. A perfect flower.
There was a bee that flew onto the brim of the flower. She didn't shoo it away. Instead, she let it collect the pollen for it to make honey. Yellow and black stripes shooting across its back and antennas poking from the bee's head. It flew away and Persephone noticed her hummingbird pecking at her neck to get her attention.
"Almond, stop poking me!" She warned her hummingbird.
The bird flew in another direction and Persephone shot her head back. Almond zipped across the wetlands and into a forest. She leapt from where she sat and sprinted into the forest. Almond must've gone for miles because Persephone wandered in the forest for awhile searching for her hummingbird.
There were only trees for miles and no hummingbird. Persephone called out to him, whistling three sharp notes then one more. It was their signature call just in case someone got lost somewhere.
Nothing.
Persephone whistled again. Still no response.
She spotted a small tree about four and a half feet tall, decorated with pomegranates. Her favorite fruit. Ripe spheres of red hinted with purple hung from branches on the sapling like tree.
She heard a chirp and switched her gaze to her hummingbird.
"You little twerp." She scolded him.
Almond puffed out his chest in a smug response. Persephone shook her head and walked over to the bird and held out her hand for him to hop on. Almond flitted his wings and landed onto her hand, climbing up to her shoulder.
"Look what you've found here," Persephone grinned at her hummingbird.
She walked towards a pomegranate, mesmerizing by the lush beauty of the near perfect fruit.
" It would be a shame if someone were to steal one of these pomegranates" She said aloud.
Persephone looked around her to see if she were alone or if someone were watching her. The coast seemed clear and Persephone spotted a delectable pomegranate, the best out of the bunch. So she gently twisted the fruit from it's stem and plucked it clean off the branch. The sun creating a sheen on the surface of the skin of the pomegranate.
She bit into the skin, piercing the red velvet. She savored the sweet and tart taste of the seeds. The pomegranate juice dribbled off her chin and she wiped an elbow across her mouth, the reddish pink staining her skin.
Persephone felt like she couldn't breathe. Her throat was swelling and her airway was blocked. The pomegranate fell from her grasp and she swayed a bit. She clutched her throat, straining for oxygen. Almond didn't know what to do. There was nothing he could do. Almond chirped a few times and Persephone shooed him off. Her knees slammed hard onto the ground and she dug her nails into the soil. I'm going to die. The thought rang through her head. I don't want to die. Tears stung her eyes.
Her vision went fuzzy and everything felt warm. Help. Someone help me. Her eyes were rolling into the back of her head as she collapsed face first onto the ground.
Black smoke billowed up behind her not long afterwards. Two people stepped out of the dark clouds. Both decked in a dark gray uniform. They had swords strapped onto their backs and daggers on their chest, shoulders, thighs, and so on. One of them walked over, bending down and grabbing a chunk of her hair. He pulled her up to see her face.
"Isn't she a pretty little one?" the man chortled, eyeing her up and down.
The other man rolled his eyes and said, "C'mon let's go and bring her back, we don't want to arouse any gossip," he insisted, annoyed at his fellow guard buddy.
"I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to take a little bite out of her?" He grinned
The other guy glared at him.
"Hmph, fine." He gave in reluctantly. "Let's just get this over with."
Black puffs of smoke arose from their feet and reached their heads as they disappeared into the Underworld with Persephone.
