A warm breeze caressed Kore's face as she skipped through the fields. She hummed as she gathered up poppies, hyacinths, irises, anemones, and crocuses. "What do you think, Olive?" She asked cheerfully, holding up her bouquet.
"Beautiful, Kore," gasped the nymph, "but what do you mean by running off so fast? I can barely catch my breath! I turn around for one minute, and foom! You're gone. You shouldn't wander so far from your house.
Kore rolled her eyes. "I can still see my house, and you are not my mother, Olive." She turned around and continued picking flowers.
Olive stepped around Kore and gazed at the top of the goddess's head. "I know, but I promised Lady Demeter we would keep an eye on you while she's away. Shouldn't we go back and join up with Brook and Maple? Or perhaps you'd like to go home and work in your mother's garden?"
Kore sighed and stood up to face the dryad. "Olive, the best thing about mother being away is that I finally have a chance to relax! I gardened all morning. Now I have the rest of the day to myself. Do you realize how rare that is?"
Olive couldn't help but smile at the excitement in Kore's eyes. Lady Demeter meant well, but the goddess could very well be the patron of smothering as well as agriculture. The dryad ran her fingers through her long black hair. "Very well, Kore, but let's continue relaxing closer to my forest, shall we?"
Kore's eyes suddenly widened. "Are those narcissuses?" she asked, looking over Olive's shoulder.
Olive turned around squinted her brownish green eyes toward the area Kore was pointing to. "They look like narcissuses. Pretty, huh?"
"They're beautiful," gasped Kore. "Come on! Let's gather some. I want to see if I can teach myself to make some!"
"Not so fast," warned Olive as she gently grabbed Kore's arm. "They're far out there. You've never been so far away from home by yourself."
"Exactly," replied Kore. "Mother's paranoia has prevented me from enjoying some of nature's best flowers. Look, they're not that far away; just a few yards from the bottom of this hill. Since my introduction, flowers are officially under my sphere of influence. You wouldn't want to prevent the Goddess of Flowers, Growth, and Young Life from enjoying some of nature's finest flowers, would you?" Kore tried for an authoritative voice.
Olive gave an exasperated sigh. "No, but-"
"Then let's go!" cried Kore
"I can't!" countered Olive. "I can only go so far from my tree! I've already reached my limit!"
Kore looked at Olive. She did look worn out. Her eyes were dull and her body flickered now and then.
"Please," asked Olive, "I need to get closer to my tree. Why don't you ask your mother to take you down there when she comes back?"
"All right," said Kore gently, "let's go home."
Author's Note: Meh. I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. I'm sorry these last two have been so short. The next chapter may not be up for a couple of weeks, but it will be longer. Thanks for reading! You guys are great!