The two twins did come back. First it was every day, then every other day. As they grew older it became once every week, and at the point when they got married, it became once every other week. Heaving a sigh, she swung her leg off the edge of the branch, swinging it back and forth, her other foot firmly placed on top of the branch.
"How come they never realized who I am, Chester?" She turned her gaze to look at the red squirrel next to her, which was happily gnawing away on one of the many acorns that the oak had to offer.
"I have given them so many clues!" Tossing her arms out, she fell backwards, swinging round to hang off the branch by the bend of her knees, her arms crossed over her chest.
"I don't suppose you have any suggestions on what I should do?" Glancing up at the branch, there was just the noise of continued gnawing coming from the busy squirrel.
"You never listen to me." Letting go of the tree, the wind caught her and gently put her down onto the grass. With a flick of her wrist, the wooden staff was brought to her and she pointed up at the branch where the squirrel sat.
"I could turn you into a flower squirrel if I wished to, Chester!" Her pose was determined where she stood, arm stretched out, grip tight on the staff as she pointed it. It took a few moments before another sigh left her, and she twirled her staff to tap it against her shoulder.
"You're never going to notice me, are you." It wasn't the squirrel she was speaking to this time. She had watched Isabel and Emma grow up along with their friends, but those two girls would always be special to her. They gave her a name, Lucy, even if that name hadn't been intended for her. She enjoyed imagining that she had once been someone dear to them, that she had been this Lucy that they had been speaking of all these years.
"If only they'd realize I'm no Forest Spirit, but Mother Nature.." hopping up to sit on the edge of her hollow, she rested her elbows on her knees, cupping her face with her hands as she slumped down, peering up at the leaves.
"I just wish that they could see me, so that I had someone to talk to. I can help them when they need me, but I cannot teach. I need to be seen and heard to teach. I have so much knowledge stirring within my mind, and nowhere to put it, I have no soil in which to plant the seeds of wisdom." Lifting a hand, she placed it against the bark, urging the oak's grand branches to creak and turn, allowing the sunshine down onto the glade. It was a beautiful late summer day, barely a cloud in the sky.
"Why did you put me here if there is no one who believes in me? Or am I simply impatient, ignorant of what I need to do?" Blinking slowly, she put her head back into her hands, sighing softly.
"You never did tell me how to be seen by others. How am I to do what I was created to do, if I can't be seen nor heard..?" Falling silent, she waited, as thought she expected some kind of reply from the blue skies above her. As per usual, there was no reply, not the slightest sign of any guidance to rid her of her troubles. It was always the same story. What was she supposed to do to get people to believe in her?
"Is it because I don't get out much? Is that it?" There had never been any need for her to go beyond the village near the forest. She could sense all of nature when she wished to, and influence it as well. Travelling from her home simply to check on other places, when the twins could visit any time felt like such a waste. If there was one thing she did not wish to miss out on, it was the twins' visits.
"They won't be around forever... Tell you what, when they stop coming to see me, I will consider getting out more. Is that a deal?" Once again she raised her gaze to peer up at the bright sky, squinting before deciding to put back the branches where they were meant to be. Shade cast by the massive oak once again fully covered the glade, save for a few slivers of sunlight that managed to creep their way through the foliage.
"Yes... It's a deal."
It didn't take long for the twins to stop coming, at least not in her sense of time. A few years had passed, and her beloved Emma and Isobel were both parents, busy with life. It was little comfort to know that they would be happy, as their permanent residence in the village, with no time to come visit her, meant that she was now truly on her own.
Mother Nature did not live up to her promise that she had made to the man in the moon. In fact, she was rendered immobile by her sense of loneliness, cooped up in her hollow for weeks on end, weeks that turned into months, months that turned into years. The only times she forced herself to leave her precious oak was when nature was in need of her guidance.
The leaves had begun to fall, even the great oak was no match for the changes in the seasons, and had to bow to their will. It was a chill night, the brisk winds making her stir in her hollow. They were nothing like her winds; these were chilling, sharp ones, created with no compassion. Pushing herself to sit up, she grumbled to herself, dusting her dress off. Luckily, the grass in her hollow never wilted, giving her a soft bed whatever the season. Swinging her legs over the ledge of her home, she peered up at the sky. Winter wasn't bound for another month or two, at least. What on earth was it up to? The crisp air stormed into her lungs with each breath that she drew, but with what she was, it didn't succeed to cool her down. Not only the plants, animals and insects were part of nature, but the shift and changes of the season as well. It was all under her jurisdiction, and she was able to influence the turning of the seasons.
"I swear, Winter simply wishes me to go to bed early so I will miss whatever shenanigans it's planning." Shaking her head, she kicked off up into the air, her staff tightly gripped in her hand. Floating on a much warmer wind, at least in comparison to the frigid winds of winter, she looked around. As always, there was no sign of whoever was responsible for the winter season. It was the same story almost every single year. The bitter winds of winter came far too early, as if testing her. With a slow motion, she moved her staff behind her back before she clenched her jaw, eyes narrowing as she then swung the staff around in front of her, a powerful gust propelled from the motion. The warmer gale cut through the brisk winter winds, dispersing them, forcing them to die out.
"And don't try it for at least another month!" Huffing lightly, she put a hand on her hip as she floated in the air, high above the forest. To think that the person of winter never showed itself, it was becoming ridiculous. She truly had to be on the alert when this mischievous season was bound to come around. Heaving a sigh, she sank to the trees, the branch of one reaching up to gently catch her bare feet. Her attention turned to the village, a frown disturbing her youthful features. If the winds were here, then there was no doubt that winter would try to play its tricks in the village.
It barely took a breath for her to fly into the village, landing on the main dirt road that went through the entire village. Mother Nature hadn't been wrong in the least, every single puddle from the autumn showers had been frozen, frost creeping along the windowsills.
"I swear, that season is nothing but trouble." Walking down the road, she clacked her staff against each frozen puddle, turning it back into the muddy water it used to be. Glancing around as she did so, she noticed that there was barely anyone outside.
"This is strange.." She spoke in a soft murmur, trying to spot any sign of life outside. It was completely dead, but surely, no one in this village would stay inside simply because of some winds? Even if they were unusually sharp ones. Stopping outside of the flour mill, a small smile curved her lips as she looked up at it. It was her favourite building in the village, even the church couldn't stand up to the natural serenity of the flour mill. Taking something from nature and turning it into something so useful for nourishment, using the strength of nature to power it... Could there ever be a more gorgeous building? Floating up on top of the massive water wheel, she smiled, looking over to the church.
That's when she froze, staring at the large gathering of people outside the church, dressed in black from what she could tell. With a look of concern in her eyes, she let the wind carry her up the hill, high above the church. The villagers were indeed dressed in black, her mind hadn't played a trick on her. The atmosphere was dull and filled with gloom, the people surrounding a train of three caskets.
"How very terrible..." Curse her curiosity, she couldn't help but wonder who the three deceased were, and why they had passed. In such a small village, losing three lives must be very difficult, a harsh blow. There was nothing she could do, except pay her respects.
The villagers only noticed a warm breeze flow through the crowd and into the church as they entered it, although no one paid much attention. She kept quiet, giving herself a seat on the inside balcony banister, with the modest organ behind her. Watching the people walking down the nave and taking their seats, her brow furrowed. Putting up one foot on top of the banisters, resting her arm over her knee, she tried to find the twins. Her Isobel and Emma, where could they be? Her trail of thought was interrupted by the deep and echoing voice of the village priest.
"We are gathered here today to bid out farewells to three devoted and passionate persons. Together, they leave behind them three children and a widower, as well as many dear friends. We ask of Him to take them into His embrace, and guide them in the life beyond this one."
Breathing deeply, there was a twinkle of concern in her eyes, her stomach turning unpleasantly. She even failed to notice the tightening grip on her staff as the tension grew in her body.
"Today, we bid our farewells to the loving mothers and sisters, Isobel and Emma, along with Isobel's husband Miles, as their lives ended together. The tragic accident that claimed their lives was an act of God, a way to tell us that they have served their purpose here with us on this earth. He brought them up to the heavenly skies, where they shall live next to Him, forever more." A gasp sounded through the saddened audience as a harsh wind stormed through the church, swirling around it as plants and flowers of all kinds imaginable, even ones not native to the area grew up in an instant, blooming as though it was spring. The church was filled with the pleasant aroma of the flowers, and the wind died down. Little did she know as she glided through the air back to the Forest Heart, tears falling from her now rosy cheeks, that the event she had caused would be spoken of for many generations to come, as a part of the village's heritage.