Of Fairy Tales And Arrows
Chapter Three
Heidi looked at her watch, then stopped to look both ways about her, shivering with cold. She'd been out here for nearly an hour, and no trace of her little cousin was to be seen. She let out a few puffs of visible crystalized breaths and continued forward.
::Where could she have gone? I'm almost in to the heart of the forest and...:: She had looked up from her tracks and was greeted with a strange sight. A person- at least she thought it was a person- seemed to be looking at her from a distance on top of a rise of the earth. What was throwing her off was that this person seemed to be... glowing.
::What the...?:: Her heartbeat sped up and for a wild moment she was paralyzed with fear. ::Okay, UFOs and aliens DO NOT EXIST! I KNOW THAT!!!:: But she continued to stare back at the person in front of her. There was no denying that he was indeed glowing. Then her cousin's words floated back into her mind...
*"They're tall and elegant- graceful, beautiful especially at night."
"What do you mean 'especially at night?'"
"They glow in the moonlight. The moon and the stars makes them glow..."*
At remembering the conversation her breath escaped her. :: Surely... surely it's not... true.::
Then before she could really register in her mind what she was doing, she was walking. Making her way toward it. ::Maybe I can ask him where Larine is.:: She was able to make out finally that it was indeed a man she walking towards, only with pointed ears. Blue eyes stared back at her. Somehow she remembered this man's face, the proud way he stood... but she couldn't figure out where.
She had crossed only to the mid point when he turned and began walking away. Heidi caught herself from calling out to him to wait. Why should he? She didn't know him. How could she know him? But she still felt compelled to follow the path ahead to see if maybe he waiting for her ahead below the hill.
She finally reached her destination, eagerly looking ahead, heart still pounding wildly. Then she couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh of disappointment. He wasn't there. She shook her head. ::I must've been imagining things... ::
Then her hearing peaked in alarm when she heard a twig snap to her right at the bottom of the hill. Looking up she felt the fearful, yet curious excitement return. He was there! She set off in a run in that direction only to set him off in a run when she reached the half way point. Only he was still in sight, yet sprinting on. She let out a sound of disgust then keeled over out of breath from running in the icy cold.
Her exclamation caused him to stop apparently. Why she didn't know. She had come to the conclusion at that point that he either didn't want her to follow him or was playing will-o-wisp.
"Come. I know where she is." she heard a soft, song like male voice call out to her.
::He knows where "she" is?:: Heidi's eyes grew wide as she looked up at him, and immediately her poor lungs trauma was forgotten. All else but her cousin was forgotten.
When he seen he had her attention he began to walk slowly on glancing over his shoulder to see that she was following. She had decided that probably purposely keeping her distance from her guide was best, as this seemed to be what he preferred.
Finally, when she knew she was at the heart of the forest he suddenly seemed to vanish into the trees with just an arm that pointed ahead of them as her last guiding hope. Finally, she came to the spot where he last stood and was relieved to behold the sleeping form of her cousin.
Almost on the verge of crying she ran to her. It suddenly struck her that the child was wrapped up in a blanket, was still in her night gown with only light tennis shoes on her feet. She shook her awake just to be sure she would awake. Slowly, the child's blond eyelashes fluttered and she peered up at her cousin with confused then relieved and happy eyes.
"Heidi!" she squealed and sat up to embrace her tightly with lightening reflexes.
"Thank you." Heidi said aloud, the words being whispered back and forth among the trees.
TBC...
Chapter Three
Heidi looked at her watch, then stopped to look both ways about her, shivering with cold. She'd been out here for nearly an hour, and no trace of her little cousin was to be seen. She let out a few puffs of visible crystalized breaths and continued forward.
::Where could she have gone? I'm almost in to the heart of the forest and...:: She had looked up from her tracks and was greeted with a strange sight. A person- at least she thought it was a person- seemed to be looking at her from a distance on top of a rise of the earth. What was throwing her off was that this person seemed to be... glowing.
::What the...?:: Her heartbeat sped up and for a wild moment she was paralyzed with fear. ::Okay, UFOs and aliens DO NOT EXIST! I KNOW THAT!!!:: But she continued to stare back at the person in front of her. There was no denying that he was indeed glowing. Then her cousin's words floated back into her mind...
*"They're tall and elegant- graceful, beautiful especially at night."
"What do you mean 'especially at night?'"
"They glow in the moonlight. The moon and the stars makes them glow..."*
At remembering the conversation her breath escaped her. :: Surely... surely it's not... true.::
Then before she could really register in her mind what she was doing, she was walking. Making her way toward it. ::Maybe I can ask him where Larine is.:: She was able to make out finally that it was indeed a man she walking towards, only with pointed ears. Blue eyes stared back at her. Somehow she remembered this man's face, the proud way he stood... but she couldn't figure out where.
She had crossed only to the mid point when he turned and began walking away. Heidi caught herself from calling out to him to wait. Why should he? She didn't know him. How could she know him? But she still felt compelled to follow the path ahead to see if maybe he waiting for her ahead below the hill.
She finally reached her destination, eagerly looking ahead, heart still pounding wildly. Then she couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh of disappointment. He wasn't there. She shook her head. ::I must've been imagining things... ::
Then her hearing peaked in alarm when she heard a twig snap to her right at the bottom of the hill. Looking up she felt the fearful, yet curious excitement return. He was there! She set off in a run in that direction only to set him off in a run when she reached the half way point. Only he was still in sight, yet sprinting on. She let out a sound of disgust then keeled over out of breath from running in the icy cold.
Her exclamation caused him to stop apparently. Why she didn't know. She had come to the conclusion at that point that he either didn't want her to follow him or was playing will-o-wisp.
"Come. I know where she is." she heard a soft, song like male voice call out to her.
::He knows where "she" is?:: Heidi's eyes grew wide as she looked up at him, and immediately her poor lungs trauma was forgotten. All else but her cousin was forgotten.
When he seen he had her attention he began to walk slowly on glancing over his shoulder to see that she was following. She had decided that probably purposely keeping her distance from her guide was best, as this seemed to be what he preferred.
Finally, when she knew she was at the heart of the forest he suddenly seemed to vanish into the trees with just an arm that pointed ahead of them as her last guiding hope. Finally, she came to the spot where he last stood and was relieved to behold the sleeping form of her cousin.
Almost on the verge of crying she ran to her. It suddenly struck her that the child was wrapped up in a blanket, was still in her night gown with only light tennis shoes on her feet. She shook her awake just to be sure she would awake. Slowly, the child's blond eyelashes fluttered and she peered up at her cousin with confused then relieved and happy eyes.
"Heidi!" she squealed and sat up to embrace her tightly with lightening reflexes.
"Thank you." Heidi said aloud, the words being whispered back and forth among the trees.
TBC...