The gardens were admirable. She had noticed the trees at the far edge of the clearing, but now she was closer could see the fruit they bore; oranges, lemons, apples, apricots, plums, and nuts of all kind dripped from trees that mingled together. Against the house were bushes laden with berries of all kinds and others with brilliant flowers. Ivies grew up the walls and over the many windows. The garden itself did not appear to have a border, but instead seemed defined by dirt paths winding through it.
There were sections of fruits and vegetables, watermelons encroaching on the strawberries and planted underneath grape vines tangled with the tomatoes that loomed over carrots perched next to large balls of lettuce.
There were patches of herbs, a great rosemary bush and a swath of basil, as well as more powerful herbs like Anise and Chicory growing in large bundles beside hemlock and other herbs which Snow knew neither the names nor use of.
And of course, there were flowers. Carnations leaning over Chrysanthemums which surrounded the lavender which gave way to carnations. Daisies and dandelions sprung up in all the little gaps between the larger groupings. Ferns as dark as the forest at night and as bright as the grass in the sun seemed scattered throughout.
After wandering about, she was drawn to a gap where no flowers grew. After approaching it, she saw that it was a spring, clear and deep. The light now nearly gone, and Snow unsure if she could navigate the twisting, unpredictable pathways in the dark, sat beside it, and determined to wait there.
Twilight descended upon her. The woods began to shine. At first, Snow assumed her eyes were playing tricks on her. She glimpsed a sharp blue glow just beyond the tree line and low to the ground, but the moment she tried to scrutinize it, it vanished. A moment later, again, in a different part of the woods and this time the height of the lower-hanging branches. It again disappeared after a few moments. They continued to appear and disappear all around the tree line, at all heights in all shades including warm yellow, deep green, fiery orange, and purest white.
The wind also, seems strangely musical, dancing around her and through the trees, sounding of flutes and harps and sprightly fiddles and voices that all became more quiet and muddled the harder she listened. She found herself leaning forward, as if to go and search out the music makers and brilliant lights, but resisted.
When twilight faded and night fell, the lights stopped appearing and the strange music ceased.