HA! No Babe I am not dead! And, thank you much for the kind words Aurora Kemanche and tmwillson3! While reviews are not necessary, they are certainly encouraging. They let me know that I'm doing something right...or wrong...either way is good and very educational. Enjoy! The final part will be full of favorite Kingly banter! Oh, I love Kingly banter. Oh, and the song is We Sink by OMAM.-3iggy
All those eyes on me
As I sink into the open sea
Colour in my sheltered mind
Fill the gap between you and I
Magic. There are many kinds of magic. The most common type is the day-to-day magic—a child's laugh, sunshine on freckles, and books for rainy days. This sort of magic is often taken for granted by most people, I was once one of them. However, the magic dancing on the air that night was a different kind entirely. That magic could turn pumpkins into gilded carriages and beasts into handsome princes or even baby brothers to goblins. It was a wild willful thing and it had found me once again.
Shadows played about the moonlit trees as the scents of pine and heather teased my nose. The shadows were empty. There was no flash of crystal or hint of sharp white teeth to be found. There was nothing, only the ethereal sound of a ticking clock. Tick.
Relief and something akin to disappointment rushed through me. The Goblin King was not in that in-between place. He had not brought me here. There was something flimsy about the world I inhabited, it wasn't whole. Beyond the point where I stood the path twisted into the twilight forest. It extended into a world filled with the earthy scent of magic and the ever ticking clock. Behind me glowed the sickly lights of streetlamps and the browning pine needles that laced my usual trail home. I could turn around and forget about all of this. Yet, every resounding tick plucked at my soul, pulled me toward its source. It was irresistible.
We are the sleepers
We bite our tongues
We set the fire
And we let it burn
Through the dreamers
We hear the hum
They say "Come on, come on let's go"
So come on, come on let's go
Without a single glance over my shoulder at safety I walked forward into the uncertain night. Every step carried me farther into the concrete realm of magic. My eyes caught sight of colors for which I had no names. The stars blazed with a strength that daunted my mortal mind as the wind caressed my face. Never had the air seemed like such an intimate acquaintance. Nearly every sense I possessed was humming with new life when the first true notes of music rang in my ears. The ticking receded into the background of the glorious sound.
My pace quickened and I hesitated only a moment before plunging into a dark hedge. The trees were old and had grown tall, intertwining their branches until they formed a formidably gothic tunnel. Lights, like fireflies, twinkled throughout the thick shrubbery bordering the path. I was so intent upon following the music that I hardly heard the soft lilting voice that whispered in my ear midway through.
"Hey, owiee. You can't go in looking like that." The sugary sweet voice said.
"Umm, excuse me?" I shook my head to clear my thoughts. They were completely muddled by beckoning chords. And, I had no idea where the voice had come from.
"Those clothes are ridiculous." A small twinkling light wafted in front of my face. I blinked and looked harder at it. The light was nothing like a firefly. It was a small naked woman with flaming red hair.
"What would you know about clothes?" I tried not to smile. Years had passed since I'd last seen anything resembling a fairy, but I knew that some of them had bites worse than their barks.
Humpht. The tiny woman set her fists on her ample hips. "Better to go without them at all than to look all frumpy like you do." She hissed.
"Please don't be offended. I am sorry, but I don't have anything else to wear." I gestured hopelessly to my wool sweater and leggings shoved into my old well-worn boots. Frumpy may have been a fair adjective.
"Are you sure?" She tilted her head at me while fingering the strap of my forgotten backpack.
"Well…" I sat quickly on a gnarled root of one of the ancient trees and pulled the zipper. An unfamiliar package was neatly nestled amongst my script and water bottle. Cautiously I tugged it out of the bag and gave it a thorough looking over. It appeared perfectly innocuous. The wrapping came off in a jiffy revealing a scarlet gown and small card that read Happy Early Birthday Sarah- Luna. It was a gift from the costume designer. She had seen me ogling a similar one months earlier. "This is oddly auspicious." I frowned.
"It is fortunate. Reds, greens, golds, yellows, and oranges will be favored this eve. Though some may get away with browns." The fairy smiled charmingly. "You will need some holly for your hair. A crown of green and red." She darted off into the trees as I became aware of what I was doing.
Cold dream-shattering fear welled up in my stomach. I had no earthly clue where or what I'd ventured into. Once more I'd allowed my feet to pull me into a mess. "What am I doing?" I asked the branches above me.
"The Holly King returns tonight. We are here to celebrate you silly twit." The fairy dropped a leafy circlet upon my knees. "Don't you know anything?" She rolled her eyes.
"The Holly King?" I asked.
"The King of Winter. Hurry, hurry, you'll be late! Don't you hear the clock?" She waved and drifted off toward the tree-tunnel's end.
"I suppose I should get dressed." I mumbled the ticking had extracted itself from the music once more. Tick.
Years of theatre had taught me to change quickly and cautiously. I yanked the wool sweater over my head and pulled on the dress before wiggling out of my leggings and tank-top. The boots I stuffed in my bag. I'd have to go barefoot. Luckily, the cold was not nearly so unbearable here. I felt it just as surely as I had coming out of the theatre earlier that evening, but I didn't feel the need to heed it, or ward against it.
My bag was conspicuous so I stuffed it into the hollow of a tree near the mouth of the path. Wearily, I tiptoed to the end and took a look.
It's warm, the skin I'm living in
It creates and shapes what is within
So please look away, don't look at me
As we sink into the open sea
The sky opened up above a broken dome of tree branches like the ceiling of some wild vaulted cathedral. A pale ghostly light faintly illuminated the scene. Creatures of all shapes and sizes cavorted around the clearing. Some looked demurely similar to me. They were tall, fair, and dark-haired women and men, but little things marked them as non-humans such a pointed earlobe or slit pupil. Small people like my fairy floated or danced upon the ground. Music flowed about the space like another guest and tables filled with the spicy scents of cinnamon and nutmeg lined the outer circles.
Commanding the most attention was a throne of twisted ivy at the end farthest from me. Although no one occupied the festive seat, the merrymakers left a respectful circumference of space between it and themselves. Tick. A large pine clock stood directly beyond the throne beckoning me to join in the celebration.
I was in the midst of it before I could formulate a sensible reason to avoid drawing attention to myself. But, no one seemed to notice me, at least not in a way that hinted at my being unwelcome or intrusive.
We are the sleepers
We bite our tongue
We set the fire
And we let it burn
Through the dreamers
We hear the hum
They say "Come on, come on, let's go"
So come on, come on, let's go
The dancing began as if some sudden cue had signaled everyone. A sea of green, gold, and red shivered like leaves in an autumn breeze as the dancers moved. I stood back reflectively from the ritual at first, not comprehending the steps or knowing the moves, but improvisation was a game I was good at, so I only hung on the sidelines for a few nervous moments. Being the only attendee standing like a wallflower would only have served to make me conspicuous.
Initially, I felt foolish. The immortal dancers were graceful and moved together like clockwork in their spiraling, fluttering, ritual. Everything meddled to form a perfect sound, a perfect image. Even the clock's consistent ticking joined the music and sounds of moving bodies. After catching the first few steps of the dance, I allowed my thoughts and fears to wander. The other dancers smiled at me and took my hands as we spun our circles and flowed through the intricate patterns of the dance. Excitement animated my arms and legs as the tempo quickened. A manic smile curved my lips as I let everything go. I was not Sarah Williams, but a leaf in the air, a touch of frost. I just danced.
The dance may have lasted for centuries. I was so engaged in the transcendent whirling that the creeping, chilly sensation of being watched hardly dawned on my conscious mind until my eyes locked with an icy gaze across the clearing. An unforgettable smirk was settling beneath that pair of roguish eyes.
I know that it's a waste of time
Chasing in the dark
But keep me in your clouded mind
Until time ignites a spark