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Great Writing - Home > Short S. > A Story for Laila
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| A Story for Laila | |
| By Ane | ||||||||||
| 13 July 2008 | ||||||||||
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She awoke in a grassy field with no memory. Her mind was void of any thought until she sat up and looked around. She did not wonder where she was, for she already knew the answer was hidden in her mind; she simply noted the lush, rolling hills that surrounded the sunlit field. Field, hills; she didn’t stop to ponder how she knew these words, yet knew not her own name. She touched her head tentatively, thinking perhaps a blow to it had caused her memories to scatter. But she was in perfect health, with no new injuries. There were, however, many old scars along her hands and arms. She studied them, wondering what could have caused them. The image of wings and claws trickled across her mind. Birds?— she wondered, clutching to the vision. Falcons, she concluded. The images danced away. Standing, she looked about more thoroughly. She realized she wore no shoes, nor any other scrap of clothing. But somewhere her mind again whispered— and she accepted her nakedness. As she scanned the hillsides for— for what?— her fingers strayed unknowingly to her throat, where they found a delicate cord hanging around her neck. Her hand followed the cord down to a small pouch, resting over her heart. Ah, there it is, the thought came naturally. There what is, she questioned herself. Not yet; the words echoed. A warm breeze brushed up against her bare body. It swirled and twisted around her, begging her to go with it. She did; she was taken over lands that seemed new to her eyes, yet her feet carried her as surely as if she’d wandered that same path before. She let go of her confused thoughts and the fear that had begun edging into her mind. She let her subconscious carry her as it would, knowing she must trust herself. The breeze carried the girl to a crystal clear stream, and then it left her. She knew, somehow, that the stream was only a few miles away from running into the ocean. The girl knelt on the sandy shore, instinctively opening the pouch that dangled from her neck. Inside was a tiny lily bud. She looked at it with an awe that could not be explained. Yet still, she did not question herself. The breeze sprung up again and took hold of the bud, gently tossing it into the water. She reached for it, not wanting to lose it. The seed drifted just out of her reach, then began to sprout beautiful, white petals. They twisted and churned unlike anything she’d ever seen, cavorting with each other; then they became still as they folded over into the middle. The stream pushed the flower to the girl’s waiting hand. She reached out and gently peeled the petals back. Curled up in the center was a fairy. She was as naked as the girl, with long white wings that mirrored the lily’s petals. Her hair was short and the color of pure white pearls. “Wake up, little one. We’re here.” The girl whispered. The wind ate her words, and she was not sure they had even been uttered. Again her memories began to peak around corners, behind which they had been hiding. She saw an eagle, she saw a seed in its mouth; images of people and places leapt into her mind and vanished again, before she could comprehend them. The fairy yawned, stretching. She looked dreamily at the waters. With a dainty flutter of wings, she flew up to the girl and kissed her on the cheek. Then the fairy twirled in front of the girl, landing smoothly onto her still-open palm. The wind blew one strong gust, but the fairy remained on her perch. Glancing away, the girl saw petals slowly rising out of the water. No, not petals— Wings. They leapt gracefully out of the water, those new fairies. Their wings each looked like a different type of petal or leaf. There were sunflower wings, rose, daisy, and little baby’s-breath wings. There was even one fairy with a menacing set of devil’s-club wings. They all wore clothing that matched their wings and hair. One of them flew up to where the lily-fairy was resting. Gently, she took the pale fairy’s hand. The others danced and swirled as the two flew up into the air. Then they swarmed together and dived into the water, disappearing soundlessly beneath the calm surface. The girl sat crouched there for a long time, contemplating what had taken place. She stared at the lily that still floated in the water. Just as she began to realize that the silence around her was not normal, the sounds of nature began to stir once more. What had happened?— she thought to herself. The last fairy— her mind whispered— you brought her home. I did— it was a statement; also a question. She found you, through the birds. What birds. The ones you heal. You feel connected with them. I do— this was not a question. She blinked and saw that the stream was gone. Around her, mushrooms had sprouted. A fairy-ring. A fairy-ring. The girl turned her head to the sky, closed her eyes, and remembered.
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