Rosewood

Part 2

The dirt path ascending into the mountains was wide and smooth, cutting through the heather-filled grasses. The sky grew steadily darker. At first, the trees were spread so far apart that she hardly noticed them. But as she climbed higher, gnarled trees with no foliage poked out of the hard-packed ground, crowding her. Lucia lost her footing and grabbed onto the decaying branches. The branches broke.

Bruised and scratched, she continued onward, protecting the box each time she fell. Her robes made it difficult to travel, but they also protected her from serious cuts.

Unable to see well in the dark, Lucia ran into a wall of stone in her path. After rubbing her forehead and shoulder, she ran her hands along the giant boulder to find the edge. The end of one sidled up next to another. There seemed no way around them without leaving the path. Tired as she was, she resigned herself to climbing the boulders by using the cracks between them for footholds.

Lucia reached the top. She could dimly see that the boulders she stood upon were two of thirteen set in a circle. Within the circle was a patch of perfect, soft grass with wild roses growing amongst it. The faint moonlight allowed her to see that the roses were of brilliant colors: white, yellow, red, and even the odd purple color of Rosewood. The stems were long and tangled.

Lucia slipped down the stones into the circle and lay on her back amid the flowers. This was where she would rest from the beating of the mountain. She felt safe with the rocks providing natural protection from wild animals and her robes giving her enough warmth. She studied Rosewood again before she closed her eyes. The roses tangled around the elf were so much like the ones around her, long and thorny, yet free and wild. She pondered the similarities until she drifted off into dreamland.

When she awoke, purple petals covered her body. They hadn't lost their color or vitality. They look as fresh as if they had just bloomed. She was enamored with the petals as she gathered them and held their silky softness to her face. The gentle kiss the petals gave her smooth skin and the perfume that filled her senses made her want to never let them go. She knew that if she carried the petals in her hands they would get crushed, so she put the delicate blossom leavings into Rosewood where she could cherish them each time she opened the lid. She took one more deep whiff of their sugary aroma before she closed the box.

The sun was high, and she knew she must continue on her journey. Having something to love, she was going to head back to the marketplace to find her mother.

Only, when she climbed over the top of the boulders, she was completely turned around. She did not know from which direction she had come. She walked the circumference of the thirteen stones but could not tell which part of the mountain led to the peak or down to the valley. There were five paths to choose from, each looking similar. At last, she chose the path that seemed to be the smoothest.

This path led her alongside a stream that bubbled and burped. The large gold and blue fish that swam swiftly under its waters seemed to hum as they went by, leaving her with a haunting melody in her head. She began to whistle the tune as she walked and soon forgot to pay attention to where she was headed.

Lucia continued to follow the stream instead of the path, where, hours later, she found herself deep in the forest. A tangle of trees around her allowed no passage. The sun hovered at the edge of the mountain, threatening to leave her in complete darkness again. Owls hooted and creatures of the night began to howl.

Lucia hugged the box close to her as she sank to the ground between two large trees. She closed her eyes tightly, shutting out the night and its haunts. Her body twitched from the bugs crawling beside her on the bark. She thought about opening the box, hoping the petals would give her some comfort, but she could not see how simple rose petals could cure her fright or help her decide where to go next.