Tales from Virdinia

Shattered Surface

The rainforest was filled with life, yet Aimei had never felt so alone. Her time here would be short; she knew this with a deadening certainty. When night fell, the larger creatures would come for her, they slipping from the darkness in their cloaks of scales and feathers.

The voices had forced her into this, their constant whispering driving her close to madness. Snatches of warnings and vague mutterings had filled her ears for weeks, forcing all else from her existence. She had never been able to grasp the meaning that these voices urged her to understand, their voices too low, their language alien. They had forced sleep from her and stolen her concentration, transforming her into a pale shadow. Her father had finally forced the problem from her, and that had been that. With great relish, he had told the settlement's elders, knowing only too well what their decision would be. A witch would not be tolerated.

It had been leave or die. It was no real choice, and Aimei had fled her home and what was left of her family. Wandering aimlessly, she had hoped to stumble upon another settlement, anyone else. It seemed like a lifetime alone, yet only that morning she had stood on the edge of her settlement staring into the depths of the forest. Now, she was amongst the trees and the great, towering roots. The only companions on her journey were fear and loneliness.

Thin blades of sunlight cut through the canopy above, dappling the undergrowth with precious life as saplings and ferns strained for greater height. The pale light illuminated the deep-purple wings of countless butterflies, they filling the air in great clouds of spectacular colour. Fluttering with tentative wing-beats, they were attracted to the large, blue flowers that smothered the ancient trunks, unable to resist briefly dipping into their depths to sip at the sweet nectar within.

One of the butterflies landed on her arm, its touch light and delicate. Smiling, Aimei gazed down at it as it lowered its wings slowly. She could make out the ripples of azure that ran amongst the purple and, with sadness, she realised that it was exhausted. There was no energy left within to lift it from death's grasp. That finality would come to them all, she thought, the whispers in her ears only seeming to confirm this.

She left the butterflies and the flowers behind, forcing her way through blankets of ferns. The trees loomed over her, and a multitude of strange creatures watched from their branches, hidden behind curtains of broad leaves as she passed beneath them. The light began to fade, and dusk descended with startling suddenness. The air was thick with a multitude of insects and they screeched, chirped and whirred with increasing volume as the shadows lengthened. They were so loud, so insistent, that part of Aimei wished they would deafen her, and rid her of the whispers.

Pushing her way through a curtain of thick, mossy vines, Aimei stepped into a large clearing, at its centre a wide pool of water. It was, however, what filled the clearing that took her breath away. The ground was blanketed with large, golden flowers. They were shaped like large bowls, with long petals that trailed across the ground and from within they pumped a thick, ruby-red pollen. It danced in the air, swirling in a myriad of patterns with a deep, floral scent that she found utterly intoxicating.

The pollen continued its dance as she walked towards the pool, it tickling her skin with its touch. Her thirst was overwhelming, the crushing heat of the rainforest having drained her completely. She would rest here, she thought to herself, perhaps even die here. Kneeling at the pool's edge, Aimei stared into the water, its surface as still and clear as polished glass. When had she become so gaunt, so lifeless looking, she thought with despair. Growing up, they had said she was beautiful, just like the sister she had cherished. They had been inseparable, and the envy of all with their jet-black hair and deep, brown eyes.

The water rippled and Aimei was suddenly pulled from her memories by a movement beneath the surface. The world before her seemed to tilt, and she let out a frightened gasp as her reflection slid upright, a mirror-image of herself slipping from the pool's surface in its place. Fear finally released its grip and she scuttled backwards from the water's edge with a shriek of fear, her eyes locked with those in front of her. Her mind crumpled under the weight of panic and confusion. Those were her eyes, that was her snub-nose and high cheekbones, that was her hair. The woman before her simply smiled though, stepping from the water without the slightest ripple.