In The Twilight Forest

As the bluebirds twittered through the branches, the girl stopped walking to glance at the fading sun. The twilight shone through the trees, casting shadows on her. Shaking slightly, she continued. Seeing the glowing, soft light of home in the distance, she quickened her pace.

   The darkness seemed to swallow her up like the jaws of a giant. She smiled, remembering the fairy tales her mother had told her the day before. The purples and black were of such contrast to the shades of yellow and green with smiles from the sun to warm her skin instead of the cold stare of the moon that she knew was coming. The wild flowers in her basket wilted in the cold and she noticed the moon flowers had started to bloom. Watching the almost luminescent flowers showed they might be more beautiful than the daisies in the day. The girl didn't know which she liked more, the forest in the sun, or the moon.

   She was too late to notice the dark branch that promptly struck her on her forehead. She yelped, winced, and felt the pain searing. Her fingers gently grazed the cut and felt blood on the tips. The girl couldn't see it but she would noticed it's dried scar the next day on the newly sprouted life of a green leaf.

  She saw her home growing close.... The thick and daunting trees thinned to show the charming little cottage. It was decorated with flowers from the forest that smelled sweet. However, she did not go in.

She turned sharply to the left, and retreated deeper into the woods. The girl felt cold raindrops burn hot on her skin then realized it wasn't raining... The night was the opposite. It seemed as if all the world had hushed, to make the symphony of the rhythmic chirping of the crickets and soft cooing of the birds. The human disrupted the peace of the night by tromping loudly through the trees, awakening slumbering animals, whose eyes were like fireflies as they watched her tremble more and more. The chill of the woods helped nothing, and the silence did not put her at ease as it had many other creatures. Every snap, crackle, and pop of a stick sent her into a small jump. Then, the real rain came.

  She clenched her eyes closed and wept quietly. She was almost home though. The girl pushed the leaves of the willow trees away, entering a safe haven from the cold and wet of the rain.

    She wringed out her hair in the small grove.  After putting the basket on the ground, she sorted the flowers in them. The girl hunted the willow trees for some time, letting the leaves sneak over her arms and head, like silks and sashes of regal women. This was her little pretend castle in the twilight forest, where the royal would pretend to dine with her. The rain her eyes produced watered the trees that glistened softly. Her pretend castle had no furniture, none except for the two dark grey stones, which her such carefully sorted flowers were scattered upon after she fell to her knees. The sun started to raise, as did the animals. Their noises and the ones of breakfast from the girl's past home protected her from the world hearing her howls and sobs of agony that faded after many, many hours...