A Little Adventure

Vanessa hugged the tree. It flailed its branches wildly and shrieked. The sound pained my ears, and I fell to the ground, protecting myself from the chaos. It recoiled so violently from her that I could see the roots beneath the surface, moving, and I was sure it was attempting to uproot itself.

“Shhhh.” Vanessa tried to soothe the tree, and she stroked the smooth white bark next to its face like it was a kitten. “It’s ok. We are nice people. We won't hurt you. I promise” She talked in an affectionate voice while looking intently into the face of the tree. The tree started to calm down, and its distraught cries turned to occasional sobs that escaped much like the occasional hiccup of a baby that had cried itself to sleep.

“Are you going to cut me?” The tree stammered a bit when asking.

“No. Why would I cut you?”

“I’ve heard many stories from my grand tree about humans cutting trees. Sometimes they burn us, and sometimes people put holes in us and let our life water flow into buckets. Sometimes they cut us down and nail our bodies together.” The tree seemingly gasped at that thought. I thought for a moment at the horror of that from the perspective of the tree and thought for the first time how awful it must be. My maple syrup, that liquid golden sweetness that dripped off my pancakes, was like boiled blood to my new acquaintance. My home was just dead tree bodies. Yikes, I thought to myself.

“We are trying to get to the council, and we are lost. We are friends of Isaiah, and he has been kidnapped by Ophelia, a great and evil fairy. The forest near Isaiah's home is poisoned and sick, and the trees are rotting and oozing a blackness that grows from within its trunk."

“Shhhhhhhhhhh” The tree shushed us as loud as I’ve ever heard anything shush, and its branches quivered. “You mustn’t speak of her! I've been told many dreadful stories about her as a sapling."

"What kind of stories," I asked

"The elder trees..."She paused to think, "They told stories to the saplings of cancer that grew in the wood of their brothers and sisters before. They said Ophelia was the spiritual embodiment of hate. They said once before she came out of the pages and got hold of the forest. She grew in her power with each dying tree, and the sickness spread across hundreds of acres killing thousands of trees and tainting the spirit of hundreds of innocent animals. Her servants were mindless spies- deer, trees, rabbits, birds- you name it, and she has a spy in that group. She had an army of dark fairies. They were very powerful and carried strong magic. Her soldiers carried out heinous acts of terror for her and brought prisoners to her palace. The elder trees never told us what she did with her captives."

She turned and looked at me. "My name is Nyaria.”

Vanessa put both hands gently on Nyaria and put her face close. “Nyaria, we need to know how to get to the counsel.” She glanced over her shoulder to her left, brought her face back to the center, and spoke even more quietly now. “We need to defeat Ophelia to save the forest, and we need help.” Vanessa’s blue eyes looked sharply into the face of the young tree. Vanessa seemed much older at this moment. Much stronger and wiser.

“I..III..” Nyaria stuttered. “I don't know the way.” She seemed as if she might cry, and her voice got high-pitched and shrill.

“It’s ok.” Vanessa tried to soothe her. I stepped forward, and for the first time, the tree directed its attention toward me.

“Can you contact anyone through your root network? Is there anyone close by who might know the way?” I was eager to move forward, but I didn’t want to traumatize the tree anymore.

“I’m not very good at communication through the root network. Sometimes my messages get disoriented, and my roots are very shallow and don’t reach very far.” She seemed embarrassed. “There are many friendly animals in the area though.” She seemed to perk up at the idea of that. “Just a second.” She said before she started rattling her branches and the buds at the end of them.

I heard something in the brush behind me clatter, and I spun around to face it. There before me was a giant white-tailed deer. He stood taller than I. He stomped his hooves hard on the ground and shook his head from side to side, prominently displaying his extravagant antlers. He appeared to be mature in age because his rack spread was considerable. He had 12 points, six on each side, and the tines were so long and thick that I assumed they would be very difficult to break should he have to use them in a battle. His neck was wide and muscular-likely due to carrying the weight of his antlers, and his shoulders were broad. Despite his powerful and intimidating presence, he was intensely calm and still. His coat was the softest brown with a white patch on his chest while his ears had black tips and stood perfectly still. He blew loudly, and I could see the warm air leave his nostrils in a big plum. He strolled out of the bushes with his head held proudly, carrying such a majestic air about himself that I almost felt compelled to kneel.

“Nyaria, how can I be of service?” He had a strong, clear voice. He sounded neither young nor old.

“These two human children need a guide to take them to the council.” She said, and he cocked his head.

“Why would humans need to go to the council Nyaria?” He sneered, needing more of an explanation before he took us deeper into the forest.

Nyaria spoke quietly, and the white-tailed deer bent his head forward to listen intently.

“It’s Ophelia. She’s been awakened, and she has taken Isaiah.” He turned and looked at us. He looked intently at me with no discernible emotion for so long that I began to feel uncomfortable.

“I met Isaiah a couple of months ago. There is an entry to the living forest not far from my home. He is my friend, and I want to help him.” I was nearly pleading, but the deer still did not show any emotion. He did not move or speak. His eyes stayed steadily locked on mine. He showed no expression at all. For a moment I wondered if he heard me at all.

“And you? I suppose you are his friend as well?” He seemed skeptical, and he looked at Vanessa.

“I’m Natasha’s sister, and I’d like to help.” Vanessa became timid under the intimidating stare of the deer, and she looked away, unable to maintain eye contact.

“Very well.” He gave way almost reluctantly. “My name is Ezra, and I will guide you. You will do exactly as I direct. If Ophelia is awakened as you have suggested then these woods are not safe.” He looked up towards the sky. “Evening will be upon us shortly, so it is time to move if we will be bedding down at a normal human time.”

Vanessa and I looked at each other, and I nodded. We were too far lost to go on our own.

“Ok Ezra, let's go.”