Loves weeping whispering woods

In the dark bellowing woods sat a witch in a bleak cave. I stared at her, while equal parts disgust, shame, and fear consumed me. I laid the rabbit before her its small feeble body thrusting about. She cast a stark perverse smile in my direction her wrinkled skin and nose bunching up in delight.

“Yes, yes go ahead offer the sacrifice to Asmodeus he will give you what you need to make the girlie your heart longs for gush with pangs of desire. Combined with the powers of Loves weeping whispering woods she will be rooted and joined to your life forever.” She spoke with a crackle that turned into a wicked laugh and made my hairs stand erect upon my sweat coated flesh.

My heart beat like a water drum, as I held the small squirming animal in one hand and the glimmering dagger in the other. What was I doing here, working with deity’s for love. I knew it was wrong and my heart and brain screamed no. Then I pictured her soft face, its unspoken beauty searing in my soul like hot coal. For hers was an untypical beauty, a warm glow that drew you in like a warm fire on a cold night. Every syllable she uttered was like a song from the sirens and her giggle was like a muse whispering in your ear.

I had met her at a gala in the town New Bromstock, a far journey from where I rest my head at night. I was not peasant nor weak, but not rich or burly like her other suitors. Just a slightly above average man who fell unnaturally attached upon sight of the woman. At first it was her strange familiarity that told me she was my destiny or perhaps had already been mine. We talked non stop for days on end and our love became an addiction. I felt the unnatural tie that some speak of when you find your soulmate.

In the beginning my love was reciprocated. She adored me the same and we let each other know non stop leaving notes and signs and meeting for secret conversations. It wasn’t until about a month and a half in that I felt her withdraw some. She grew distant and our communication less frequent and slightly less engaged. Still under it all a passion still burned between us. Her soft moans in my ear when I discussed what I would do to her ignited my spirits and I knew I had to make her mine.

When I told her to meet me by the stables under the midnights moon her face went red and flush overtaken with excitement and fear, but she obliged. When we finally met bathed in the radiant gold glow of moonlight it was everything I could have fathomed and more. We spoke few comforting words at first that ultimately became a blur in my mind. It was our kiss that seemed to snatch the very soul from my chest. A kiss that tasted sweeter and more savory than any baker or God himself could concoct. Her flesh was ambrosia meant for consumption by Gods themselves. Her body felt like a forbidden Elysian field, not meant to be experienced by living mortal men. Beyond all of that there was something else that over took me. A purity and attachment that I had never felt with any maiden before. The next three night would surpass my imagination. Each night we would meet in the field by the stables our passion erupting and evolving past the prior encounter.

It wasn’t until the fourth night that I could tell something was wrong. I could feel her once again detaching even before she came into my presence. It was that night in the middle of the field she said she wanted nothing to do with me anymore. No reason or explanation, just a demand to forget her. To forget the most fulfilling love I had ever experienced. It didn’t have the painful effect I had initially expected, instead it came upon me like a cold lifeless numbing. As she disregarded and ignored me more, not heeding my love and only sending me messages to forget her I felt like a lifeless corpse wading through life. I was devoid of emotions and joy. In many ways the feeling was worse than pain or grief. To feel as if I knew I’d spend the rest of my days incomplete without her was a cold deadening sensation I couldn’t begin to try to explain.

I tried heeding her request and did my best to forget her. I even pursued other maidens and found many desired me, only in their advances I could see only her face and found myself disgusted by them, as if their touch was fowl and rancid lacking the purity of the love I had found. There was no escape from the sullen feeling of knowing heaven only to be locked out. Her face was engraved timelessly in my mind like a figure carved into the greatest mountain for all of eternity, and my only joy came from a brief note responding to me even if it was just a note telling me to forget her.

Forgetting her was something I would not do. My heart and mind would not let me live as a lifeless shrill of existence. That lead me here to the cave of lovers sorrow, seeking out this fowl witch who was said to be able to connect us for eternity, and while my heart knew it was wrong when I envisioned her soft pale face in my mind I could hold back no longer. The thought of a life without her love empowered me, as I thrust the dagger deep into the small kit. I watched the baby bunny dance a final dance of death kicking and squealing as blood stained the ground below like a crime scene.

“Yes, yes! “ Bellowed the witch. “We offer unto you this sacrifice Asmodeus. May you grant this man the eternal love he desires. Entwine his flame endlessly with him, so they may never part ways. Look unto me serving you and grant me life and power to do bidding in your name. If you agree touch the blood and say you and your lovers name.” I looked at the sight my heart stopping dead in its tracks. I had come too far and could see her now and taste her kiss. I longed for her to be mine body, spirit and mind I wanted her forever . “Yes.” I said reaching out and touching the slain bunny’s blood I spoke our names.

The woman scattered ingredients about in a pot and wretched the bunny up. She mangled its small lifeless doll like corpse until its blood squirted like a satisfied lover into the pot. She snickered and chanted yes to herself as smoke rose from her concoction . Then took a vial from aside her and filled it with her strange brew.

“Go ahead take it. Drink this and let it touch upon the lover you desire. Perhaps in a forceful kiss. Do so in the Loves weeping whispering woods and she will be yours forever.” I snatched the vial upon and made my way from the putrid cave not knowing what to think.

The next day I sent a courier to the woman I so desired telling her I had something urgent to discuss with her. A matter of life and death I said requesting she meet me at the edge of the trail that lead to Loves weeping whispering woods. I waited there at the edge of the clearing my heart beating erratic with fear. I prayed she would show and yet somehow my heart already knew she would. As dusk fell and darkness came over the land I saw her soft radiant skin making its way to me. We shared a sort of half smile, one of happiness and disappointment.

“Well I’m here.. what’s this life or death situation you spoke of sir.” I smiled as she spoke in cute and sarcastic tone. “Wow not much for salutations and hellos I see. First time I see you in a while and you just want to jump into it.” I said in retort. Her face changed slightly. She was never one to enjoy beating around the bush. “ Well I shouldn’t even be here. I came just to see what was of importance.” She said in a more serious tone now.

“Alright, alright, let’s just walk some, so I can gather myself and my thoughts and let this awkwardness pass over me.” I answered. She nodded softly. “Fair enough I guess.” She whispered as we began to walk into the woods.

There wasn’t much room for small talk for I knew my maiden well. So I did my best to stretch and express my feelings out in slow and building fashion. I told her of the signs laid out by the Gods themselves that we were meant to be. I told her how her soft face was permanently etched into my heart and brain alike, as if God or Satan himself had tattooed her there.

I said other words along the way as well. All the while my eyes stood fixated upon her like a magnet or a believer witnessing their first miracle, and as we entered the thick of the woods I softly took her hand. She didn’t fight me nor reciprocate, yet instead stood locked in ambivalence.

The deeper in the woods we got the more I thought I heard the faint whispers. Whispers telling me “Don’t do it! Turn back. Leave! Beware!” Scary cries and warnings that I could not heed. For finally I was with my love. Finally I was looking upon the angel or Goddess once more that completed me and filled me with strength and bravery.

When we found ourselves in the center of the woods the cries and whispers seemed to grow loudest now. I could see a worried and troubled look upon her face and I knew she heard it too.

“What is it?” I asked looking upon her with concern. She stared at me at blankly. “You hear it too, don’t you. The woods it’s as if they are whispering. Telling us something’s not right. So many legends of these woods I fancied they were folklore but maybe they were real. We should leave.”

I looked at her with a soft dismissive smile. “Nonsense it’s in our heads. It nearly twilight and like you said there are many stories about these woods. I’m sure we are just anxious having not seeing each other in such a long while. Maybe I should have chose somewhere else but I thought maybe you’d find it exciting, me ravaging you one last time here in these legendary woods.

Her face grew rose petal red with desire and she fought a smile. Even when she resisted me her body couldn’t deny the uncanny attraction we felt. “Sounds nice but I dunno. Something feels off here and not quite right.” I looked upon her with empathy. “Well up to you. Think about it for a moment while I relieve myself and than we can decide”. She nodded and I turned and walk towards a tree, my heart pounding both from the spooky forest and from the thought of her walking away leaving here unfulfilled and settled against the thought of us.

I ripped the vial from my satchel as I relieved myself on a tree. I took a long deep breath pressed it against my lips and drank most of the vile concoction. It burned like a harsh liquor, yet i swallowed it all down making sure to keep only just a drop in my mouth as i tucked myself back into my pants. At that moment the tree before me seemed to take life. I could swear I saw it screaming at me. “No leave, get out, don’t do it!”

I turned back to the maiden doing my best to shake off the fear. Perhaps this potion caused the hallucination. I thought to myself as I walked back to her and grabbed her hand as she spoke. “We should go…”

My face melted into disappointment as I nodded. “Yes of course, but first I need you to know how much I love you and to share one last kiss. Then you can make your final decision about me and whatever we share. She cast a blank look at me, but again didn’t resist as I grabbed her chin in a firm yet gentle assertive fashion. As I moved forward I once again heard the trees cry out. “No leave, get out, now, don’t do it!”

Their warnings only hastened my move fearing that she would pull away, and this would be our awkward end. I pressed forward our lips meeting, our tongues dancing in heavenly bliss. She accepted me in and again all the flavors that were heaven filled me. I let go of the drop of the witches brew and let it find its way into her mouth. For a moment it was heaven then cries echoed out. Screams of agony echoed, first from the trees and then from her. “What have you done!!” I felt a tearing pain emanate from my legs, as I cried out in agony. Fleshing ripping into roots, skin burning off into bark. Our bodies intwined as limbs turned to branches. Love and hate entangled as we turned from two mortals in love, into two intwined trees. Tears fell upon branches and leaves, and we were no more. At least not how we used to be. The witch and Asmodeus had claimed us.

Here we stand, erect rooted into the ground for eternity. Mortals no more, but trees in Loves weeping whispering woods, and should your heart and unrequited love lead you to a witch in the cave of lovers sorrow do not heed her call to these cursed woods, no matter what she might promise you for tomorrow. For if you do, you might find yourself here beside me, hearing my cries and warnings, and if you forsake them you may find yourself ensnared beside us for eternity. Soulless trees trapped together in these dark woods longing for a love that once was.