The trail ended at the long and shallow slate steps, worn from unfettered exposure to the rain, which eased up the slope to the front porch. It was decked with harder, clean-cut stone with a sloped roof to shade it from the rain. I stopped at the door and reached into my basket. The door was locked, of course. No one else lived here. There was hardly any company to speak of, other than a stray animal or two. As I sifted through the flowers, I caught a glimpse of movement just outside the corner of my eye. Not sunlight. Nor a reflection from the stream. A shadow from the trees.
I glanced up in time to see the shadow frantically disappear behind a tree. It was large enough to be some kind of deer, or possibly a bear. They usually mean no trouble, and I did not mind if they picked at the flowers, so long as they stayed out of my vegetable garden. Yet, something about its form threw me off. As quick as I was to return my eyes to the door, I glanced back up again, holding my gaze this time. Although it was a brief glimpse, I thought I recognised what appeared to be a bipedal creature. What could only be a human. However, the creature was gone. Whatever it was, I did not see any recognisable figure standing still or scampering into the forest. Being so close to the glade, where there was not much cover, it would have had to deliberately hide itself, leaving me with the creepy sensation I was being watched. I froze, dubious as to what just occurred. My hand slipped out of the flowers and gripped the basket’s outer brim. I observed the trees in silence. Though there was no further movement, I eventually noticed curls of blonde hair poking out from behind the tree, illuminated by the orbs of light when they passed by. It was a person. Though, the hair was not a colour I was familiar with.
Hesitating, I turned to face the forest, softly speaking to it. My voice cracked as the question left my mouth.
“… Hello?”
There was no reply.
Perhaps, a little naively, I added, “… Are you lost?”
I watched quietly for a reaction. The hair, however, was patiently still.
Gathering the courage, I straightened up and cleared my throat, repeating myself a little louder. I took a step back towards the door, preparing to run inside just in case the intruder bore hostile intentions.
Once again, there was no reply. I remembered the door was not unlocked yet, panic rising in my chest. But, after a few moments, a tuft of hair peeked out from behind the tree. It was a person. And, it was a little girl. From her expression, hidden behind long, wavy strands of hair, I could tell she was even more frightened than I was.
Who was this girl? What was she doing here? Alone, deep in the woods where I lived. I looked around to see if there was anyone else. There were none. Only the ghostly orbs of light inconspicuously accompanied us. Returning to the girl, I noticed she was looking around as well. Once she realised she acquired my attention again, her eyes briskly fell back on me.
As I took a small step forward to get a better look, the girl retreated behind the tree. I hastily retracted my step and gripped myself, one hand over the other, below the chest, in clear view for the girl. “Don’t worry, I won’t harm you.” I did my best to smile, but not too much. I was not one to invite strangers into my garden, but I could not bear the thought of leaving a child out in the wilderness. Not as night falls.
The girl did not move, and stayed perfectly still once more. Only the slightest hint of one of her eyes could be seen, peering out as best it could. How wicked I must have appeared to her. A forest dweller, inviting a small child into her mossy hovel. I disliked the image, and preferred to avoid the situation altogether, but at the same time, I could not leave her out in the dark. I knew better than anyone how ominous the nighttime forest could become to the unacquainted.
My mind franticly paced on what to do. I did not dare to move towards her again, afraid of scaring her off. I considered sitting down on the spot to indicate my concession. However, that little bit of movement could be enough to send her scampering into the forest. Another option was to take another step backwards, though I was already so close to the door that there were only so many steps I could take before I was up against the wall. Surely there was something else I could do to ease a child’s mind. However, they evaded me in my frantic state of mind.
I observed some more, watching her slowly creep back out. It seemed my best option at the moment was to stay still. After a while, I realised she was not looking directly at me anymore. Rather, it was almost as if her gaze had fallen down; down to my waist. Tracing it, I saw the basket of flowers I was carrying, which had swung down my arm to dangle in front of me.
Looking up, I caught the girl flashing me a brief glance before looking back down, avoiding my gaze. Not knowing what else to do, I carefully reached down into my basket. Keeping my eyes on the girl, I felt for a loose stem. As I gently pulled one out, I saw the little girl’s expression change. Her eyes following my hand.
I held still for a few moments, analysing her expression. It was no longer fearful, yet… I could not quite put a finger on a word to describe it. Without too much thought, I eventually squatted down and unfolded my arm, offering the flower to the girl. It was a hyacinthum flower; a light blue flower with seven long petals.
The girl’s eyes lit up. After several moments of hesitation, she finally stepped out from behind the tree and slowly crept forward into the clearing, allowing me to see her a little clearer.