excerpt from Of a Flower: Chapter 1
in-progress novel written by Kevin Liang
Reaching the end, the path broke into a clearing in the woods. It was an artificial clearing, the tree coverage thinning as some of them had fallen over or been cut down. A garden of flowers blanketed the space, intermingling the other plant life, their growth enabled by the thinner foliage from above. Slivers of sunlight were able to penetrate here, making the spot seemingly glow even more, compared to the rest of the forest.
And at the other side of the clearing was a small cottage. A leftover from my father. Well built, even though it was now weathered and overgrown with moss. The vines had taken over the walls and were growing out along the cable line. I never minded their contribution, however. They blended the cottage with the forest.
Walking up the stone steps, I stopped at the top and reached down into my basket, searching for the door keys amongst the flowers I had carried home. As I looked down, I caught a glimpse of a small figure out of the corner of my eye.
I stopped, and slowly looked up. The figure noticed and frantically hid behind a tree. Although it was a brief glimpse, I realized it was what appeared to be a little girl. My hand slipped out of the basket, and I slowly turned toward the forest.
Hesitating, I spoke softly. “..Are you lost?”
There was no reply. I could, however, see curls of the girl’s blond hair poking out from behind the tree, illuminated by the light of the orbs.
I watched quietly for a reaction. The hair, however, was patiently still.
Gathering courage, I straightened up and repeated myself a little louder.
Silence followed again, but after a few moments, the tuff of hair peeked out from behind the tree. I could see now that she was indeed a child, and from her expression, was even more frightened than I was.
What was she doing here? Alone, deep in the woods where I lived. I looked around to see if there was anyone else.
Seeing nothing but the orbs of light, I looked back at the girl. She had begun looking around as well, only to focus back on me when realizing she had my attention again.
I can’t just leave her alone out here. Not as night falls.
As I took a step small forward, the girl began to creep behind the tree again.
“Don’t worry, I don’t bite,” I said with a weak smile. I must seem like a witch to her. A forest dweller, inviting a small child into her mossy hovel.
But I can’t leave her alone in the dark.
My mind paced frantically on what to do. I didn’t dare to move towards her again, afraid to scare her off. Studying her some more, I realized she wasn’t looking directly at me anymore. It was almost as if her gaze had fallen down, looking at my feet.
I followed and saw the basket of flowers I had been carrying. Perhaps that was what caught her interest. Looking back up, I could see the girl glance up at me briefly before looking back down. Without glancing down, I slowly reached into my basket and felt for the stem of a flower. Pulling it out carefully, I saw the little girl’s expression change as her eyes followed the flower I had in my hand.
Holding still for a few moments, I eventually extended my arm and held the flower in front of me, offering it to the girl. It was a Hyacinthum flower, a light blue flower with seven long petals. The same flower I sold earlier.
The girl’s eyes lit up. After hesitating for what felt like several seconds, she finally stepped out from behind the tree and crept forward slowly into the clearing, allowing me to see her a little clearer.
She was a thin little figure, covered in old rags and wrapped by a ragged light brown cloak as large as herself. The odd part was the black headband with white frills that she wore, which looked out of place compared to the ragged clothes she was wearing. From the looks of it, she was no older than a ten-year-old.
Then she paused and looked up at me again, as if asking for my permission. Not knowing what to say, I gently nudged my arm further out, the flower head bouncing a little.
A big smile grew across her face, and before I knew it, she was swiftly dashing through the field at a startling pace. Once I had realized what was happening, she had already halted at the bottom of the stone steps I stood on.
Reflexively, I took a step backwards, but forced myself to hold my ground. The girl, seemingly realizing she had frightened me, broke her smile and took a few steps back, distancing herself from me. From there, she inspected me with the same watchful eyes she had before, as if judging my next move.
Knowing that there was no harm intended, I squatted down to better align myself at the girl’s level. Through all of this, my arm kept outstretched, and I dipped it down so that the girl could reach for it. She treaded forward at a carefully predictable pace and accepted the flower with both of her small, outstretched hands.
Once I had let go and fully transacted the gift, she returned to her previous glee, hugging the flower closely and swinging her little body side to side.
I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. She now acted no different than what one would expect from a child.
“My name is Elisabeth. Do you live out here? Where are your parents?”
Once again the girl’s expression changed, her face sliding behind the flower, shaking her head.
“You don’t know where your parents are?”
The girl shook her head again.
That was what I had feared. What was I to do next? I could try and help find her parents, but it would not be an easy task in this forest, especially as night falls. And as far as I was aware of, no one else lived this deep in the forest.
While I pondered, the girl had bent down into the frame of my vision, looking uncertain what to do. Perking my head back up, I smiled. “Cheer up, I’ll help you find your parents, okay?”
The girl shook her head again.
Not knowing what else to say, I slowly stood up. “Either way, it will be getting dark soon. How about you stay here for the night?”
The girl smiled and vividly nodded.
I laughed. “Come inside then.” Turning back to the door, I found my keys and unlocked it. Stepping into the dark, I held the door open and glanced back.