"what is that smell?" I've become so accustomed to the smell of the swamp that I haven't really thought about what other smells there were. "Why, that is the smell of evergreens, as we happen to be directly above a forest!" shouted Wind, who has become quite good at recognising scents from traveling many places with fairies who wish to escape from their dull lives. "I've never been in the forest. Could we stop and have a look?" The strange pointy trees filled me with curiousity. "Sure, just try to avoid the trollshrooms!" I dived down into the mysterious forest, filled with the same feeling one might get before digging into a great big bowl of icecream topped with strawberries, a rare dessert down by the swamp. I landed on a soft carpet of moss and pine needles and looked around. I sat down on the carian of what once was a squirrel, for the forest was alot to take in. "What do you think you're doing young lady?" Shouted a horrified voice from behind me. Confused, I turned around to see an angry knome with a fairly long white beard and a hat so pointy it could pierce through even the strongest fairies flesh. "I- I was just sitting down, you see it's my first time in the forest." "Do you have no respect for the dead? Stand up, now!" The knomes voice escalated. I quickly hopped up and watched as the knome took of its hat and stabbed the creature like an olive on a toothpick and put it in a large sack that seemed to have come out of nowhere. "I am the Keeper of the Dead. You are a violator of the law. Now come with me." the knome continued. "I don't mean to be rude sir, but I don't understand the problem. The squirrel no longer exists, only the body it once was contained in." I was quite certain I was right. "Would you like to have your former home trashed and disrespected once you left it?" I shook my head, even though I wouldn't really care. Everyone at the swamp was recycled. We walked for a long time before stopping at a small hole in the ground, much like one owned by a gopher. He hopped inside, and told me to follow. I hopped beside him. I looked around, amazed. What appeared to be roots clung to the side of the walls, forming identical coffins. the further down we went, the more of the coffins were filled with some sort of creature and sap. "Give me a hand." the Keeper shouted. Together, we pushed the squirrel into an empty coffin and the roots filled it with sap. "Why do you do this?" I asked, completely puzzled. "Oh, you wouldn't understand, being a swamp fairy." he wrinkled his nose in disgust. "How did you know?" "Oh please, no other fairy would have sat on a dead squirrel as if it were a sofa and wondered why the dead are honored. And plus, your clothes are disgusting." I looked down at my torn dress coated in mud and suddently felt self conscious. "Anyways, I should take you down to the Judge, but you knew nothing of the law, and that would be unfair. However, you ought to be on your way. I can't be seen with the likes of you." Hurt, i crawled out of the hole and walked back to the place I found the squirrel.
