Lavender Mist

Lonely Night

Fragile branches and dry leaves crunched under Timothy's feet. He walked along the forest path, exploring the endless, untouched nature, which his eye couldn't see in entirety. A few tiny stones in his shoes blistered his soles, and his clothes were splattered with pale, green stains. He had already spent a long time in this hidden paradise, rolling in the grass and chasing insects and birds. He had a feeling like he'd stayed between the various landscapes for days, weeks, or maybe even months, but the sun never once set. He had never ran out of pleasant, warm rays, which sneaked between the treetops in fine beams.

He stopped for a moment, to listen to a gentle sound of flowing water. He knew that there was a creek somewhere, but the noise seemed to come from every direction. He closed his eyes, letting his ears lead him and the lulling gurgle finally came closer. When he lifted his eyelids again, he stood in front of a thin creek. Water quickly slid down colourful pebbles and disappeared in the distance. Timothy started following its flow.

It seemed to him like he made an infinite number of steps, but he never got tired. He didn't let the creek go out of his sight and he stared at it, as it gradually widened. Reflection of the strong sunshine wavered on the water surface, which looked cleaner than pure diamonds. There were no signs of any other people.

After a long walk, Timothy spotted the end of the stream. The river flowed into a wide, blue lake. The waves were peaceful and even, and he wanted to jump into the water and swim. He grabbed the hem of his shirt to fulfill that wish, but then he suddenly froze. He saw a girl, standing, with her back turned to him and calmly watching the lake. The silent breeze lifted the ends of her light hair and blew the strands off of her shoulders. She didn't have to turn around, for Timothy to know that it was Maggie.

He silently enjoyed this scene, before she looked at him. She turned her head to him ever so slowly and elegantly, letting him see her pair of blue eyes, that matched the color of the lake. She stood completely still, as her lips widened into a soft smile.

"Hello...," Timothy quietly greeted her, not minding his quavering voice.

Maggie didn't talk. She answered him by keeping on smiling. She seemed unreal, like a painting. Timothy stepped forward, not daring to take his eyes off of her. He was afraid that she would vanish if he, only for once, briefly, let her go out of sight, and he wanted her to stay there forever.

"Talk to me, Maggie," he said, and his voice consisted of a tiny dose of a pleading tone.

She moved her lips as if she spoke, but Timothy couldn't hear any noise. Even the birds went mute for a minute, and the wind quit huffing through the green leaves, which were quietly swinging, high up on the trees. Timothy's joy transitioned into confusion. He gave his everything and made his ears work more than ever, but the silence only grew more deafening. Soon, he could hear just an unpleasant buzz in his ears, while Maggie was trying to pull the voice out of herself.

Timothy stretched his arm out forward, hoping he would reach her this time. However, he had a sense that a strong force was pulling him back, away from her. Maggie stopped speaking and the smile wasn't shinning on her face anymore. Now she was frozen, staring at him, with worry in her eyes. Timothy put all of his straining into making at least a single step towards her, but the invisible force, that was dragging him, became more powerful. Maggie was further and further away from him and, when he looked over his shoulder, he saw the lake behind him. Its crystal clear surface took on a dark blue color, through which one couldn't recognize the bottom. Timothy's fear became unbearable, he tried screaming from all his might, but the pressure of the force was suffocating him. Under his feet, he felt the coldness of the water and the gravely silence was interrupted by the sound of restless waves. The bottom was disappearing deeper into the lake and Timothy, with his eyes painfully wide, tried to keep his head above the surface. His entire body trembled from cold and fear, and weakness overpowered his tense muscles. The very tops of trees and clouds became blurry, which made him conclude that he was fully underwater. He didn't give up in a fight for a breath of precious oxygen, but whatever was pulling him deeper, wasn't letting go.