Journey of a Girl

Journey of a Girl: Chapter Three

Her pace slowed as the morning wore on.

Credence's thoughts turned from scenes of agony and revenge to contemplative musings on how far she had come since she first set off from home.

She had seen so much, met foes and friends, but she wasn't certain she'd been changed for the better.

As she passed the trees, she thought of what she'd done to the one in Ajo's world.

How her vines had choked it as fire burned its trunk from the inside.

And the tree that once contained Ajo's prisoners—she had destroyed it in her rage.

She wondered if the trees in the woods knew of her crimes, and if they felt resentment, or worse, vengeful for it.

Will they be angry over the trees I burned at the school? she thought with a shiver.

Would they retaliate and send a creature like the one that wore the Headmaster's face?

Credence approached the nearest tree and placed a hand on its trunk. She had new respect for these beings, now that she knew that they had minds, and a might, of their own.

"I've done something," she said, "and I should make it right."

She closed her eyes and concentrated, pushing magic into the wood beneath her hand.

I'm sorry for the pain I've caused.

Something tickled her skin, and when she opened her eyes she saw sprouts pouring from the cracks of the trunk. Their bright color overtook the black and brown, until a blanket of green, roughly shaped in her silhouette, covered a side of the trunk.

An imprint of Credence, formed of moss and dotted with flowers.

Her apology to the trees.

Many might call her foolish for wasting time on such an act, but Credence felt peace in performing it. She did not expect the trees to speak or give any indication that they had accepted her expression of regret.

But it was enough, she thought, to have made the effort.

"I don't wish to belong to your world anymore," she said. "Please, if you can hear me, let me leave in peace."

A breeze shook the branches of her audience, but it was not a confirmation that she had been heard.

Time will tell, Credence thought, whether the woods have decided to leave me alone or answer with fury.

***

When she came across a slow-moving river, Credence stopped to drink.

Her rest was interrupted by a chorus of voices, and when she searched for their owners her eyes found a strange band of travelers.

A group of mismatched animals, including a bear, a boar, a hawk, a frog, a bee, and a ladybug, were huddled several feet away on the same side of the river. On the bear's back was a woven basket large enough to fit a child inside, and under both of the animal's enormous arms were two dead salmon. None of the animals had noticed the girl nearby, but were engrossed in what appeared to be a very serious debate.

Curious, Credence turned her ear towards them, and was surprised and pleased to discover that she could understand their words as clearly as if they spoke the language of humans.

"Too deep," the bear whined in a deep boom. "Bear drown."

"Water's not that deep," came the hoarse grunt of the boar. "It's barely enough for the frog to drown in!"