The Tree's Heart

XV

Staying at the nymphs' island felt like a luxury spa holiday to Clover. The island was secluded and isolated from the rest of the forest. It was quiet and because it was an island, there was also a pleasantly mild climate. Some of the nymphs lived in the ruins of an old building, that must have been a mansion at some point, but was in ruins now. Other nymphs would sleep outside, curled up in trees, floating on the water or lying on the shore or in the little clearings. Clover herself stayed in the ruins.

At first, it was difficult to be there. She found herself worrying constantly and she missed Avery to an extent that was almost painful. But over time it seemed like the hold he was having over her was slowly diminishing. The pain subsided and while Clover still missed him, she was more and more able to put all that aside and remember what she had to do to get out of here again. And the nymphs were a great help with that.

They had given her fresh clothes when she first arrived and had made sure to take care of her feet and arms that were bruised and scratched up. It felt strange for Clover to have a bunch of beautiful, dainty women swarming around herself and taking care of her, running her a bath, washing her feet and applying ointments and all kinds of oils to her cuts and bruises. It felt a little bit like a girl's night, just way more intense.

After the bath, they gave her a silky, flowy dress that was fiery red. They sat her down on a moss-covered rock and brushed her hair, talking to her in their soothing voices. It was a magical experience. Clover was still feeling the pain in her heart those first few days, but the talking helped a lot. She got a good night's rest, as well. The following days were filled with collecting food from the island, gathering water, singing, and dancing.

At first, Clover was insecure about joining the nymphs for their dances and their songs, because they were so dainty and perfect and compared to them, Clover felt incredibly clumsy. But they always encouraged her to join them, and after a while Clover did join in. It took her a good while to get the hang of it and she was getting better. Of course, she would never be able to make it look as effortless and graceful as the nymphs themselves, but they didn't seem to mind. They encouraged her to continue.

There was a weird effect the dancing had. It made Clover feel more centred, more focused on herself. The rhythmic movement felt like she was discovering something ancient, something that had been buried deep inside her. It made her care about herself more, but also seemed to help her connect with the nymphs on a much different level than just with the talking. It was good. It made her feel like she was part of their group, even though she was markedly different from them. It was hard to describe.

There was a strange feeling of community and sisterhood among the nymphs. Clover felt like she could live like this forever, but she also knew that she had to get back to the real world, the outside world. She had to get back to college, she had to get back to her friends and family. Clover had no idea what time of the year it was, but it still seemed to be summer. If she was lucky, she'd get out of the forest before the new semester started, which would make things way less awkward for her. She hoped that it wasn't too late yet.

If she wasn't dancing or singing with the nymphs, she would usually go with one or two of them to gather food, or to get fresh water to drink. Or they would just take a walk around the island, swim in the lake or just sit by the lake, their feet in the clear and refreshing water, as they talked about the world outside or the forest. Today was a day where she had lots of time to relax after she had gathered some food.

She was with a lake nymph called Nesaea. They had been getting water in the morning and now they were just sitting by the lake after having a swim, letting the sun dry their clothes and bodies. Clover liked Nesaea – she was always calm and relaxed, doing one thing at a time, not worrying about anything other than the task at hand. If there was ever a problem, she would sit down and think about it, trying to find a way around it. Nesaea made Clover understand what Willow had been talking about, when she would go on and on about different elements. Nesaea was so clearly a water person, it was almost comical.