Dryad

Departure

As winter came again, I began to feel tired and lethargic. It's time to go to bed and take a long rest before spring dawns again. But I couldn't stay calm when I learned that Maksim was leaving. I've already seen him start getting ready little by little (and every time I came to talk him out of his wild ideas and to get such nonsense out of his mind), but I was told that I had no right to say anything in this and I was not allowed to follow him.

It was the first days of winter when I heard him leave and say goodbye to Vadim. I immediately ran to him in an attempt to catch him before he got out and grabbed onto him. How can he leave when he knows he will miss so many of my hugs:

-Klarissa.-Vadim addressed me after seeing that I wasn't planning on letting his uncle go:

-He's going on a trip now. You have to let him go.-he calmly explained to me, but I refused to listen. He can't leave without me. I won't let him leave me. Who knows when he will return again.

Maksim picked me up in his arms like a doll and stared at me with his old eyes. The wrinkles on his face have always fascinated me. I was convinced that elves couldn't die or age at all. His hair is lighter than the snow itself and seems so soft (although I wouldn't be able to know how it really is, I'm not allowed to touch it). Time seems to be taking him more and more, I'm afraid that maybe one day he won't come back:

-I will come again in the spring. I expect you will know all the words by then. It's a pity you can't speak, I would teach you how to sing.-he addressed me in such a sweet soft tone.

I put my hands around his neck and hugged him tightly, but I couldn't hold him back or convince him to stay that way either. Vadim had to pull me off him because words didn't help him at all, and even that snatching took a while. I started whimpering with warm tears that wet my cheeks. I didn't even know I could cry. I was never allowed to be sad. I gave him kisses, I tried to tell him not to go, but the more I tried to speak, the more my throat hurt:

-Let him go, Klarissa. He has to leave on time.-Vadim instructed me and finally managed to separate me.

There was nothing left for me to do but sulk and mourn until Maksim returned. Where is the justice? I was good and obedient. I should be rewarded for that. But obviously I don't know what is best for me and the people around me.

After several days of my refusal to show any goodwill, Zulia became concerned about me and had to come check my vital signs. When I'm not exploring and roaming around the house, it's a worrying phenomenon:

-He didn't leave us, you know. He usually leaves for the winter, but returns in the spring. He never failed to return.-and he leaves us here to freeze.

I straightened up on the bed in a sitting position, but my face didn't get any brighter. What should I do for three months without him? He promised me that he would look after me:

-None of us knows exactly where he's going. Only Vadim knows that secret, so don't try to find him, you'll just get lost in the snow. Do you remember what happened last winter?-yes, yes, I almost froze to death, it's normal for me to almost die every now and then:

-We assume that he goes to warmer regions. His bones hurt. It would hurt me too.-in that case the problem is solved, my hugs are very warm:

-Vadim will be happy to read to you while he is gone. But if you're bored and can't wait for him, count the snowflakes. No one has yet managed to count all the snowflakes in one blizzard, maybe you'll get lucky and you can give him an answer.-well this is not right. If she asked me to count all the leaves in the forest for her, that would be a fair challenge.