let it grow > once-ler

3. celestial

The Once-ler 

The Evergreen leads me through the forest, her small hand wrapped around my wrist as she navigates the forest of Truffula trees. The land has changed. The forests are thick and lush with trees, forming clusters instead of being seemingly dotted across the valley. They grow in varying shades of green, blue, violet, white, and of course, the usual reds, oranges, yellows, and purples I'm used to. 

Night fell about a half hour ago and we still have not stopped walking. The Evergreen looks celestial under the moonlight, the wispy train of her lavender tulle skirt - short in the front, flowing in the back- dragging against the grass as we near the top of this hill; her denim button down shirt, one that she obviously made herself, sleeveless to let the moon purify her ivory skin; the way her tangled orange hair, tamed into an untidy bun at the top of her head, contrasts against the navy blue background of the night sky. It makes her seem otherworldly. Reaching the top of the hill, she turns back to look at me. The moon highlights her silhouette and illuminates her skin. Her eyes glow dimly with something haunting. Her arms lie gracefully at her sides, everything about her seems so perfectly placed, screaming that she wasn't made, she was created. 

"You look good at night," She says. I look down at my feet, looking for ways to counter-act the warmth flooding my cheeks, "Mostly because I can barely see you. Come on." I snap my head up with my eyes narrowed, ready to glare, but I can't when I see her giggling at her own little joke. I can't help but smile a bit as I follow her up the hill. 

On the other side lies a wasteland, the corpses of Truffula trees litter the dry, dead earth. This is what I was running from. This is the mess I made. It hits me like a boomerang to the throat. 

She takes my hand and hold it gently in hers, silently beginning to lead me down the hill, peonies sprout and bloom in her wake, with every step she takes the grass turns greener, like throwing a pebble into a pond and watching the ripples. She stops in front of the first tree stump and drops to her knees, leaning back on her heels. She let's her hands hover the stump and mutters a word that could only be "Unless". 

With that the first tree is resurrected, stretching towards the night sky faster than I can process it. Quickly, it begins to spread, before I know it, a wildfire of magic has spread through the skeleton forest of Truffula trees. I can feel the air getting sweeter as she pulls me along, breaking into a run. I run behind her, she's sprinting towards the river. It's brown and murky but she runs towards it at full speed, leaving a lush forest in her wake. Before I can say anything, she jumps in. I stop just at the edge. Like a pebble in the water, crystal clear water radiates from wear she jumped in. When she resurfaces, her hair has fallen out of it's endearingly unkempt bun and falls in copper tangles over her shoulders. The water droplets on her skin look like crystals in the moonlight. She swims towards the river bank and extends her hand, "Help me out?" 

I take it and she yanks me into the water. I panic for a moment, but I realize I can stand. My shoes slip off my feet, and when I finally claim stability, I notice how close we are. The water is cool and refreshing, but I half expect it to go up in steam. My hands have minds of their own, they find her dainty hips. I look into those big brown eyes as they stare into mine. My left hand lifts from the water to caress her cheek. She lifts her chin, her facing inching towards mine all too slowly. I wrap my right hand around her waist and pull her closer abruptly. Our lips smush together awkwardly at first, but soon we find our rhythm. Her lips taste sweet, like marshmallows. Her hands move to my face, they're wet but warm. I pull away, swiping my thumb across her bottom lip. Her eyes are wide with horror when I open mine.

"I can't believe I just did that," She mutters, wading away from me, she winds her fingers into her hair, looking back at me with frantic eyes. I chew on my bottom lip to see if I can still taste her. 

"If he finds out-"

"You worry too much," I try to keep my voice soft. All I want is one more kiss. I'll teach her to play a thousand guitars, I'll craft one with my own hands to feel her lips again. She turns slightly in the water. A drop of water falls from the tip of her nose. Droplets coat her eyelashes, causing them to shimmer. 

I wade over to her and find her hand in the water, holding it in both of mine, "Do you feel that?" I ask her. I don't know what it's called or what it means, but it's coursing through both of us. She nods hesitantly. 

"It feels good, doesn't it?" I can't help but adore how I tower over her. She turns to face me, taking my other hand. The current causes us to sway. She takes a deep breath and admits, "Feels like magic." 

"I don't think it's going away just because he doesn't want it to happen. Honestly, I don't think you want this to be happening. But I think you're beautiful, and I want more of this." I lean down again, hoping to interlock our lips, but she doesn't meet me. I open my eyes and she's holding her bottom lip between her teeth, she leads me against the current, towards the waterfall. 

"I still don't trust you," She has to yell over the falls. We walk through the wall of water, soaking ourselves once again,  but find ourselves in a cave. It's warm and damp. Crystals line the walls, quartz, amethyst, citrine. It's like a sanctuary, glittering in the moonlight. 

"Now," She whispers, most likely standing on her tip toes to kiss me again. I grab her hips and lift her up. She wraps her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck. She presses her lips to mine, softly, sweetly. Whatever it is, it's growing. Along with something else. 

There is a part of me who has been gone for a very long time. I can feel him resurfacing already. I didn't think this, with her, was a bad idea until now. I'm terrfied for her already. He resurrects when I want something, when I love something, when I need something. He appears when I need him the least. And if he finds her, he'll devour her. That's the thing about greed, he takes no one into account but himself. He's a ruiner. A destroyer. And if he wants something, he'll crush anyone in his path to get it.