Malory Falls

It was one of those days where it seemed like everything was going to go wrong, that it would be best to just stay in bed. In fact, if Malory had stayed in bed, perhaps she would have lived just a little bit longer.

Wind whistled through the cracks by the window, the holes in the walls, like mice scurrying around, heard but not seen. The doors shivered anxiously, the threatening tone of the morning weighing down on them, leaving the house cold and dark. Floorboards creaked unevenly, nervous. The only room in the whole house which was still warm belonged to the teenage girl. In fact, it was so warm and comfortable that most people would decide against getting up and facing the cold, dark weather, instead staying in bed, the covers hugging them tight. Malory, however, was a completely different story.

Paying no attention to the shaking door, furiously warning her to stay in bed, she forced herself free of the covers, wrapped around her legs, a toddler attempting to hold back their parent. Alike that of the parent, Malory shook the covers off, freeing herself from their desperate grasp. Curtains coiled around her arms, a serpent holding its prey, but the girl slipped out of their grasp with a sigh.

Clutching the handles of her wardrobe, she swung it open with glee, looking at her wide array of dresses. She stroked her hands across the soft fabric, from faded foxglove to stormy grey. After a minute, she decided upon a simple icy blue dress, pale and light, with a dark grey sweater reaching just past the elbows. A pair of grey and white striped socks were paired with the outfit, matched with a pair of beaten old converse. Quickly dressing, Malory checked her watch with a confident grin, her eyes glazed with joy. Swirling her dark curls, the colour of the sun as it touches the horizon, highlighted by the soft sky, she smiled at her reflection with a joyful smile.

The girl skipped down the stairs, ignoring the faded sounds of the house as it creaked and groaned, warning her to stay inside. The girl only rolled her eyes, ignorant.

Dancing out of the door, a song in her heart and a tune in her head, the girl moved towards the old, swirling trees, the bright sky towering over strongly preferable to that of the dark storm clouds looming over the old, shaking house. She turned away from the door, hearing it slam behind her as the winds twirled in the tornado of despair in which her home was encased.

Malory found herself situated in front of a great forest, seemingly going on forever, not that Malory paid that any attention at all. No, ignorant and naïve, she walked into the forest, not even noticing the small details which could have made all the difference.

The forest glowed with a golden light, the tall trees twisting and twirling, their branches coiling like snakes almost as soon as they left the ground, creating a canopy overhead, the sunlight streaming through in shaded shadows. Songbirds fluttered from branch to branch, their song strong and sweet, entrancing the girl deeper into the forest, all inhibitions easily forgotten as she danced, twisting and twirling with the trees, the old trodden path long since lost.

Blades of glass tickled her ankles through her socks, leaving the girl laughing as she skipped and swirled, twisted and twirled. Small woodland creatures emerged, curious yet cautious, watching the girl intently. Ears shook uncomfortably, many smaller creatures falling back into hiding, as though they had never been there, however the larger creatures were frozen in the moment, the sharp melody echoing in their ears, leaving them too entranced to move.

They were powerless.

Trees thinned as she found herself closer to the edge of the forest. Before leaving however, she paused to rest against a tree, standing in the golden glow.

Perhaps it was the strength of the enchantment, or perhaps the young girl was truly that unobservant, but she didn't even notice the strange, glowing golden runes marking the tree, replacing the bark which should be there. She dismissed them as the bark on the tree, mindless and about as far from alert as one could get.