A Nymph of the Ossian Forest

The Encounter

***

I had no idea what was waiting for me at nightfall when I flung the shutters open that morning and breathed in thick, misty air with delight. That I would have to pretend being someone (or I should rather say some-thing) who I am not, and participate in an ancient ritual in the forest against my will by the time it was dark. One of these events led directly to another, but I am getting ahead of myself. My name is Arian, and the morning before it all began, I was perfectly happy.

It was the sweetest hour before dawn. My home Ossian Village was covered with a dewy haze of night, lulling hundreds of its short wooden houses. I woke up right in time for a little walk.

Jumping out of the bed I pulled my nightgown off and put on a gray dress with soft velvet inset on the chest and bell-shaped sleeves decorated with a braid of a brown leather cord. My long dark hair got tangled after sleep and I had to spend some time to brush it with my tooth comb. Throwing a quick glance at my reflection in the mirror, I tiptoed out of the room.

Our house, a two-story stocky building, was one of the oldest in the village, except maybe the House of the Gatherings. Its foundation went deep into the ground and its second level was an attic with its beveled roof. Sliding down the squeaky ladder I peeped in the main room, where my parents slept. I could hear the measured breathing of my father, the Elder of Ossian Village, whose broad chest was rising under the fur blankets. My mother was peacefully asleep as well. Hoping they wouldn't wake up earlier than usual today, I carefully opened a massive door and I slipped out to the yard.

No one was awake at this hour. The amazing silence was softly pushing on my ears. Passing by the fence I turned to the broad paved street. On the sides, there were various houses and stores, taverns and eating-houses, bakeries and forges. They all were dreaming the night away as I passed by quickly, afraid to disturb their tranquility.

The broad street led directly to the village's main square with a wheel at the center, where we took our water. Although our village was one of the largest in the district, it still took me less than ten minutes to get to the center. Beyond the square, I could already see massive iron gates. It was exactly where I was headed.

I made sure the sentry was asleep at this hour. As usual, his loud snore could be heard from the watchtower: since my father had defeated the Creones, we hadn't experienced any incursions for more than fifteen years. I kneeled quickly. Under the gates, there was a narrow line of clear space, too little for anyone to take care of it, but wide enough for me to climb through. Lying on my stomach, I pushed myself under the gates and in a moment I was already on my feet removing dirt from my dress. I could expect no good if my father saw me all over my head in the mud. Now that the village gates were behind me, my heart pounded when I saw the dark green Ossian forest, majestically rising out of false dawn. It had always attracted me with its peaceful breathing of nature, the sense of magic that awaited you round every corner. Passing by several lines of crops I was already running towards high green trees, as I couldn't wait to get under their fresh cover.

If someone happened to pass by the field at this early hour, he would be surprised to see a village girl running towards the forest as if someone was chasing her. No one was restricted from leaving the village; I had spent a lot of time outside, walking, playing, working on many acres of fields around or bathing in the Aire River. Leaving the village was not a problem.

But ever since I was a kid, my father strictly objected me going to the Ossian forest alone.

People of Ossian Village always said the forest was full of invisible spirits. Every forest spring, every leaf of every tree and even stone has its own soul, they said... Although I stopped believing in stories about forest fairies and marsh witches when I was five, it was still exactly what I felt when the twisting path was leading me further and further into the depth of the forest. I enjoyed the cool freshness of the false dawn among the trees that were familiar to me since my very childhood. I could hear the soft rustle of leaves around me. It was early spring now, but winter was not cold this year, so the earth was already spreading pleasant warmth.