Dust.

So calm, as if the world had stopped for a moment. Like the earth had stopped moving and everything was just, still. So unnervingly beautiful, just watching the grass flow like water in a river, like it was made for one simple purpose. Listening the tree's hiss in the wind as if they were having a rather heated conversation, feeling the dirt curl under my fingers, and the water trickled across my toes. 

I spotted a small object on one of the trees across the river, it was a ca-coon, small and insignificant yet like all things, has a purpose. It started to wobble like my glass of water when the twins came running down the stairs. Gave me a grin just thinking about them, and so the ca-coon began to open at one end, the suspense was killing me, so I stood up and slowly walked through the shallow crystal water to the other-side. Watching so closely to the majestic achievement of this little being about to spring into life. "POP!" out came this, frighteningly beautiful, butterfly. 

At first I believed it to be a moth of some kind, as I drew closer to it just sitting on the branch. I realized with the most curios expression on my face, it was a butterfly. Not just any, this one was black, with beautiful vibrant cherry red trimming around its wings. All I could feel was pain, as if the big red eyes on its wings were, staring into my soul, just waiting for the right moment.

Then it flew off, like it was never even there, as if it was weightless and just let the wind carry it into the oblivion which is life. Something so beautiful, yet crushed by the dreams of the dead. Like all the happiness was lifted from this world, and stored in a dusty old box, to be locked away forever.

As I reached for my dirty old socks that were waiting for me on an old rock by the river, put them on and ran into the forest, letting the trees be my guide. Whistling away, telling me where to go next. I could once hear them speak, as if it was mum telling you to "wake up my darling, its morning", softly into one ear whilst I slept, like an echo from which I couldn't tell if it was a dream of if she really was there.

I pulled out one of my empty satchels, because I had spotted a rather rare fungi, sporing from the side of an old Oak tree trunk, just on the ground by some rocks all covered in moss, I carefully picked the beautifully coloured fungi, all orange and pink with a white tip, and placed it into the empty satchel and back into my old rucksack. I had everything in my rucksack, even had burnt my name into the leather with a hot steel rod, so I knew I wouldn't get it mixed up with the Prof's. 

You see I'm an alchemist, creating rather lovely potions and remedies through the art of chemical ingredients, found through everyday strolls in the woods or even frog hunting by the old lake, on Var-den Rd. The Professor you see teaches me all that he knows, so that one day I might be able to take over his laboratory. He is getting old you see, and I thought it would be a great idea if i whipped up a batch of under-flower brownies, they were always his favourite. 

I only used the best ingredients, like the fungi I just picked from that old Oak tree trunk, very hard to come by some of the ingredients. Took me a long while to find feathered caps, so many stones I turned just to find one maybe two mushrooms, also known as feathered caps. They are probably the most ugly thing I have ever seen, but they taste like heaven on a platter.

He gave me a book for the Evening Star, we celebrate it at the end of every empty moon, which is about 300 days give or take by the calender we use. No one can truly be accurate because they destroyed the last Moon Listener ever created. Me and the Professor tried creating a Moon Listener, but the magic involved is way above a mere alchemist level of magic. We alchemist don't usually branch out into the world of magic, as it is very dangerous and complicated, we like the simple life, by curing lowly peasants with our wonderful potions and ointments from which we survive.

I'm just about to turn 16, next Empty moon which should be about, 150 days give or take a few. I really want the Professor to give me another one of his old spell toms. The one I got last empty moon, I finished in a day or so, sitting under the tall Ember Mark tree, just south of our little hut thingy we call home/laboratory. 

Don't worry about me jack, I'm sure we'll be fine.