Whisked Away

Prologue

Tessa snuck out of the house and into the moonlit night. Her feet dug into the damp soil, she felt free. Tessa scrambled up the hill and plummeted to the ground, all the while gasping for air. This was her special place, her safe zone where no one could find her. She was hidden from the busy street by a thick bramble bush and the ring of trees encompassing her made her feel secure. Tessa looked up at the stars; it was on nights like these when she wondered what would have happened if that portentous night had gone differently... if her sister would still be alive.

The enchanted forest beckoned Tessa into its pulsing heart.

The deep, haunting ballad of its ancient song called out to her.

With a heavy heart, she plunged into the overarching vault of leaf and limb. It was not what she had expected, the beauty of the dawn's light had not yet reached the lush, green foliage. Because of this, hoods of black shadow hung in the groves.

Nothing stirred, nothing shone, nothing sang. A hollow echoing, like the hushed tones of a great, slabbed cathedral, entombed the wood.

Then a finger of light poked through the mist. It was followed by a whole loom of light, filtering down in seams of gold. Like the glow of the gods, it chased the shadows, banished the gloom and spilled into spaces where the mist once stalked.

Tessa darted between shafts of light as she went, admiring the butterflies. They pirouetted in the air, their wings like little ripples of silk.

The glory of the forest was finally revealed. Almond-brown trees stood serenely, awash with a tender glow. Their bark looked like burnt toast and gems sap clasped their crusty exterior.

Idling past flowers, Tessa caressed them softly. Her ears perked up at the tinkling sound of a stream. It flashed through the leaves. When the trees parted, she could see it looked like a polished mirror of silver. Boulders were around the edges of the pond, buffed with pillows of moss. They caused a rocky gurgling as water met stone.

Sweet fragrances seemed to flit in and out of her awareness.

Tessa put her back against a knobbly boulder, leaning her head against the mossy pillow. She closed her eyes, let her stream of consciousness take hold, and drifted into infinity. When Tessa awoke, she couldn't remember any of her dream, but softness and silvers still lingered in the memory of it.