Jeshara

Chapter One

        The branch curled around my hand. I shifted my weight to my left leg as another branch bent down to make the next step easier for my right. Nothing beats having the tree help you climb it. I was nearing the top and could just make out Naiomi waiting for me. She looked slightly transparent in the glaring sunlight, her colorless dress blowing in the breeze. I sat on the highest branch that would hold my weight, and looked to Naiomi. She tapped her ear and below her eye. I closed my eyes and listened. Naiomi didn't talk much herself, when she wanted to speak the trees would normally do it for her.

        Ssshhhhaaaarrrraaaa... the trees whispered, in a language I was just coming to understand. The wind changed directions and pushed me off the branch. I fell, but I was not afraid, for if I asked politely Mother Oak would be happy to catch me. She did. With only the faintest rustling I was caught by a net of lower branches. That was a little faster than last time, I had nearly been smashed flat. I asked the tree to let go and I dropped the last few feet to the ground.

        Naiomi faded out of the giant oak tree looking as mystical as ever. She sat in the clearing just in front of Mother oak, her eyes closed, her hair blowing in a now non-existent breeze. I sat beside her, and closed my eyes as well. I felt Mother Oak straighten and stretch to keep watch while we were not. Mother Oak was the oldest tree around for miles, nearly 700 years, which even for a tree, is quite a long time.

        I call her Mother Oak because that's what she is to me. Not my birth mother of course I'm not a tree, but my caretaker for the 3 years i've lived here. Yes, you heard me right, i've lived in a clearing in the middle of the woods for 3 years. If I were a normal girl that would probably not be a good thing. But obviously, i'm not a normal girl. Hmm, where to start. Lets try 4 years ago.

        I had been sitting at the window, my usual haunt, when Richard came running in from the fields. I saw him running, I saw the terrified look on his face, but I did nothing. I didn't even open the door when he began banging on it. One of my younger sisters finally opened the door. I believe it was Marianna, yes it was, she was only six at the time.

        "It's father, get help!" Richard shouted. Most of my siblings looked to me, I was the oldest of six, surely I would do something. But I didn't. I picked up baby Fern who had crawled near my leg and returned to the window. Father can take care of himself, I had thought. Richard was probably just trying to scare the younger ones. When he finally realized I wasn't going to do anything, he raced back out the door, shortly followed by Billy and Katherine, who knew they could keep up with him. I shook my head and played with Fern's little curls. They would be angry when they found out it was only a joke. Though after a few minutes I began to wonder, Richard was very mature for a boy of 9 years, he'd never joked of such a serious matter before. Well, I thought, its not like I should do anything anyway, someone else can do the running.

        "Jeshara," Naomi had spoken out loud and brought me back to the present. Then the trees took over. Much improvement... no more today, and other fragments conveying the same message. Naiomi stood and I watched her fade back into Mother Oak. My eyes closed once more.

        "Jessica!" A distant voice shouted. I had fallen asleep. How typical of me, taking a nap at a time like that. Someone shook my shoulders, it was Katherine. I looked at her face, expecting annoyance or anger from Richard's latest prank, but I only found sorrow. For a moment I was confused, then I heard a soft sob. Sitting at the table was my mother, shoulders hunched, head resting on the table. She was crying. I wondered why. I should have comforted her, at least asked her what was wrong, but I didn't.

        Instead I walked over to the table, watched her for a moment then said of all things, "What's for dinner?" She lifted her head off her hands and slapped me. Then she began to sob even harder. I looked around the room. The faces of my siblings were stained with tears, and the light was nearly gone. There's the sunset, why is father not home yet? Father, no, Richard had to have been joking. Katherine put her hand on my shoulder, almost like she was comforting me but that wasn't right, a 7 year old shouldn't be comforting her older sister. That was when I knew he was gone. I wasn't exactly everyone's favorite older sibling. It was rare for even the youngest ones to show me any sign of affection, but Katherine? We were opposites, and she hated me or at least appeared to. My father was dead, leaving my mother to raise 6 children on her own, the oldest of which had just turned 10.

        I opened my eyes. I could tell from the sun that there was only an hour of daylight left and, believe it or not, I still had to eat. Naiomi didn't have to anymore. She was a part of Mother Oak, and trees don't need food. I poked around the woods for my meal, and returned to the clearing just as light began to leave the sky. I was alone for the night. Well not exactly, Mother oak and Naiomi were always there but trees don't do much in the dark. You see, Naiomi and Mother Oak are tied together. Naiomi is a forest spirit, protector of the trees and shrubs and anything one could possibly find in a forest.

        Forest spirits are nearly immortal, they can live forever but, they must always have a host. A tree at least 500 years old that will keep a part of the spirit inside of it. This allows the spirit to keep on living, and the forest around the tree flourishes. The arrangement is not without benefits for the tree. The tree will find it easier to shift with the wind and will be able to purposely move its limbs. Not very fast, but any kind of movement is amazing for a tree. Now you're probably wondering where I fit into all of this. The thing is forest spirits do die. If their host dies and they cannot find another suitable tree they return to the earth. Also a forest spirit is not born it's made. In fact, forest spirits cannot be born, for all of them a girls. So, they must be trained. That's me, forest spirit in training.