Persephone's Daughter

Chapter 1

The beautiful girl with golden curls hums in the meadow, a blissful tune reminiscent of better things.
She kneels down, brushing dirt off the simple yellow dress that was made for her. As a child she resented them, but now it's all she wears.
It's improper to wear pants, as Aunt Kirin would say.
The meadow, her house and the woods that accompany it is all she's ever known.
She picks a bright purple flower, then smiles, remembering her name.
Ianthe- greek for purple flower.
Lifting the top lace part of her dress, she places some in the newly made pouch to bring home to her aunt.
She wanders barefoot through a path she's trekked many times, lightly stepping over flowers as she walks back into the entrance of the forest, the trees cascading over her, a roof of bright green.
She smiles as she hums, starting to get louder, words escaping every now and then.
"Swinging in the spring, rain on tin...."
She keeps walking along the path, made purely of flattened grass and weeds, as she travels back and forth every day.
Suddenly she pauses, and her singing comes to a halt. Now only the slight buzzing of bees and birds fills her ears.
She questions herself, until a overwhelming feeling of immense uncomfort washes over her like a tidal wave.

She feels as if she's being watched.

She spins in a full circle, but her dark brown eyes are only met with thick cores of tress and a few animals leaving about the pristine forest.
She shakes her head. She's being silly. She resumes humming and spins a couple of times, placing the flowers in her hand.

The hooded figure remerges out of the trees, with a slight sigh.
"Ianthe."

———

"Aunt Kirin, I'm home!" She calls out, steeping into the small, wooden house.
She places the flowers on the table, and her aunt is busting herself at the stovetop.
She barely glances back as Ianthe takes a seat, babbling about her day.
"...Then I saw these beautiful flowers and so I picked them. I didn't want to upset nature though, so I sang it a song."
Her aunt simply nods as she brings a plate of berries and nuts and sets them in front of Ianthe. Ianthe's face spilts into a wide grin as she pops a read wild berry into her mouth.
"And that's all?" Kirin asks. Ianthe mumbles something, but her mouth is full and a whole berry tumbles out of her mouth, onto the floor.
"Ianthe! How many times do I have to tell you? Don't talk with your mouth full! It's very un-ladylike!"
Kirin goes to pick it up but gasps dramatically.
"And child, where are your shoes? You tracked mud in!"
Kirin scowls, but takes a deep breath and stands, going to grab a towel.
Ianthe swallows and her face flushed with colour.
"Sorry Aunt Kirin. But it feels nice without shoes. The flowers seem to wrap around me." She says cheerfully.
Kirin stops dead, towel in hand.
She turns very slowly.
"What's that you said?" She asks quietly.
Ianthe looks surprised, but answers, "It's almost as if the flowers wrap around me. Especially in the meadow. They grow and wrap around me, ticking me. I asked for purple flowers, and today there was purple flowers."
She has a wide smile on her face, but her aunt does not return it.
"Don't speak like that Ianthe, foolish fairytales. You are not a child." She scolds, resuming her task.
Ianthe bites the inside of her lip. Aunt Kirin seems off. Maybe now isn't the best time to bring up the new neighbour.
But, then again, ladies don't lie.
"Uhm, Aunt Kirin?"
Her aunt glances up from where she sits crouched, rubbing dirt off the wooden floors.
"Yes?"
Ianthe clears her throat.
"Uhm, well... when I was on my way to the meadow I noticed something. They seemed like... human tracks. And since I never see anyone I followed them. There was this cute little house, and a boy in the window. He didn't see me, so I ran off and went along with getting my flowers. Then I came here. Then you gave me berries. Then you-"
"I get it Ianthe." She snaps, but Ianthe didn't notice her face lose all of its colour.
"What're you saying Ianthe? You would like to meet him?" She asks.
Ianthe's usually fair face turns a bright maroon.
"Well, I'm homeschooled. I don't know any kids my age. I just thought- I just thought I could go over and say hi?"
Kirin's lips turn into a tight picker. She stands and looks Ianthe up and down. Her dark, puppy dog eyes plead, and her long honey curls fall to her waist. She looks so much like her mother... and Kirin resents the fact she's never been able to say no to her sister.
And anyways, one boy, probably on vacation, isn't going to do anything, right?
"Sure, but I forbid you from travelling with him. Stay in the forest and the meadow."
Ianthe jumps up, her eyes wide.
"Oh, thank you Aunt Kirin!"
She rushes and hugs her around her middle before she shoves her off.
"Yes, yes. Now go up to your room and do some of your leftover math problems."
"Ok!" Ianthe says enthusiastically, racing up the wooden stairs.
She settles in the small attic that she's made her room, with a couple candles and a small piece that can be propped up and looked out of. A small mattress is propped in the middle, and a wooden desk with a chair and a lanterns illuminate the small pieces of paper and the pencil.
She can't do anything to stop herself, but guilt over-washes her. She should have told Aunt Kirin. Ladies don't lie, after all.
But a certain part of her held back.
As if she wasn't supposed to tell Aunt Kirin about the fact that the house popped up out of nowhere. That she was in that exact same spot the day before.
And the fact that the boy did see her. He smiled.
And her face lit up.

———

Question of the chapter:
What do you think of Aunt Kirin?