Queens of the Forrest

| Chapter 2: Lullaby |

Follow my lead, listen to my melody, follow its path. Drown yourself unto me, my loves - my quote

My eyes were closed when I first heard it.
A soft faint lullaby.
It was so strange, the melody came out of nowhere and I mean literally nowhere. The lullaby started to grow...Gaining momentum and tempo.
This caused Ayleen and I to glance at each other in confusion. We knew in our very bones that we had to find the source of such sweet intoxication. It was a type of music that called and awakened your dominant senses. The ones that were so very quiet and dormant.
The more we tried to grasp it, the more the lullaby began to disappear to almost a whisper.
Taunting us.
Begging us to chase it into our wildest dreams and desires.
So we did.
We chased it.
The gushing of wind played with our hair as the lullaby returned. So entranced we were as we kept on running and running. Following the lullaby on the trial... faster and faster.
Suddenly, just as the song came it vanished in thin air as if it was never there to begin with.
Confused, disoriented, and lost we stopped to process our surroundings. This trail didn't seem like the one we were in.
The trial that we were in was a desert dirt trail with cactus in every direction, but this one... this one here before our eyes seemed completely different. It was lush and full of vegetation and greenery.
A forest?
We are in a forest!
A lively bright forest. It seemed impossible and unearthly. Almost like we entered unto another dimension.
"Um... h-how? W-what?" I stuttered. Not believing my own eyes.
Are we dreaming? Am I dreaming? Hallucinating?
We did forget to bring snacks and water on our hike.
"Beautiful, magical, enchanting". Ayleen whispered breathlessly. As if afraid if she'd talk too loud it'll wake her up and ruin her dream. Only to be thrust back to reality. She's mystified by the view, no doubt.
"Just great," I muttered under my breath. Now we're both hallucinating.
The view before us is magical alright like it was ripped from a fairytale page and planted right here for us to see and marvel at.
Skies a mixture of colors as if it couldn't decide on just one. Pinks, blues, and a dash of gold.
Trees looming over us, greenery as far as the eye could see.
Scents so sweet and earthy, a combination so exquisite I had to drink it all in.
"Look at those flowers!"
I followed Ayleen's gaze just in time to watch as the white portulacas started to rise; their stems falling off as if plucked.
It hovered above, dancing with the wind as it started to glow into a dark royal blue.
Awakened by our presence, the glowing portulacas rushed to our side in a gush of winds.
Circling us as the petals rained down over our heads.
They started to rise once more and sensing that it wanted us to follow, I grabbed onto Ayleen as we went deeper into the forest.