Holly

Ever since Holly could remember, something had seemed off to her about the world. It was somehow too sharp and bright, while simultaneously, it was dull and colourless. She couldn’t put her finger on what was missing, on what was wrong, but the feeling never really went away, though it did abate somewhat when she walked outside in the wood or in the fields alone, left to her own devices. During those brief spells of time, she sensed a softening, soothing energy call to her, speaking, through the sound of the wind moving through the trees, of something more.

What that could be she had no idea. She hadn’t known anything beyond her life in the small village where she lived in a quaint wooden house with her father, her mother and her sister, Lily. Sometimes at night, however, she had strange dreams of other realms and beings who spoke to her of the future, and of the past. And sometimes, she blurted out things without even realizing what she was saying, words which sparkled as they hung in the air, heavy with the ring of truth. 

Holly was also unique in other ways. When she had been about seven years old, she had refused to eat anything that wasn’t white. Her meals would consist of white bread, white cheese, milk, and white puffball mushrooms. She had even insisted upon eating off of a white plate placed on a white table. Her mother said she had been a very peculiar little girl. Lily, on the other hand, would eat anything put in front of her. 

That wasn’t the only difference between the two sisters. Physically, they barely resembled one another. Holly had a shimmering cloud of copper hair and pale milky skin with green eyes, while Lily had the same dark black shiny hair and olive-toned skin as their mother and father. Though she was loved and well-cared for within her own family, the others within the village regarded her with suspicion and muted whispers. ‘Why does the child look so different from her parents’, they wondered, ‘does she really belong to them?’

One day, in early spring, when the buds had just started to appear on the trees, and a few blades of green could be seen here and there amid the mud and the melting snow, Holly set off towards the wood. It was a grey day, and a few raindrops fell as she set out, but the walls had been closing in on her inside the house, and she felt the need to breathe the fresh air and smell the earth. Days had become just as long as nights, now, and there would be a celebration later, in the village. Holly would also be celebrating her thirteenth birthday with her family, later on. Her mother had asked her, that morning, how she had managed to grow up so quickly. She said that it seemed like only yesterday that Holly was born, and that maybe she should slow down...though she was rather small for her age, thankfully. Holly’s mother always said silly things like that on her birthday.

Holly could hear the birds chirping furiously away as she walked towards the woods. She wondered what they were saying. Were they yelling angrily at each other as they searched tirelessly for food, jealous when one found a fat juicy worm and didn’t share it with the others? Or were they just excited that it was finally spring? Would she ever know?

A strange sensation blossoming within her distracted Holly from her bird reverie. She felt herself being pulled towards the woods by an invisible force, the way the wind pulls the leaves from the trees. Excitement bubbled up inside her, and she knew, with the certain, ineffable knowledge that fell upon her at times, that something momentous and life-changing was about to occur.

Holly had now reached the edge of the woods. Before her, in the middle of the path, stood a large puffball mushroom, about the size of Holly’s head. Puffball season usually started midsummer, so it was a surprise to see this one here, now. Holly was bent over the mushroom, marvelling at its size and its appearance, when suddenly a drop of rain fell upon it causing it to release a cloud of spores. Holly shut her eyes and stepped back, putting her hands out before her to protect her face. When she opened her eyes, she saw that there were other creatures with copper hair and milky skin like herself all around her, some sitting in the trees, and some standing next to them.

“Holly,” said one of the beings, a female with long, beautiful hair, held back with combs made of brilliantly polished ebony wood. “I have long waited for this day. I have missed you, terribly,” she said. Her voice made Holly think of wind rustling through the trees. It immediately soothed and comforted her.

“Who are you,” Holly asked, wonderingly.

“I am your mother,” said the creature.

“But…” Holly started.

“I know you have a human mother. In fact, I chose her. I wanted to make sure you would be well looked after during your sprouting period. But that is almost over, now. Your thirteenth birthday is today. It will be time for you to return to us.”

“Return…but…”

“I’m sure this must all be very confusing to you...but surely you’ve never really felt like you belonged there, with them, in that little house? Our kind must live in the forest, and dine on its bounty of mushrooms and berries. We need to feel the sunlight sparkle on our skin, and dance in time to the beat of the hearts of the trees. If we are deprived of this, we wither and die like old vines.”

“If this is true, why did you send me away?”

“Well, Holly, unfortunately our young need to suckle on more than morning dew to survive, and faery mothers’ teats do not swell with milk like human mothers’ teats do. The forest is also a dangerous place for any type of child, so it is usually easiest to just place our children with human parents until they are old enough to come live in the forest with us.”

The woman reached out and gently stroked Holly’s hair. She was so confused. This was all so overwhelming. It was true that she had never really felt like she belonged in that house, or in the village, but never would she have believed that she could be something other than human before today.

“I can see that you need some time to absorb all of this,” said the lady. “We will leave you, now, but will wait here for you tonight. My name is Willow, by the way. I, and all of the others, will be looking forward to celebrating the equinox and your return, tonight in the moonlight. Until then, farewell.”

And just like that, with a rustling like that of dry leaves, they were gone. Holly felt strange, as if she had just woken up from one of her prophetic dreams...but then, had they actually been dreams? These were the beings from her dreams, weren’t they?

She felt overwhelmed again and began to walk back the way she had come. Here were the birds, chattering excitedly about...her! “Holly, is it true you’re coming to live with us in the forest,” one asked. “Why did you ignore us when you passed by earlier,” asked another. She could understand the birds. This was amazing. She felt as if a veil had been lifted. The filter that had made everything seem off had been removed. All around her she could see life, and beauty. Willow was right. The world was finally right. This was truly, without a doubt, where she belonged. The forest would look after her from now on, and she would look after it. She was home, at last.