The world hit as monotone.

The snow swirls around me, cold and frosty.

It falls on my hair and dampens it till it is icy and wet.

The wind is violent and forceful, almost knocking me over. That never used to happen before. I used to stand tall

and now I can’t seem to stand. In the slate grey sky above,

birds circle, cawing. I look at them and notice that there are seven crows.

Seven crows for a secret never to be told.

Huh.

It’s almost like IT is telling me not to tell anyone else.

I won’t tell a soul, I swear it.

Their cries are loud but calming, like a symphony.

Like music, like an orchestra.

I like music, or I used to like music.

Orchestra of crows.

I

didn’t

remember

falling at all but

I woke up on the cool

ground. The grass was soft

and tall, some of the stalks tickled

my nose. I opened my eyes and was hit

with a soft greenish light. I couldn’t see the

sky, only leaves on the tops of trees. The grass

was a kaleidoscope of greens, some of which I didn’t

recognize. I sat up and glanced around. It seemed that I

was in a forest, and not one I recognized either. The grass

was knee-high and wild, untamed and uncut. All around me were

incredibly tall trees, with sienna and rich brick brown trunks. Their

leaves were a myriad of royal crimsons, fiery oranges, golden, buttery yellows, and jewel toned greens. The sky was blocked by the sheer

amount of leaves and branches. It was eerily quiet, the wind blew

silently, whispering in hushed voices. It was eerie but ethereal.

I stood and braced myself against a huge towering redwood

tree. Some of its branches were low enough for me

to reach so I took a deep breath and jumped up

towards the lowest branch. I caught it and

pulled myself up, then reached for

another branch. My going was

slow but eventually, I made

it to the top of the

tree. I pushed

away some

of the

leaves

and looked

out at the sky.

It was beautiful. Blue

mixed with purples, pinks,

creams and yellows. The wind

was a little louder up here but I

still couldn’t make out what it seemed

to be saying. Directly in front of me, on

the horizon was a large mountain range. I

felt tears prick my eyes. The mountains looked

purple, like if you coloured the huge peaks with a

lavender charcoal pencil. The trees at their baselines

were hazy, as if I was looking through mist. The mountains

seemed to stretch on forever and all around me. I shifted on

the tree branch to get a better view of my surroundings. To my

right, there was an ocean that touched the multi-hued sky. I gasped as tears fell from my eyes. This place, wherever I was, was beautiful

beyond words. I closed my eyes and listened to the whispering,

ethereal wind, the distant roar of the waves and the quiet

rustling of the leaves on the tree branches. When I

opened my eyes again, I saw birds in the distance.

They were flying rather fast and were unusually

big, even from afar. Scared, I tried to climb

back down the tree but before I made it

very far, I heard a voice. It was loud

but somehow it was also quiet. I

looked around but saw nothing

other than the birds. Which

were coming closer by the

second. I tried to make

out the voice that I

kept hearing.

Slowly, as

the

birds

drew closer,

the voice became

clearer. Most of the birds

flew right past me, their huge

wings, creating a gale that nearly

sent me flying. I gripped the tree with

all that I had to keep me from dying. One of

the birds stopped to hover in front of me, silvery

amethyst eyes looking deep in mine. Its beak was long,

golden, and almost looked sharp. I took a deep breath and

tried to wipe my tears away. Its feathers looked glittery and

soft. They were white with streaks of silver and black. Its wings

seemed to stretch to each horizon, flapping slowly to hover in front

of me. The breath seemed to leave my body when a voice echoed

clear as day in my mind. The booming quality made my mind hurt.

At first, It spoke in another language, one I didn’t understand.

WYT TI EISIAU ESGYN, BLENTYN Y DDAEAR? Then again

in English.DO YOU WANT TO SOAR, CHILD OF THE EARTH?

Breath-taken, I climbed on to the back of the huge

bird. It flapped its wings and we shot forward,

flying so fast I feared I was going to fall off

its back. When I got over the initial fear

I commented on the beauty of the land.

It laughed and said that this land was

nothing compared to its home. My

eyes widened. There are other

lands like this one? Its voice

made a sighing sound. NO,

NOT ANYMORE. It

sounded sad. I

petted its

head.

What

happened?

I CANNOT TELL

A MORTAL SOUL. My

heart panged with sadness

for this creature. Where am I?

What is this place? The bird just flew,

ignoring my questions. Where are we going?

I asked. YOU ARE GOING HOME, CHILDLING. We were

then flying over the mountains, huge lavender and charcoal

peaks almost touching the bird. The mountains were covered in

small purple flowers that scented the air with a pleasant floral note.

I don’t want to go home! It’s so nice here. EXACTLY WHY YOU CANNOT

STAY, CHILDLING. It started to fly faster, gaining speed and making

the mountains and sky pass in a blur. THIS WORLD ISN’T FOR

YOU. I gripped the feather as tight as I could. It didn’t slow

down at all. It’s powerful wings beat with more force,

It showed no signs of stopping. Why can’t I stay?

BECAUSE THIS WORLD DOES NOT BELONG

TO YOU. YOU MUST LEAVE. Tears pricked

my eyes but I didn’t care that they

sent streams cascading down

my cheeks. I never

wanted to leave

this place, it

was so so

beautiful.

Part

of me

considered

trying to jump

off the creature’s

back and fall into the

lush lavender-y mountains.

DON’T THINK ABOUT JUMPING.

THAT IS AN IDIOTIC IDEA. YOU WOULD

NOT SURVIVE THE FALL, IT WOULD ALL

BE FOR NOTHING IF YOU DIE. I rolled my eyes.

Then at least I died in a beautiful land like this one.

Why would you care if I died? The creature’s loud, booming

voice laughed in my head. It seemed… almost careless. IF YOU DIE,

CHILDLING, THINGS WILL NOT END WELL. FOR ANY OF US. That

confused me. What does that mean? NOTHING THAT YOU SHOULD CONCERN YOURSELF WITH, CHILDLING. Will you tell me what this

place is? Please? The creature scoffed. NO. THEN YOU’D BE

TOO TORMENTED. I looked below us at the mountains. They

slowly gave way to sand. And then finally, water. The

water seemed to shift into so many shades of

blue and green. The waves were soft

and rolling endlessly. White foam

crested over and over, the

noise of the waves

lapping was

calming

to

me.

I LEAVE

YOU HERE NOW,

CHILDLING. I AM SORRY.

Why? Can’t I stay? The bird

sighed in my head. I HAVE TOLD YOU.

YOU CANNOT STAY. NOT IN A PLACE LIKE

THIS. THIS LAND ISN’T A PLACE FOR THOSE WITH

MORTAL BLOOD. Tears pricked my eyes. I want to stay.

My voice was small and weak sounding. The creature slowed down,

wings beating less frequently. We flew close to the viridian and prussian blue waves, the force of the waves created a fine mist that was salty

and cool. The creature’s talons just barely grazed the water,

creating ripples in its wake. CHILDLING, THIS LAND… THIS

SANCTUARY IS THE LAST OF ITS KIND. AND NO

MORTAL SHOULD’VE SEEN IT. THIS LAND IS

SOMETHING ARTISTS ONLY CAN DREAM

OF, IT'S THE MUSE FOR EVERY

ARTIST THAT HAS EVER

LIVED. BUT IT WAS

NEVER SUPPOSED

TO BE VIEWED.

That was odd.

What does

that

mean?

The giant

bird just hummed.

OR, AT LEAST BY ANY

MORTAL. YOU PILLAGE AND YOU

TAKE AND STEAL WHAT ISN’T YOURS.

YOU HUMANS NEVER DESERVED ANYTHING

LIKE THIS SANCTUARY. YOU DO NOT EVEN DESERVE

THAT HELLHOLE YOU CALL HOME. THAT IS WHY YOU CANNOT

STAY HERE. I AM….SORRY. No, I wanted to stay. It was so pretty here.

No way could I leave this place and live normally in my old one. Now that I have seen the grander ideal, I cannot force myself to live in that hellhole, as It called Earth. THAT IS WHY. THAT, THOSE

THOUGHTS ARE EXACTLY WHY MORTALS SHOULDN’T

SEE PLACES LIKE THIS. THAT IS WHY NONE

OF THESE PLACES EXIST ANY MORE. It

dipped closer to the swirly waves, its

talons now fully submerged. I gripped

Its feathers tighter. I tried to

make myself smaller, as to

not get wet. The bird

hummed in my head.

I DO NOT WANT

TO BLAME YOU,

CHILDLING,

BUT,

NOW THAT

YOU’VE SEEN THIS

PLACE, IT MUST DIE. I

WON’T KILL YOU BUT YOU’VE

KILLED THIS WORLD. The bird sighed

sadly. It dipped its head in the waves and when

It reemerged, Its head turned around entirely to look

directly into my eyes. Its silvery amethyst eyes blinked slowly

and Its voice echoed in my head. YOU NEED TO RETURN HOME.

I CANNOT LET YOU STAY HERE, CHILDLING, I’M SORRY. Its voice seemed sad. I blinked away a tear. I can’t look at It in its eyes anymore.

How do I get home, then, Creature? It nodded to the water. HOLD YOUR

BREATH FOR AS LONG AS YOU CAN, CHILDLING. YOU’ll NEED TO DROWN FIRST. Panic gripped my heart, my hands clutched Its

feathers tighter. IT’LL BE PAINLESS. I slid off of Its downy

back and into the cool shimmery water. I took two

deep breaths and dunked my head under the

waves. Over head, one of Its huge wings,

pushed me further under the water.

I had to remember not to panic,

It was rather hard. Soon a

peaceful, calming hum

came over my body.

The water around

me was cool

and smooth,

like gold.

I let

out

a

small

sigh and

felt a tug.

There was one

last message from the

Creature. I AM SORRY THAT

I MADE YOU LEAVE, CHILDLING.

I WOULD’vE LET YOU STAY IF THIS

PLACE WAS STILL HERE AND WITHIN

REACH FOR YOU. KEEP THIS LAND A SECRET,

CHILDLING, NO MAN SHOULd KNOW WHERE YOU

WERE. NO MORTAL CAN KNOW ABOUT THIS PLACE.

GO. GO LIVE IN THAT HELLHOLE, AND DREAM. DREAM

ABOUT A GRANDER LAND, ABOUT A BETTER SPACE, AND

BETTER YOUR OWN. Its voice became just a whisper, and then

an echo, and at last, a distant memory. I can’t remember what the

bird even sounded like, or what its features were or the colour of its feathers. I cannot recall the colours of the grass or what it looked like.

I cannot see the trees and their multi-hued leaves, the bark or the

dirt. I can’t remember the feeling of the ethereal, whispering

wind, or the sound it made. I can’t remember. It pained me to

say that. I do not recall the water and the waves, the

mountains and the sky. I can’t remember when I

last felt in awe of something. There is just

a hole where wonder and amazement

should be and it seemed to never

fill. It hurt.

The world is deemed monotone.

The sky is charcoal and the grass and tree leaves are graphite.

The trees all look like white birch.

The ocean, the water is just damp and dull, slate grey and unmoving.

The buildings stand as a reminder of the mountains but they just make me sad. They are built with steel and iron and things that make this land sick.

Steel and iron are silver without shine.

Overhead the crows caw at me, like music.

There are eight crows.

Eight crows for a wish.

And that is all I can hold onto.

A wish for a better land.

Not one filled with metal and anger and war and fire.

But one filled with colour and vibrancy.

A world with beauty that lasts.

Eight crows for a wish for a more beautiful tomorrow.

The eight crows caw, it sounds like music.

Like a symphony, an orchestra of mourning.

One single black crow feather floats down to me.

I hold it in my hand.

One crow caws.

My wish will never be true.

One crow for Sorrow.