The forest dwarf

The grass crunched under my feet.

 The sky was a dim gray as the sun started to rise over the horizon.

The forest in front of me was dark and cast a ginormous shadow over the garden.

Then in the darkness of the looming forest there was a little light, a little ball of light.

 Like a small star on earth. Then a second one appeared. A little bigger than the first one. Then another, this one was blue and a good bit smaller.

A few more appeared making a thin trail of lights. 

Almost like those things of twinkle lights hung up over my bed.

I used to stare at them, imagining that they were little fairies. 

I suppose I am now too old for childish fantasies.

Though I could not deny that the lights were forming a path. They didn’t seem to be connected to any strings or sticks. It didn’t seem to be a trick. 

But as they say, not everything is what it seems. It could be a trick, someone could be trying to bait me into a dark secluded forest early in the morning when no one else was around.

 It seemed idiotic to follow such a peculiar thing early in the morning when my decisions aren’t necessarily rational.

Yet my foot dared one step. It wasn’t a conscious decision.

 My curiosity was getting the better of me. Another daring step. Something in my gut told me to stop, to turn around and go back to bed.

Then another step, and another quick one. It wasn’t long before I was braving the edge of the forest.

 I reached out to grab one of the lights. 

Then POP the small ball of light exploded into sparks before dying out. Then I popped the next one, following the trail of lights.

A small little man peeked around the corner of an ancient looking tree. He was small, almost half my height. His skin had a green tint. Instead of hair he had grass on the top of his head and mushrooms covering almost fifty percent of his body. He was adorable and looked like a small child.

He seemed harmless. He looked like a drawing from a fairy tale.

But he was just that. Just a fairy tale, he had to be fake.

A hallucination maybe?

He stuck out his hand, a small hair glittering from it. 

My chain! The one I had lost as a child!

That seemed so real. It was exactly as I remember it being.

I remember getting it from a market as a child. My mother spent the money she had been saving for months, to get me something nice. 

I cherished it and wore it everywhere. It was so special to me. It was one of the only things that belonged solely to me. It cost a fortune. Or at least a fortune to me. To my young self who had never seen a ten dollar bill.

It was two hundred dollars just for a necklace. It was exquisite with a beautiful green stone that shone like the sun shining through the forest leaves. And the silver! Wind around the crystal like shining vines. Delicate leaves cascading around my neck. It shone in the sun, almost glowing around my neck. Like a chain of pure light.

My mother had said I had looked so beautiful, like a goddess. I will never forget her words that day.

The small man dangled the necklace from his small delicate hand. Then he stuffed it in his pocket and ran.

I bounded over logs and rocks and fallen trees. The forest was beautiful yet I didn’t have much time to admire it as I was chasing the small man. Let’s call him a forest dwarf.

He didn’t seem particularly fast but he knew the forest better than me. The forest dwarf flung his hand out, causing a tree in between us to fall into my path.

What a dangerous power. He could bring this forest to the ground I suppose.

“Come back here!” I screamed.

The forest dwarf stopped in his tracks and turned around slowly. So so slowly.

He looked at me, tilting his head. His eyes were the size of tennis balls. They were a delightful green yet the white of his eyes weren’t white..they were black. 

More like a demon than a forest spirit. 

Darkness spread from the forest spirit. Not the darkness when the moon is out like a dark starless sky, spreading outwards.

The darkness engulfed me, I couldn’t see a single thing. I don’t even know where my legs are anymore. I can’t even see the ground. It felt like I was drowning.

Then it was gone. I looked to the spot where the forest spirit had been, expecting to see him standing there.

Yet there was a beautiful man standing there, not small, not cute and certainly not child-like. He had to be twice my height and weight. 

He was stunning, like no man I’ve ever seen before. The thing was I don’t even know if he was a man. 

In fact, I don't think he is. His skin looked like it was made up it if ivory and his hair as dark as the dark he releases. 

His eyes were the same. A light green with black surrounding it. I wonder if he’s my age?

 I suppose not he must be some celestial being. If he is, why would he keep my necklace?

“Give it back.”

     “Is it yours to have back?” The man asked. 

What a peculiar question. If I’m asking, of course it is. I suppose I should tell him that.

    “In fact yes it is.”

What would happen if he didn’t believe me? If he just thought I was claiming it for fortune? It’s mine! I wanted to scream, to let everything go. To finally release myself from this prison with the bars made of my own memories and terrors. 

The man braved a few steps towards me. I braced myself, would he try to hit me? Grab me? Fight me? I could grab the necklace and run.

He came to stand barely a foot in front of me. What was this dark thing coiling in my gut?

Fear of the man in front of me? Am I really scared of him? I suppose I should be, he’s some celestial being.

He unclipped the clasp on the back of the necklace.

  “Lift your hair up,” he stated, a demand not a question.

His voice was deep and raw.

I lifted my hair up, it didn’t seem wise to refuse him. He clasped the necklace around my neck and left it to dangle in my chest.

This didn’t make sense, he had run from me. Why was he giving it back now?

 I looked down to see the necklace. It was beautiful, I’ve missed it so much. It was like there was a hole in my heart and I didn’t even know it was there.

I looked back to the man to thank him. 

He wasn't there anymore. Where had he gone? Why had he left? I feel horrible for not being able to thank him. 

  “Thank you,” I whispered to the wind.