A Land of Fog and Mist

In a land of fog and mist, where creatures delight in the mysterious comfort of their smoky landscape, there are little things that are unexpected. The days are short, the nights long, and they blur together with no real way to differentiate between restful slumber or wakeful awareness.

Those who step into the haze-caressed forest are often not brave or bold but simply long for numbness and the escape of whatever chases them to these trees. The silver-tinted air lulls them into a peaceful trance and leaves them to aimlessly roam the insatiable forest that will slowly drain them until they are no more.

She didn't remember how she'd become a creature of the forest. Not one of the listless humans, but a real, true creature of smoke and mist that watched unburdened by hunger or age. It was an easy existence to simply observe the humans that were drawn to the forest's soothing presence, unaware of the land's malevolent heart. 

They were all such naive cowards, fleeing with fear in their eyes only to scamper into a much worse fate- dying as empty husks with not even a spark of soul left to be sent to the heavens. 

She truly pitied the ones who began to realise they were dying but couldn’t even panic enough to escape the forest. Those humans were simply stuck, left to watch themselves wither away, knowing they could nothing to stop the ceasing of their existence. 

It was one of those humans she was watching, a boy who seemed to have had his heart broken, that was slowly realising his death approached. She’d watched this one enter the forest and pause instead of rushing in, as many did, and look back the way he came. He’d whispered a few words to the path behind him and then asked the forest to ease his aching heart. Asked the forest. No one did that, and no one had delighted more in it than the forest itself. She’d felt the grey mist reach for the boy as if to answer him and he’d sighed before surrendering himself to the greedy woodland. 

The boy didn’t speak, no one ever could with the forest’s smoke writhing in their lungs, but she could sense his dulled emotions and thoughts as keenly as the forest could. He felt no fear but he felt dread and regret as he’d realised the forest was sucking at his soul. What a shame, she thought to him, knowing he’d never hear her as she heard him, that you’ll never heal your reckless heart, only let it be eaten by an ancient evil. 

There was no response to her morbid remark but the boy had a similar thought; I will never find happiness now, I’m going to die with this awful, broken heart… his mental voice strained with his looming death.

You possibly should have thought of that sooner, you daft human, she thought back. Her soul aching for this strange, sad boy as it had the day he’d entered the forest- wondering if she could scream at him to turn the other way. 

The human boy lifted his weary head and looked up around him at the mist. Perhaps she imagined it but she swore he had a hint of wariness in his gaze, like a mixture of glittering curiosity and fear. 

The forest groaned around her as if it too sensed something strange and unexpected was happening, and was sharpening its focus to this boy who still searched the fog with something like life in his eyes. 

Who said that? Or am I going insane now? 

The forest went deathly silent. She’d never known there had been noise until the trees stopped swaying and the dead leaves stopped sifting against each other. Never known there was often the tinkling of rain or rivers always buzzing in the background until this moment. 

This boy had heard her. And the ancient wood knew it as well. 

She didn’t utter a sound for a moment. Didn’t dare move a non-existent muscle. Not until the forest’s mist nudged her own smokiness as if the ancient evil was so curious by this unexpectedness that it was happy to let it happen. To let this boy escape its numbing clutches. 

You heard me, she replied stupidly, too stunned to think of anything clever or menacing. Just worrying what the forest would do to the poor boy for daring to be alive in a place of so much death. 

So I’m not insane? He answered back, possibly as stupid a comment as hers. Or was he mocking her? Am I insane or are you real? Reveal yourself, he thought again, more demanding and cautious now, as if the life the forest had sucked from him was suddenly returning. 

She thought curiously to herself before she projected her thoughts once again to the boy. I am a creature of the forest, made of mist and smoke, you should leave while you might have the chance. 

The boy stiffened but; Reveal yourself creature, he thought now swinging his head from side to side as if trying to peer at her through the fog. What an absolute idiot. 

Are you stupid? I’m made of mist, I’m right in front of you. This was perhaps the most aggravating interaction of her entire existence, it was also the only one… and possibly the last if the boy angered the forest enough with his stupidity. 

Oh, thought the boy, sorry, I guess it's hard to tell since I’m surrounded by ‘mist’, you could have started with that. Was he being sarcastic right now? The forest rumbled in delight, clearly happy with this human’s snappy attitude. She wondered if in its endless existence the forest had ever released other humans for creatures like her to speak with; but never found the interaction entertaining so it snuffed them both out. It certainly felt like the forest was trembling with excitement like it had been waiting for this moment for an eternity. 

I did start with that, she answered the boy cooly, keenly aware of the forest’s strange, mounting eagerness. If you were clever, you would have listened and known. 

How was I supposed to know you weren’t just trying to scare you, he quipped, his tone matching the tiny smirk growing on his face as he seemingly searched for which part of the mist she occupied. 

You should be scared, she thought, you should be absolutely terrified of me. 

The boy tipped his head, that grin growing, I’m not though. Disappointed? You probably scare people all the time. 

I am inherently confused, she admitted, I scare no one because no one hears. And I scare less, because this forest does not let humans feel anything. It’s playing with you. 

The boy tipped his head, unease crossed his face at her harrowing observation. He didn’t answer immediately, seeming to take her words into consideration. She almost felt like urging him to run, as if she was suddenly even more invested in whether he lived or died. 

How… unfortunate for me. Are you really only mist or will you play with me a little more before I perish? 

She would have blinked at that, if she had the ability. You think I’m the forest? I’m not going to eat you and I’m certainly not playing with you. This forest owns me as much as it owns you. The forest seemed to sniff at her for that; as if offended that she was painting it as the villain. 

The boy's eyes widened slowly, Ah, my bad then. My question still stands though, can you be more than mist? 

‘Can you be more than mist?’ She had been a creature of this forest for as long as she remembered, nothing more than smoke and mirrors in an emotionless, empty place and cursed to simply observe things forever and ever. She didn’t know if she could be more. She didn’t know anything beyond the numbness of the fog. 

You can be more, something whispered unexpectedly and it wasn’t the boy’s voice, the boy who seemed to finally be staring at her as if now knew where she stood- if she had the ability to stand that was. You can stand, the thing whispered again and the forest’s fog nudged her gently, coaxingly. 

Cold dread slithered through her as she realised that it was the ancient country that spoke to her. Spoke directly into her mind. Never- in this long, long time- had she ever heard the forest think words to her. 

You are my creature, it said in a voice as ancient as its soil, my child, and I created you to be anything you desire. If you wish to stand then simply plant your feet, little creature, and stand. 

She’d never felt such roiling and rushing emotions before, such a change in her regular routine. The forest was speaking to her. 

Yes, it hissed angrily, I am speaking to you. You, who seems to suffer more than my other children in this place. You, who has never delighted in the extermination of weak and dull humans. I am speaking to YOU. 

She had never felt such coldness, such dread, such earth-shattering terror, like her whole being was trembling. To be addressed by this ancient and cruel place as if it knew her well. 

I do know you well, it said angrily as if her terror offended it, as if it was very normal for it to hear her private musings. Then the forest spoke more softly, I love all of my children- for they all came from me. I wish no longer for you to suffer, little creature. 

I don’t understand, she replied, her mind choking on her panic. 

Go with him if you wish, my creature, it said. Go to a land with life where you shall thrive. Stand. 

She paused and the forest seemed to hiss in impatient displeasure at her lack of action. 

I will stand just- give a moment, she thought to the country around her. 

She looked at the boy who was waiting for her and seemed to be becoming discouraged and bored. This boy that she followed the day since he had hesitated at the edge of the mist and had watched and waited for the dreadful day of which he would wither completely away. This boy, with a broken and reckless heart, that was stronger and more hopeful than the other humans. As if he never thought he would stay in the cold, numbing forest forever. As if he truly just wanted to ease his aching heart until he could find the courage to use it again. 

And he was looking at her as though he’d found it. His courage. She just needed to find hers.

She imagined herself as a human girl, mixing and matching the features she’d liked of the girls she’d seen but it still didn’t feel right. 

She wasn’t human. She’d never been human and she’d never be human. So she imagined a human-like creature with soft bark-coloured hair that would blow around her like mist. She imagined long, graceful limbs and leaf shaped ears. She imagined a human that resembled the forest around her in colour and grace because despite how she feared it- she was its creature, its child. 

And suddenly… she was standing. 

She took a breath and opened- opened- her mud coloured eyes, which she’d imagined to resemble the soil beneath them. 

“Wow” the boy said as he grinned, and it took her a moment to realise he had spoken aloud. 

“Wow, indeed” she said in a whispery, soft voice, as soft as her thoughts had sounded when she was but mist. “I do believe this is when you’re supposed to run in terror from me” she added, putting her hands on her human-like hips since she had no idea what to do with the things.

The boy laughed in delight and surprise. “What are you?” he asked, his fear and unease completely set aside. 

“A creature” she said simply. 

This time when he smiled, she fought the urge to mirror the expression. “How unexpected” he teased before turning towards a path cleared of fog and mist. He turned to look at her with a question in his radiant blue eyes, asking her to come with him, to wherever the path lead. 

“I guess, the forest wants you to heal that reckless heart of yours,” she said as she stepped closer to him and he grinned at her. 

And you shall find yours, little creature, the land said to her before she and the boy began to walk down the path that guided them away from the land of fog and mist.