Another spring will come

“We should’ve dressed more lightly,” suggested Timothy, a young boy with sparking eyes, “look, father, it’s so warm, it’s spring now! Look at the blossoming field flowers, isn’t this sight a treasure?”

   A huge man and his son were strolling on a grassy field, on rather hot and humid day, which, by the way, was a rare occasion in this little village.

“Tim, the nature doesn’t forgive naive people”, answered the man with content look on his face. His eyes always gave an impression that he was tired all the time, but it was easy to get used to.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, the nature is harsh, it is always out there to get you, and someday it will. Always be carful during springtime, the flora is gathering power now.” 

   Although Timothy looked up to his father, he couldn’t help to make a peculiar, confused expression with his face. Ever since his dad became a widow, he would sometimes leave the question unanswered and say something like that. Or maybe this was just how Tim’s dad, Arnold, always acted. The boy was nine years old, when his mum passed, so he didn’t remember what kind of person Arnold was before he became a widow.

“Oh, hello, Tim, where you goin’?” asked some youthful fellow. Timothy, lost in reverie, hadn’t noticed his childhood friend walking right next to him, “hello, Uncle Arnold!”

“hi, lassie,” said Arnold and knowing the girl, asked, “what are you up to now?” 

“Oh, nothing, don’t mind me, just goin’ to pick some berries. I’ll pick some for ya too, Tim,” she smiled at the boy.

This warm and bubbly girl was Belle. She was shorter than the boy and had unnaturally bad luck. Once she got chased by a Fangterror, which, by the way, was never noticed in this side of the country, Then she somehow managed to get bitten by a horse. Once Belle burnt down a shack, where her family lived... The list goes on. 

“Where are you goin’ anyway Tim?”

“we’re gonna cut down a tree.” 

   The landscape slowly shifted, the grass got taller and the light got weaker, as they approached the forest. It seemed like, the willow forest sucked light into its depths and never let it out. The ground became somewhat muddy too.

“You were right, father, it is colder here,” Said Timothy, shrugging his shoulders due to the cold.

“Remember, although the spring brings warmth with itself, the forests are growing colder at the same time. The plants are consuming all the energy there is.” 

“There he goes again,” thought Timothy, “All that blabber about god knows what.” Timothy just tried to ignore his father. It was better this way. 

   The party stood before the woods. grass reaching up to their knees, started to tingle them.

“Ready?” asked Arnold, then walked into the dim atmosphere of the forest, without waiting for an answer. The children followed, constantly glancing around, noticing only cobwebs and the darkness behind them. Smelly mixture of flora and mud made their lungs sore. The ground sucked in their feet, making it harder to move.

   Something ran across the path, right in front of Belle. She screeched.

“Calm down!” Arnold turned and tried to speak to the girl, “most likely it was a fox or something not harmful.” 

Unfortunately, this wasn’t enough to calm Belle down. She was shaking. 

“We are here, Belle, nothing will happen,” bewildered Tim tried to calm her friend down, only in vain, since he was the one who got scared the most. The boy almost felt how his leg got ripped off. It was more than just bloodlust, coming from predator, It was primordial fear of something nightmarish. 

   Arnold unsheathed his massive hunting knife and peeled his eyes like mad. He stopped breathing for a moment, even his unconscious trembling stopped... Than with one brisk slash, which was barely noticed by kids, he deflected the beast’s attack and even managed to wound it. It backed off. 

   After few seconds, when they thought, that they managed to scare the predator off, Arnold sensed something dangerous. 

but it was too late. 

“Aaah..!” the beast had already clenched Belle’s leg and was dragging her away through bushes and vines.

“Belle!” screamed Tim, but he was unable to do anything and he knew it. He just stood there and clenched his teeth in anger. The boy’s dad made him come back to his senses.

“Listen, son,” crouched Arnold and spoke with Timothy eye to eye, “remember the way back, right? Just get out, I will handle this” 

Tim didn’t speak a word. He was helpless.

“Now go!” 

Arnold turned back and ran off the path, making rustling sounds. The boy couldn’t decide what to do:

“If I run, I won’t forgive myself.”

“But you can do nothing.”

“Still, I don’t care.”

“You will be an inconvenience for dad.”

“I won’t!”

“don’t regret this later then.”

Finally, Tim chased after his dad into the darkness. He ran, ran as fast as his legs could go, the branches were scratching his face, leaves blocking his eyesight and making his face wet. 

“I will fight to the end!” He screamed in his head. 

   Suddenly, he caught a distant sound, which was not so different from his dad’s voice. He rushed towards the voice and finally, he caught up. The sight he saw was definitely not ordinary. 

“Belle, walk towards me,” Arnold was speaking in calm voice.

“But..!” Belle was scared. Of course she was. She was hardly standing on the ground, where sunlight could reach. Her leg looked severely injured. The beast, for some reason, feared the light. It was just waiting next to the light for Belle to come out. Why was Tim’s dad so eager to force the girl out of there? The boy got dazed, not only because of this situation, but also because it was a Fangterror they were dealing with. The beast’s huge fangs and silvery fur were being illuminated by very little light, scattered in this small space. 

“Do you trust me?” asked Arnold, “come out of there, it will be alright!”

“I trust you, Uncle Arnold!” replied Belle, not sure, if she was telling the truth, “I’m coming!”

Trembling like mad, the girl stumbled towards Arnold, one step at a time. Once she left the light, the Fangterror didn’t detain itself and dashed towards Belle. Arnold caught the beast and this gigantic man started to wrestle with the predator. Meanwhile, the girl ran back into the sunlight.

“No! Stay away from... Gaah!” Arnold struggled and no wonder, the Fangterror was almost his size. Belle already was consumed by panic. She couldn’t move an inch. This was the moment, when Timothy, just an observer till now, thought that it was his turn to show bravery. He hurried towards Belle and tried to calm her down:

“Belle, stop panicking!”

But something was wrong. The girl was unnaturally pale. She couldn’t speak, she just muttered some undistinguishable words. When Tim looked closer, it got clear, why the Fangterror was avoiding the sunlit ground. Some kind of a vine was erected from the ground, going into the girl’s wound. Slowly, starting from the feet, Belle started to become greener. Then, from her ankle, a flower bloomed. 

“No..!” Tim screamed and tried to free his friend, not knowing, what this foolishness would cost him. Now, both of the youngsters were captured by this freak plant. 

   Arnold was done wrestling with the beast, the latter laying lifeless on the ground. The man didn’t have much strength left. Panting, he walked as fast as he could towards the children. Their feet was completely covered with flowers now, their arms were next. Paralyzed, they couldn’t move a finger. Tim’s dad, soaked in blood, barely managing to keep his body standing, stood before the light. He knew what this plant was and what would happen if he tried to interfere with its meal. Nevertheless, he had to save them. He grabbed both of their hands and before the predatory plant could react, on a count of three, pulled them back with tremendous strength. The plant went berserk. It, with all its might, tried to grapple Arnold and succeeded. 

   Tim and Belle fell on the wet soil. The boy was the first, who woke up from paralysis. The sight he saw would never leave his head in his lifetime, not even once. His dad was covered with flowers, only upper part of his neck and head remained. Even though, he was paralyzed, he recognized his son waking up and smiled mildly. A tear jerked from his eye. Then, with clumsy movement of lips, he tried to mutter something. Tim got it. He got everything now.

“I will!” screamed Timothy on top of his lungs, stood up with a struggle, picked Belle up and darted away. His legs were feeling weird, kind of weak, kind of light, but this didn’t hold him. Even after he got out from the forest, he was still holding Belle in his hands and ran before he reached his village. 

   Even after he fell unconscious from exhaustion, the folk couldn’t take Belle away from Tim. After all, Arnold’s last wish was to protect Belle. Tim’s dad joined his wife, in the afterlife, finally resting those restless eyes. Belle would recall, that even though she was scared, she felt very safe, like something was protecting her. 

   Years passed. The time rushed through the seasons of the year with ease several times. During one particular spring, a young man with a fang necklace and his loved one were strolling on a grassy field. The day was hot and humid, a rare combination in this village. They were headed towards the closest forest. 

“Look, the birds are coming back!” pointed young woman at the sky.

“Yeah, the flowers are looking very pretty too. Would look good on your hair.”

Occasionally, they stopped and picked small flowers, the boy adding the prettiest ones in his lover’s hair, the latter making the bunch out of the rest. As the bunch grew bigger, the sight of the willow woods did too, but the couple wasn’t anxious. 

   After making a small, kind of symbolical pause at the edge, the they walked in. Their saunter continued off the path, making leaves and branches swish and rustle. They walked and walked, until, At last, they stopped, when they saw a sunlight. Melancholic feeling poured in their hearts. Lovers stayed still for some minutes.

“I can’t... Stop blaming myself,” young woman began in gloomy voice.

“I know. I can’t help you, just know that he would be happy, seeing us like this.”

“Yeah...”

“You know, I am so glad, that you were saved!”

“Tim...”

Tim gave Belle a gentle kiss on her head, smelling the sweet, sweet spring.