She Lives In The Trees

She Lives In The Trees

At first all kinds of men would pass by what they now refer to as the forbidden forest, from big to small to a size that would fit within my arms. I would watch them from the trees. I was afraid of the men, however the women and children never frightened me since I was once them. But that’s a story for another time. The children that would go by and laugh and play about a witch who lives in the forest, their mother’s joining in as if I do not exist, but the men, they were always weary. I enjoyed the presence of the women and children the most, they reminded me of the companionship I used to have myself, of a home I used to have, and even though I was afraid of men, the ones that showed pure and true love to their families made me miss the idea of having a family myself. A long forgotten thought that would rarely leave my heart aching.

However it was the men who stopped entering my forest first. Maybe because for them, often times, this beautiful place with lush trees so full and green that it nearly blocked out all of the bright blue sky leaving only sun spots to guide the path below, this place with wondrous creatures and birds that sing such lovely songs, this place with fresh running water near by, where I go to gather, this is the place that has welcomed in me in my time of need and has protected me ever since, this place does exist to them. This place does not show its true self to men unless I allow it, and there have only been rare moments when my heart ached for the love I see men are capable of, only then I allowed it. But usually when men enter, they don’t get to see the beauty of this place, not since I arrived. I refused to allow them to see it, they ruined everything, I filled this place with flowers that are known to trick men, so to them, the trees are never full of life, there’s no leaves, there’s no color, just cloudy dark skies, fog, and the beautiful songs from the birds turns into whales of children crying. I do allow the men to see me, to see what they have done to me. Soon they stopped entering my forest, and I did not miss them. I wanted them gone, and the ones who made my heart ache, only caused more heartbreak than good.

The women however, I did not expect them to stop soon after. I would hear them slowly becoming more and more paranoid, claiming what they are seeing is fake, that I am luring them in to eat them. What a ridiculous thought, me, eating humans, as if I wasn’t once one myself. However that didn’t matter because they didn’t know. One by one, no matter how beautiful, how welcoming this place was for them, they stopped coming. I rarely see anyone nowadays. I blamed the men. The children stopped when their mothers stopped coming and I would be alone for many days and nights. I felt lonely about their absence, I was no longer able to watch men from afar, with their laughter and smiles and the joy on the children’s faces. It was only occasionally after a very long time that I would meet someone who is like me. Running from a monster, and I offer them the same offer the creatures within these forests gave me. To become a part of this place and to live without fear. Many refuse, scared I was tricking them to eat them, scared that I was the same as the monsters chasing them or even worse, however the few who have accepted become my sisters and I no longer feel lonely.

Their absence however caused more rumors and paranoia of me being a witch who eats women and children. Now, only those who dare or to test their bravery enter the forbidden forest, and nothing happens to them. They were often disappointed but a bit relieved at the same time that there was actually nothing that could harm them here. I also stopped emitting flowers that warded the forest from men to show that this place is in fact not what they think it is, to show that I am not who they think, but they still go back to their village and they still tell stories. Now these forests are a last resort for these people. And though I miss seeing them, I now have my sisters and we are more than happy living the life we live in within the trees.

It wasn’t until one night I realized how mistaken I have been. I should’ve never let anyone near this place. As the smoke filled my lungs, as the trees caught fire, I realized that fear can only keep men away for so long. The cries of my sisters shook me to my core, the creatures of the forest ran, but where were they to run to? This place was their home. This place was my home. However the fire caught quick and it spread so fast there was no end to it. We had to run and just hope it wouldn’t follow.

As the days go by we count the missing and as we watch from the mountains, our homes, now just soot and ash. I sobbed. I sobbed for the first time since the day I found my home. I never wanted this, all I wanted was to live, even if it meant transforming into the creature I am now. I wanted to live and protect the home that gave me my new life, but still, the fears and wants I had in my old life followed me and because men will never give up at destroying things they believe they own, this is the result.

Days, months, years, gone by, and we are still here. We have found a new place to settle. But the loss of the creatures that lived within these forests, and one of my sisters we cannot find, has haunted me. My heart is now filled with sorrow and anguish, and my tears have turned black, forever staining my face. I wept for my loss while rebuilding our new home, I wept while I gathered my remaining sisters, and I wept even when I slept. I wept for years, the tears will never stop and the stains of man will always remain. When it was deemed safe at last my sisters left, I did not know if they were ever going to come back. It was days without them, days that filled me with new emotions other than sorrow, I was anxious and nauseous while they were away. I had days when my heart beat so fast I could not breathe due to my worry. The creatures of the forests tried to comfort me, the birds would sing, the deer would lay by my side, the bears would guard me, the trees would shade me, and the flowers would give off the calming scent of lavender. Still, the immense panic would hit again the next day and the days to come, I was afraid it would forever continue as long as they were gone.

I don’t know how long it’s been, I have become such a shell of myself even worse than I once was because this was a type of loss I have never felt before. If my black tears did not show how I felt or what I was becoming, the black now crawling up my hands did. However even if my home was gone, the creatures who made it my home were not, they stood by me, they once again took care of me, and eventually my sisters did return to me. They had told me they left to find hope, hope that one day our home will return to us. They showed me the seeds left behind and told me of how all the trees grew back since we have been gone, but they also told me that men have already expanded into the area. They did not want to return to me until they had good news, but eventually they themselves gave up.

With defeat and exhaustion in their eyes and the sorrow and fear they must've seen on mine I realized something that was far more important than home. Them. My sisters, these creatures, the spirits of the trees and flowers. They were my home, and though we lost so much, we still had each other and that was the most important thing. With the power I had received from the forest, and with the strength of their love, I vowed to seal off our home for everyone except those seeking a safe space. Let us now live since our home is with each other.