In the Hollows

The surrounding villages kept their distance from the thick tree line that marked the beginning of the Hollows, a forest coated in a dense perpetual fog. Those who ventured into the Hollows never returned. At least, not in living memory.

Anabel thought that the fog gave the Hollows an enchanting feeling, as though it was one of the places from the fairy tales her parents read to her at night. She hopped over tree roots that emerged from the ground, but she couldn't avoid her dress getting caught on lower branches and leaving the hem frayed.

Her parents would come find her soon, wouldn't they? Her eyelids kept drooping down, and her steps were turning into stumbles. She was so, so tired.

When her legs hurt too much for her to continue walking, Anabel sat down with her back against the rough bark of a tree. If she closed her eyes for just a moment, then maybe her parents would have found her before she woke up.

There was no way for her to tell how much time passed while she slept, but it wasn't her parents waiting for her when she woke up. Instead, she gazed into the silver eyes of a creature she heard of only in legends: a dragon.

It blinked its eyes slowly, and she heard its deep, decidedly feminine voice resonate throughout her mind. Siva.

"Is that your name?" Anabel asked. Then, without waiting for a response, she added, "I'm Anabel."

Siva dipped her head down in what Anabel thought was acknowledgement.

"I'm waiting for my parents to come get me."

Oh?

"Yes. They should be here very soon."

Anabel tugged at the frayed threads of her dress. Part of her heart hurt, telling her that maybe Mom and Dad wouldn't be coming to get her and take her home. She wasn't a bad girl. Even if she wandered into places they told her to stay away from, but she was just curious because they never explained why she couldn't go there.

Everybody talked about the Hollows, but nobody said why it was different or what made it special.

What if they're unable to find you?

Anabel didn't know the answer to that. "Do you think that they can't?"

Siva brought her large head down to rest on Anabel's lap. Her grey scales shimmered like moonlight when she moved, even in the dreary atmosphere of the Hollows. Her eyes, deep with wisdom and sorrow, never left Anabel's.

Dear Anabel, you've been here far longer than you realize. Your parents may have searched for you, but that would have happened decades ago.

Anabel tilted her head to the side. "That doesn't make any sense, Siva. I haven't been here for very long at all, and a decade sounds like a long time."

Time flows differently for the dead.

Siva brought her head to touch Anabel's forehead, and memories flowed into her mind.

Anabel saw herself enter the Hollows. From a distance, she watched herself stumble over the undergrowth and walk in circles more than once, confused by the fog limiting her vision. The image blurred, and when it cleared, Anabel saw herself lying on the ground, blood pooling around her head on and the surface of a jagged rock.

Anabel brought her hand to her head. She remembered that, yet those memories were fuzzy around the edges. Her foot got caught on a tree root or some sort of vine. She tried to tug it free, but lost her balance in the process. Her head hit against the edge of that rock, and she felt searing pain until her vision went black.

When Siva pulled away, Anabel couldn't stop her tears from falling down her cheeks. "What do I do now?"

You stay in the Hollows with me. Souls that are lost here cannot leave, but it won't be so bad. I will take care of you, my child.

Anabel held onto Siva as she sobbed. This would be her life now?

At least... At least, she wouldn't be alone.