Nature's Daughter

Once upon a time, in a quaint cottage hidden away in the woods, there lived a girl by the name of Lycelle. If her sereneness wasn’t enough a clue of her harmony with nature, one might pick it up from how supernaturally she belonged in her little clearing among the trees. From her dark hair falling in loops like the cascading leaves of the willow trees to the way her eyes of earthy garnet and skin of deep sepia seemed to seep the same soothing warmth the very ground she walked on did.

The Earth beneath her seemed to thrum with happiness as she left her cottage. Playful wind whipped her hair into her face.

“Well hello to you too!” she giggled.

This was her favorite part of the day. The mischievous greeting from nature allowed her to feel a little less alone out here by herself.

She walked around back to check on her garden. Overgrown branches tangle among the bushes of different species. Fruit trees and berry bushes alike winding into a lively bunch. Seeing no wilting areas in need of water or attention, she continues on to well. With a fresh bucket of water tugged into her hands, she heads back into her cottage to make breakfast and get to work on her to-do list for the day.

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Knock Knock Knockety

Her hand startles from its grip on her sewing needle. The pinprick to her thumb was a mere afterthought to the more important curiosity and trepidation of who had come to visit her. A thickset man was revealed upon opening the door. His skin was blank of marks beyond deep frown lines and greying brown hair was pulled back into a short ponytail. He wears a long coat, strange to the current weather.

“Hello sir, what brings you to my cottage?” There's a forced casualness to his stance, but his face betrays none of his intent.

“Nothing really, I just heard from the townspeople you grow good strawberries here? I’m new to the town and I couldn’t find any suitable blackberries anywhere.”

That was… believable enough. She dropped any hesitation she had and relaxed into the conversation.

“Oh! Welcome to Teeytle! You’re completely right, no one in that town seems capable of caring for any fruit plants.”

“Yeah, could we have a trade maybe?”

“Oh don’t be silly, you’re a first time customer, you’re more than welcome to have some for free. Follow me to my garden around back!”

Brushing past him, they walked to the other side of her cottage to see her flourishing fruit trees and bushes.

He runs his hand along one of her blueberry bushes. “Wow. These are really something. How do you get them to have so many berries on them?”

“Just a lot of time spent on it. Not much else to do out here, you know?”

“Yeah… I have a bag with me if we could fill it?”

“Of course!”

They stand a few feet apart around her blackberry bush, picking berry by berry and tossing them into the bag between them. As she goes to pick her next berry, her thumb brushes against a leaf, smearing a dot of blood on it. The plant rustles to attention, branches leaning towards her hand to coddle the pricked finger.

Her head snaps up to the visitor, praying he hasn’t noticed. His eyes are trained on her and his trench coat has been pulled to the side to reveal a knife strapped to his waist.

She leaps back from him.

“So I see you are a witch.” The knife pulled from its sheath glints in his hand.

“No! This is really just a misunderstanding, that was just- um, just wind!”

“I know full well what that was.” He stalks towards her. “You have manipulated this land to bend to your will. But I will be freeing it. It’s not yours to possess.”

“You confuse nature for a controllable being then. It cannot be bent to any will. I have treated it with kindness and so it treats me with the same back.” Her back hits the wall of the cottage behind her. He continues towards her. Not good. She should run. But her legs are frozen.

“You’ve forced it’s good growth and plentiful yields away from surrounding towns. The townspeople are hurting for what you’ve taken from them.”

He’s arms length away now. His arm pulled back to thrust the knife into her stomach. The ground beneath her shifts with urgency. She rolls away at the last second, the knife clanging harmlessly against the cottage wall.

“I am not the one that beats its hills flat and uproots it’s creatures from their mother.” Now that her legs work its all she can do to run. “Nature has free will and it chooses to leave those who don’t treat it with respect.” He’s fast, but not fast enough to catch her before she’s sliding into the center of a black berry bush. It’s sharp thorns pulled back and away from her person, forming a barrier on the outside against the man.

He snarls. “Do not attempt to use these poor plants as your shield. Come out and pay for your crimes.”

Her breath is coming shallow and fast. Where does she have to run? She needs a weapon.

He’s slicing his knife through the bush.

For his preaching not hurting the land, he clearly isn’t above actually slicing into it’s plants. She dives out of the opposite end of the bush, running towards the trees just meters ahead of her.

Climb a tree? Maybe. She knows she can’t run forever. He’s already starting to grow on her.

CRACK THUD

A long, thick branch has fallen to her left. Almost club shaped. She darts towards it, grabs it, and hides behind a tree. The branch is heavy, but wieldable. She holds it at the ready as his footsteps draw nearer.

WHACK THUD

His body hits the ground. The alarmed rustling cacophony of the forest breaks through the adrenaline in her ears. He’s not conscious but for how long? Gentle willow leaves brush against her back, pushing her back towards her cottage.

“I can’t leave yet,” she cries. Her voice is shaky as she trembles with adrenaline and fear. “I’m not safe until he’s gone.”

The wind joins the branches in nudging her towards home. Seeming to whisper that it will be okay. That it was handled.

A glimpse at the man makes her understand. He’s sinking into the earth. Dirt and underbrush swallowing him.

“Oh. Thank you.”

The wind remains a gentle presence as she walks back to her house. She’s sure this isn’t over - someone sent that witch hunter. But the world hums with reassurance. Safety is found in the protection of nature.