The Green Light

Nestled in one of California’s most beautiful landscapes was a college. Its construction did little harm to the hilly terrain that it rested upon though, I assure you. There is power in nature, oftentimes too subtle for most to notice, which demands respect. Tales as old as time warned of eternal beings that punished those who disobeyed. They were just stories nowadays, but the builders acknowledged those traditions and completed the project with them in mind. They did not carve and pound their way through the construction like most would choose to do. It is easier to destroy and reshape the terrain to an individual’s liking, of course, but these builders knew better. The buildings themselves were a stone's throw from the embrace of the ancient redwood forests. My, how those giants bring a gentle peace to all living things that visit or reside in them. Some folks have made light-hearted remarks regarding the almost eerie effect the forest has on how quickly the sounds of humankind disappear once their feet touch the rich soil. For most it is a welcome quiet. It’s an invaluable luxury in this modern world to have access to a natural, almost completely untouched piece of history filled with life. Our minds and bodies are not meant to be surrounded by sharp skyscrapers and bustling traffic. This lifestyle does nothing to nourish the soul. It is precisely the main reason both young and old are drawn to the redwoods. One of those people being Danny.

Danny grew up in San Francisco. Its dense population required damn near every inch of the city to construct building after building, office after office, apartment after apartment. And for what? Danny couldn’t seem to understand the question either. Though the beaches engulfing the city held a certain appeal, it was not enough for Danny. A piece of her mind was unable to settle within the manmade geography. After graduating high school, she began applying to colleges that better suited her cravings for nature. She placed her applications in a net of different schools across the country, hoping to snare a few approval letters. There was one particular school that, for some reason, held her interest most of all. She couldn’t pinpoint why. She didn’t know anyone in the area or had friends planning on attending the school. It simply called to her. Her curious suspicion was solidified with a letter in the mail announcing her acceptance. That’s all it took for Danny to begin her arrangements despite her parents encouraging her to weigh her options. Her mind was made up and she had never deviated from a decision before. She certainly wasn’t going to start now.

Danny’s first two semesters passed quickly from her perspective. The first year of college is often filled to the brim with an overwhelming amount of change and a new workload so it was understandable for days to pass without much thought. When the students were finally set free from the spring semester, Danny was somewhat startled by the amount of free time she had on her hands. She had been working part time during school as a clerk in the local used book store and while she was thankful for the owner’s understanding of her chaotic class schedule, she was now no longer as enthused to work there since she wasn’t restrained by those strict hours. She internally debated if she should continue the job through the summer as she strolled through a now familiar path from the grocery store. There were two routes to get back to her apartment. One was much shorter and fairly straight-forward while the other was more scenic since it crossed through a patch of the redwoods. The shorter route was the one she chose most often if she had a larger grocery haul. Danny was athletic, her main passions being track and softball, but still, her arms were quite tired after carrying more than three full bags. However, today she only needed a few miscellaneous items, none of which were particularly heavy, so she decided to take the long way home. The past few days had been filled with dark clouds that brought light rainfall but today the sky was blue, all the more reason for Danny to take the scenic path.

The short journey through town was uneventful. She said hello to the friendly tomcat that roamed the front yard of his owner’s home during the day. He greeted her with a wide yawn from his spot in the sunlight in return. Continuing forward, Danny walked down the street which blended into a trail through the forest that she used to return home. The path was popular in town since it didn’t have much of an incline; allowing families, elderly folk, and dog walkers to enjoy the redwoods without it being a strenuous activity. Danny often passed by multiple people because of that, sharing neighborly small talk if either party wasn’t in a hurry to be somewhere, but today she had the trail to herself. She was about halfway through when something glimmered in the corner of her eye. Turning her attention to find the source only brought more confusion. A warm green light flickered like a campfire in the distance. She rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand thinking it must be a trick her mind created because she stayed up late again but the light remained. She didn’t see or hear anyone nearby and honestly, she wasn’t sure what device could even create the green spectre. Curious and in no rush to be anywhere, Danny decided to take a look to figure out where the source was. The light was bizarrely similar to a mirage, like the ones you see in movies when someone is in the desert and they see water but no matter how far they go towards it, it never gets closer. The light did not follow the cleared path, thus catching Danny by surprise when her foot snagged on a raised rock more than once in her focused state. The college student was exacerbated by the strangeness surrounding the phenomenon and her puddle soaked shoes were not helping. She was on the verge of turning back when she heard...music?

Yes, music, she thought, bewildered. A simple melody from a flute hung lightly in the air around her just up ahead. Danny, now renewed with a new source of wonder, continued forward. The flute’s melody was soon spun into a song and accompanied by a voice. Danny didn’t recognize the language of the lyrics but the sound was so beautiful that it didn’t matter. It pulled at her heartstrings with no explanation. She quickened her pace. She needed to see what was responsible for the light and meet the singer whose song touched her soul. The light was shimmering now, buzzing with what felt like excitement to Danny and guiding her through an archway. It was made of stone and attached to an abandoned building that was overtaken by the weaving vines of morning glories.

The world transformed once Danny walked through the archway. The air was crisper, the sunlight richer and the colors shined brighter than she had ever seen before. The green light dimmed considerably but still lingered around her like a warm blanket. A meadow filled with soft grass and a variety of wildflowers beckoned her to come closer. That’s when she spotted the source of the music. Three figures were resting on a blanket: one playing, one singing and one admiring. They had leftovers from a picnic in folded cloth and empty glasses scattered around them. Two of them were men. One being the flute player and the other was the admirer. The woman’s voice continued to ring sweetly in Danny’s ears. The admirer’s gaze flickered towards her, probably the first to notice since he wasn’t occupied with creating music. His expression reflected amused curiosity as he interrupted his companions to announce Danny’s presence. He spoke the same unfamiliar language that made up the lyrics of the song to them directly but switched to English to greet Danny.

“Why hello there,” He called out with a grin. “We don’t see much of your kind around here.”

Danny stood without saying anything, momentarily confused by wondering what her “kind” could mean and before she could respond, the woman spoke.

“That is no way to greet a neighbor,” She scolded, her mesmerizing voice carrying a sharp tone.

The man’s face flushed in response and he quickly offered Danny an apology. She accepted it but was not given an explanation.

“If my companion’s impulsive words haven’t ruined your first impression entirely, we would love for you to join us,” The flute player added with a charming smile. The effects of the smile did not go unnoticed by Danny. It brought color to her cheeks and she found herself returning the smile.

“Sure, thanks,” Danny replied, still smiling. She felt a gentle pull guide her towards the mysterious trio. Following her instincts, she sat at the offered spot on the blanket after setting the bag of half-forgotten groceries to the side.

Now that Danny was closer to them, she noticed something seemed...off with their appearances. They were beautiful, yes, but she found their features unusual in her peripheral vision. She rubbed her eyes once again, just like she had done when she first saw the green light. Only this time the three strangers appeared normal. She mentally shrugged off the initial confusion of their looks. I’m just tired. I gotta stop staying up so late, she thought.

“What’s your name?”, The woman asked with her own version of the radiant smile the flute player displayed.

“I’m Danny,” She introduced, but as soon as the words left her throat, she felt dizzy. Her head filled with a brief cloudy situation that she couldn’t shake. I’m just hungry. I haven’t eaten since this morning, she thought dismissively. “And you? What are your names?”

The trio shared a cheeky grin like Danny said something that reminded them of an inside joke.

“You may call us Mae, Cillian and Douglas,” Mae said, gesturing to the young men when introducing both names.

“Cool, nice to meet you guys,” Danny said, shaking each of their hands.

“The pleasure is ours,” Mae insisted.

Conversation flowed easily after the introductions. Hours flew by without any lull breaks that would typically signal the end of a social interaction. The sun had begun to set when Danny finally acknowledged the passage of time.

“I should head back soon,” Danny said, sounding disappointed.

“There’s still an hour of daylight left. Are you in a hurry?,” Cillian, the flute player, replied.

“No, not really. I actually have a lot of free time for once since school doesn’t start for two months,” Danny mused.

“That’s wonderful. I’m sure it’s a welcomed break,” Douglas chuckled.

“So don’t worry about going back just yet. You have the whole summer to spend however you want,” Mae chimed in.

It was true; Danny deserved to kick back and relax. Her next shift was three days away and the walk back wouldn’t take more than half an hour. She settled down once more, unknowingly sitting amongst mischievous fae folk that held humans accountable for their decisions to destroy what is left of the world’s oldest forests. They are not entirely made of mischief though, so don’t fret over Danny’s willing participation in their lives. The fae knew Danny meant no ill will to the earth and genuinely enjoyed her company. Time passed strangely when humans entered the realm of the fae, guided by the green light. To the mortal world, she could be gone for an hour. Or a day. Or even longer. But do not worry, when Danny would decide to return home, she would go back the same way she entered, unharmed and excited to tell her friends and family all about the “people” she met in the meadow.