Under the Dark Willow

In a small town, there's a legend surrounding an old willow tree that sits on the bank of a lake embedded in the depths of a dark mysterious forest. No one ever visits the tree and those who do never turn up again. Legend says a spirit haunts the tree and those who choose to disturb the spirit's sleep end up disappearing in mysterious ways. So for over 40 years, the tree has sat unbothered on the bank of the murky lake.

While most people in this sleepy little town believe the lore, Evie does not. At least not about it housing a sadistic spirit. She wasn't sure what visited the willow tree at night but she knew it wasn't a spirit. She had suspicions of what secrets the surrounding forest held. She heard the howls that echoed through her bedroom windows at night and remembered the clear singing she heard on her morning jogs. Most of all she reminisced about the fluttering of wings that would stall just outside her house before ending at the so-called cursed tree. Evie often longed to follow the sounds of mystery. She craved the adventure the forest teased her with. Anything to free herself from the grasp of her cold-hearted father. Even at the age of 29, her father tried to manipulate and torment her. She desired a way out of the nightmare that was her life.

One evening Evie was having a particularly difficult night. The normal argument between her and her father ensued only this time he escalated the situation hitting her across the left side of her face leaving a red mark and a distinctive cut on her cheek from his ring. So Evie sat on her bed crying and waited for the distant sounds alerting her to the awakening of the forest. the howling picks up and soon the fluttering of the wings follows. Only this time the creature stopped at her open window. A small bat sat on the window sill looking at the crying Evie. It stared at her for just a moment sadness welling up in its striking green eyes. Strange for a bat to have; its eyes resemble a deep emerald jewel. For just a moment the world seemed to stop and then the bat just flew off towards the willow tree. Evie didn't know what she would find but she just knew that she had to follow it.

Dressed in her silk pajama set, a long coat, and a pair of rain boots she trucked off into the dark eery forest dodging branches and and cobwebs. The eery forest around seemed to pause as if in confusion. Eventually she made her way to the murky lake. She tried to smooth her dark wavy hair from the mess caused by the branches as she walked around the willow tree looking for the small bat but she found nothing. Disappointed, she sat on the bank confused and soon sleep fell upon her as if lured asleep by the sounds of the forest.

A couple of hours passed and soon the forest darkened, covering everything in a blanket of midnight. Coating the lake in a bed of mystery only the night could bring. All of a sudden something brushed away the hair that had fallen over Evie's face as she slept startling her awake. Standing before her was a man. He was clothed in a very well-kept suit that appeared older than the fashion of today. His shaggy hair fell around his pale face in a dark mess of curls. Nothing about this man looked familiar, but yet something seemed so familiar to Evie. At that moment she noticed the striking emerald eyes she recognized from the bat. Standing before her was not a threatening spirit or even a scary man, but what she suspected was a very sad-looking vampire.

The man introduced himself as Xander Cain. A name that seemed to echo that of a man who disappeared more than 40 years ago. Lining up with the legend of the willow tree. Curious Evie asked the question that burned in her mind. What was he? The sad man hesitated before confirming her suspicions. He was, in fact, a vampire. Evie felt no fear as he explained his death at the hands of a mysterious woman and how she turned him when he rejected her feelings. She felt no fear as he moved closer to where she stayed seated on the lake eventually sitting next to her. He reached out to her but hesitated almost as if he was scared he'd hurt her, yet again Evie felt no fear. She slowly reached out to him and gently touched his face. It was cold but soft. As he asked her why she did not shrink back in terror at him he noticed the mark on her face and realized he was not the only monster she knew. She told him about her life and her verbally and now physically abusive father. She told him about her desire to leave it all behind and how she hoped the dark forest would give her a way out. He talked about how he longed for a love that wouldn't fear him. The moment seemed small but like an eternity at the same time. At that moment they both realized that they were each other's destinies. One day they would claim the forest as their home together. Soon the night began to give away to the morning. He agreed to walk her home so she'd get there safely. As they got to her house he paused at her door long enough to promise her more nights filled with wonder as long as she promised to return each night. She so willfully agreed and the promise was sealed with a soft kiss to her forehead. As she watched Xander swiftly head off to the safety of the forest, pausing only for a moment to wave before disappearing into the trees, she smiled at the wonderful future that awaited her.