Everlasting Roses

You've heard the story of the Tucks. But they weren't the first people to discover the spring; on the contrary, far from it. Zakinerose Witherman was born into a life of privilege. Her father gave her anything she ever wanted. Sadly at the age of 16, she was left to her whiles and wondered the shores of England when pirates took her captive, leaving behind her basket and wrap.

After many years, she escaped and wandered lost and confused in a foreign land to her. Loss and tragedy followed her, and she was finally at her end. Zakinerose decided to lean against a tree and wait for death to take her. Death didn't come for she heard a trickle of water, and upon looking down, she discovered a small spring, and her thirst overcame her, and she instantly cupped her hands and began drinking some of the glorious liquid. As soon as the water touched her lips, she knew something had changed.

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Sitting under the tree that saved her life, Kina looked around with a soft smile on her lips. She had been gone for some time and truly missed this place. She closed her eyes and rested her hands in her lap. Kina found herself humming lightly, an old melody she had heard as a child. She had used it as a lullaby to sing her babies to sleep when they were born.

Opening her eyes, she looked over toward where her little ones were buried and frowned at the memory of burying them. Slipping her hand into the hidden pocket of her dress, she slipped out a small square music box she'd had made. Smiling down at it, she wound the key and allowed it to play. The music flowed from the tiny musical box covered in painted roses and lilies of the valley. It was the only constant object she held in her life that she enjoyed the most. Kina would even go as far as saying it was the prettiest thing she owned.

Smiling, she sat there happily, enjoying the peaceful air that surrounded her. She loved coming to this little haven of hers. It calmed her and made her happy and feel not so alone in her long a lonely life. Kina ran her finger across the flowers painted on the music box. Tears came to her eyes as she thought of her babies that were gone. Wiping roughly at her eyes, she knew she needed to stop crying for her lost little ones. They'd been gone for a long while, and she was beyond mourning, or at least that's what she told herself. Smiling down at the little box in her hand, she enjoys the memories it brought to her about her mortal years.

Suddenly, she heard a horse reacting in the near distance, and her head instantly snapped up. She only had a short time to respond, and so she rushed to the bushes nearby in fear that someone sees her and find the hidden spring. In her rush, she had dropped her music box, and just as she was about to run back and get it, she heard voices nearby and instantly knew she couldn't retrieve it.

"Here is a good place to rest. Jesse. Miles. We'll see camp here. Help your ma. I'll fetch the water." the older male spoke to the younger ones. Kina held her breath, afraid of what would happen. This was not good. If they camped there, then indeed they'd find the spring. She had to do something.

"Pa! I hear water near this tree." Too late. Kina slapped her forehead, knowing full well that would this would happen. She watched as the woman retrieved a soup spoon so they could collect water from it to drink. For half a second, she thought about making some animal noise in hopes of scaring them away, but they were already taking a drink. One by one, they drank and even sharing it with their horse. Kina dropped to her knees, knowing they were now like her, and she wasn't sure if she should approach them or not. They really should know what they had just done to themselves, but Kina was afraid of what they would do if she told them that she had just stood there and let them drink it. Though in her defense, it had all happened so quickly that she didn't have time to react to help them.

"Oh, Tuck, look what I found. Isn't it just the prettiest thing you ever did see?" Kina's head snapped up and frowned at the woman's words as the woman turned the key, and the music began to play. "Well, I'll be. The music is just as lovely as you, my dear." That was all Kina needed to witness, and she made her decision to stand and walk away just after they started to carve a large 'T' in the tree. Kina knew it was only a matter of time before they realized what just happened to them. She didn't want to be there when they did.

Continuing on her walk away from the family that just unwittingly joined her in this forever, she knew that she couldn't even interact with them or at least tell them she was there when they drank from the spring. They would wonder why she didnt stop them from doing it. Although she was somewhat content in her life as an immortal, she knew that not many would choose this life. The only reason she did was that she was okay with living alone. People had hurt her and those she loved and cared about. Yes, she did wish to be with her little ones again in heaven, but she knew they were looking down on her. Tears came to her eyes as she collapsed to the ground, praying that she could hold her babies one more time.

The truth was, Kina did miss people, but she was terrified of what they would do if they found out what she had become. She'd protected her secret all this time, and now with a slip-up, and the entire family had been ruined thanks to her stupidity. Running her hands down her face, her body shook from the tears. How could she have allowed them to drink from the spring? Now they were like her, and there was nothing she could do about it.