Changing Places

Flash Fiction

(1)

I noticed something strange when I stopped for the evening meal yesterday. For a moment, I didn’t know why I was there. My head felt muddled, and I couldn’t recall how I came to be in the forest. It lasted for a brief time, and then I shook off the haze that shrouded my thoughts. But, the same thing happened again tonight, and it took longer for me to remember. So, I’ve decided to preserve my history, in case the memory is lost entirely. It’s hard to predict what might happen out here. Let me record the main points.

All my life, I lived in the Court. I was the King’s child. My mother died long ago, and I was raised by Bet, who was first my nurse, and then my friend. I don’t remember my mother, but I understood she was not royal. My father’s wife, in contrast, belonged to the highest class. She considered me insignificant, and I stayed out of her way.

After my father died, nothing changed immediately, though Bet kept me always within her sight. She came to me a few nights ago, and told me I was in danger. She could no longer protect me. She gave me a ring my mother used to wear. It was engraved with the image of a broad oak tree - the kind that dominates the forest. Bet told me, I must leave the Court and live in hiding for a time. I trusted her advice. Before the sun rose the next morning, I left my home and wended my way into the forest. I’ve heard that people who enter the forest never return, but I had no choice.

(2)

I’m glad I decided to record my story, the cloud obscuring my thoughts grows heavier. I had to read back over my own words to remind myself why I have come here. I don’t know what I expect to find. Safety? Bet believed I would find refuge in this place. But, she gave me no guidemap, no ending point for the journey. She bestowed her blessing on me, and set me adrift.

I believe that I have traveled quite a distance over the past few days. I climbed to the top of a steep hill this afternoon. I am resting here on the summit tonight. Looking across the forest, I could see a dark smudge on the horizon that arrested my sight. I don’t know if it is a good determination, but I will travel that way tomorrow.

(3)

I’ve never known a person who went into the forest. It’s not done. People don’t enter the forest. I wouldn’t have come here if I had some other option. But, I’ve watched my step-mother turn against people. I’m not her enemy, but she views my existence as a threat. Regardless what happens, I have to push onward.

(4)

If I hadn’t started writing down my story, I would have lost all sense of myself by now. Each day, the past becomes more hazy. I can no longer recollect my previous experiences or the people I used to know. I seem to exist only here.

The darkness on the horizon comes closer. Whenever I get the chance, I take advantage of the hills and high places to try to look ahead. For several days, I have been lost in the hollows, but I would guess I might reach the darkness with two or three days of walking, depending on the weather. My provisions will run out, just about the same time. I hope I can find some place of refuge, or at least some way to restock my provisions.

(5)

I encountered a person in the forest today. Lost in this netherworld, it hardly seemed surprising to meet a stranger. After greeting me, this person offered to guide me to their city, located at the foot of a tall escarpment. I didn’t know how to answer this offer. Seeing my confusion, the stranger took a bracelet from their wrist and gave it to me as a gesture of goodwill. I notice the bracelet is marked with the same emblem as my mother’s ring - the broad oak tree. The stranger will return tomorrow to hear my answer.

(6)

I have decided to go with the stranger, when they return this morning. I have the sense, I am going to meet my mother’s people.

I don’t recall ever hearing about my mother’s history, though I can’t be certain of anything, as my mind is nearly blank. I do remember Bet saying, my mother always wore the forest-ring. Did she arrive at the Court from the forest, before I was born? I wonder whether she retained the memory of her past life, or did she forget, as I am forgetting? It is clear that some enchantment separates the forest from the Court. I wonder how often people find their way from one to the other? I will learn more when the stranger returns.

[Inspired by Bradley Ramsey’s Power Up Prompt #29: 4.4.26 - a fairy tale featuring a mystical forest, a stepchild, and a delayed sacrifice].

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