Child Lost

Child Lost

By T.Wrage

She was a treasure, she was an easy child, easy to love, easy to handle, as she just wanted to be loved. Her name was Gabriella, she was the youngest in her family, they all loved her, she was just so delightful in that way, making it effortless to fancy her.

Gabriella had a vivid imagination one that brought her searching mind to dwell in many places other than the world where she physically resided. She was left to herself for play, far too often and her mind drifted away frequently.

Regularly she would venture out to the woods dragging every teddy bear she could carry, knowing she would soon be in her world within that vivid imagination, with her stuffed companions that she perceived as her soldiers to protect her.

One day, she noticed something in the distance she decided to investigate, she instructed her soldiers to wait for her, while she goes farther to explore.

She walked cautiously towards this presence to see what she might find there. To her surprise there was a tiny man, he appeared to be collecting berries, she observed him. Eventually Gabriella decided to help him. Together they picked many berries, then he spoke to her saying, “So do you like these, I think they are delicious.”

“Yes I do.”

“I have noticed you here many times before, and I thought it was time we meet.”

“I have never seen you here before, I like to play here, and my soldiers think it is a good spot too.”

“Yes I noticed they are very obedient aren’t they?”

“Yes and loyal too, I demand they be loyal as nothing else will do.”

“You are quite small to be wondering here in these woods alone, how is it you are allowed to do this.”

“I have not started school yet so I have plenty of time to play.”

“I see… I live nearby, would you like to see where I live, you can bring your companions if you like it isn’t far… by the way my name is Gundra.”

Gabriella had never been told about strangers, so she did not know she should be weary of them. She had an innocent mind incapable of fearing the unknown visitors that might be lurking in these woods. That she believed were for her alone to enjoy. After all no one had bothered her before why would they bother her now, so without regard for her safety she followed him leaving most of her legion behind her, she did manage to grab her favorite bear as she never would think of leaving him behind.

They walked for a ways, then they came to the biggest tree Gabriella had ever seen. There was an opening at the bottom of it and she blindly followed him as he walked through it. Once inside what she saw there was astounding, it was a whole other world. There were many tiny ones running around as he placed the berries on the table. They gathered around them, as they smiled at Gabriella with delight.

Gundra said. ”Do not pay attention to their exuberance as they have never seen one of your kind here in this place until now, they have only had the privilege of watching any of your people from afar. No one will hurt you in here my child.”

She could tell by Gundra’s demeanor that he meant what he said, and she felt content. They brought her some tea; this was unusual tea unlike any she had ever drunk before. It was delicious just like she had always imagined a fine tea should taste.

Gundra sensed her innocence and goodness, this is what he was drawn to as over time he had observed many humans and not found a one worth spending any time with. They were always so caught up in their own selfish desires they never seemed capable of untarnished thought. With this small child though, he saw so much potential and felt her heart was unsullied.

Gundra introduced Teala, she was his wife, then she met several of the others and they all enjoyed their tea together, they began to sing and play their instruments, they played beautifully.

Eventually she needed to return home, so Gundra walked her back to the area where her stuffed companions waited for her. He bid her a good evening, and she grabbing all her many teddy’s, walked home.

When she walked through the door no one had noticed the late hour, and no one noticed she had even been gone at all. For you see loving her was easy, and because of this, she had a tendency to become invisible, to even those that proclaimed to love her the most.

She took her companions to her room and placing them on her bed, she smiled at her favorite teddy, and hugged him tight, as now they had the best kept secret.

That night she lay in her bed awake, thinking about her encounter with those tiny people, ones who seemed to just embrace her, she liked belonging and she liked the fact that they enjoyed her company. So much in fact that she decided tomorrow she would venture back into those woods for yet another visit.

When the sun had barely taken hold of the sky, Gabriella had already dressed in her play clothes, which her mother had always strewn across the bottom of her bed the night before. She grabbed her favorite teddy, dashed outside to the woods which waited for her. Greeting her with their song which was created as the wind blew through their branches, while everyone else slept in. She did not notice the next door neighbor; he was an older man and had been their neighbor since she was born.

He observed her running into the woods, he had observed her on many occasion, most of which she was not aware of, since her world was filled with that of imagination and play, one that had never been permeated with anything other than virtuousness. She ran with great swiftness towards the spot she had hoped to find the magical opening within the tree. Which would take her to the place she loved the best, a place where those that live there, believed her to be important in some way that made her feel good about herself, good about her being alive.

Eventually she did make her way to the special tree, upon entering everyone ran to greet her. They all proclaimed how much they missed her, and would she just stay with them, and that they would do everything in their power to make her comfortable if she would just stay. Tempted though as she was, she knew her mother and family would miss her, at least she thought they might, so she walked home slowly.

Each day she would do the same staying longer, many times she did not return to her home until after dark, no one noticed though so she never did get into any trouble for her lateness. One morning she ventured out and as she ran into the woods, those safe enveloping woods, she came through some thick brush and ran right into her neighbor; he was not as the honorable tiny ones… not at all. He had his own ideas of who he wanted her to be and he wasted no time in getting to it.

When out of nowhere there came a bright light, one that was brilliantly, blinding and then the neighbor was down on the ground and she was swept away, everything happened so fast… or so it seemed. Before she knew it she was safe within the tree village, they were surrounding her with their warmth and decency. Gundra was standing right next to her smiling a gentle smile one that always filled her with comfort and peace.

She looked deeply into his eyes, and in her weakened state said, ”I will stay here now… with you…  if that is alright.”

Gundra shaking his head yes. No more did she ever have to walk through those woods alone and no longer did the neighbor hurt anyone again. It was said he died from a heart-attack caused by a fright, but Gundra knew better. Gabriella’s family from time to time felt a pang of grief, but then they could not remember why, and so for them life went on as it always had.

Gabriella enjoyed her new found family and they enjoyed her, never did they ever take her for granted or misplace her in anyway. Gundra made sure she never had a memory of what had really happened on that day, when the neighbor had his way with her and then took her life essence from her, once done they swooped down dealing harshly with him, since they had arrived too late to save her from him, and then taking her essence into their fold where she now would happily reside forever and a day.