The Woods

My name is Frank Proctor. That dark day I will never forget. My wife of five years, the love of my life, had died due to the plague. Our little girl died not long after, leaving me alone and depressed. There are woods near the small village a few miles outside London where we lived. Legend has it that the woods are full of mystical creatures such as elves, fairies, and centaurs to name a few. I never believed those stories till I ventured into the woods to die. I went into the woods with nothing but the clothes on my back. I didn't bring a knife or any food with me. I knew that I wasn't going to be coming back out. I was planning on it anything to ease the pain in my heart, anything to see my loved ones again.

I don't know how deep into the woods I went, all I know is that the sun had marked two days time passing, I was delirious with hunger and thirst and was lying on the ground to weak to move on. That was the first time I heard the song. It was both the most beautiful and the saddest sound I have ever heard, it was a song of true love found then lost. Not knowing why exactly, but I staggered to my feet to find the source of the sound. I ran chasing the song but I never seemed to get any closer to the source of song. It always seemed to be right through the next cluster of bushes. But I never did find it, at least not that day.

That song gave me a reason to live for a little while longer at any rate. I just had to know where it was coming from. So using stones from a nearby river I cut down some trees and made a small hut. Then using leaves and branches I made a crude bed. Using more branches I made a stone tipped spear to hunt and there I lived. Everyday I would be awakened in the morning by the same song each morning it seemed to be closer and closer. Until on the seventh day after I first heard the song I saw her. She was like a goddess. Her hair the color of a sunset. Her body toned and barely covered at all yet despite that she was extremely pale I figured all the trees blocked out most of the suns rays. I just sat there on my 'porch' staring at her unearthly beauty. I sat there motionless as she moved, more like danced, across the clearing her face radiating love and happiness and yet in her eyes was a deep sadness that would have broken my heart if it weren't already.

I must of moved or made a sound because her head whipped up and she stared right at me then she vanished. I didn't try to give chase just sat there in a daze wondering at what I had just seen. I found some fruit growing near the river so I bathed and laid out in the sun to dry knowing that just from that moment I loved her and wanted to be with her. The next day she came back singing once more the same song yet oddly enough it sounded more of love found than love lost. I sat there staring at her again until I got up the courage to try talking to the goddess made flesh standing in front of me. "My name is Frank Proctor ma'am and your name is?" she just looked at me as if I hadn't said a word. I cough embarrassed and ask her "I have some extra food would you care to join me?" this time she reacts to my words. She smiles and nods. If I had just met her that smile would of made me love her. It was beautiful her perfect white teeth shining brilliantly as she walks over, sits down right beside me, and takes the piece of fruit I had in my hand. We sat there in silence and ate our meal. She then sighed the sound like bells chiming in the wind.

"My name is Erika," the sound of her voice as she says these four words makes me want to smile like an idiot and cry at the same time it is so beautiful. She rests her head on my shoulder and I tell her "That is a very beautiful name Erika and I want to thank you for saving my life," her head jerks off my shoulder and she stares at me with big beautiful brown eyes "What do you mean I saved your life?" she asks me, her voice still making me want to cry. I smile down at her "If I hadn't heard your voice all those days ago I wouldn't be alive today your voice your song gave me reason to live," She looks at me confused and tells me the words that I will never forget "I came into these woods just yesterday my husband and son died from the plague and I came here to die," I pull back in shock as she continues "If I hadn't heard your song I would never of come this way and found you sitting here," I stare at her "I wasn't singing," I tell her quietly but I smile a huge smile "But I am glad I was here to save your life and I hope I'm not to bold but I love you." She laughs and says three words in her beautiful voice "And I you."

We lived in the woods for the rest of our days both of us believing the stories that we had scoffed at before. That these woods are magical and unless it is their time nothing ever dies in these woods.