Blooming

        Shaelwyn put her hand up so shield her face from the bright sun. She got up from her  knees and brushed the dirt off of her dress. She sighed as she looked down at the row of turnips stretching ominously ahead of her.
        She glanced up at the sky again. Judging by the sun, she thought, it's nearly time to go prepare the afternoon meal. She reached up by habit to smooth her hair, and then set out across the field towards home.
      The young woman did not even notice the eyes of the other field workers following her, especially the men. Tall and slender with honey auburn hair, piercing blue eyes, and small beautiful features, she was a sight to behold. But today she was too preoccupied to notice.
      For the past three days, there had been two small bumps on her back, right in the middle of both of her shoulder blades. She had tried squeezing them and putting homemade poultices on them, but it seemed to make no difference. In fact, they had only been getting bigger.
      And did they itch!
She had told no one, for fear they would think she had a strange disease and  cast her out of the village. So she pondered in silence what they might be.
      Her grandmother had been a healer. But in all the years that she watched her heal the sick and crippled, Shaelwyn had seen nothing like what she had on her back.
Better not so say anything, she thought, for perhaps the hundredth time since they had mysteriously appeared. They will go away eventually.
      She finally made it across the field and entered her small hut, which she shared with three siblings and her mother. Her mother was away selling cabbages and turnips, as she did every day. It was Shaelwyns job to prepare a meal every day for her three brothers and sisters.
      She knew the children were out in the woods playing kings and robbers. She sighed enviously as she remembered the magical childhood world of play. She wished she could run and join them, but instead she began to boil water to make a stew.
                                                        ~
    Sleep came slowly to Shaelwyn that night. She tossed and turned and was constantly bothered by the bumps on her back. She was having strange dreams. Dreams of her dead father and grandmother, of her mother selling turnips, and a very vivid dream of her brother and sisters playing in the woods. She woke suddenly, drenched in what she thought was sweat.
    She quickly threw a shawl on and tiptoed outside. She needed some fresh air. When she stepped outside, she was surprised to see in the moonlight that it was not sweat she was covered in, but blood.
    Now that she was standing up, there was a constant flow of blood dripping off of her and onto the moonlit ground. She dropped her shawl and tried to find out where she was bleeding from, confused because she felt no pain.
    She quickly felt over her arms. Nothing. Same with her legs and torso. However when she felt her back, she realized the blood was coming from where the two bumps were.
      She let out a terrified squeal. She was dying!
    Shaelwyn pressed her fingers into the bumps to stop the blood, and was surprised to feel that it felt like she had feathers coming in. Like baby chicken feathers!
      What was going on? What was happening to her?
      Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden searing pain in both her shoulder blades. It felt like a thousand knives. She fell onto her knees, screaming in pain.

                                                      ~

      When she woke up, the moon was still shining above her. She sat up quickly, trying to remember what happened. She remembered the blood, then the pain, and the ground.
      She stood up shakily, and jumped back when she realized something was behind her. She turned around quickly, and the thing rushed behind her again. She started running, and whatever it was kept right up with her. It took Shaelwyn a minute to realize that whatever it was, was attached to her. She felt her back, and realized the bumps were gone.
    In their place, were two huge feathery wings.
    Shaelwyn gasped unbelievingly. She must be dreaming. Things like this didn't just happen...
    Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something in the forest. It was glowing. Something inside her pulled her toward it, her body was no longer her own. One foot moved in front of the other, she had no way to stop herself.
      Before she knew it, she was standing in front of the most beautufil woman she had ever seen.
      She was wearing a gown that looked as if it were made of flower petals, She had huge, irridescent gossamer wings and a petite beautiful face. Her skin was pale and glowing. When she spoke, it reminded Shaelwyn of a light rain...
    "I see you have bloomed, my child."
    "Bloomed? What is happening? Who are you? What-.."
    "Hush my dear, come with me. All will be revealed soon."
    And with that, the woman turned and  walked gracefully into the forest. Shaelwyn followed her without even thinking.