Twenty days after his
departure he reaches a point where the trees seem to have faces
carved into the bark.
Pointed noses, sneering
mouths, swarf expressions.
Two days earlier she
had left the last remaining sprays of snow and the temperature was
rising as she moved forward.
The forest is dark
here. The branches on her head are dense. There is no snow to reflect
the light.
Though frightened, she
continues to walk.
A light a little
further on attracts her. It seems to come from a clearing.
Soon she realizes that
it is not a clearing that allows the sun's rays to filter.
The light comes from a
tree. Or rather, from an open door in the trunk of a tree. But that
tree has a lush foliage.
Mèra approaches the
wide open door and knocks.
Not receiving any
response, she goes in greeting and bending down to avoid the lintel.
Inside a small, narrow and circular room. All around a bench and in
the middle a table. The low ceiling forces her to stay bent. The
light seems to come from the wood itself. And on closer inspection
Mèra would say that the tree simply grew like that and not that it
was dug by someone.
Slowly moving back, she
comes out of the door.
When she turns around,
what she sees in front of her catches herby surprise. A monkey with a
long, almost white hair. The face is deep pink.
The tail ends in a
bunch of seemingly golden spines. Now it keeps them open behind it in
a sunburst, like the tail of a peacock. Wonderful and frightening.
The threatening eyes
pierce her.
The fright of the
unexpected soon abandons her and, coming back to herself, turns to
the animal.
"Mèra is my name.
I'm trying to reach the queen of the forest. Could you please show me
the right direction? Or at least tell me how far it is?"
The monkey observes her
stiffened for a few moments. Then it relaxes, closes its tail and
responds:
"Karàd is my
name. I've lived here for fifteen years and never had I had the
chance to meet a northern fairy.
"To reach the
heart of the great forest you still have nine days to walk.
"If you wish, it
will be my honour to escort you.
"Do not respond
immediately. Let's get to know each other better in front of juicy
pears and crispy apples that I picked yesterday".
Mèra knew, through the mouths of others, that there were places in the south where succulent fruits such as those that Karàd offered her grew, even at that time of year.
Mèra knew, through the mouths of others, that there were places in the south where succulent fruits such as those that Karàd offered her grew, even at that time of year.
She eats a lot of them
and ends up asleep on a comfortable wooden bench of this tree house.
The next morning, Karad
and Mèra set off for the heart of the forest to meet the long-haired
silver queen on the stone throne.
All the parts of the story can be found here:
All the parts of the story can be found here:
The Great Forest V - (Unlikely doors)
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