full of determination, the young traveler set out in search of the lake. the search did not take long; she found it on the opposite end of its normal clearing. she resolved to visit it every so often, in spite of its absence from its normal position.
with the lake gone, the forest harmonies were irreparably incomplete. this was the first thing that the girl noticed. sure, the harmonies were altered, and other voices filled in their parts. they were not dissonant--just basic. no one ever mentioned the change in harmony, except in whispers from one creature to another. over a long period of time, the formerly familial interactions of the forest became less frequent, and only happened briefly or when necessary. the whole process was so gradual and non-threatening, it was almost unnoticeable. almost.
upon returning from one of her travels one day, the girl looked around with fresher eyes than normal, and stood shocked. although her beloved home looked generally the same, it had a tired and run-down feel to it. the plants and animals were spread out. several of the vines, which had once knit together the whole scene and made it difficult to distinguish one area from another, had been broken or trampled. the forest creatures, though as friendly as ever, were deeply immersed in their own business. the few melodies in the air, while not exactly dissonant, did not fit together.
the traveler, suddenly realizing the vast difference between this place and the place she had once decided to call home, frantically rushed to those in the forest upon whom she knew she could depend to have information. first, she consulted the great oak tree, who said nothing. yet with some prodding, its silence confirmed the girl's fears--that there had been dissonance in the air--largely unnoticed, which had caused the forest's decay. she then sought out the badger. after hours and hours of searching, she found it, and it greeted her fondly. yet when she asked it about the decay, it had nothing to say, and nervously scurried down the nearest hole.
she continued to visit the lake, which had heard of her inquiries.
Come in, it said the next time she came. so she plunged in.
to the girl's surprise, much of the murkiness from before had cleared up. deeper and deeper she swam, each foot bringing her greater insight. she finally began to understand why the lake had finally left the little grove, why it refused to return, and why there was still a chill in the air.
sopping and exhausted, she emerged and dragged herself onto the sandy bank. stunned, the girl just sat, feeling smaller than ever. she knew all about the fall of her home, her heaven--the way it had been. it dawned on her that her life might return to the way it had been before she had come to the grove, nomadic and solitary. yet she knew that she herself would never be the same, that she would have an even harder time accepting this lifestyle than ever before. and she knew she was hopeless to change it. she did not know how to plot her next course of action, nor even to what end that action would lead.
so she sat. and she cried.
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