Prolouge

An introduction to the main character, her life, and the ultimate sadness she suffers.

I remember getting into the tiny canoe with Grandma. It had large enforced glass circles cut out at the bottom so you could see what was beneath you. I was afraid of falling through and touching the dingy water; or getting pulled to the bottom by the mystical creatures that dwelled in the depths. I remember telling Grandma of these fears after we had picked up a tiny Tree Essence. She laughed at me and shook her head as I sifted through the soil at the side of her house. 

"Nothing will bother you, unless you bother it my witchy girl. Remember, we are disturbing their home, so we must be even more curtious and go with calm soothing spirits so they wont be alarmed by negative energy." 

I nodded as I carefully put the slowly growing Tree Essence into the hole I had dug. Grandma smiled at me as I compacted the dirt over the creature and sprinkled water on it.

"Tell me again of the Tree Essences Grandma." I had asked, even though I knew everything there was to know about Tree Essences. The different kinds they came in, the textures, which to plant and which to leave alone. But I loved hearing how her words seemed to almost dance invisibly in front of me with a magickal playfullness. 

"Well, the Tree Essences reside in fresh water. Salt water will dehydrate and kill them.  Now, a Tree Essence is what it sounds like: the essence of a tree, or it's spirit if you will. Everything is alive, connected by Gaea or Mother Earth," I smiled at her as she spoke Gaea, it sounded so powerful when it came from her mouth. "The tiny Tree Essences come in many different colors, but I prefer the purple Tree Essences which are usually two or three inches long and two or four centimeters wide. They've always reminded me of something you'd find under a microscope, with the tiny legs that stick out oddly on their sides that look like hairs. Those of course, help them navigate through the water."

"And then when you take them out of the water!" I exclaimed eagarly, loving to hear about how they became trees.

"And once removed from water, they harden and begin forming a rough outside which looks and feels like tree bark. You plant these cuties into the soil, water them, and allow them some sunlight, and they continue growing their outside layers and spread out, forming roots and connecting to the great Earth. And over time, they begin to grow up and sprout leaves, and sometimes even fruits."

"They're so incredible Grandma. I wonder what it's like to be a Tree Essences and then grow into a full fledged tree."

"Well, chick-a-dee, I'd imagine it's a lot like growing from a child, to a pre-teen, to a teenager, to an adult."

"With less sadnesses and problems."

"What do you mean?" 

"As a human, we have to deal with death and there's debt and the pressure to finding a mate."

She chuckled and put the watering can on the front porch steps and sat down with a sigh.

"Honey, we all have unpleasant things we wish wouldn't happen, but it's just a part of life. Trees have to deal with their friends being cut down and the enviorment being destroyed. Imagine how hard that would be to watch."

I propped my elbows up on my knees and placed my chin in my hands and stared intently at the mound of dirt covering my soon to be tree. Grandma had a point. I mulled over her words for awhile, and hadn't even noticed when she'd gone back inside...

But all the magick went away when Grandma died. Mom moved us inwards, towards less country areas. There wern't any thick forests I could retreat into when I was upset. No wildlife I could draw inspiration from for my poetry or paintings. And most of all, there was no Grandma. Which meant no peace. No sense of knowing that everything was going to be alright. And I felt completely alone.