When Willow Weeps

“No!” She screamed shrill and frantic. “You can’t do this! Y-you can’t!” She turned in a desperate attempt to escape but only ended up digging in her heals as a second forceful hand grasped her all too roughly. She cried out in pain as the bruising flesh beneath their vice-like fingertips throbbed in protest.

“I can.” The voice sang almost angelically and a smooth grin spread across the stranger’s face.

“Please!”

 

The stranger clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth in impatience with having to deal with such insolence.  “You beg, dear lady.” She moved closer and stroked her soft cheek with a gentle caress. “But did I not offer you a chance once before?”

 

She trembled under the touch of the stranger, cringing away from the sweet breath which brushed past her ear. Mercy would not be granted this time because, as she looked back at how she came to be in such a predicament, she realised with dread that she had indeed been given a chance, one she should have eagerly accepted.

 

          

Three Hours Earlier

 

 

            “The cattle have become ill Miss Willow.”

She turned to face the lanky man and sighed, “Then why do you come to me and not a vet?” She said impatiently.

 

 The man’s cheeks were flushed; his blue eyes accented the deep purple pillows which hugged the tiny spheres. His wiry hair was combed to the side and held in place by thick, rank fish oil and his middle class ensemble of a fine-dress shirt, the sleeves rolled just below the elbow, and a worn pair of the villages uniform leg dress hugged his frail physic with day old wrinkles.

 

“The farmer says it is the water, says the waste from our village is turning it to poison.”

Willow scowled, “how dare that fool make such brash allegations! If the cattle have fallen ill then it is due to his failure to keep their health as their sole caretaker.”

The man bowed his head, “What do you suggest Miss Willow?”

She drummed her fingers along her chin as she thought, “We butcher the cattle.”

His eyes widened momentarily, “forgive me, but what shall the village people eat? Drink? If the cattle are no more than our nourishment will too be no more.”

Willow planted her hands defiantly on her hips and narrowed her eyes, “Surely there are some cattle unspoiled by this illness.”

The man nodded quickly, embarrassed. “You are right as always, how unreasonable of me.” He paused, “and what shall be done with the carcases? I can’t imagine them suitable to eat.”

“We burn the flesh and toss the bones and scraps into the river for the fish to nibble at.”

She saw him wince slightly, “I am sorry Miss, but will the meat and bones not tarnish the fish of which we also consume?” His voice was shaky and nervous.

Her cold eyes burned into his own with a look of umbrage, “Go to the farmer and inform him of his new duty.” The man nodded and turned to leave. “Oh, and be sure to let him know if he fails to maintain the health of the farm again he shall face the same fate as the cattle which he has spoiled.” She grinned vindictively and turned elegantly toward her window.

 

She allowed her gaze to scan the village of which she held tightly clenched in the palm of her hand. The long, somewhat trampled grass swayed in the slight breeze around several barrels of collected rain which stood in front of each important facility. There was the builder’s lot whose men created the very stone-and-mud homes the people of this village lived in among all other outlets. The church of course stood at the head of the village, overlooking the deeds committed, good or bad.

 

 She silently loathed the church. The power it had over the minds of the people. The religion’s control was much stronger than hers; a fabricated world of good and evil, sins and sacrifices, God’s and Devils had more say in their lives than anyone or anything else ever could have and she resented it for that very fact. She should be at the head of the village, not that brainwashing cult house. She swore to the silence of her home, her breath fogging the window’s glass and temporarily hazing her view. Outwardly she had to pretend to follow the religion’s law to the letter. In fact, she had to appear more involved than the others if she were to maintain respect. She narrowed her eyes at the small building, cursing the people who had at one time brought the falsehood into this village.

 

Willow let her eyes move further through the village, the cloth weaver lived across from the builder’s. Many swashes of cloth hung draped over her barrel of water, colours from crushed flower petals dripping from the loose weaves. Then of course there was the farmer whose lot sat closest to the village gate. There was a low, wooden fence fashioned by the builders using crooked tree branches and tough thread from the cloth weaver’s inventory. The building was one of the smallest in the village but the land was quite vast.

 

The pin straight river divided the farmer from the other outlets and homes, the entire property being occupied by cattle; the spotted milk givers, clucking egg hatchers, greedy beasts with the spiralled tails. There were countless species of creatures stolen from lands around. The farmer had three water barrels out front of his domain. She had problems with the farmer, he did not worship her to the same degree the others did. It was something she had to quickly correct.

 

The river, about six full arm lengths in width, ran from one end of the village straight out into the dense forest in the outskirts, beyond the limits of the village. She secretly feared that land, the forest of which no one owned. No one had ever been there, it was the edge of the Earth from which none came and none went.

 

She shuddered and pulled her eyes from the shadowed trees. She saw the farmer standing with the milk givers, his face was twisted in defiance as he listened to the man speak on behalf of her own words. She smiled when she saw the man strike him across the cheek, but the farmer did not draw a hand to sooth the stinging wound. He stood unbroken and strong. She scowled and turned from the window, she would deal with him herself soon enough.

 

                       ***

 

Down in the village, Willow now stood amongst the people of which she ruled. They adored her, those who aimed to please, for to them she was a sweet and sultry lady in command and not the scheming, malicious power hungry girl she really was. It was unheard of for a female to run a village, and hers was the only one to follow that absurdity. Of course, the rulers before her had been all men and often had shared words of dislike for her to the people. One man, the recent Man of Head, had begun to steal away any chance of her ever becoming recognised as the Lady of Head. She thought back to that time when she was all but just barely a woman.

 

“Sir Mailis,” She sang sweetly upon stepping within the Man of Head’s personal dwelling, “you sent for me?”

He turned to face her then, a smile spreading across his mid-aged face, “indeed I did. Come young Willow, join me.” She thought of the request for her company either being cause of honour or disgrace and she timidly made her way over to the candle lit stand where he stood sipping a strong smelling liquid from a wooden cup.

 

She watched as he moved, the cloth stretching tight across his lean back as he rolled the tension from his right shoulder. He was handsome, all Men of Head were; with his dark locks unslicked by oil, deep grey eyes and freshly groomed of all facial hair, she found him standardly attractive but she had a less traditional taste in men.

 

He looked at her for a moment; she was dressed in the village female dress, a tight fitting, floor length dress that covered her skin from neck to toes. The weave was a loose one, cheap, and coloured a faded emerald green. Her dark hair was long and the curls cascaded over her shoulders. She looked up to him for a moment and he caught the apprehension in her large almond eyes.

“Do you fear me?” He asked almost amused and she shook her head.

“I don’t fear you, my Sir, I fear your power.”

 

He had laughed and swallowed another large gulp of his drink before setting it atop the stand. “I understand that you wish to have that same power yourself one day.”

Her eyes widened, “Sir Mailis-“

He waved his hand dismissively, “I hear the commotion through the village, don’t think I am deaf to their words merely because I stand above.” He slowly stepped around Willow, circling her. “I know your tricks and I must say you have strong cunning.”

“I am sorry dear Sir, but I am not sure-“

 

“Oh come Willow. You very well know. The villagers pine and grovel at your beauty and you use that to your advantage.” He stopped behind her and brushed her hair back from her neck, “I don’t doubt in their blindness to your splendour they hand you the power over them which you crave. You have already won nearly half the people.” He leaned close to her ear as he spoke and she shuddered. “You know, I have no problem with you wanting this power, any wise person would. But when you begin to steal that same power from my hands...” He laughed, “Well. That I cannot simply dismiss can I?” He pressed his lips to her shoulder and she could feel their warmth through the cloth.

“My intention is not to steal from you my Sir.” Her voice wavered as his hand tightened on her shoulder, “Nor am I naive to think that task possible.” Mailis kissed the bare portion of the back of her neck and goose-bumps rippled across the surface.

“You must think me a fool. I know very well what your intentions are.” He paused, “you try and deceive me with clever words and I condone you for even trying my dear.” He cleared his throat, “But I am the master of deception and my own weapons cannot defeat me.”

 

Willow swallowed hard; she could feel her heartbeat thrum quicker with every passing moment.

“How bad do you want my power sweet Willow?”

She squeezed her eyes tightly shut as he traced her jaw line with his thumb, “I am not sure what you mean Sir Mailis. Like I have said, I do not wish to-“

“Oh enough!” He barked and she cringed, “take off the mask my dear for I already see what lays beyond. I know your lies, and I ask you again; how bad do you want my power?”

Willow clenched her jaw. Was he pushing her to make her admit her wishes so he could execute punishment? Or was he truly asking her without motive to rid her? She spoke carefully, “I admit the power is something I would greatly cherish, but I do not wish to wrongfully steal that from you my Sir. I would only take it earnestly if it were ever offered.”

 

Mailis stilled his hands upon her shoulders, “very wise Willow. Let’s say I would be willing to relinquish my power to you, what would you pay in return?” After a moment of silence Mailis reached around her shoulder and grasped one of her covered breasts. Willow trembled, her legs turning to rubber but she did not remove his hand.

“If such a costly negotiation was made by your part Sir Mailis, then I would make an offer of equal importance.” She lifted her hair, exposing her back.

“Then an agreement has been met.” He slowly removed the clasps one by one that ran down her spine which held her dress together and the fabric fell away from her pale skin.

 

He kissed her neck as his hands explored her naked body and in an instant he thrust her up against the wall, she cried out startled and he grinned. She felt stuck, the cold wall on one side while Mailis’ warm body pressed against the other, she didn’t know which one felt more unpleasant. He tugged at the wooden clasp which held on his bottom male dress and soon she felt him in all of his nakedness against her.

 

She tried not to cry as he stole her innocence but tears managed to moisten the corners of her tightly closed eyes. She listened to him grunt, blocked out the pain. Soon she would have his power, soon she would become Lady of Head, this would be worth it.

 

When he finished and released her from the wall she stumbled back, holding up her dress for cover. “Sir Mailis, I have fulfilled my end of the agreement.” She said through trembling lips.

His hard, grey eyes flickered with amusement and she watched a bead of sweat teeter on the edge of his brow. “One thing I have taught you dear Willow, I am the master of deception like I have said. Never believe a deceiver.”

Disbelief creased her forehead and tears sprang in her eyes, “You! You b*****d!” She cursed, “I’ll kill you!” Anger flooded her voice, anger and anguish alike.

“You know, words like those are equal to punishment of execution.”

Willow stared stunned “you wouldn’t.” She whispered shaking her head.

He smiled at her, “I believe I am the sole judger in this village, therefore decisions such as this are given to me to make.” He refastened his male dress, “no one can steal my power Willow, do not be so dim to think it possible, especially not a female.”

 

He turned his back to blow out the candles and Willow took the chance to save herself. She snatched up the wooden cup and, screaming, smashed Mailis hard in the back of the head. The liquid from the cup trickled down his scalp, mingling with a small trail of blood and he turned to face her. His eyes bore a look of confusion and his hand moved toward the gash as he staggered back into the stand.

 

Willow dropped the wooden cup as the candles toppled from the stand, catching his hair and cloth in violent flames. Alcohol. She realised then he had been sipping alcohol when she entered and now it acted as an accelerant for the fire. Mailis screamed a blood curdling sound that almost made Willow vomit. The smell of his charring flesh is still something that stays with her to this day.

“Never deceive a deceiver.” She spat as he slowly died.

 

Now as she giggled and flirted with the villagers in front of the river as the Lady of Head she ended up becoming in the end anyway, she smiled thinking of his charred corpse that had been tossed at the boarder of the forest for the animals to feast upon.

 

“Miss Willow, how enchanting you grow each day of your rule.” One man pined.

“You’re too kind Hie, but I would be nothing if it weren’t for all of you and your gracious tidings that keep this village free from the vile.”

“There has not been a crime committed since the dawn of your fine rule, Miss. We can only repay you by being your holy servants.”

Willow brushed him lightly on the cheek, “And you are kind to do so Hie.” She winked at him and his cheeks instantly flushed. She knew her beauty was the sole reason they followed her words and poured over her with endless flattery, she was not blind to their shallow attachments and she always made sure to retain that hold by aimlessly flirting, teasing the males.

 

“Miss Willow! Miss Willow!” A woman ran, out of breath, from the east side of the village.

“What is it Daba?” She feigned concern to the women who always had meagre troubles.

“Forgive me for so rudely interjecting my Miss. But a stranger has come.” She paused, eyes wild with terror, “she says she comes from beyond the forest.”

Whispers flooded through the villagers who stood around and Willow narrowed her eyes, “Let’s meet this stranger then.”

 

The eyes of every person moved toward the forest and a small, frail woman stepped into view from around the mud-and-stone wall of the village’s boarder.

“You must be the one in charge.” The woman spoke. She had a grey cloth attire of some kind Willow had never seen before. It draped around her shoulders, flooding over her arms and legs and folding up over the woman’s hair, shielding most of her face in shadow. She was small in height but stood tall and confident.

“Indeed I am. And who might I call this visitor?”

The woman took a step closer and the villagers stepped back in apprehension, “You may call me whatever you wish.”

 

“Stranger,” Willow spoke loud enough for the others to hear, “What place do you leave behind?”

The woman pointed out toward the forest, “I come from Lachina; the land of lakes beyond those trees.”

A gasp rippled the people and Willow grew angry at the fear this women was evoking, “No one comes from beyond, stranger.”

The woman smiled, “Then from where do you suppose I travel dear lady?”

“You must come from the west, that is the only way.” Willow planted her hands on her hips.

“You are of the ignorant kind I see.” The villagers chatter arose again.

“You are bold to speak so offensively to the Miss of the same village of which you seek shelter.”

The woman simply laughed, “Oh but I did not say I am here for shelter.”

Willow pursed her lips, “then please stranger, do enlighten us as to what business brings you to our humble village.”

 

The woman looked to the faces of the curious villagers then returned her gaze to the Lady of Head, “I have happened across the news of the cattle illness.”

Willow blinked surprised, “yes. Our cattle have fallen ill. But how have you heard of such news?”

“What do you plan to heal this sickness?” She asked ignoring her question.

Willow smiled sweetly, “God will make sure our people are well fed, dear outsider. Do not be troubled, I am the mother and the mother must always protect her kin.” The villagers clapped and Willow stood confidently in having won their encouragement, no doubt from the deliberate mention of their beloved God.

“But what,” She repeated, “do you plan to do?”

Willow frowned, “you tread in deep waters my stranger.”

Her smile disappeared, “You plan to slaughter all the ill do you not? Burn the bodies and dump the waste into the river where you have poured the villages heaps of trash for years. Am I correct?”

Willow sucked in air, “What we do with our waste is our own business stranger.” She spoke curtly.

 

Hie spoke up. “Miss Willow is a fine Head. We trust her decisions and you would be best to leave her rulings alone.” Willow was very thankful to him then, he was her most loyal follower and one she may have brought to bed if that would not have been something that would tarnish her power over the others.

 

“You best hold your tongue simple man.” The stranger warned, “I come with a message for all who inhabit the land of Kaikala. For a great time you people have mistreated your land and the nature within it. You render your once pure water source poison to the lips and in doing so; condemn the finned animals of the blue to death. Your livestock whom give all they can are treated with cruelty and broken. The trees that once flooded this village you hacked down for your wood, the oxygen they had generously given you is now replaced by the smoke of their smouldering bark, the smoke of your dead and soon of the livestock you see the need to destroy. You, dear Kai`s have taken this gift of land and the tools granted to preserve your life and have done everything in your power to reverse that generosity.”

 

Silence crippled the village for a time and willow grew nervous until an uproarious laughter erupted from every man’s lips. Willow turned to her people who showed no fear and smiled condescendingly, “Stranger, I am sad for you, for you must not be full in the mind. Our people have done what we must to survive and will continue to do so for many years to come. Your words do not scare us with their blasphemy and false tones.”

 

The villagers continued to laugh, mimicking the strangers foreboding speech. “Your people make a mockery of me Lady Willow.” She took a step toward her, “I wonder... do they know of the inhumane ways you treat them? With your corruption and deceit?” Willow’s smile disappeared and the villagers began to quiet. “Do they know what you’ve done to gain power over their lives my dear? Do they know of the cruelty you plan for their beloved farmer for his refusal to bow at your feet?”

 

Willow took a step back as the woman came forward, “lies.” She whispered, taking another backward step

“Lies? You must speak of the ones that utter from your own lips, no? Do they know your secrets like you know there’s my Lady?” The stranger grinned, “You have till the hour of the morrow to confess your ways. Two precious hours to mark the path of healing for this land which you have severely scarred with your waste and destruction. The earth weeps vile Willow, and if you don’t dry those tears, then so shall you.”

 

She stepped back once more as the stranger advanced but it was one too many and the ground disappeared from beneath her heel, her foot slid down the small slope of dirt that led to the river and she shrieked in horror. The cold water splashed up her ankle and she clawed frantically at the loose dirt but two of the villagers grabbed her arms before she could plunge in and pulled her back onto the land. She rolled onto her back, panting as her hair clung to her forehead by the moist sweat that had formed.

            When she got to her feet not a full minute later, the woman was gone and she stood facing the sceptical eyes of the villagers. She opened her mouth to say something but snapped it shut instead, running off to her quarters.

 

                                   ***

 

            Safe in her residence once again, Willow sat trembling with a roughly woven blanket around her shoulders. How had the stranger come to possess such intimate knowledge of her scheming ways? And then there was the river. She shuddered, had she known of her deep fear of water? It was impossible. No one knew. The woman’s warnings were merely meant to frighten her into confessing; maybe the stranger was looking to steal her power over the villagers. Willow narrowed her eyes, that must be it she thought, the stranger wished to turn her people against her so she could rule them in her stead. As for the knowledge, she must have had an informant, a spy. Willow threw off the blanket and moved to the window.

 

            There the farmer stood, leaning against his water barrel picking food from his teeth. Willow seethed with the sight of the man. He almost looked to be smiling as the other villagers gossiped with each other in hushed tones across the river. He was the cause, she thought, the cause of all this humiliation against her.

 

            Willow hurried from her housing and quickly, determined, she flew across the bridge that crossed the river to the farmers land. She stopped and yanked on one of the thick branches used to build the fence and the threading broke, releasing the branch.

“Hello, Willow.” The farmer smiled and Willow’s anger boiled with the insult of having her name used without its title.

“Shut up Zosomos!” She snapped. “You stop this now you hear me?”

Zosomos spread his hands innocently, “Stop what Miss?”

Willow thrust the branch out threateningly, “You know exactly what I’m talking about. I could have you killed for your treason!”

Once again the farmer played ignorance, “I beg your pardon dear Lady, but I am but a humble farmer. Treason is not something among my moral.”

“Stop with this cover!” She fumed with irritation, “what is it you want from me farmer? You and your stranger wish to steal my title is that correct? Well you can’t have it!”

“Miss, I assure you being Man of Head for this village certainly is not something I wish for.” He paused, “especially not with the current situation you have brought to our gate.”

“Then your wench, she wishes to overthrow me!”

“No, dear Lady. The only wench I know is you.”

 

Willow lashed out with the branch, striking Zosomos across the ribs and chest. She whipped him several times over. The farmer stood still and took the pummelling with a smile which only further fuelled her anger.

“You wish to ruin me!” She cried, lashing him once more. Her arms were weak and she slumped her shoulders defeated, “why- why do you smile?”

The farmer shrugged, “Because dear Lady, as you are right now, you ruin yourself.”

 

Willow turned suddenly, remembering the villagers who had been gossiping on the other side of the river. Now they stood staring, mouths gaping.

“My people.” She began, forcing a weak smile, “our dear farmer is guilty of treason. I cannot let such a heinous crime- the first crime committed since my rule- go unpunished can I?” She looked to the unblinking faces of those who had always worshiped her with every bone in their bodies. “He committed a crime.”

“No. Willow, you have broken your own law and your crimes are the only one’s this village has seen.” The farmer spoke. She was painfully aware that her hold on the villagers was steadily weakening as the time ticked by.

“Don’t listen to this blasphemer, his words are lies! Lies born from the very devil’s tongue!” She whipped the blood spattered stick into the river and watched it float down stream toward the dense forest. She lifted her gaze and saw the stranger following the water in her direction.

“People, friends, this stranger who claims to come from the beyond wishes to destroy our progress, she aims to turn you against me. I urge you fellow Kai’s, to listen to your Lady of Head and cast out this source of manipulation!” Her eyes were wide with anxiety as the stranger approached her in front of the farmer’s home.

 

“I see, vile Willow that you have not heeded my warning and mended your wrongs.”

“Stranger, I know not of these wrongs you speak of.” She turned to the villagers, “I told you all, she tries to fill your head with lies.”

“Still your tongue!” She hissed, “You will waste no more of my time.” She drew back the hood of her strange, foreign cloth revealing not the old frail woman that they had all expected, but the most beautiful woman all the lands had seen. Her face was smooth and her cheeks pink with life, her hair was pulled back into an intricate tied-back style, the soft, auburn strands cascading over one shoulder. Her green eyes sparkled with a captivating light and even Willow found herself transfixed by the magnetic aura surrounding her.

 

“I am not a mere stranger and I do not wish to steal your title over this village for I have a much higher title than yours. I am what you people would call Lady of Head of all living creatures alike. When humankind pleases me with appreciation for their environments I am a kind and loving ruler who brings rays of sun to their harvests. But when I see villages such as this, people such as you Willow, I am a just and vengeful ruler who brings sky tunnels to tear apart your homes, heavy rains to drown your crops and fires to scorch your towns. I am the mother of all nature just as you claim to be mother of these villagers and I too, like you said, must protect my kin. So you see Willow, I must get rid of any threat. That threat, in this case being you.”

 

The villagers listened in awe and, transfixed by a beauty of so much more than her own. They did nothing while the mother of nature grasped her arm with a steely grip.

 

“No!” She screamed shrill and frantic. “You can’t do this! Y-you can’t!” She turned in a desperate attempt to escape but only ended up digging in her heals as a second forceful hand grasped her all too roughly. She cried out in pain as the bruising flesh beneath their vice-like fingertips throbbed in protest.

“I can.” The voice sang almost angelically and a smooth grin spread across the stranger’s face.

“Please!”

 

The stranger clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth in impatience with having to deal with such insolence.  “You beg, dear lady.” She moved closer and stroked her soft cheek with a gentle caress. “But did I not offer you a chance once before?”

 

She trembled under the touch of the stranger, cringing away from the sweet breath which brushed past her ear. Mercy would not be granted this time. The farmer helped drag her to the river’s edge as Willow screeched and kicked and lashed.

“I cannot swim!” She cried, “Not the water, please!”

The farmer thrust her to the ground in front of the river. She remained on her hands and knees as the stranger approached, “your punishment from me will not be death.”

Willow calmed her sobs and looked up at the majestic woman with her damp, stringy hair falling around her face, “then what mother of all? What do you plan for me?” The stranger did not smile as she removed her own strange cloth, leaving herself exposed to the village in flawless nude. She looked down at Willow and for a moment the Lady thought she saw compassion in the stranger’s eyes.

“No, death will not come unless another human like you should arise to rid you.” She tossed the cloth over Willows trembling body, covering every inch of her skin. “You will live out the rest of your life looking into the river which you utterly fear with every breath, looking over the water of which you tarnished.”

 

She removed the cloth and the villagers gasped, the Lady was gone and in her place stood a small sapling, the beginnings of a tiny tree.

“You will stare down into this water as the very thing you destroyed; a tree, dear Willow.” She turned to the villagers who were stunned into silence, “The earth weeps, I had said to her, and if you do not dry those tears then so shall you. Here, forever stands the tree of Weeping Willow.”

Reviews

[JelliFyshKissUs]

I still haven't wrapped my head around everything. There was so much to take in morally, spiritually, ethically, that I will have to read again.

What I did love and appreciate was your beginning tying in with the end. "Weeping Willow"--brilliant concept to explain the moral lesson that brought about the existence of this tree. The lessons in greed, in justice, in compassion, and the every growing need for our Men of Head to understand the scale of their disregard for mother nature. And the floods, earthquakes, monsoons, typhoons, hurricanes, and natural eruptions are her warnings if not inflictions for us to change and reciprocate her never-ending generosity.

Once I read this over again, I'll be able to say what it is I'm desiring to say more cohesively. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it, not only for it's fable-like tone, but also because of your descriptive flow. Beautifully done, Em.

[ChristianM]

Very cool story.
The savagery Willow displayed is seen every day.
The great slaughter houses of America being the worst.
I liked the sweet turnaround. There was justice in the end.

[MoonlightIce]

I loved it!(:

[Vicky Zhuang Yi-Yin]

I loved this story a lot. I love how you've bought real life issues and put them into a fairy tale like story, giving it life. Despite some problems of grammar, I think this has done a good job showing issues like corruption, greed, deceit and above all, the problem of pollution and our abuse of the nature. Thank you for sharing this. I'm glad I came across this.
-Yin

[StoryPosterShane]

Really good story :D

[Zeitgeist Manifesto]

I LOVE *The Outer Limits* and this story was better than most of my favorite episodes. It was obscenely awesome! I liked the theme of feminism and how you brought in themes of double standards by her being so respected by her beauty. I also really liked how you showed absolute power corrupting a person.

I found her beauty to be interesting because the superficial side of the reader tends to look for good inside of her heart. Even though she is only in our imagination we still look at her with our eyes.

The themes about Mother Nature and respecting our environment were really a nice touch. This story is just a huge spider web with a core that is bound together by what seems to be an infinite number of messages.

[Trevor]

This is a great fairytale type of story. As far as content goes, like Shawn Renee said, there's a lot to wrap your head around. You include several lessons into the story, and there's a great example of poetic justice at the end. Content-wise, I have no criticism. The one small thing I noticed is that there are a couple spelling errors, but those are few and far-between. They're too few to be a problem at all.

[Robin]

this reads like legend with themes of social conscience, awareness , power struggles , ecology . impressive

loved especially the scene of deceit between willow and the man of head