Beaded Sweat & Tears

An addict faces her fears and learns that life is what you make it.

The last of the rain dripped silently from the leaves of the trees, sliding down branches and trunks unaware of the fall they would take. Then again, perhaps they knew of the fall, perhaps they knew that their fall from the trees was inevitable, and merely welcomed it by urging themselves to the tip of their leaf, the point where by their will or God's they would fall to earth and water its soil.

Trees over grown and wild sprouted from the earth in curious forms. Some grew to appear as though they were far too tall, too large, too perfect. Their beauty was simply stunning, their natural shine and rustic feel could only be described as dream like. The trees leaves rich in green color would quietly fall every now and again from their branch, with the wind on their backs they would fall as beautifully as an angel would from grace.

The grass shone with a layer of morning due. Its blades had through the years become overgrown, turning the simple forest into a jungle where a tiger fitted in black and white stripes could lurk beneath the grasses cover and go unnoticed until its final decision to pounce upon its unsuspecting prey.

When the wind would find its way through the trees and blow through the grasses blades, one would feel as though the wind would blow through them as well. The wind in this place would give little birds with songs flight, leaves a journey, grasses a ruffle and shine.

She came from the edge of the forest, making her way as quietly as she could through the blades of grass that were intimidating as knifes, past the trees that would frighten souls with faces of souls they would see from memories, into the forest she would travel. Her dress would blow every now and again from the wind that she would create with her steps. Every now and again a lock of brunette hair would become out of place and the woman's pale right hand would tuck it away once more behind her porcelain ear.

While she would walk she would attempt to make not a sound. She knew of the creatures that dwelled within the hollows of these stunning trees, so frightening in their beauty. She'd learned not to upset the trees and the inhabitants of the forest.

The forest had been a place of refuge, a sanctuary, for her feeble soul. With its majestic warmth in the air that surrounded the forest, she would feel as though this place among the trees was her second home. Although from time to time she would lose herself within the twist and turns that the forest's paths seemed to take, she would know her journey would lead to the center of the forest, for that was where all paths would lead.

While journeying along one of the forest's many paths one cloudy day, with the air moist and branches becoming blown back and forth, she noticed a man slouched over a bed of mushrooms pondering their effects and tastes without touching or digesting them. He stood slouched and bent over his find, thinking of it to be none other than a curiosity in placement and form.

She watched as he pondered, fining him to be rather amusing. The mushrooms were nothing odd, at least not to her any longer. As she would watch from behind a bush, one that was devoid of the darker creatures that inhabited the forest, she wondered to herself about the man. Never had she seen another soul dwell within the confines of the forest's trees, it was odd for her to see someone especially at this close to the center of these woods.

Although he stood alone by his patch of tiny treasures, he asked himself aloud about the forest, the trees, and the grasses blades. For although he was a man of the highest intelligence, he knew little of why a place such as the forest that he stood hunched in should be so breath taking.

Her feet stepped backwards, away from the man and away from the questions that plagued his mind, now haunting hers as well. While her steps are usually taken with lithe, quick and quiet movements, hers on this occasion were taken shaking, and due to her stepping upon a fallen branch, loud. She stumbled and tripped, falling to the grass, taking refuge in a new found hiding place.

His head spun towards the sound, his mind raced to comprehend his actions as he began to walk closer to the bush where she lay hidden behind in wait. He stepped closer, she laid as still as the dead. Quietly he whispered a greetings, feelings as though this meeting with what lay in secret were meant to be just that, a secret. Keeping his distance from the bush and what it hid behind its leaves, he waited patiently for a reply.

She did not stir for some time, enough time for the man with curiosity to test his patience, enough time for her to gather her thoughts. The man was there out of mere wonder, he was not within the forest to burn the trees of beauty and fright to the ground it seemed. Within her mind she tossed back and forth the question of what she should do. Slowly she arose to her feet, the man watched as though his eyes were deceiving his feeble mind.

Neither spoke for some time, both waited for the other to make a move, to speak the words that waited to fall from the tips of their tongues as though their words were stars waiting to fall from the heavens. His mind raced to comprehend what the woman was doing within the forest, why she was hiding from him no less. She wondered about the man's past, what his hopes and dreams for the future were.

At long last, he asked for her name in a whisper. She could not respond to his question, for she could not remember the answer. Struggling to think of who she was, her mind began to suffer from a terrible headache causing her to fall to her knees, clutch her head as though it would roll away from her neck if she did not hold it in place, and to shut her eyes from the world.

He ran to her side, running past the bush in a daze of worry for the woman who appeared to be suffering. A gentleman at heart, he simply couldn't bare to see someone in pain, a man of science, he simply couldn't avoid questions. So again he asked the unanswerable question, patting the woman's back to comfort and ease her obvious pain.

Tears would not come forth to her eyes, the pain in her temples would not cease and desist. She wanted nothing more than to fall backwards into the grasses tall blades, letting them surround her as though they were a large and luxurious bed. Her dilated eyes opened rapidly upon the realization that the man was attempting to console her by rubbing his hand across her back in a soothing manner. She moved away from his touch, away from the man who entered her world without asking.

He did not understand why she was wherry of him, for they had only become acquaintances not long ago and knew not even the other's name. In wonder he stayed where he had been, watching as she withered in pain and self anguish.

A slight breeze blew through the forest, catching stray leaves in its current, changing their placement. The mushrooms appeared as delicious and unusual as they had the first time the woman had seen them in the forest. Branches hung over head guarding its treasured items from things seen unfit.

In rough movements she clawed her way to the patch of mushrooms, taking them in her shaking grasp, placing them on the tip of her tongue and savoring the sensation. Her mind began to slow, the excruciating pain that she had been feeling in her head began to lessen, her eyes began to see what they wanted once more.

She arose to her feet, turned and faced the stranger, starring him in his eyes. He watched her as though she were peculiar, a spectacle that would be gone in a matter of minutes. Although her name still would not come to her mind, she did ask for the man to join her on a walk through the forest. Due to the fact that she couldn't remember her name, she felt it impolite to ask for his own and walked together along the forest's path to its heart.

They talked of life and love, of how life would continue on after their times were done and how love was concocted through hope and imagination. Their discution over the weather would have caused envy in the hearts of well studied professionals on the topic, talking lively over the sun's heat, rains patterns and falls, to the snow in the high mountains.

She enjoyed his company, far too much she assumed in the deep corners of her mind. He found her to be interesting with her reserved and unusual nature. While she would provide her sights and opinions, he would concur with facts and recent discoveries. Their time together through the forest would be something that the woman would always remember, and at times she would treasure.

As they came to the center of the forest, they both began to hear water falling into a stream. She told the man of the stream where just over a cliff of rocks water would fall to join the current and drift out to sea. The man wished to view the water, drink from it even for he was quite parched. Just as the woman took him by the hand to lead him to the waters edge, the trees came to life.

Their trunks became engraved with the faces of heartless demons, showing wickedness and malice in their evil wood chipped grins. Branches acted as arms, swinging wildly about before striking forth, taking the man in their possession. While one branch wrapped around his waist, another coiled around his ankles, finding its way around his legs.

Screaming in fright, pleading to the woman for help, he attempted to tear away at the branches. He produced a small pocket knife from the inside of his coat, using it to saw away at the branches that threatened his life. When one would fall to the ground, another would replace it faster than he could comprehend.

The trees were toying with the man, they were finding amusement in causing the woman's heart to wrench in terror. Many times had she slept beneath the branches of the forest's trees, resting her head against their thick trunks. She feared for what could have happened, she feared for the man who was experiencing the wrath of the trees.

She could no longer find her voice to plead with the trees for the man's life, to comfort the man she had come to know in his final moments, to scream. So instead she fell to the ground, her hand stretched forth from where she had been grasping the man, barely breathing. Her eyes watched as the trees tore apart the man, fighting for larger halves of him. The dilated eyes of hers did not look away when the man ceased to move, utter sound. The trees grins opened, revealing jagged, pointed teeth. Their mouths opened, devouring the man she wanted so dearly to call friend, and she watched while sitting in the tall grasses blades.

The memory haunted her, plaguing her mind with the horrific images. Although the trees were indeed beautiful, she knew of their danger. One slip of their anger could be deadly for any soul who would just so happen to walk past their branches that would act as arms, grabbing and picking away as though they were hungry for nothing more than what they wanted. She feared that one day they would become hungry and ravenous for her as they had for the man.

She walked through the trees quietly, minding her steps. A slight breeze blew through the forest, catching her hair in its flow. It blew wildly for a second, finding freedom from gravity, yet still being connected to the woman's scalp, before falling back to its place. As much as her soul wished to hum a tune to occupy herself, she knew better than to upset her surroundings by humming something off key.

With lithe, quick steps she made her way through the forest, finding the small flowers that were beginning to bloom to be somewhat of a spectacle. With their bright colors, they seemed to turn the forest of ever increasing beauty and fright into a place with joy, warmth. She stopped by a single flower, bent down and plucked it from the soil. Casually, she twirled it between her index finger and thumb, finding it to be perfect from every angle. Bringing the flower to her nose, she found that she could not smell its sweet scent. So sure she was that a flower of such beauty would posses an intoxicating aroma about it that she continued her efforts for a period of time, receiving the same result as before.

Dropping the flower, in all of its natural beauty, she continued on through the forest, towards its center. Although she was on no stated schedule, she was expect to be in the heart of the woods by no later than dusk. Hours could have been spent toiling around the flowers, finding new and mildly important discoveries, but she had a place to be, creatures to see.

Her walk along the forest's path proved to lead her exactly where she knew it would, the center of the woods. Where the trees that provided her with fresh nightmares and sweet dreams loomed with their long branches stretching forth over her fragile head. That location seemed to be the place she yearned to be at nearly all times during the day, a place she loathed to go to during most hours of the night.

Upon entering the forest's center, she began to hear the sound of a running stream and the sound of water colliding. She twirled herself, spinning, arms stretched out, forcing her dress and hair to move about in a way that resembled a hurricane at an alarming speed. The air was crisp, clean, pure, and in that moment nothing seemed more wonderful than to breathe. With an intake of air through her nose, out through her mouth, she fell from her spinning to the grass. There she hid from the world amongst its tall blades.

Quietly, with a flutter of its magnificent wings, a tiny fairy flew from the small hollow of a near by tree to land upon her nose. The creature was beautiful, golden and shining, with a perfectly proportioned figure and frame. Lite in weight, it could fly to the tallest branch of the most deadliest tree, yet choose to rest upon the woman's face.

She had always dreamed of seeing creatures, magical things and places. As a child she would entertain herself for hours with thoughts of far away lands, beings with abilities, the likes of which she had never seen. Dreams of stunning scenes, images of perfection would cloud her mind while she was meant to be sleeping peacefully. Through her addiction, her dreams became reality.

Dancing playfully on the tip of her nose, the fairy's aura of joy spread throughout the woman, nestling its self deep within her soul's crevasses, journeying into the farthest reaches of her heart. The creature danced, moving its arms in motions as a ballet dancer would, its feet rose into the air and fell with such grace and ease on the tip of her nose that the woman was not sure entirely if it were due to the fairy's wings or perfection.

Entranced, she watched while laying on her back , hidden in the tall grass. Suddenly the fairy stopped mid pirouette, its arms freezing in the air where they had been moving as easily as a virus through a body. The fairy's face turned to look the woman in her eyes, staring with such a raw intensity that the woman felt as though something were about to happen. Eyes still staring down her own, the fairy walked along the bridge of her nose, until she reached the space directly between the woman's eyebrows. Once there, the fairy's foot stomped three times, sending forth a loud echo of emptiness throughout the forest.

At first, only one head peeked from the hollow of one of the frighteningly beautiful trees, looking at the scene with wonder and excitement with its wide eyes. It flew from its place among the trees, landing beside the other fairy on the woman's forehead gently. Looking to the fairy, it held a look of puzzlement on its face. The fairy again stomped its foot on the woman's forehead, creating an audible echo to resound through the forest, grass, and trees.

Then hundreds looked on with curiosity. From every inch that her eyes could see from her precarious position on the forest floor, hundreds of golden, shimmering creatures were springing forth from the hollows of trees. They would fly towards where she lay, some would circle her body in the air, most would stand upon the blades of grasses green tips, all would watch in wonder. Before the hundred fairies that had come forth, the fairy once again stomped its foot on the woman's forehead, an echo of emptiness was heard.

She laid there on the forest floor in fright and wonder. Never had the creatures acted in such a way, never had she seen so many at once. The fairies intimidated her with their perfection and peculiar nature, but never had the frightened her to such an extreme as this.

The fairy that had danced with such grace and poise now held forth its delicate hands towards its comrades. Its hands had appeared delicate, eloquent, and before her eyes the creatures nails began to lengthen and sharpen into thin blades that appeared as treacherous as swords. Staring at its hands, what they had become, the fairy grinned a wide, malicious grin towards its hands. For it found beauty in the pain that it could cause, it found joy in the torment it could wreak with such weapons capable of such heart wrenching anguish.

It turned away from the mass of creatures that had sprung forth from the surrounding trees hollows and walked to the tip of the woman's nose. Hands at its sides, nails sharp enough to cause damage, it walked casually along her nose, as though it were a simply walk through a well lit park on a brisk summer's day. Once there, it turned on its golden heel, staring the woman in her eyes. Its hands rose from its sides slowly into the air, coming above its head, nails glistening in the light that slipped through the leaves of the forest. The fairy's fingers spread and curled, its body tensed and crouched its self to appear as though it were a feline ready to pounce.

She instantly knew that what was to come was not good and began to make her way to her feet. With the sudden movement caused by the woman refusing to lay still among the tall blades grasses adorned with fairies standing atop, the fairy the had been ready to pounce became flustered and flew off of her nose in a tumble. While the first curious fairy fell to the earth, flying upwards at the last possible moment, the woman began to flee towards through the trees.

First the fairy that had danced followed suit, then the fairy with curiosity, next came the hundred fairies that had finally come into the realization of what was occurring. They gave chase, flying after her with intense speed, becoming golden flickers of light that reflected perfection and danger. Their nails became as sharp as daggers, easily able to slice through flowers petals and perfectly shaped to be driven into the heart of a blossoming flower.

She ran for her life, golden orbs of shimmering bright light clawed at her dress, attaching themselves onto the cloth and tearing. Some would attach themselves onto a lock of her brunette hair, tugging and pulling until it became lost in the wind. Through this she ran with speed and fear, searching for a means of escape from the perfect creatures that wished to cause her harm. Uttering not a sound through her trial, for she feared she would wake the trees and become forced to deal with their wrath, a fate worse than death she perceived, she found her way to the waterfall's edge.

Beside her a flow of clear water in a stream made of pebbles ran past, falling over the cliff's edge into the wide stream below. She ran to the streams side, coming close to the falling water and a shallow grave. Fairies flew past her in a daze, flying above the stream and then turning themselves in the air to return to their chase. The fairy that had been dancing on the tip of her nose had been pulling away at her hair, tugging until it would fall limp and free in its delicate hands. During this time the fairy with curiosity tore away at her dress. With her dilated eyes, she watched fairies flew from all angles to join the two in causing her torment.

She began to beat the creatures away with her hands. Many realized that their toy would not play with them and flew away to presumably return to their tree hollows. Others were beaten and shooed away, and flew with their golden wings to near by blades of grass and would watch feeling content while sharpening their nails across their teeth. Two remained to wreak havoc on the woman, but eventually they were plucked and tossed away into the air.

She turned to face the stream below and wondered if her addiction was worthy of bringing her to Death's door. Finding that installed within her was a deep fear of heights, becoming nauseous from what she could see through her dilated eyes, she turned back to fact the forest. There a lone, single fairy hovered at her line of vision no less than a foot from her face. It's golden, perfect frame shone with an aura of light that in no way could not be considered as beautiful. It stretched forth its right hand, its nails coming to a fine point resembling a needle, and pushed the woman's forehead.

A single red dot of blood began to pour from the center of her forehead as she began to fall backwards into the sky. Eyes wide from fear, she watched the fairy shrink in size as she fell farther into the air, closer to earth. Air rushed past her body, her now torn dress and freshly tangled hair blew wildly upward in the wind. Just as the fairy became nothing more than a golden spec hovering high above, just to where it could watch the woman, she closed her eyes.

Her frail body collided with the stream, sinking deeper and deeper into the crystal clear water where she sunk until she fell against the streams pebble floor. The water went through her soul, finding refuge in the deep corners of her mind. It washed over her, cleansing her of her sins and wrongs. She could feel the currents change at a beings will around her, she could feel that she was not alone and opened her eyes to see the creature that swam before her.

The creature was a stunning spectacle, with flowing hair and the appearance of a siren, it swam around the woman with watchful eyes. The sides of its neck moved as it would intake water to keep its self alive, its scales would glisten in the light that reflected off of the stream's surface.

She watched, her mind slowing, her mouth falling open slightly to breathe in air while instead breathed water. Not realizing this immediately, she continued unknowingly, amazed by what she saw before her.

The siren gave her an apprehensive look before swimming close enough to become face to face. Staring into the woman's soul, the creature viewed her life through her eyes, watching them as though there was a motion picture playing within. After a time the siren nodded her head to herself, deep in thought of the things to come.

Out of the corner of her eye, the woman noticed a patch of mushrooms growing on the side of a peculiarly shaped stone. They stood there, tempting her palate and mind with the promise of ease and rest, excitement and adventure. Her head tilted towards them, her hand stretched forward to grasp them even from a distance.

The siren gently took her face into the palm of her hand, turning her line of vision to view the creature. It laid her frail body on the stream's floor without a fight, for the woman was beginning to walk to narrow road to meet with Death in the valley just outside of the forest. Hesitating for a moment, taking her appearance into view in its entirety, the siren brought her head within an inch from the woman's and breathed in to her a breath of life.

The woman's eyes widened from their dull, glassed over expression and looked at the creature before her with wonder, fully understanding the water goddess. It took her by the wrist gently, becoming a guide for the woman, and swam out to sea.