Fala looked around in both wonder and anxiety. Where was she? Tall, majestic trees were all she could see, creating a massive fortress around her. She could hear the chattering of animals and the rustling of leaves, sometimes even the whispers of the wind, the only sounds in the tranquil forest.
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Ferns, wildflowers and moss covered the forest floor while an ashen sky looked down upon her as she stepped foot on crunching leaves and soft ground. A thin, sombre fog had embraced the forest. The forest smelled like water, more like rain, and something fragrant - the flowers most likely. Thankfully, Fala was still able to see through the grey fog.
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A soft wind swept down and pushed the hood of Fala’s cloak back with a soothing touch to her face. The branches swayed along with the breeze as the fallen leaves stirred below her.
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Fala shivered and wrapped her black cloak around herself tighter. Was it from the cold? Or was it fear? Fala had come to collect herbs for her mother but she’d gotten distracted by a pretty, white bird flying above her. Fala had followed the bird into the forest and forgotten her way back. Now she stood alone, lost and wandering.
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Suddenly, there was a sound of rustling behind her. Fala whirled around to face her probable doom. She tilted her head. It was a. . . dog? It wasn’t a wolf for sure – she may be young but she was taught the difference. Fala slowly crept closer to the dog. It had fur the colour of snow and the most lovely, pale blue eyes that gazed at her curiously.
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The dog laid down and made a nodding gesture at Fala. She assumed it meant to come close and Fala made to do so. Then she hesitated. Oh, what more did she have to lose anyway? She was lost. Might as well make the most of it. Fala pushed a branch out of her way and went closer to the dog until she was right in front of it. She knelt down.
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“Hello,” she said softly, not to alarm the creature. “What are you doing in a forest with no one? Are you lost like me?”
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The dog let out a bark in reply and Fala smiled. She reached out a hand and scratched behind its ears. The dog released a pleased sound and nuzzled its head into her hand.
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Fala hummed thoughtfully. “I’ll name you Mir for no reason at all. Do you like your name Mir?”
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Mir barked again, seemingly happy. Fala giggled, feeling joy for the first time since she entered the forest. Then it stood up and wagged its furry tail, turning around and tilting its head.
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Follow me, Mir’s eyes seemed to say. She stood up and followed Mir. Walking through the mystic forest for a few minutes, Fala started to hear the silent roar of a river. As the girl and the dog approached, more vines grew, longer and longer. Some with flowers and some without. Fala pushed away some of them and she gasped in surprise. Right in front of her was a beautiful prussian-blue river making its way down slowly. Stones and pebbles were scattered across the bank with moss and plants growing out of some rocks.
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Fala laughed and ran towards the river and stood at the edge of the land. What made her astonished were the small gold, silver fish swimming their way through the waters. Suddenly, the flowers of purples and lilacs started to glow. Then the red ones. And then the blues. Fala cried out in marvel, the thunder of the moving river, in its own way a comforting melody to her ears.
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“This is amazing!” she yelled.
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It was like looking at an ocean of stars, glittering and glimmering across the darkness. Fala spun around with her arms spread and did a small dance, her cheeks turned rosy with exhilaration and the cold. She swayed her body to the music of nature, finding bliss where it shouldn’t be, her cloak moving along with her movements.
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As Fala craned her head upwards, she saw the actual stars in the sky. And she also saw the moon, round, silver and shining. When Fala dropped her head again, to watch the river, the shimmering sky reflected onto its surface like a mirror. She smiled and walked into the river till the water reached right below her knees. The fish swam and circled around her as if dancing with her. She twirled around, dancing with a ghost she could not see. The ghost dipped her down and lifted her back up.
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Then the most wondrous thing happened. Little fae creatures stepped out from behind rocks and bushes, dancing along with her to music only they could hear. Fala laughed and combed a hand through her ebony hair.
She looked down to see her reflection in the water. A grinning child looked up at her. Merriment shined in her green eyes, her black hair falling in curls. This girl was her. But she was much happier than she’d ever been.
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Her heart thudded wildly in her chest, her mind painted in so many vivid colours. It was hard to think clearly. This ecstasy was like a drug. She yearned for more. Her hands reached up to the sky, as if trying to grasp for this happiness, to capture and keep it to herself so she could feel this strange joy forever.
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“Give it to me!” Fala shouted to no one. “Give it all to me!”
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No more was the quiet, lonesome, dreary forest as a fairytale unfolded itself in front of Fala’s very eyes.
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“Beautiful creatures,” she said to the little fae. “What is your name?”
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The fae did not answer her question, they only kept on dancing and humming to a tune. Then Fala frowned, spinning around, the water around her rippling. Where was Mir? She searched for Mir but to no avail, she did not find her white-furred friend. Her companion had simply disappeared.
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“Mir?” she called out. “Mir, where are you?”
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She received no reply. Fala looked back at the fae they were, still dancing and singing. The waters suddenly turned rapid and strong, starting to push her down the stream. Fala had no choice but to follow the river. Thankfully, the river is shallow so Fala cannot drown, which made it even peculiar as to how the current was so strong.
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The river half-carried her downwards and then everything stopped abruptly. Time had. . . stopped. The river was still under her knees. The fish were unmoving and the trees seemed to be frozen. Stranger were the little water droplets that hung in the air, on the verge of falling to the floor but not quite doing it.
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Fala was able to move her body though. This entire forest was just a wonderful mystery, Fala thought. She wondered what would happen now.
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“What will happen to me?” Fala mumbled to herself. Was her time here over? She didn’t want it to be over. She lifted a finger and touched a single droplet of water. She watched it scatter into several other droplets.
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Her eyes travelled away from the drops and she saw a girl, as little as she. The girl stood on the river bank. With long, white hair that went down to her waist, skin as pale as tulips, eyes the colour of maya blue and the sweetest smile on her face, a simple, white dress covered the girl’s body. The girl was looking at Fala, as if looking at a friend.
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Fala stared at the girl in admiration. She was the prettiest girl Fala had ever seen.
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How beautiful, Fala thought. Slowly, the girl approached her. Fala looked on with wonder as the girl stepped forward and stood on the river. The girl walked towards her, her steps calm and paced. The girl didn’t have a reflection on the water, Fala noted.
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“Greetings, my friend,” the girl said in a gentle, mellow voice. Fala’s eyes snapped up to the girl again.
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“Hello,” Fala mumbled back, not able to believe her vision and hearing.
The girl giggled at her. “Weird. . . .”
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“What is?” the girl asked with a tilt to her head.
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“Your eyes,” Fala said, “they seem most familiar.”
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The girl smiled at her. “Do they?”
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Fala nodded. Then her eyes widened in realisation. “Mir. . . .”
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The girl’s grin widened. “Yes?”
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“You’re Mir!” Fala yelled, a smile coming to her own face. “Mir! You’re Mir!”
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“Yes, I am!” the girl - Mir- replied.
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The two girls laughed together.
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“You’re most pretty,” Fala said to the other girl.
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“Thank you, and so are you,” Mir replied. “What is your name my friend?”
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“Fala.”
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Mir retreated back, towards the centre of the river. She swung both her arms up and spun in a circle. One hand went down and drew a circle on the water. She flicked her wrist and brought it up, water splashing upwards. Mir did a small leap and swung her arms around elegantly. She bent backwards, her back in a smooth arc.
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She was dancing, Fala realised, watching the girl move swiftly on her feet.
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“Would you like to dance, Fala?” Mir asked her with a hand held out to her.
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“Yes,” Fala said, taking her hand. “Yes, I would like that.”
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Fala twirled Mir in a circle and dipped the girl down. They took each other’s hands and went back and forth across the water, causing ripples on the river’s surface.
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It was an odd yet magnificent sight. A girl with hair as black as the night and a girl with hair, the purest of white, dancing and laughing with each other across a river while drops of water hung in the air.
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They twirled and swirled, uncaring of the world. Little by little, time unfroze once more. The rivers gushed down again, carrying the fish towards their destination and the winds resumed their journey across the forest, shuffling tree branches along the way.
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And the water droplets that hung in the air started falling down, hitting the river in a staccato rhythm.
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Drip
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Drip
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Drip
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It was raining, Fala distantly became aware, unable to remove her eyes from the girl in her arms. Yet, the two girls kept on moving, unbothered and cheery. They danced under the rain, soaked and cold, but warm in the heart.
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Time seemed irrelevant, for Mir and Fala danced for a hundred years, little girls they remained till the end of the clock, imprisoned in the freedom of happiness forever, both lost and found.
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