NeverSeen

Racing along the inside of the tree, we barreled toward the large knot-hole entrance. Sliding and bumping down the branch, I prepared for the Plunge. No more branch. Down we went. Very fast. But I feared not. The air supported me as it always did, and the hummers guided my course. Upward. We soared up and up and up through the fresh air, as we saw life stirring in the small stores and faeries emerging from their sleepy, blanketed world. Then we surged up through the branches of the massive habit-trees towards the wide, clouded sleepiness of the sky …and then all turned as smooth as ice on a winter-land pond.

It was later than it appeared, I knew. The many clouds snuggling on the horizon were snuffing the sunlight, teasing us to turn back and crawl into our nice warm beds. The breeze, crisp and cool, drifted through the trees below us, playing the music of gentle waterfalls on the instruments of the new green leaves almost finished budding. The true water lay trickling far below, splashing and rolling like a majestic chaos of faeries in a dancing ring. The thrumming of our hummers’ wings, the seeming chorus of a quiet, contented world surrounded me like a cozy blanket. I didn’t want to, but I closed my eyes, just for a moment. Just a moment.

No, no, no, I pleaded as the ghostly images threatened to emerge from the cage of my subconscious, those horrid phantoms that were cursed to torment my mind. No, please, not now! Not when I’ve just started to forget! Wake up! Wake up, Emmaline, dang it! Don’t let this get out of control. WAKE UP!

Someone else did it for me.

“Hey-ey, Emmaline! You’re really cruising!” screeched a voice that, unfortunately, was very familiar to me. My eyelids retracted as my blood started boiling.