Crystal
clear and as smooth as glass, the mirrored surface of the tiny pool was
undisturbed in the midst of the immense, quiet forest. Butterflies fluttered
over a meadow of exotic flowers, their deep purples, oranges, yellows, and reds
breaking the green monotony of the foliage surrounding the pool. Clear blue
skies emphasized the hues and textures of the rocks and plants surrounding the
water, making the colors almost too vibrant to seem real. All over this
unnatural beauty lay an aura of purity, as though the place had somehow managed
to lay untouched, away from the destruction wrought by human hands.
At
the edge of the forest, where cool darkness met warm light, was poised a
graceful, slender girl. Her delicate features served as a startling setting for
a pair of endless blue eyes, their color rivaling that of the impossible blue
of the sky. Framing all of this was an untamed mane of silver hair like the
color of the silver rocks lying on the bank, but paler. Pale enough to almost
be the color of frost as the light shone over the tumbling waves and curls.
She
moved slowly, elegantly, toward the very edge of the water, yet she looked as
though she was poised to run at any moment. Fluidly, she dropped to her knees,
sinking into the shallow pools made by the rocks, and cupped her hands,
bringing the water carefully to her lips. It rippled into tiny waves,
disturbing the balance of the scene. There was an almost indiscernible movement
to her right.
Disturbed,
her eyes flew up to meet those of the boy who had suddenly appeared across from
her. Her gaze wary, mistrusting, she watched him as he stood there, unmoving,
as though he had been carved out of a vividly colored block of marble.
The
forest around them was quiet. The dull murmur of the wind had stopped. Nothing
moved.
Her
eyes flashed blue fire and her head tilted back in defiance at his mocking
stare. Still nothing moved.
Silence
stretched between them, the boy's gaze fixed on her forehead, which had a
curious six-point star shimmering on it, revealed when her hair had fallen away
from her face.
Suddenly,
the boy let out a mocking laugh that echoed over the trees around them.
Startled, the girl stood, the air around her shimmering and distorting the
clarity of the scene.
A
shimmering silver unicorn, so pale as to be almost the color of frost, with
liquid blue eyes, galloped into the unearthly still depths of the forest, an
unruly mane of waves and curls flying behind it.
An
ageless pair of green eyes watched her go, brighter than that of anything
surrounding them. A large golden dragon settled down at the edge of the pool,
his transparent gossamer wings folding gently around him as he lay to watch and
to wait, protecting the pool from the outside world.
Before
he laid his head to rest, he paused to look back down into the still water, his
green eyes whirling with golds almost as beautiful as the color of his scales.
Staring
back at him was the face of the boy.
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