The young girl felt the earth sag beneath her, like a soft hammock, warmed by the colorful suns above her. The sky glowed with an aurora of rose and plum, as the verdant grove around her sang.
Wake up, little rabbit. Wake up. Wake up.
She sat up slowly, leaning on her delicate elbows. Around her was a circle of glowing mushrooms that sparkled in the sunlight. She leaned in closer to listen and could hear the comforting voice again.
It’s time to come home.
“Where am I?” The girl asked, still drowsy from her slumber.
Home, home, home. The mushrooms chanted in unison.
She looked around her. She had no idea where she was, or how she got there. It was as if everything up until that moment never existed.
“How do I get home?” She asked as she stumbled to her feet and wiped the dirt off her apron. Her heart fluttered as she looked around her. It was as if she was seeing trees, leaves, flowers, and grass for the first time. She traced every line with her eyes, absorbing every detail, as the colors and smells overwhelmed her.
She felt alive.
The mushrooms danced, and sang, and marched their way toward a forest on the clearing’s edge. She followed. And as the sun retreated behind the canopy, she watched the stars float down to greet her. They led her through a labyrinth of glowing mushrooms that towered over her. Until they stopped at the edge of a sparkling grove.
It was the largest mushroom she had ever seen–or at least she thought so. She could no longer see the night sky–only the glowing mushroom cap that seemed to shield this grove from every care in the world.
Beneath the mushroom’s canopy was a tiny cottage and a moss-covered well growing out of tendril roots that stretched through the forest. Standing by the well were two women with eyes that shone like iridescent black pearls wearing two large crowns of bramble thorns. Their dresses and cloaks were thick with swamp leaves, twigs, flowers, and fungi.
Mother, mother, wants you home.
She could hear the forest sing to her as the women held out their hands. She walked closer, and could see the tiny mushrooms blossoming from their skin. The stars and mushrooms around her quivered with excitement as they repeated.
Mother, mother, wants you home.
“Mother?” the girl asked.
The two women smiled at her in response. One of them handed her a small wooden bowl while the other gathered water from the well and poured.
She looked at her reflection and could see herself for the first time.
Eyes like iridescent black pearls and a small crown of bramble thorns.
We missed you, little rabbit. It’s time to come home.
This story was based on original characters and events from a D&D campaign, The Wilds Beyond The Witchlight. Cecilia was my character—a hexblood spore druid.
JMV 