Amentia

Chapter 9 - The kindest wind

Anna came out of the portal and landed as gracefully as a bird settling on a branch. The wind had been kind enough to keep the trip smooth for her, although that was as far as her recollections went. She had no idea what the actual trip had been like; maybe she had been asleep for all of it. She winced at the feeling of a high-pitched ringing in her ears that stopped almost immediately after it started.

The first thing she saw was the man covered in white fur, with both his hands before him, crossed in the shape of an X with the palms facing up.

"Welcome," he said.

The second thing she noticed, almost simultaneously as the first, was that the wind was louder and clearer than she'd ever heard it. And it didn't blow through the walls, as if the wood was impenetrable, which was something she had never seen happen before. It did, however, blow around the strange fox-man as if they were old friends walking together side by side, used to each other's pace and rhythm. This showed Anna that this was no hallucination or mistake; this man belonged here and this was the right place to be.

"Thank you, sir," she said to him, looking around the room and settling her eyes on the arch that held the portal. "Can you tell me where I am?" she asked, eyeing the weird symbols carved on the stone.

"Amentia, dear," the fox-man said, walking up to her and joining her in the observation of the arch.

"Why did I ask if a name doesn't actually tell me anything?" she said, more to herself than to him, shaking her head.

"Curiosity, I suspect," he answered anyway.

Anna found herself smiling at the man, and also staring at him and his unusual companionship with the wind.

"More curiosity," he said looking sideways at her, his mouth hinting at a smile.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare," she said, returning her gaze towards the big light in front of her, not really looking at it.

"Is it the air around me?" he asked, drawing a surprised expression from Anna. "I do take pride in my good relationship with the wind; that is why we have good weather all year round in this part of the forest. If we had bad winters, the fairies would murder me."

The wind seemed to agree with his statement; Anna could almost hear it nodding along. She had never heard the wind nod. It was the strangest thing, and she found herself laughing about it.

Fairies. The word echoed in her head. Well, it certainly wasn't too unexpected, considering she was chatting with a man that looked like a fox. But still, the idea of seeing a real fairy seemed surreal, almost a joke. Why would the wind back home make her come here?

"I am afraid I have to ask you to wait a few minutes, as we still have one more guest arriving," the fox-man told her in a polite tone. "I can offer you to wait in the reception, or perhaps you would like to meet some of the other guests that arrived before you."

"The second option sounds interesting."

He gave a slight nod and asked Anna to follow him outside.

She was struck by the peacefulness of the forest before she was amazed at the color. The air was calm, nothing more than a gentle breeze, and it was the perfect temperature; she had to remove her jacket because it was too warm for her Icelandic attire. The air was also tender, embracing, nurturing. It took care of all the living things that resided in this forest, no doubt thanks to the fox-man. This surprised her. The wind was hardly the caring type; it was usually the other way around: it liked to shake things up, ruffle feathers, carry away rooftops and tree branches. All was done with good intentions, but never in a nice way. This wind, however, kept a huge area of forest in a weather of its own, almost like a greenhouse. It was the kindest wind she had ever heard.

In the peace and quiet, Anna was surprised to hear the sound of gentle sobs somewhere ahead, flowing in every direction. It was a human sound. Without waiting for the fox-man to lead her anywhere, Anna followed the waves of sound towards the end of the walkway and down a flight of stairs to the left. Two steps away, there was a girl standing there crying and laughing at the same time. Her back was to Anna, but she saw the girl was rather short, very slim, with light-brown skin and gorgeous black hair that reached the middle of her back and curled a bit at the tips. She was wearing denim overalls with a white shirt underneath, and she was barefoot with her toes sunk deeply into the ground, almost as if she were trying to put down roots or waiting for the earth to absorb her.

"Are you alright?" Anna asked as she approached the girl and stood beside her.

The girl was surprised, but quickly showed Anna a smile and nodded. "Just enjoying the forest," she said.

Anna was struck by the beauty of this girl and, if she hadn't been wearing an outfit that seemed more appropriate for gardening or if she didn't seem so content with her feet in the dirt, Anna would've thought she was a model. But maybe she was; what did Anna know anyway? It wasn't like models couldn't enjoy gardening and being in the dirt.