Revenance

Chapter 21

Tajo waited for Mira by that same old fence from so many years ago. He perched himself on a fencepost as a bird would, and watched the sun rise from behind the horizon. He closed his eyes, listening to the psithurism floating around him. The sound of birds started tweeting as the sun rose, and he could already see their activities. A mother bird collecting food for her chicks, a murder of crows going hunting, hawks soaring over the forest roof. All of this and more.

"Hi, Tajo."

He opened his eyes and Mira was standing in front of him, a smile on her face. A satchel was secured over her shoulder and she was wearing that same red cloak over her signature white dress. Her black hair was longer than when she was a child, reaching down to the middle of her back. It seemed to never be out of order, her sleek black hair glistening in the light.

"Good morning, Mira," he said, stepping down from the fencepost. He offered his hand to her. "Shall we go, then? If you're ready?"

She took his hand and nodded. "Yes, let's go."

Tajo helped Mira over the broken fence and they headed into the forest. The morning light broke through the tree branches, lighting up their faces. Tajo took a deep breath and looked around. And despite the fact that it was still winter, the forest seemed more alive with colour than it had the entire time that she'd been gone. He felt happier.

"They don't have forests like this in Edinburgh," Mira said. "I think I missed that while I was gone."

Tajo looked at her. "What's it like there?"

"There's a lot of buildings. It's like everything is made of stone."

Tajo tried to picture it in his mind, and the idea made him uncomfortable. "... That doesn't sound very nice."

"Oh, no, it's beautiful. You should see it, I think you'd love it."

He tilted his head slightly. "You do?"

"Yeah, of course. If you ever ... if you ever want to leave the forest, maybe I could show you."

Tajo considered the possibility. His life had revolved around this forest for centuries. All the times he had tried to leave proved unsuccessful and wondered if that could ever change. He could venture into the village, but not very far in, and not for very long. He could go to the outer reaches of his forest, but couldn't remain for very long. It was all drawn back to that dead hollow tree. It didn't take much for him to realise that this was what bound him, but he never had the heart to destroy it. Maybe one day, he would try. Maybe one day, he would do it.

The two of them arrived by the river, at which Mira hesitated to cross. Tajo could see the scars still on her from the day she nearly drowned, and felt some strings of sympathy for her. So he lifted her up and carried her across the cold rushing river. He could feel the breath of relief escaping her as her feet touched the grass on the other side.

They continued until they reached a wide open clearing at the base of a valley. A small stream ran through it and it was bright as the sun touched it. Tajo realised how since it was still winter, the clearing didn't have that same glow that it did in the springtime. So before Mira could get a good look at it, he quickly covered her eyes and turned her away.

"What are you doing?" she asked in mild confusion.

"Just wait a minute."

"Well alright."

Tajo turned back over to the clearing and held up his hand. That same red circle appeared around it, with symbols and runes circling around. He slowly drew his hand over the clearing, and it came alive, with fresh green grass and flowers blooming around the stream. The trees came alive with life as well, breathing in the sunlight. Tajo almost didn't stop himself, but managed to stop at the clearing.