Dawn approached, flooding the country with warm golden light. The girl lay in her bed of hay for a moment longer, eyes tracing the grains in the wooden rafters of her barn. Her lashes fluttered from sudden brightness of sunlight seeping in, shafts of light illuminating the specks of dust lazily floating in the morning air.
With a contented sigh, the child arose from her bed, stretching her delicate limbs to shake the stiffness of sleep from her bones. It would be a new day, and she would find an adventure to full it with.
The girl hastily washed her face with cool water from the pump outside, and retrieved fresh clothes for the day of work and play ahead. Her small, nimble fingers fumbled to pull her sun-kissed hair into twin braids as she headed out to the fields.
She traveled past many rows of dirt being prepped for seed and fertilizer until she came upon her father. She found him, along with the sound of a hoe hitting dirt. The grunts of hard labor. She could tell that her father had already been up an hour or so before her.
She quietly approached, not wanting to disturb his work. He continued for a few moments longer before standing straight and wiping the sweat from his brow. From the corner of his eye, he saw the young child, and turned to her, a giant smile spreading across his dirt smeared face.
"There's my beautiful flower." He boomed, cackling along with her as he scooped her up in his arms. Her bursts of laughter echoed into the early morning, lovelier than a songbird.
"Papa!" the girl screeched with joy, her braids flying as he twirled her around. "Can I help in the fields today?" she continued once he set her down. Her eyes were bright with childish innocence and curiosity.
His grin turned into more of a grimace as he lazily scratched his head. The spark in his eye dimmed as he considered her question. After a few minutes of thought, he knelt down to her height, playing with one of her braids.
"That's alright darling. I can manage today." he sighed. "How about you go play for a while. It's a beautiful day after all." he smiled at her, tucking a loose wisp of hair behind her ear.
She giggled, spinning on her heal and taking off at a sprint across their lands. The world smeared by as she bolted for her favorite spot in a clearing of old trees. It wasn't long before she reached the edge of the woods. The girl loved to play near the birch trees, lazing about in the sun and staring up at the clear morning sky through the branches. The girl would make small homes from the grass and leaves as she lay beneath the early morning sun. She was convinced faeries were about in this place, and would live in the offerings of the houses she forged with tiny hands. It had the feeling of something ancient and strange, and full of wonder.
Today, however, it was not a faerie that snagged the girl's attention. It was something mysterious caught in the boughs of her favorite birch. She almost didn't notice, save for the glinting of sun off of something caught in a spider's web. Curious, she began her ascent to the high branches. Carefully picking her way up the trunk as her father taught her, she reached for the strange, glinting object.
She held it delicately in her hands, staring in awe at the small silver feather. It was more precious than any faerie sighting could ever be. She felt, more than saw, the power from the small miracle. It felt like hope. It felt like magic.
The world grew quiet as she stared and stared at the feather. It swayed slightly in the breeze, like it was waving at her. Beckoning. Come. It seemed to say. Come explore wonders with me.
Excitedly, the girl delicately put the feather in her dress pocket, and began her way to the ground. However, the girl's foot missed a knot in the trunk, and she tumbled downward. The world was bright and it flashed by in an instant. She braced her small frame for impact.
But none came.
When the girl opened her eyes, she was shocked to she her feet floating a few inches above the root of the tree. She didn't understand how such a thing was possible. Until she glanced down at her pocket.
Her dress was now radiating a gentle silver glow. She softly reached down and grasped the feather. It was warm in her palm. A giddy grin spread across her cheeks, full of childish wonder. Slowly, ever so slowly, she drifted down until she felt the grass between her toes.
She was about to cry out for her father to see this wondrous gift, when she heard a sound. She whirled, studying the edge of the woods. Then sun was not yet high enough over the horizon to show her what hid in the shadow of the trees beyond. It could have been any number of animal. She told herself. It was all okay.
She took a steadying breath, and ran off to find her father.
Little did she know, something out there was indeed watching. It shifted in the darkness, snapping another twig underfoot. The shadow sighed, and backed away in the gloom.
It had chosen.
