The Loveliest Lies of All

One: The Old Grist Mill

 The three of us were walking in the darkening woods, the wind blowing my flowing red and gold boho skirt back. In my hands I carried a bag of homemade sweets, clutching them tightly, my heart aching slightly. Next to me was my close friend Wirt, wearing his red cone hat and blue cape, and his younger brother Greg, who had a upside down teapot on his head. I was beginning to get a little bit cold as my white boho themed top was off of my shoulders.

Greg was rambling on about the very worst names for his newly found frog, before Wirt suddenly stopped us both. "Wait, wait a second... er... Greg? Mary? Where are we?" Wirt asked cautiously.

"In the woods!" Greg said happily, making me smile at his enthusiasm.

"I mean - what are we d-doing out here?" Wirt stuttered, apparently beginning to panic.

"We're walking home," Greg said.

"I think we're lost! We should of left a-a trail or something!" Wirt said, clutching his hair under his pointy red hat.

"I can leave a trail of candy from my pants!" Greg said enthusiastically, pulling out several sweets he'd collected.

"Wirt calm down, I'm sure we're not too lost," I said, trying to be of comfort, but he sighed.

"No. Though I am lost, my wounded heart resides back home in pieces, strewn upon the graveyard of my lost love for only-,"

"Wirt, enough poetry. Can you hear that?" I said, interrupting him. I began to walk to the chopping sound, Greg walking by my side and Wirt following cautiously behind.

"D-do you think it's some kind of deranged lunatic waiting out there in the darkness for innocent victims?" Wirt said quickly, hiding behind a tree. I continued walking towards the sound, Wirt grabbing my hand to try and stop me, which left a light pink hue on my cheeks. Greg carried on though, so we had no choice but to follow. "Greg! You're going to get us into trouble again," Wirt hissed as we caught up with him. I looked out towards the noise and saw an older man with an axe and a lantern, chopping up a few trees, hauling the wood onto his back.

"We should ask him for help," Greg said.

"Yeah, c'mon," I said, about to climb over the tree branch we were stood behind but Wirt pulled me back. "No, we should not ask him for help," he insisted.

"But-,"

"Shush!"

"You shush!"

"Shh!

"Shh!"

"Shut up!" I finished the brotherly argument. We saw the woodsman pick up his lantern and walk away into the distance with it, the light fading.

"Shoot... y-you think we should've asked him for help?" Wirt said awkwardly. I rolled my eyes at him. For the past year, my feelings for the boy had grown but he was too dense and awkward to notice me. Yeah he was a little bit goofy but I liked his clarinet playing, him not realising I could hear him play through his open bedroom window which was opposite mine as we were neighbours. He'd always have his eyes closed, playing beautifully. I used to love his poetry too, it was rare that he'd share it with me but there were times where he'd naturally speak poetically. Recently however, his poetry had been about his new crush, Sara. He'd talk about her endlessly and every time he did, a bit of my heart hurt. I knew I never had a shot with the dense boy anyway, so I simply wrote it off and tried to hide my feelings, but they always seemed to haunt me.

"Maybe I can help?" A sweet voice asked from behind. The three of us turned and up in a tree we saw a beautiful little bluebird. "I mean, you guys are lost, right?" She asked. My eyes widened, unable to believe a bluebird just spoke. Wirt was the one to speak first after slapping himself in the face.