She stood there on her bare feet, along side the gigantic nettle bush that almost looked like a forest. The golden evening light made the big dented leaves look transparent and glowing, the many tiny seeds, forming an upward tassel together, gently swaying in the breeze. She wore her best summer dress, and her eyes were closed, letting the sunlight play on her face, sniffing up the slightly metallic and spicy smell of the nettles. There was magic in the air tonight and no wonder as it was the 20th of June, the forest was at it's peak of abundance. 'Talk to me..' she said and giggled. Once in a fairy tale she had read about a woman that had denied talking to a nettle bush, so she had concluded that it was possible. Though the nettle bush seemed to contain a lot of secrets it didn't share any with her, or maybe they were the kind of secrets that were wordless...
She had made herself ready early for tonights celebrations, she had had a wash in the creek and used some of the nice soap her grandma had given her for her hair. She had put on her favourite dress, unbleached cotton, with colourful flowers embroidered on the bodice, she had even found a ribbon, after some rummaging around through the chaos that she called her way of organising things in her room. All that was missing were some flowers in her hair. They weren't braided yet and when she ran a long with the cat that had come with her, her hair was flying behind her like a banner of wildness and joy. Her mom had yelled after her, not to go into the forest before the celebration with her best dress on, but how else would she find the flowers that were so essential to her plan for the midsummer night celebrations. Besides her mother could best make herself pretty so she'd also have a change of romance. She pulled a frumpled face to mimic her moms expresion of dissatisfaction that had been on her face a lot lately. Aola knew that things weren't easy for her mother since her dad died. There was always so much to be done with three boys and one girl. Girl? No, she was a young women now. The only reason she still lived in the house was to help her mother cope with it all. But lately it seemed like her presence was not so much appreciated anymore. With Aola coming in to her power it often wasn't clear who was in charge. And this was frustrating to both of them.
Despite or maybe because of her somewhat oppressing feelings of responsibility towards her family Aola was determined to tempt faith tonight. To the moon she had said last night: Give me a man, a good man, on summer solstice if you want me to start living my own life and make my own family. She was very much hoping that she would meet this man, because to be honest she wasn't feeling the butterflies life used to put in her stomach and heart so much anymore, except for now. This moment in which the forest seemed to have come alive.
Her very characteristic cat had heard something in the bushes and was now miauwing inquisitively, while approaching, to find out what or who was hiding there. 'Hey silly, if you want to catch something you can't talk to it, you know, you have to approach quietly' She said to it, being amused. 'What if I don't meet anyone?' she asked the cat. The feelings of joy in her heart were flying away like scared birds now. Her heart felt all heavy instantly. Ooph, if she had to live with her mom and younger brothers for much longer she was sure she would turn grey prematurely.
Worrying about who would help her mother if she wouldn't be around, she stumbled with her bare feet over a gnarly root of a tree crossing the path that was paved with soft green gras. Her heart jumped at the thought that her mother would be right after all and she would ruin her dress before she even got to the celebration, when two strong hands held her up. Glad she hadn't fallen but not sure what to think of being touched by a strange man in the middle of the forest her 'Thanks' came out a bit mangled. Quickly she let go and looked in to two laughing brown eyes. 'Hi! Picking flowers?' She looked at the one dandelion she help in her hands, that had gone a bit limp with all her strolling and day dreaming. 'Ehm, yeah.' Aola said biting her lip. 'You're lucky, they are already growing on your dress, you don't really need any.', the young man said with a smile that made Aola find the forest even more magical. 'Easy now', she told herself as her butterflies came storming back. You have no idea who he is. Being a quite direct person and really wanting to know she asked: 'Who are you?'
Do you want to know what happens next on their midsummer celebration?
I invite you to write the end of the story as a separate post or in the comments. I look forward to reading the possible endings.
Midsummer love,
Undrach-Clara
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