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Stepping over my fallen foe, I continue through the forest, drawn deeper in by the sound of gushing liquid.
Somewhere ahead, there’s a stream.
I’m acutely aware of the male following me as I move, but I remain unbothered. He witnessed my purification process with the maddened one. Now he knows what I am; what I’m capable of. If he’s comfortable with that knowledge, then he will approach me. If he isn’t… then so be it.
My attention is caught by movement above a fallen log. A vibrant, winged creature flutters beneath the filtered sunlight, dipping and rising as it moves through the air. I creep closer with stiff movements, a trick I found works when dealing with the skittish wildlife. Its bright wings are a pale blue with white and black circles decorating their surface. Once I’m an arm’s length away, the animal falls atop a curling fern, softly opening and closing its wings.
I squat beside it, too scared to touch its tiny body in fear I’ll squash it.Such a beautiful creation.
After a few moments of serenity, the miniscule beast lifts into the sky, flying past my head and behind a large tree.
“Goodbye, little one,” I whisper, a smile on my lips.
Once the insect flies out of sight, I continue on my journey, determined to find the body of water I hear nearby.
It’s been weeks since I arrived on Earth, and I’ve only found clean water sources six times since then. Along with having reproductive organs and fleshy skin, I also sweat. The sensation of beady droplets slicking off of my skin isn’t necessarily uncomfortable, per se, but the aroma it leaves certainly is.
Also, the ritual of washing away all traces of grime is one that brings me comfort. It’s like my own sort of holy purification, cleaning both my skin and my conscience at the same time.
After traveling downhill for half an hour, I finally catch sight of the glittering liquid. Mysmall streamis actually a pristine work of art. There is a stream, but it flows from a pool, and above the pool is a gorgeous waterfall. It isn’t massive, but the simple gush of water falling from the rocky hillside is enough of a spray that I can stand beneath it and be fully soaked.
I run the rest of the way, not even faltering when I stub my toe for the second time.
The icy water electrifies my skin on contact, causing a shiver to rush up my legs and over my chest. My skin prickles, coming alive with textured bumps as the shock of the chilly current freezes my once warm flesh.
I don’t care that my fingers are already numbing, nor that my feet are too cold to feel the bite of the stones underfoot. Every ounce of my focus is directed toward the sunlit falls.
In the past, my baths have taken place in shallow ponds or fast rushing rivers. This isnew, and it’s beautiful.
The deepest part of the pool is only waist high, but I’m able to drop and push off with my feet. I haven’t mastered swimming, but being afloat brings me home. I feel as if I’m still my formless self atop this water, moving through the air like a weightless mist.
Despite my lack of expertise, I’m able to kick my way toward the falls, only needing to steady myself on the rocky bottom a few times. Water sprays over my cheeks, clearing the dirt from the creases in my face. I let out a howling shriek of glee, not even caring that a mysterious being watches from the waters’ bank.
Throughout the entirety of my infinite years encrusted within the Earth, I watched humans experience life from a fisheye’s view. Dreaming of living with so much sensational beauty was a fallacy I never allowed myself to drown in.
Now I’m here. Alive. Breathing the oxygen I helped create.
Trading a bit of regretful soul-sucking for swimming and interacting with the woodland creatures is more than fair.
I only last five minutes in the water before the chill forces me out. A patch of sun settles in a circle on the ground, warming my bones to their previous temperature. My teeth chatter as I stumble over palm sized pebbles, making my way into the center of the light.
A boulder covered in moss gives me the perfect spot to rest my still-chilled body. I settle onto the stone, wringing out the edges of my soaked dress.
I work my hands until aching, red spots appear between my fingers. Huffing, I stand again, unwrapping myself from my long silken robes. The fabric is wide and thin, tucked tightly over my arms, around my breasts, and then hanging loosely over my legs.
It normally isn’t a struggle to release myself from the coverings, but now that they’re wet, I fumble and cursing the blessed fibers. They shimmer as I stretch the last loop around my breasts, finally sagging as they fall from my skin.
“At last,” I murmur, pulling the white silk from my hips. I bend, spreading the material over the sun-warmed stones in hopes it’ll help dry them quicker.
Sighing, I lie back on the boulder, resting my head against the plushest growth of moss along the rocks’ edge. The sky is so radiant I’m forced to close my eyes, protecting them from the sun’s powerful rays.
With nothing to see but the pink of my eyelids, I listen to the noises of the forest.
The falls are so deafening its hard to hear much else, but if I focus, sweet sounds break through the white water. A squirrel bouncing from branch to branch, shaking the leaves as it does so. A bird somewhere in the distance, hammering its hard little beak into a tree.
And… a twig groaning under the weight of a heavy foot. It’s the hardest sound to make out, as the stick isn’t quite snapping, but the bending of dead wood is a whisper I can’t ignore, alerting me to someone watching a few feet away.
“You can come out, you know,” I call, keeping my eyes shut. My voice sounds brave, commanding, but inside I feel my heart speed ever so slightly.
