The Light in the Deep Woods

[appalachianranger]

After the sun set, one of the young boys suggested that they build a bonfire to sit around and share stories of their glorious adventures. It would be the perfect end to such a magnificent day! All agreed, and soon scattered to search for firewood.
One of them, a soft-spoken young lad, wandered into the woods knowing that he could always find dead branches among the undergrowth. Many of the others were afraid to pass under the boughs of the lush green trees, but from a young age he had been familiar with the forest. Walking the path he knew very well, he soon gathered enough kindling and logs to keep the fire going for hours. Proudly he turned to leave and return to the revelry of his comrades.
At that moment, however, a light suddenly caught his eye from the deepest part of the forest. It started very small, but soon grew so vast that he could barely see. Suddenly his heart was filled with an unquenchable longing, and enchantment urged him forward. He had no idea what awaited him in the deep woods, nor what that bright light could be, but every fiber of his being told him to follow it.
He ran into the light, completely forgetting about his friends and the bonfire and the fact that legends spoke of wanderers entering these woods never to return. They said that some ancient magic still reigned here, and that it was unfriendly to mortals. Nevertheless the young boy ran into the light, caring only to see what lay ahead of him.
Soon he came to a clearing, and as the light became brighter he also began to hear lovely speech and laughter like ringing bells. Songs were being sung and gloriously- crafted glasses were being raised. The young boy could almost see the forms of people, only a few strides ahead of him in the glen…
Then he saw them, in all their glory. The men were wearing gleaming armor and richly-adorned crowns, while the ladies wore dresses finer than anything the queen of the boy’s kingdom had ever owned. All were fair and keen-eyed, though something about their eyes said that they were far older than they appeared.
They were all dressed for traveling, yet tables had been assembled in the clearing so that they could feast while they rested. Minstrels with harps, flutes, and angelic voices were singing songs in a language that the boy had never heard before. It was the most remarkable, exquisite gathering that he had seen in his entire young life!
But as he entered the glen, the music and talking stopped completely and all gathered turned their eyes toward their young uninvited guest. Fear now gripped him, and his heart dropped into his stomach. Strangely enough, he was not afraid of any punishment that these fair people could inflict upon him. No, what he truly feared for a few moments was that all this magical splendor would vanish or he would awake from this wonderful dream.
But his fears were soon allayed. A woman with golden hair and a graceful demeanor looked upon him and smiled, then directed him to come closer. As he did, he noticed that many of the others were smiling on him too. It then dawned on him that they had been expecting him, for none of them appeared tense or nervous about his presence. As he stood before the lady, whom he took to be the leader of this band, she arose and began to speak to him. To his great surprise, he suddenly understood her!
“Long has it been since your kind have looked upon the Fae,” she said, “And after this meeting our peoples will never see each other again! You have been summoned here because we will not be on this Earth much longer, and we wish to leave behind our stories for mortals to know and pass on to future generations. Will you accept this task?”
The boy nodded, overjoyed at the prospect of knowing all he could about these people.
“We do not have the time to teach you, as we would have once. Instead, let us cast one final enchantment on you that you may know all.” She then walked over, placed her hand on his shoulder, and then looked him directly in the eye.
As he gazed into her shining eyes, the boy suddenly beheld a vision of the fair folk walking the earth side by side with man. They shared the land with other astounding creatures, such as stout bearded men with deep voices and mighty hammers and miniature people who dwelt in peaceful ignorance within a gorgeous green country.
But there were other beasts that dwelt in this world, and they were of a wicked and twisted nature. Great sorcerers waged war against the fair folk, and many great people died. At last these shadows were defeated, but the fair folk continued to dwindle. Now there were few of them left anywhere in the world, even hidden. At last the vision ended, and the lady released the boy from her grip.
The enchantment, on the other hand, was permanent. Thousands of other things were now known to the young man, both good and evil. He closed his eyes, holding on tight to the knowledge he now possessed, then opened them as a wiser man.
“Now,” said the lady, “Go and tell our story! Farewell!”
Before he could answer, the entire company disappeared like smoke on the wind. The boy turned around and took the long journey back to his friends. The fire had already been lit, but many of the boys had been running about looking for their missing mate. When at last he walked into the light of the fire, all breathed a sigh of relief.
One of the more outspoken of the boys smiled and exclaimed, “Nice of you to join us, Mister Tolkien! Do you have any new stories to tell us?”

End.

[Peter Remling]

Very neatly done, I enjoyed it immensely.

Thank you !

[Mirimaran]

What a great story! Thanks for posting!

Ken

[Faolan]

Excellent!

[Eric C]

OUTSTANDING! I love it!

[kaelln]

Very good! You're quite a skillful writer! Excellent!

[appalachianranger]

Thank you, gentlemen!
I was just inspired by some of the masterful works that you all have written here, and wanted to try it out myself!