by MaeEadie
“But there is a way we can be saved, as always. You see, long before the full destruction of our forest, we will be discovered by roaming men. People who are passing through and get the idea of selling us for a handsome price. We can't keep them away. If we set traps they'll only return with more men. What we need is a protector, a human. But unfortunately, we require a special type of human, like you." The leader stopped and greeted another elder like himself. His face displayed a detailed arrangement of wrinkles, but with fewer than Rafael. He was child or grandson of Rafael's, Florence presumed. A lady strode up to the elder and led him back inside, muttering about dinner and the cold.
Rafael turned back to their path.
"I'm sure that Elin has already introduced you to yourself, who and what you really are? A purine?" Rafael asked. Florence nodded. "Well then. I shall just get to the point. Our clan’s survival depends on you and whether you decide to help us or not. Will you protect us, or will you leave us to die?"
The group stood in the middle of the grassy road. Rafael stood directly in front of Florence, staring into her eyes, his eyes were round and unblinking.
Jan, one of the spies who had brought her here, tugged on her fingers.
"Frau Florence, we must explain your task. Follow us."
The group led the way down the path, after Rafael. Florence's fingers went numb again as the leader turned into a narrow alley.
'What now?' The procession of frescreets followed after him.
Florence turned into the alley that was overgrown with weeds. The group walked in silence to the end of it and into the next. They passed through three alleys before they came upon a clearing. At the end of the clearing, the great density of trees loomed like body guards. The frescreets were seated in a large circle, their pearly white skin glowed in the half light.
"Sit, Florence." Rafael indicated a spot across the clearing, in between Luca and Chiara. Florence squeezed in between them, barely fitting. She took up the space of about three frescreets, not mentioning how much she towered above them all.
"You are most likely wondering about your duties as protector, are you not?" Rafael asked addressing Florence. "Listen closely as I shall not be repeating myself. As protector of this tribe, the fate of our species rests on your shoulders. Our greatest need is for information. We must know when your world might be encroaching on ours. You will need to check that we are safe. You must also deal with any dangers to us.
“You will need to visit regularly to provide us with news. At least every two days, come to the edge of the clearing where I will meet you.
“Our fate also depends on whether you abide by the following rules. So listen closely. You must never take anyone here, not even your closest companion. You must never leave any evidence of your trips here, not a trace. But above all, you must never, ever, speak of us. Do not tell a soul. Do not mention us or you may as well take us to a zoo cage yourself. Do you understand?" The circle had fallen into a deathly silence. Every pair of glassy eyes were staring intently into Florence's.
"Your word Florence? I need your word."
Florence wished someone would decide for her. Committing to protecting this tribe would cost her freedom and, most likely, her friends' trust. She would have to sacrifice her personal life. Her time, her headspace, her books and most of all, Ben. There would be no time for hanging out with him, plus she would be keeping a great secret from him which would only lead him losing trust in her.
But, on the other hand, the frescreets obviously were in grave danger. By disregarding her duty as protector, she would be condemning a whole species to death. She would be trading their lives for her happiness.
Florence knew that even if she tried, Rafael wouldn’t let her refuse. There was only one option.
Black and white.
No greyscale.
Florence returned the ancient leaders fierce gaze. After a few minutes, Florence broke the unblinking silence. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. She forced her head up and down.
"My word."
*
With those few slight movements,
she was giving up her freedom and her future.
At least the future she had planned on.
But of course,
living in the moment,
as most people tend to do,
had distracted her.
She didn't know all this.
What was to come.
Or rather,
what wasn't.
But yet again,
I was the real culprit behind it.
I didn’t want to do it.
I had to.
Just like all people,
I must do my duties.
I led Florence in like a puppet on strings.
*
The sheer effort of the decision forced a small tear out of her bright swimming eyes.
"Well done my child. You have truly proved your pure spirit today. One may hold a title of greatness, but one does not truly deserve it until they act upon it. Factis Non Verbis. Deeds not words." Rafael bowed deeply to Florence and turned away. He hobbled away with his wife at his side. Despite what she had just done, she still managed to smile at Rafael's manner of talking.
"Dankeschön Florence. You are now free to leave." Rafael stood up slowly, his aged legs shaking slightly. Jael took his skinny arm and led him from the secluded clearing, followed closely by the group of scouts.
Florence remained seated on the damp grass. She put her head in her hands and let her hot, wet tears flow down her cheeks.
Tears of wonder.
Tears of shock.
Tears of confusion.
Leaving
27th May 1938
"Do you think she can take it?" Jael whispered into her husband’s ear.
"It's too late to worry about that now. She's seen us. But I certainly hope she was the right decision. She has to be. She is our only possible option. We have no other choice." Rafael replied.
"Ja, I suppose you're right."
*
Florence weaved her way through the main street. The frescreets ran around her feet, calling for attention and getting in the way.
"Danke schön Frau purine!"
"You are gold, utter gold."
"Please take my gift, it's the least I can do."
"We are so grateful, Frau purine."
Florence brushed off her admirers. She guessed Rafael had not waisted any time in spreading the news that frescreets were 'saved'. They had a protector and they would live long and safe lives.
*
Apparently.
But,
last time I checked,
even the Queen doesn't get that kind of special treatment.
*
As the news of their saviour spread down the street, frescreets rushed out into the swelling crowd. By the time Florence had reached the edge of the village, the music had begun. Joyous instruments, some picked up from the humans, most hand crafted, were filling the clearing with a jumbled cacophony of songs. Frescreets danced and sung, skipping around the streets and celebrating the news. Children ran around, shouting and yelling. The parents dropped all their washing and saws and ran into the streets, shouting and whooping for joy, much like their children.
Florence watched in dismay as the village celebrated her protection. The sheer size of the task ahead made her head spin. It dawned on her. The pressure. She had to succeed.
There were no second chances or redoing anything.
This was a matter of life and death, if ever you've seen one.
*
Unfortunately,
there is no undo button on death.
Or a redo one on life,
for that matter.
*
She slipped into the forest, hoping that everyone was too caught up in their celebrations to see her go.
Florence stumbled through the forest once more, her hair once again teased up into a rugged birds nest. She lost her way seve
ral times before stumbling back onto an already trodden track.
By the time she had gotten to her secret pool, the sky had begun to darken. Her shredded nightgown stuck to her as she sprinted through the woods. The evening breeze bit her raw toes and chilled her fingertips. Her hair whipped around her head, slapping around her eyes. Florence was panting for breath yet still running faster. She dodged between the trees, narrowly avoiding their twisted trunks that could knock her out cold.
She was greeted at her bedroom window by a worried Oliver. He clutched Florence to his little body as soon as she scooted off the windowsill.
"Where have you been Flory?! I've been waiting for you for ages!" The little panicked boy stared up into his sisters eyes.
"Oh, nowhere... Just, over at Ben's, helping him study." Florence hoped his little brother was too innocent to see through her white lie.
And through her tatted dress.
"Oh. Okay." The creases on the little boy's face straightened out and his eyes lit up again.
"Don't worry about me Ollie, I'm just fine." Florence said, more for herself than her brother.
That night when Florence went to bed, she did not fall asleep quickly, as she usually did. She lay in bed until the small hours of the morning.
Thinking.
Fretting.
It was hard for her to imagine that since the previous night, she had discovered, befriended and sworn an oath to protect a completely secret and undiscovered species. She felt an overwhelming wave of responsibility crash over her and wash away any last childish desires. She now knew that there was to be space for her greed. All her thoughts and hopes now had to be devoted to the frescreets.
'The more thought I put towards them, the safer they'll be. Right?' it wasn't clear to Florence. Nothing was clear at that moment.
Sometime after four am, Florence finally gave in to her fatigued body, despite her swimming head and muddled thoughts.
Alone in a deep dark secret
28th May 1938
Deep in the forest in the village of the porcelain-like people, frescreets celebrated long into the night. The warped sound of their music clashed with the joyous shouts of dancers and singers.
Everyone joined in.
They all celebrated in the streets.
All the doors were wide open and the houses were empty. Or so it seemed.
But there was one not joining in the fun. Rafael sat high up on the hill at the edge of the clearing. Even his wife Jael had left to join in. Despite his drooping eyes, he was wide awake. Like the purine girl Florence, his head was full to the brim with thoughts and ideas and he just could not sleep.
He had tossed and turned, thinking about Florence, whether she is up to being their protector. He wondered if she would be dedicated enough to keep his rules. But most of all, he feared that she might never do her duty and visit them. She may think it was all just a really imaginative dream and that it was all made up.
But unlike Florence, the leader did not sleep, even in the growing light of the morn. At three o'clock he got up and went to join the parties in the streets. All hope of sleep had been lost hours before.
*
Florence Mele woke up late. It was Saturday morning and she was due to help her neighbour with her washing. She stumbled out of bed as though returning from hibernation. She was already ten minutes late when she pulled some clothes on. Her mind filled again. Had it actually happened, or was the mould in the wooden floorboards messing with her twisted dreams?
No.
The tattered nightgown in the corner of her room confirmed it was in fact real. Florence sighed. Things had never been so strange. She missed her old innocence.
In the laundry of Frau Walburga, Florence was scrubbing a tea stained nightgown. The mark hadn't come out even after a good ten minutes and she had prickles of numbness in her fingers. She was extremely frusrated. Florence gave in and hung it up, hoping Frau Walburga wouldn't see it. She moved on to a disgusting, used handkerchief. Florence picked it up with the tips of two fingers, scrunching her nose and puckering her mouth. Florence hated laundry, especially with Frau Walburga. Her touchy nerves and her nose-height breasts always got on Florence's nerves. She only put up with her because she got payed. Not very well, but at least there were a couple of coins clinking in her pocket each time she went home.
The whole time, between soaking bloomers and folding skirts, Florence's mind was on the frescreets. She wasn't due back until the next day, but she was still anxious to check up on them. Despite the fact that their clan had been fine for several hundred years, she felt like her visit would have changed something. Like they had been put in danger somehow.
"Florence Mele! Will you listen to me?!" Frau Walburga was screeching at Florence.
"Entschuldigung, I didn't hear you." Florence muttered. She swayed over to Florence, her giant hips knocking some washing off the bench. She shoved a few coins into Florence's hand and ushered her out the door.
Florence inspected her coins carefully.
"Hey, you gave me half the usual amount!"
"Ja, well, if you keep being half there, I'll keep paying you half. Learn to keep your mind on the work, girl."
Florence turned and stormed out the front gate, muttering curses under her breath. Florence hated being cheated, especially when it was Frau Walburga. She stormed down the street, boiling over with her fury. But after a few steps she had lost the fight. She tried to keep the act up, sure she could convince herself of her own anger. As soon as she was out of sight of Frau Walburga, she gave up the show. She sat down on the curb and counted her money. There was barely enough to buy a cup of flour.
She counted it again, not believing her maths.
"Hey Flory." Florence looked up with a start.
"Oh, hey Ben. Didn't hear you coming." Florence tried to act normal. 'Oh gosh. The frescreets. Oh verdammt.' she knew it would be hard to act normal with her big secret, but not this hard. She was practically bursting at the seams.
"Been to Frau Walburga's?" he asked.
"Ja. But the little thief cheated me of half my pay!" Florence said with false annoyance.
"Little thief? Are you blind? There is nothing little about Frau Walburga. Anyway, you'll get her back. Wanna come with me? I'm going to lay my traps, maybe catch a few of those rats. They've been getting into our food, the little arschlöcher." he said as he helped her up.
"Sounds great Ben, but I don't fancy playing around with dead animals today." she said, just wanting to get away.
"Oh. Well, alright then. Wir sehen uns Florence." he said, disappointed.
"Wir sehen uns Benjamin." she said guiltily. She watched Ben walk back to his house. Sighing, she trudged home her. Her father was deep in discussion with Ollie.
"...can only stay up because of the supporting beams underneath." They were off in their little world that they often liked to explore, Ollie especially.
"Hello Florence. How'd you go?" her father asked expectantly.
"Not too well, actually. That silly hag."
"Florence!"
"Sorry. That silly person that I don't like, gave me less than half my pay!"
"Why would she do that?" her father asked impatiently.
"Because I was apparently off in my own world. That's so stupid and I never want to go back again!" Florence said, fuming again.
"Is everything alright Florence?" he ushered Ollie up to his room. "I mean, you were very distracted at dinner last night, and now, well, you never get angry like this. Is there something bothering you? Something on your mind?"
'Oh gosh!' Florence thought. 'Oh gosh! I've been too obvious! Maybe he'll find out? Verdammt!'
"No, I'm fine. Just, you know, tired and stuff." she said with a false smile. Gabriel seemed to calm down.
"Alright liebling, why don't you go and have a lie down? I'll bring Ollie back down here. Okay?"
"Alright." Florence said before she slowly turned and pretended to stumble up the stairs. As soon as she was ou
t of sight, she sprinted the rest of the way, passing Ollie, looking confused.
She lay down on her bed, trying to think of ways to conceal her secret inside her, out of view from curious eyes.
She tried writing it down in her little diary. But once she finished she ripped the pages out, tore them up and threw them away. She was afraid that someone would get their hands on it and read her forbidden words.
She tried drawing them, but she was worried it would have the same fate as her diary.
Deep breathing, sleeping and even cleaning didn't help her to sort her thoughts out either. Florence's next tactic was simply to wait it out and to hope her acting skills were up to scratch.
It seemed that this secret was her responsibility alone, her own responsibility and no one else's. Not even her diary's. This secret was her burden to bear.
Panic
30th May 1938
Sunday came quickly once Florence fell asleep. She got up and left early for the village in the heart of the forest. On her way out, she was thinking of taking a pair of garden hedge cutters, but thought better of it, remembering Rafael's second rule:
'You must never leave any evidence of your visits here.'
Florence easily made her way down to her pool. She entered the trees again, avoiding sharp branches and twigs, determined not to ruin another dress. She had been careless with her hair, leaving it out and allowing it to become a bird’s nest again.
Florence stepped out into the clearing slowly, unsure of what would be awaiting her arrival. She half expected to turn up in an empty clearing, alone and feeling like a fool.
She checked herself over, satisfied with only three dirty patches on her clothes. She didn't even bother checking her hair.
She straightened up and gazed out over the village. It turned out that it did actually exist. She was tall enough to see over the roofs of most houses, the occasional chimney blocking her view.
There was no one around. Not a movement. How odd. She called out. Waiting for someone to appear. There was no answer so she tried several times more but to no avail. There was still no answer.