"An Oak´s Tale" by Jessica J Zimdars

“Please, sit and hear the story that I have to tell. It is not long because I do not like adding what did not happen or what might have happened. Yes, my story is true, I have many true stories that I could tell you if you had the time. But I know how time is for you humans so for now I shall only tell this one.

There was once a lass from a noble family who would come and sit beside me. At that time I was younger then I now am, but this lass when I met her was much younger then I. I met her when she was five. I remember how she would come and play near me then rest in my shade while her older sister sat beside me and sewed. That was before plague took my lass’s family from her.

She was a pretty lass; her hair was brown as a chestnut and her eyes were as green as the leaves in the spring. As a child she was always full of laughter, her hair would hang in wild curls around her shoulders. Her older sister was simply an older version of Fayra, only her hair was always piled gracefully on her head in delicate braids and she tended to prefer sitting quietly while watching over her sister. I don’t remember ever seeing her run, though she would laugh from time to time.

The two girls would come to me and stay, quite often, for most of the day. Then plague took Fayra’s entire family from her, and she was sent to live with another noble. After that she’d often come running over the fields to me just to tell me her sorrows. Many where the nights that she’d come and sit beside me just to watch the stars and wait for the light of morning to chase away the darkness of night. And many where the mornings that I saw a darkness slowly growing in her eyes that even the sun could not chase away.

There were times that she would come just because she knew that I would be there, tall and strong and ready to support her when she felt she could not go on. And there were many times that as she slept I did what I could to reassure her that she would never have to be alone. For even I know that much of the time alone needs is to feel the presence of another.

The noble family that took my lass in already had two daughters, both were lovely in their own way, but neither could be considered lovely in the way that Fayra was. They were both selfish, interested only in what they could get from people, neither was the type to find joy in the simple beauty of nature. They were twins with their raven black hair and stunning blue eyes that captured anyone who happened to look into them. They were both tall, slender and pale as young birch trees. Both could move with grace and elegance that was envied where ever they went, or at least that is what I heard from passing travelers and from my lass.

Next to them Fayra was clumsy and plain. Because of this they saw themselves as far better then Fayra, and because of them the remainder of her childhood was a nightmare. There were very few nights that Fayra was not by me crying out her troubles.

As Fayra grew older her tears became less as did the sobbed out troubles. Taking their place she would come, sit and tell me what troubled her in a voice that was broken and empty. Then even that was slowly silenced to be replaced by her simply coming and sitting with her back against me. She was there every night as long as the weather was accommodating, but whenever it started to get colder or it rained she would come only when she totally needed to, and that was normally about once a week, sometimes more, sometimes less depending on how colored it was.

It was at in the late fall when, I believe, she was about twelve that she surprised me, and scared me. She had come out late that evening and had been seated next to me for the better part of the night, never speaking a word. Her expression had been distant and blank, almost tired.

“Brother,” her voice was a blank whisper but I could feel her spirit sobbing as she once would have. “I’m tired. So very tired.”

At first her words made little sense to me, she was young and I could tell that she was strong. But then a picture of a young tree in the middle of a field filled my thoughts, the tree was doubled over by a strong wind that threatened to uproot it unless it held fast. I knew from my own experience that in a year when storms came one after another any tree that had been brave enough to try and grow in the middle of a field would have it’s worth tested. Only the strongest and most determined of these trees would survive.

Now as I looked again at Fayra, I felt how her spirit felt, I realized that she was like that young tree doubled over in the storm that had taken over her life, and she was tired of holding on. It tore at my very core as I realized what this meant.

“Oh, my child! No storm ever lasts forever. Hold on and you’ll see that it will be over soon.” I whispered to her. She nodded and curled up in a cradle like place among my roots, getting as close as she could get to me. “You will never have to stand alone. I am here to give you strength.”

Another two years past and Fayra now only came and slept in silence, no more did she open herself up to me, yet when I held her close in spirit she did not push me away either. Her visits were every night now, when autumn started to come I expected that she would come less. But instead she simply came a little later. Autumn winds stripped my branches of their leaves and mornings brought a crisp white frost that the sunrise would turn to gold before slowly melting it and still she was there every night.

I worried more and more about her and her silences. She came every night no matter the weather, her only clothing being a thread-bare, tattered gown and a blanket that she used as a shawl. She was thin, and her hair now seemed always heavy and straight, tied back with a spare bit of rope, whatever strands escaped would simply hang along her face as if it did not have the energy to do anything else.

The nights grew colder and still she was there every night, curled up in the cradle of my roots. I wished that there was a way to keep her from coming, and yet I knew that our nights together were all that kept her going now. The darkness that I had seen appearing in her eyes years before, seemed to have taken over, blotting out any life just as the clouds blotted out light on the late autumn nights. So I let her come and as she slept I simply held her spirit safe, giving her the strength to face another day. Then every morning as she rose she would set her hand on me for a moment before hurrying back over the fields.

The first snowfall marked the time that the Taisteal Pobal, or rather “the Traveling Folk”, would be passing through this area with their goods to sell along with their entertainers and musicians. Every year they came and stayed not far from me as they sold their goods in town and preformed for whoever would listen. They were a people of cheer and song, a people that felt the rhythm of life just as surely as I or any other creature that is closely connected to nature.

This year they came late in the night, well after Fayra had come and curled up silently in her place. The creaking of the wagons, the jingling of harnesses, and the sound of people and animals woke my lass up from her light sleep. I felt her tighten then press herself deeper into the cradle, her thin blanket covering her as much as it could as if she hoped to be able to hide where she was. She grew more tense and fearful as she realized that these people planned to be stay.

“Lass, what is it that you fear? These people are people of nature, just as you are. They would not bring you harm.” I whispered to her. She did not respond in any way so I simply reached out to her with my spirit and held her.

Among the Taisteal Pobal there was a man that I had known since he was only a young lad. If ever there was a human that should have been a creature of nature instead of a man he was it. Every creature that met him found it easy to trust him, and he showed all creatures the same tenderness and kindness. I don’t think that I ever saw him without a rather large array of creatures following him around, among them seeming out of place yet at the same time fitting right in there was a large gray dog.

For the short time that his people would spend near me every year Haefen would spend most of it seated next to me. He would mend harnesses or be making small wooden things while his little friends lounged contentedly around us, some of them even perched in my branches. For his wooden trinkets he would search the ground around me for any fallen branches or twigs then he would search under other trees. But he always returned to sit by me.

I’m sorry, I am starting to get off the subject a little here. But it was necessary to tell you a little about Haefen because he soon enters my story. Perhaps at a later time I will be able to tell you his tale. But for now this tale is Fayra’s.

Now where was I, ah yes. The entire time that it took for the Taisteal Pobal to set up their camp and bed down their animals for the night my little lass lay curled up in my roots, shaking ever so slightly. If she had not been so exhausted I think that she would have stayed awake all night, she was so frightened. About the time that silence slowly came over the camp Fayra slowly relaxed slightly and I felt her spirit begin to rest and I knew she was asleep.

Haefen chose very early in the morning to come and make his greeting to me, his little friends scurried around his feet. He was wrapped against the morning chill in a heavy woolen cloak. His breath came out in a cloud in the morning air.

“Merry morning, Great Oak!” Haefen’s voice was low so his little friends would not be startled but just the same it carried a cheer that was lacking in the clouded morning. His presence was uplifting even to my spirit, it was no wonder that he was so welcomed by nature.

“Hush, little brother.” I whispered to him, “There is yet a small member of our family who still sleeps and has not yet learned of who you are.”

“Then what my little brothers and sisters have told me is true?” now his tone was even more hushed then it normally was. “Where is the lass? The morning is cold and if my little sister here tells it true the lass is not clothed properly for this weather.”

“She sleeps in my cradle, just as you once did.”

Haefen said no more. He quietly and carefully walked around me till he came to where Fayra was curled up asleep yet. He did not stay long, all he did was carefully put his own cloak over her then he smiled at me and walked away, back into his camp with his little friends following close behind him.

When Fayra woke it was later then normal. She did not say anything, not even to ask about the cloak which she looked at curiously for a moment. She simply folded the cloak and carefully hide it away deep in the cradle where my roots would protect it and keep it relatively dry then she touched me as she normally did and hurried away.

The rest of the week was much the same, Haefen came and put some bread, cheese, and fresh milk next to the cloak then he’d leave well before Fayra came back. At first Fayra looked suspiciously at the food, but then she’d eat it, not even leaving crumbs. Then she would curl up under the cloak just as silent as ever and soon she’d be asleep. Before she awoke in the morning Haefen would come again and put bread and milk near her. When she woke she’d eat half the bread, storing the other half in a pocket, then she’d quickly drink down the milk and fold up the cloak and hide it away before gently touching me and hurrying away.

Over this week I noticed a little of the darkness edging away, but the life that seemed to be coming back into her spirit was fragile. I knew that it would be easily broken if those that she lived with did anything more to her or if Haefen tried to hurry what he was doing. I knew that Haefen was patient, and if time had been with him I knew that he never would have dreamt of hurrying any progress with my lass.

But time was something that Haefen did not have. After the week was up the leader of the Taisteal Pobal announced to the camp that they would be leaving in two days. Travelers had brought news that the weather was bad towards the south and they did not want to be late in getting to their next destination. And they’d already sold quite a bit here, it had already been well worth their time to have stopped here..

That evening when Haefen came and brought the meal for Fayra he brought his own as well. As he sat waiting for my lass to come he quietly ate his own meal, sharing bits of it with some of his little friends. We talked a little but mostly we both waited in silence. We waited all night, I keeping a constant watch while Haefen dozed from time to time, but she never came.

I sensed that something was wrong, and I was pretty sure that Haefen sensed it too by the unease that I felt from him. As soon as there was movement in the camp he left, saying simply that he needed to talk to his leader.

“We will be staying until I’ve had a chance to see your lass.” he said as he came back a while later and once again sat next to me.

“You mean to take her from here, don’t you?” I asked him, hoping truly that I has guessed his intentions rightly. She would be safe with his people.

“I’m not sure what I plan to do.” he frowned then leaned back, pulling the cloak he wore tighter around his shoulders and closing his eyes, “I just know that I cannot leave here until I know that she is well.”

He stayed there throughout the day, his gray dog laying next to him with it’s huge head on his lap. He slept for part of the day then when he woke he carved little beads from sticks. He was patient, he always had been and I knew that he always would be.

Night was just setting in when Fayra came, I noticed that she moved stiffly and much slower then she normally did. Haefen stayed completely still, and she took no notice of him as he sat there in the shadows. She simply curled up in her normal place, not even bothering to pull the cloak over her. I realized that the little bit of hope that I had seen in her when she’d left the last time was gone completely now.

“Little one, tell me your troubles. Why do you close me out?” I whispered to only Fayra. I reached out with my spirit to comfort her. But even as I touched her spirit I realized that she was crying, sobbing so hard that, had it not been only her spirit that cried, she would have been gasping for breath. I knew that there were tears on her face but they fell silently as she kept everything locked inside herself now.

Haefen knelt beside her but did not reach for her, “Lass, who has hurt you? Let us help you.”

Fayra went completely still, even the trembling I felt in her spirit seemed to freeze, at the sound of another person’s voice. I felt her press herself closer to my roots, shifting so that she was more in their shadow.

Haefen did not move away, nor did he move towards her. “It’s okay, Lass. I’m not going to harm you. I wish only to help you. I am the one that left the food, and gave you that cloak. Let me help you now.”

“He is okay, little sister. Let him help you.” I whispered, hoping that she hadn’t closed herself off from me completely and that she’d trust my judgment.

“Don’t ask that of me, please don’t.” she whispered pleadingly to me.

With a jolt I realized that this was the first time in a very long time that she’d acknowledged hearing me. I realized that she had mostly closed herself off, she’d had to in order to keep all her emotions bottled the way she had. But now I could feel her fear and sorrow as keenly as if they were my own.

“Lass, come with me. Our great brother worries about you. Come with me and let his fears for you be put to rest, at least for one night. If you wish to stay here in the morning then very well. But all I ask is that for the night you come.” Haefen spoke softly, he held his hands out to her.

I knew that she was frightened, and at first I didn’t think that she would take his hand, and yet I knew that Haefen would not give up, there had never been a creature that he’d ever failed to help once he decided to. I had seen him work miracles with so many scared and injured creatures that I knew he’d wait there as long as he had to.

Then, very slowly, Fayra took his hands and allowed him to help her up. When she stumbled once because of her feet being cold, Haefen easily lifted her and cradled her in his arms then carried her into the camp.

Early the next morning Haefen came out of the camp to me, he looked tired but pleased. I knew that he must have gotten very little sleep since he’d probably been busy watching over Fayra. It was the way he was whenever he took in a new charge. Now I was certain that if she’d go with the Taisteal Pobal she would be safe.

“You need not worry about Fayra any longer, Great Brother. She has agreed to stay with my people when we leave at full light.”

“Take care of my lass.” I told him, even though I knew that he already planned to.

“Have no fear, I wouldn’t dream of letting anything harm her.” he grinned then hurried back into camp to start the preparations for leaving.

Just before the Taisteal Pobal pulled away Fayra came out away from the wagons and over to me. She gently set a hand on my trunk, trailing along behind her was Haefen’s gray dog, it’s shaggy head down as if that would help it keep a closer eye on the girl.

“Thank you, Great Oak.” She whispered then Haefen called to her and she hurried back to the wagon that he was already sitting in the driver’s seat of, ready to pull away. The dog bound after her with a happy bark.

“Be safe, little one. Be safe and do not forget me.” I whispered after her, for the first time in a long time I was sure that she heard me.

Now I know you are probably wondering what happened after that, right? Well, there was a brief search for Fayra. Then there were stories spread around. Some people, mostly just the old folks, believed that the Fair Folk had taken pity on the thin girl and had taken her to their underground world. The most sensible people said that she’d probably just thrown herself into the river, they claimed that she’d never been all therein the wits anyhow.

It was a while, but then I heard another story, this one about a girl with chestnut hair and spring green eyes who traveled with the Taisteal Pobal as if she were one of them even though it was clear that she wasn’t. This girl did not sing or dance, but she could play the fiddle and the harp and her music was the most loved. It was said that when she played all of nature around her would reflect the mood of her music. This last story, I know, is the true one.”