"Iter" by Karolien V Burms

Iter

I sit on my rock and I think, as always. Would something ever change?  From what I have seen, probably not. Why am I here anyway? I know it, but I mostly don’t want to know.

I am here to teach the humans and to protect her and nothing more or less. But what can I do?

Nothing, they are opinionated and don’t want to know of anything else. Maybe I don’t try enough myself. I bend over and look into the water, and see my face and body, it looks so human but all colours that I have like my hair and eyes resemble an element of nature: my half brown and half white-blue hair for the earth and air, my blue eyes for water and red lips like fire. For the rest I look human with no specific differences only that I wear a white simple dress. But I should have left by now. I stand up. Spread my arms. Look up, and feel how I rise from the ground. But I enjoyed enough and I immediately fly to the edge of the forest.

Who I am? I smile. I do not really know, but I am Iter which means road and way. I’m a creature that is born out of nature itself, She has made me to protect her and to save her of ruin. It hurts to see her like this, her children the trees been cut down, my brothers I hear you all cry, I’m coming! I’m coming! My heart cries but I can’t get carried away. I land at the edge of the forest and I look at my brothers, I go to the nearest one and touch him. How long would he be here if I wouldn’t do anything? Probably not even twelve hours. He is by the first to be cut down tomorrow. I feel the spirit in him, the dryad as people of before call it. I love them. I feel his core and take it in me and cherish him, he asks what took me so long, but does not expect an answer, he understands me, they all do. Trees don’t feel hatred but love and compassion but also have a strong need to survive which is tempered by their love. I go to every tree of which I know that will be cut down tomorrow and take every core that contains the spirit of the tree in me. All these trees that will be cut down tomorrow by humans. The same that I should teach to honour Her. I don’t know what to do with that, so for now I don’t do anything with this. And I first save my brothers. I am done for this night. I go to my lake with the rock and let the spirits slip into the water. Where they can live until I have found a better way. But for now this is the only way. I look into the water and see how their spirits swim. I’m happy for them because they are safe now and that is now the most important for me.