The Beast's Bride

the tree

Fifteen years ago...

I screamed and laughed at the top of my lungs running as fast as my legs could possibly take me. With a broken tree branch in my hand, I whacked at everything and anything in my path. 

“Maggie! Stop!” My grandmother shouted after me. “Don’t disturb the woods! There are creatures living here.” 

I didn’t listen and continued jumping around with my imaginary sword. My legs brought me deeper into the woods until I couldn’t see our house anymore and my grandmother’s voice was but an echo. 

The woods were my special place. I love it and I spend all of my time inside of it from the moment I wake up in the morning until it becomes too dark to see. 

There was something enchanting about how tall the trees are and how the wind blows just right. I run for what seems like hours and stop when I come across a tall daunting tree. 

It’s the biggest tree I’ve ever seen in my life. The trunk is so wide that both my grandmother and I with our arms stretched wouldn’t be able to cover the front. I crane my head and look up at the tree and breath out. The branches are bigger than my body with snake like vines that cascade down like fairy lights. It’s leaves block out the hot sun from beating down my back. I look at the roots and gasp in amazement. They look angry popping out of the ground in intricate ways. 

It’s simply the largest and grandest tree that I’ve ever seen in my short life of five years. I felt like Pocahontas visiting her grandmother Willow. 

In short, I loved it and thus I decided to climb it.

It was hard because of how wide the trunk was and how the bark doesn’t give enough room for footholds. I didn’t give up though and pushed on. I also didn’t care that my hands or knees got scratched and cut. 

I was used to getting bruises. 

Finally, I grabbed the first branch and heaved myself onto it. I cheered in celebration at how high I managed to climb. The first branch  was already the top of the other trees beside it. I look up, breathing a little heavily and see more of its large branches shooting up the sky. 

My grandmother would never approve of what I was thinking but I do it anyway. She’s very superstitious about nature. I climb higher and higher until I can see the other trees below me. 

If I climbed up more, I’ll get to see our beautiful house surrounded by the woods.

I grab for the next branch excitedly and suddenly lose my grip. My heart dips as I feel myself fall. Desperately, I try to reach for anything to keep myself up but there’s nothing and I tip back. 

It’s like those dreams that you have of falling. The air forces your hair up and there’s panic that rings in your ears. 

I still had one hand reaching out and my mouth open in a shout. 

The next thing I know, I wake up right outside my backyard.