Themes of Eternity: Serenity

Shouja
I sit cross-legged on the platform on top of my tree and breathe in deeply. The morning winds carry with them the sounds of a world awakening to life again. Oak and ash, hazel and pine... all the scents of the forest envelop me. Petals drift along the breeze from the flower fields of Grahms' Village. A briny smell of fresh fish arises from Lakeside, where the night fishermen have just returned home. Furnaces and forges stir to roaring life again as White Stone City's blacksmiths begin their work. All is well with the world today. After a short paean of thanksgiving to our goddess, I regretfully climb down from my meditation perch and enter into the hubbub of daily life. My lifemate greets me with a warm kiss, and we have breakfast together before I leave for the council meetings. As I walk through the village, I nod and smile at the elvenfolk going to and fro through the hallowed paths of Tirnwood. "Good morning, Elder!" the young maiden calls out from where she is arranging flowers on the doorsteps of her abode. "It is going to be a good day, Elder!" the huntsman waves as he sets off to chase his prey. Feeling a rare spirit of mischief stir up in me, I decide to take the less-travelled path to the council hall, hoping to find a little adventure to stir up memories of my youth. It is only a short while until I come across a little elfling crying in the long grasses by the roadside. "Why, whatever is the matter, child?" I ask gently, for the girl was weeping terribly. She turns teary eyes up at me and sobs. "Elder, Dewdrop is gone..." she sniffles. "I for-for-forgot to tie him up last night and this morning... waaah!" She bursts into tears again as she holds up a tattered and torn bridle, stained with blood. I see. The deer must have wandered into the hunting grounds of a wolf. Poor creature. "Hush, child," I say comfortingly, putting my arms around her. "Do not be sad. Dewdrop has just taken part of the cycle of life." "But... but a wolf got her..." she wailed, burying her tear-stained face into my robes. "Don't worry, dear child, Dewdrop is not lost forever," I murmur into her hair. "She will return to you. That is the gift of life promised to us by our great mother Aluwen." Slowly, the child's sobs die out and she turns her eyes up to look at me again. "Really?" she asks. I smile down at her. "Yes, really. Have your parents not told you? None of us will truly leave this world. Even if she is eaten for nourishment by the wolf, Dewdrop will return to you, just like she was before." Standing up, I pat her on the head and use my robes to wipe her face. "Now go back to your parents, childling. I promise you, by the end of the day, Dewdrop will return to your home... that is, if she is well-trained," I say, slightly teasingly. "Of course she is," the girl huffs, seeming to forget that her well-trained deer ran off when she wasn't tied. No matter. The deer will return when it needs shelter. They always do - those that are bound by elvenkind. "Then go home, and make preparations to receive her back again," I say, shooing her towards the village. She smiles and prances along, cheered by the notion of her pet's imminent return. Such a happy youth, unaware of the deeper burdens that Aluwen's gift has placed on our society. I watch her until she has disappeared from the path, the picture of innocence. The day passes quickly, as the council meets to discuss the issues affecting the village and the lands. At the end of the day, as I walk through the village again, I feel the burdens of the last few hours being lifted by the sight of a magnificent sunset. Aluwen still cares for her children. The hunter returns, loaded with game. "I told you it was going to be a good day, Elder!" he says with a grin. The maiden at the doorstep has finished her arrangements, and flowers of all shapes and sizes bloom around her house. It is a beautiful sight to behold. And as I pause at my front door to look back at the village, I see a little elf girl, walking side by side with a bridled deer. She waves at me and smiles, hugging the deer. Yes, all is well with the world today.