It was late in the autumn season and I was alone with my dog Pellinore in the forest, enjoying being away from people and places. I had need of solitude occasionally as most people do. The brown leaves crunched under my feet as I walked under the trees, not following the worn path that others had made over who knows how many years. The leaves that had fallen rustled under my feet as I moved along and I felt as I would were I treading through virgin snow, disturbed not by man or animal. The air was crisp but not cold with no whisper of wind in the air. And but for the sound of the leaves crunching under my feet, and the singing of the late birds it was a world of peace and silence.
Through the trees I could hear the sound of flowing water. I knew there was a stream nearby but was surprised to hear water rushing as we had not had any rainfall for several weeks and I had thought the stream would be almost dry. I walked through a thick grove of willows in front of me and passing through the branches hanging down form them, was delighted to find a small waterfall just above a pool of crystal clear water. As I was with thirst I knelt down and cupped my hands to retrieve a drink. The water was very cold and the strangest thing was, that I couldn't recall having ever tasted water that was this sweet. I sat with my back against the trunk of one of the willows, watching Pellinore drink and frolic in the stream. The peace here, coupled with the gentle sound of the falling water soon brought a drowsiness to me and my head dropped as I feel into a light sleep.
I awakened with a start. Years of warring with the Saxons had trained me to be alert when my sense of danger or something amiss was triggered. Cautiously I glanced around me with the thought in the back of my head that if something or someone had approached my dog would have barked a warning. The answer to this became apparent to me as I saw a small woman standing next to the waterfall. She was very short and her skin dark and most noticeably Pellinore was standing there beside her, his tail wagging. This was unusual indeed as in most cases he was wary of any he was not accustomed to being around. The old lady had a smile on her lips and it was a strange smile as it made me feel safe and soothed. I judged her age to be somewhere in her forties as her hair was showing quite a bit of gray and she carried a gnarled walking stick which was worn smooth where her hand was on it. As she moved toward me I could see that she was surprisingly agile and could not help but wonder why she would need the stick at all.
She stopped before me and smiled again. Without speaking a word she held out her hand and I stood and took it into my own and began to follow her as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Around her head she wore a garland made of branches with the brown leaves of late autumn laying against her hair. Her steps were as light as if she were walking on a cloud and slow as if there was all the time in the world to get where she was leading me.
I looked around and could not remember ever seeing this part of the forest. I was stunned by this as I had spent many hours and even days in this very forest when I was growing up as well as hunting over the past several years. Even the ground felt strange as my feet pressed on it as if I was walking on a bed of the thickest moss, which had been softened by rain. Further along the trees became so thick that the light of the sun was almost completely blocked out and the forest was dim yet not dark.
Soon we were met by a small man who took Pellinore after he had spoken a few soft words to the lady. When I move to protest being separated from my friend, the lady spoke to me saying that he was just being made comfortable and would be treated as a welcome guest while we were here. We entered a small village and I could see that all the people here were small and for the most part darker of skin than most other people I knew. Though I was an average sized man, here I must have appeared to be a giant compared to those around me. They seemed to be amused by my presence but were smiling and gracious as I was led to a hut made of branches and leaves. The lady led me inside and gestured to a basin carved from wood that contained water and beside it was a swatch of rough cloth. Then she exited the hut leaving me to wash on my own.
Looking around the hut, I could see that it was furnished with a small bed of straw, a small chair, a bench and the wash basin which was held by a tripod made of branches. It wasn't very large but was cozy and I thought that though it seemed small to me to the little people here it must seem much larger.
After I washed I sat on the chair, taking care not to place my whole weight upon it and waited for a short time. The old lady appeared at the door and motioned me to follow her. She led me to a clearing in the wood which had several long tables and benches sitting in a circular pattern. She motioned me to sit at one of the tables and herself sat beside me. There was no mistaking that she was a person of importance here as all the other people seemed to serve her every need. She told me that I was considered a very special visitor and tonight was a celebration of my arrival. Food was served to us and a brew of some liquid. I neither recognized the food or the drink but could not remember a time when I felt so nourished nor my thirst so slaked. There was singing and dancing around a fire that had been built in the center of the tables and all seemed merry and so full of life and it's joy. I too felt the joy of this celebration.
I looked to the sky but could not see the moon, which I knew to be full at his time, But I knew that it must be getting late into the evening. I spoke to the lady and told her that I should be going as I had a ways to return to my lands. She spoke softly to me and said that it would be an honor to the village if I should remain there until morning. She said that there was time to leave the next day and it would be the much safer for me then. And that when I wished to leave tomorrow she would make sure that someone would guide me back to where we had met, seeing me safely on my way.
I began to feel this unusual feeling; a dullness of senses. Perhaps it was this strong drink which I was not accustomed to, or maybe it was that I had grown more tired that I had thought. So I agreed to stay and make my way back after a night of rest.
The lady led me back to the shelter she had first taken me to and smiled as she watched me lie down on the small bed of straw, closing my eyes to reach out for the sleep I needed.
I sensed being awakened and there standing before me was the old lady. I had no idea how long I had been asleep but still felt as I had after the feast of the evening, I looked again at the lady and was suddenly startled. No longer was she the lady I had first met but a beautiful, young lady. The garland of branches and dead leaves on her head had changed to fresh new leaves that cover the trees in the spring and along with them were white flowers adorned by yellow centers. She unclasped her hair letting it fall down over her shoulders and below her waist. It was dark and silky and surrounded her head and body as a halo. She unfastened her cloak, letting it fall to the ground and stood naked before me. I knew that she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Coming over to the bed she lay beside me, touching me with hands as soft as the softest fur. Kissing me with lips that made my own feel as if they were coals in a smithy fire as he fanned them with his bellows. I was transfixed as she covered me with her body, taking me into her and giving me a feeling of warmth, peace and happiness I had never known.
When I awakened it was as if only moments had passed but I was as refreshed as though I had slept for days. I was alone and arose, going to the basin to splash some water on my face. I walked to the door and looked out. I still felt as if I was under the spell of the strong drink served at the feast. There were several of the small maidens who looked at me smiling and speaking softly among themselves. I sensed that I was the topic of their conversation. Smiling I went back into the hut and laid back on the straw bed. After what seemed like only a few moments, the old lady I had first met entered. She smiled at me and inquired if I was comfortable or in need of anything. I wanted to ask her of the magic of her transformation but did not as I thought it may have been but a dream and would not want to insult her by speaking of it. First one, then two, then four more of the maidens I had seen outside came into the hut. They were smiling at me and crossed to the old lady, taking her hand and kissing her cheeks. One of them unclasped her hair and let it fall down. Again I stared as she became the young woman I had thought might be just a dream. They helped her remove her clothes and then helped one another. Soon they were all around me naked and removing my clothes. I closed my eyes and felt them surround me, their firm breasts pressing against me and then feeling myself whisked into a realm of intense pleasure and joy.
I remember little other than this. Just bits and pieces of things and I am not to clear of those. I remember taking a walk one day through the dark forest and finding a small pile of bones, bleached white with age. Thinking back I know now that it was the remains of poor Pellinore. I know not how long I was in this land of mystery and can remember that there was no sensation of the passing of time. It was as if time had stopped. The days and nights were indistinguishable as the thickness of the forest shielding out the sun and moon and stars. Each night I was afforded love and companionship which I can only remember as giving me pleasure that now seems to be more than could be experienced in the outside world.
But the time came when wandering in the forest that I happened across the small waterfall where I had first met the old lady. As I stood beside it I felt my mind clearing and the recollection of my life. To me it seemed as if only a few hours or at most a few days had gone by. I ventured back down the trails familiar to me and toward my home. It didn't take long for me to realize that things had strangely and drastically changed. Much used roads had fallen in disrepair. Houses were burned and fields which were cultivated for crops were overgrown. Surely this could not have taken place over the course of a few days. But I knew I had been gone a bit longer than I remembered entering the forest in the late autumn and now the trees were with leaves and flowering and that this was the spring season.
As I traveled down the road I happened on an old man with gray hair and stopped to ask him of what had happened. He told me of the raids of the Saxons and the battles that had ensued. It had taken several years but finally the invaders had been defeated and repelled. I asked him his name and when he replied I stood staring, my mouth falling open. He was my neighbor, and we had been young boys, playing together as small lads. This just could not be. Finally I told him who I was and his face turned white. Then he said that I must be the son of his old friend who had disappeared many years ago. No trace had ever been found and always he had wondered what had become of him. I could not convince him that I was not a son but the friend he had always known.
Walking on I stopped beside a stream and looking into a pool of water I saw my reflection. I looked the same as I had when I had entered the forest and met the old woman. I was confused and had no answers as to what had become of me. The more I tried to find out the more people refused to believe me. Even those whom I had known so well and been so close to. Even my relatives disavowed my claims and soon many began to claim that I was insane or had come under the spell of some enchantment that had taken my wits from me. I was left with nothing. No home or lands with which to support myself and no friends to comfort me in my confusion and despair.
Then I remembered the peace and the joy I had known during the hours, days or years that I had been in that strange other world. I came to feel that was all that I had left for me. So I traveled back into the forest, walking across the trails and then away from them, searching for that place I see in my head. Listening for the sound of that small waterfall.
Now I search for the old woman hoping she will appear and lead me back to that place where time does not exist.
