56th Spring 514AV
Adelaide had not seen the scarecrow for years. For years, she had walked her dreams without him and, now, here he was - the spectre of her childhood, a spectre belonging to the world of Dreams who had not aged a day.
"You're old." the scarecrow tilted to his head to the side as the gruff voice Adelaide used to know - a memory from a dream - played in her head. He had always communicated with her telepathically since, logic dictated, Scarecrows could not talk otherwise.
Her eyes widened as she looked down, half expecting to see the feet of a child, the trim of the brightly coloured nightgowns that used to define her fantasies. Instead, there were merely her feet, pale and large, though small for an adult, "I'm twenty-three."
"That must be why."
"Why what?"
"You don't look happy."
Adelaide shook her head and made a move to tell him that she was happy, very happy, but the words would not form themselves, never leaving her tongue which seemed to get bigger and bigger in her mouth so that she would not say something that she could not be allowed to say.
"Where are we?" she murmured instead.
"Ask yourself that." The scarecrow replied philosophically, jumping over to her buoyantly, bouncing on the single stick that anchored him to the ground or, in this case, hovered an inch about the ground at all times, even when he was bouncing, "Where do you think we are?"
"Not at the beach."
"You remember the beach!"
"Yes... No... I can't remember if I remember. We're in a forest, but it's not like the forests in Cyphrus."
"Walk with me."
They moved in silence through the silent forest, the colours around them changing. After a couple of chimes, the colours of the leaves had turned from bright green to gold and red. It had been Summer and now it was Autumn.
"Everything is dying." said the scarecrow finally, shaking his head.
"But everything will be reborn. Is that not better? That way, we get a new world with every new year."
The scarecrow said nothing more and they continued walking in silence through the Autumn forest. Adelaide's feet turned gold as she stepped into a gold puddle, like a pool on the forest floor. She bent down to wipe off the gold, but it only turned her hands gold. Desperately, she tried to rub the gold off on her clothes but her dress turned gold too and lengthened, so it was soon a long, gold, shapeless gown trailing on the floor, far too big for her. As she walked, the gown seemed to attract leaves to it, like a magnet. The leaves flittered and wove, spun through the air to pin themselves onto the dress. Ultimately, the dress was completely covered in the red and yellow leaves and she couldn't walk any further, loaded down by the weight of thousands of leaves. She stumbled forward, not sure what to do as panic overcame her before falling into a puddle as her knees hit the ground. For a moment, she was enveloped by the water.
"Help!" she called, "I can't see." She was about to say that she could not breathe either, as the water filled her lungs and went up her nose and into her mouth, but she suddenly realised that she could. And, for some odd reason, through the puddle she was able to perceive the same forest (on the other side) Pushed by a perverse desire to know more, but also helpless to the force that was driving her, she sank into and through the puddle, pulling the scarecrow in with her. It was cold and dark and wet and Adelaide closed her eyes.
"Help!" she called again, "I can't see." It was all very dark and Adelaide wondered for a moment if the puddle had turned into ink, into an interminable and abysmal darkness without end. Maybe this was a nightmare.
"Of course you can see. Brush the leaves off yourself first, then open your eyes."
Adelaide always did what she was told in dreams and made sure to brush the leaves off before opening her eyes. When she did, she realised that the Season had once again changed and there she was, in a Winter forest without leaves save for the couple still stuck to her left sleeve, which had turned white. With a start, she realised that the whole dress had turned a pale white of the same colour as the snow on the ground. Her dark hair shone out in the midst of all the whiteness. As she blew off the last two leaves, they shattered into a myriad of snowflakes. Yes, thought Adelaide, decidedly odd. Then, as she looked up, she noticed seven figures with them in the forest, all with white skin blending into the pale ice. Usually, in the real world, Adelaide would have said hello, but here, she did nothing of the sort.
"Maybe they can't see us..." she told the Scarecrow, "We can just walk around them and continue."
"You're old." the scarecrow tilted to his head to the side as the gruff voice Adelaide used to know - a memory from a dream - played in her head. He had always communicated with her telepathically since, logic dictated, Scarecrows could not talk otherwise.
Her eyes widened as she looked down, half expecting to see the feet of a child, the trim of the brightly coloured nightgowns that used to define her fantasies. Instead, there were merely her feet, pale and large, though small for an adult, "I'm twenty-three."
"That must be why."
"Why what?"
"You don't look happy."
Adelaide shook her head and made a move to tell him that she was happy, very happy, but the words would not form themselves, never leaving her tongue which seemed to get bigger and bigger in her mouth so that she would not say something that she could not be allowed to say.
"Where are we?" she murmured instead.
"Ask yourself that." The scarecrow replied philosophically, jumping over to her buoyantly, bouncing on the single stick that anchored him to the ground or, in this case, hovered an inch about the ground at all times, even when he was bouncing, "Where do you think we are?"
"Not at the beach."
"You remember the beach!"
"Yes... No... I can't remember if I remember. We're in a forest, but it's not like the forests in Cyphrus."
"Walk with me."
They moved in silence through the silent forest, the colours around them changing. After a couple of chimes, the colours of the leaves had turned from bright green to gold and red. It had been Summer and now it was Autumn.
"Everything is dying." said the scarecrow finally, shaking his head.
"But everything will be reborn. Is that not better? That way, we get a new world with every new year."
The scarecrow said nothing more and they continued walking in silence through the Autumn forest. Adelaide's feet turned gold as she stepped into a gold puddle, like a pool on the forest floor. She bent down to wipe off the gold, but it only turned her hands gold. Desperately, she tried to rub the gold off on her clothes but her dress turned gold too and lengthened, so it was soon a long, gold, shapeless gown trailing on the floor, far too big for her. As she walked, the gown seemed to attract leaves to it, like a magnet. The leaves flittered and wove, spun through the air to pin themselves onto the dress. Ultimately, the dress was completely covered in the red and yellow leaves and she couldn't walk any further, loaded down by the weight of thousands of leaves. She stumbled forward, not sure what to do as panic overcame her before falling into a puddle as her knees hit the ground. For a moment, she was enveloped by the water.
"Help!" she called, "I can't see." She was about to say that she could not breathe either, as the water filled her lungs and went up her nose and into her mouth, but she suddenly realised that she could. And, for some odd reason, through the puddle she was able to perceive the same forest (on the other side) Pushed by a perverse desire to know more, but also helpless to the force that was driving her, she sank into and through the puddle, pulling the scarecrow in with her. It was cold and dark and wet and Adelaide closed her eyes.
"Help!" she called again, "I can't see." It was all very dark and Adelaide wondered for a moment if the puddle had turned into ink, into an interminable and abysmal darkness without end. Maybe this was a nightmare.
"Of course you can see. Brush the leaves off yourself first, then open your eyes."
Adelaide always did what she was told in dreams and made sure to brush the leaves off before opening her eyes. When she did, she realised that the Season had once again changed and there she was, in a Winter forest without leaves save for the couple still stuck to her left sleeve, which had turned white. With a start, she realised that the whole dress had turned a pale white of the same colour as the snow on the ground. Her dark hair shone out in the midst of all the whiteness. As she blew off the last two leaves, they shattered into a myriad of snowflakes. Yes, thought Adelaide, decidedly odd. Then, as she looked up, she noticed seven figures with them in the forest, all with white skin blending into the pale ice. Usually, in the real world, Adelaide would have said hello, but here, she did nothing of the sort.
"Maybe they can't see us..." she told the Scarecrow, "We can just walk around them and continue."
