"Here we are," His soft audible voice spoke,lowering his wing away from my head as the trees shielded us from the rain as we reached the entrance of the forest.
My steps froze at first,hesitating to pound my feet further into the uncovered path.My goosebumps of my frozen body picked up a familiar soothing yet disturbing aura,this place was odd,the scent and sight was pleasant,clouds of morning dew,danced along the branches of the trees,carrying a divine tune,as if the branches themselves woven these mists from threads of cotton yarns but the pulses of the dark mossy ground structure stirred a storm within me, a lost forgotten rhythm of a fallen artist
"What's wrong?" The man asked,on his facial expression,there were no traces of impatience or fury or twisted humane judgement but only gentleness meekness and a deep concern for the volatility of my mind as he stared at my rigid unmoving posture.
"This place,"I uttered under my breath
"Is the place where I found and lost my art,"
"Exactly," He smiled,knowing of the memories of the past that flooded through my mind
"This is the place where we overcome that fracture of sorrow that you sowed deep in this forest,"
"What do you mean?" My eyes quirked,feeling somewhat contradicted by his thread of words
He gave a comforting gaze
"Years ago your passion was harmed by something planted deep within you,a form of hurt that you hid within your heart,that you try to nullify with temporary pleasure or escape or unwilling to acknowledge because of shame or self depreciation,"
His words were like a blade,slicing of every mask that I've ever worn in my life,concealing the pain and torture that hid under every dance of masquerade I've performed
Memories of the past emerged,scenes of being snared and ridiculed, mocked,bullied and gossiped played like an old annoying record player and the laughter of made fun of, outcasted and shunned, surfaced to my ears.
"You now have to overcome it by uprooting that seed that stirred seasons of chaos within you,and when you pull it out,you will relief that gnaw in your heart that has consumed your joy for years,"
My lips pursed in silence,I looked straight ahead at the road before us,with fear banging in my mind.
"Will you come with me?" I asked,refusing to lock eyes with him
He gave a small breath of pleasantness "Sure," His eyes brightened with fascination ease and joy
Taking a silent breath I walked deeper into the forest with him,my feet attached to the ground refused to resonate with the pain bearing beats
My eyes soon focused on the drifting mists in the air,admiring their beauty and natural hue as they pranced like doves in the air
When we arrived at the core of the forest,we were met with a decaying tree rooted deep within the ground,its withered roots plunged deep into the dead soil,wrecking the very nature of the earth,hence the uncontrolled growth of expiring moss along the terrain.
The restless roots were thorned and darkened,giving off a dying principle,each of them emitted a very unsynchronized off beat pulse that shook the earth in an adverse way
My eyes started at it with intent,seeking for a way to stop its cultivation."What do I do?I don't have gardening tools I can't pull this tree out,"
He gave a soft gentle chuckle
"You don't have to use any gardening tools,you have to overcome the trauma by restoring the passion that composed your identity,"
I looked at him with curiosity,the gears in my head were turning with purpose at every verb he said.
"I don't understand," I confessed in a gentle and uncertain voice
He laughed gently and spreaded his wings melodically. "You would have to dance again,you felt the sorrow of your first death when you lost muse,now it's time to resurrect a part of you by finding your footwork in your heart for dancing again "
I looked at him in surprise,no words could come into literacy in my mouth
"I don't think I know how anymore," I expelled in a shaken tune
"Oh shush,you still can.Just dance again,"
"I don't think I can,"I looked into his eyes with a hint of dismay
"Well,don't worry,I will dance with you okay?" He gave a gentle comforting smile,bowing his back in an inviting manner and extended his hand towards me
"May I have this dance?"He asked tenderly, his hand now stretched wide open before me,awaiting my approval
I stared at his hand before staring back into his eyes,his eyes were soft and pleading filled with gentleness and sincerity.
Moved by his genuine proposal,I first hesitated reaching out to his hand but soon enveloped my fingers into his soft grip as he soon pulled me into gentle and smooth twirl ,before directing me away a few metres from him for us to dance in solo.
"What beat are you moving on?" I looked at his dance,his figure was moving gracefully to an unknown beat,his wings would also glide gently into the air,complementing with the human anatomy movements of his figure as he moved in a very smooth and elegant way,like a swan showcasing it's feathery wings with it's contrast to the sunlight that barelit the the forest grounds
"You'll find it soon," He gave a playful smile as he continues his choreography
I struggled to find the beat to the music,unsure of what melody he was resonating to.
Struggling to let the moves flow out and find the right rhythm,I still couldn't find a way to synchronize with him
Getting tired and frustrated,he soon noticed my discomfort and difficulty. He slowed down his pace spun closer to me and decided to guide my footwork.He then picked me up and supported me on abdominal level,allowing me to feel the gust of air.
My eyes were soon met with the floating mists that lingered around the trees.I observed how gracefully and freely they hovered around the leaves of the high bearing trees.The melody they ensued were freedom,there was no fixed beat or rhythm to follow while I was busy figuring out what beat to follow and realised I was influenced to fit in to the disoriented rhythm or pulses of the decaying roots of the ground.I shall not let these memories hard my symphony and I will not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by this new revelation and sight,the renewal of my mind.
With that my breath hitched the moment I descended into the ground,feeling a surge of energy overwhelm me,I soon began to prance and dance to a rhythm I haven't experienced in aong time,the melody of freedom.
My dance partner looked at me with a joyful fulfilling smile,his eyes glimerred with alot of passion and enthusiasm.
Soon enough as we were immersed into the new symphony,the deterred motions on the ground soon began to go silent,the chaotic untamed pulses were soon diminished, the withered tree along with its parasitic roots that once infested the earth was finally eradicated.
"That was amazing," I uttered in awe
"It was," He smiled cheekily
"You got your passion back," His voice was laced with adoration
"I've finally found my muse," I gleed in hope, astonishment and revival.
"You have reassurected a part of you that once died.You lived again,"
"Welcome to your rebirth,now look at the wings that are formed on your back,"
I gasped as I turned around,similar large dark blue feathers were formed on my back as the plumes glistened in the sunlight
"They're beautiful," I murmured