There was still a good hour left and Esper intended to make full use of it, so she continued onward up the path, climbing over the long since fallen trees and through the thick shrubs which had long since begun to overtake the abandoned road here. The wind now stayed at her back, the rising current enveloping her body with a gentle caress. The dark red leaves of the trees scattering as they fell from their high crowns, spinning as they drifted down towards the deep below, their collective presence painted the air with an autumn touch. Her eyes still full with wonder, dart towards each individual leaf flying off onto its journey, her mind trying to decipher their secret of flight.
Lush grass covered much of the road and it tickled her feet, as she walked over the dewy blades. Their structure bending and giving way with a soft whisper at the giant treading over them. Looking down, she stopped and stared at the grass for a time, trying to decipher what it was exactly that caught her eye. Then she saw the shimmer. The white sheen, as the daylight touched the bright green surface and created a glistening reflective glimmer which swayed with loose flow, under the rhythm of the omnipresent summer breeze.
Her hair blew to the side once more and she fumbled with it, to get it to stay out of her eyes. Then it hit her. The wind. She looked up towards the sky, the leaves flying high and then back to the swaying grass. Visions of the dancing trees and of the little bird seared in her memory. They were all moved by the wind. Life and energy, all of it came from the wind down here, the constant current that streamed from the deep, hot pit below; down where the dead lay. She wondered how they made wind down there though. “Wait,” she thought, continuing her walk. Was she being moved by the wind too?
A loud extended “Hmm,” escaped the curious girl, her eyes now having returned to the ground to help her navigate her way, over the fallen branches and rocks from above, which obscured the little bit of the path that was remaining. It wasn’t far from home, but the plants here were so different from those near the Burrow. The bottom heavy red trees particularly caught her eye, with their lush colors and old wood giving them a kingly appearance. Her hand ran across the bark of the tree next to her, grazing it without breaking her stride. The wood was extremely rough, but it felt strangely pleasant to run her fingers over its surface.
Esper looked to her side, towards the looming edge of the pit. The large red trees had little fear of growing near the boundary and sporadically lined the edge all along the cliff-side. They seemed unperturbed by the chasm, resolutely growing their long branches over in all directions. Looking at them, she had an idea and stood to face the sun. Her arms spread wide, she closed her eyes and held her head up high and felt the rays of the sun striking her face. She stood there for a time, standing like one of the trees, soaking up the warmth from above; her hair tossed to the wind like the falling leaves from the forest around her.
“I bet being a tree is nice,” she said aloud, listening to their collective rustle in response. A dull ache began to grow in her shoulders, so she set her arms down and reopened her eyes. The sun was starting to leave now, she would have to turn back soon. A skeletal hand held her stomach, which growled again in protest at having been ignored today. She felt weak on her feet for a moment. She took a deep breath and pulled herself upright and began to feel the nausea leave her. She was almost near the end of the road, she couldn’t quit now.
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Esper pressed on down the path, further ignoring the noises from her body and from the world around her. The thick tree crown above her head began to become thinner and thinner and their large numbers began to dwindle. Soon there were only a handful left on the way, and then none. The path began to clear up somewhat again and became much easier to traverse. The girl continued until she reached where the road would go no further. A gap where the cliff had fallen down many, many years ago separated this side of the road from the other. It was far too large to be able to jump, yet close enough that she could see the dwindling shine of the grass just across, blurry as it may be.
The wind from below streamed much stronger through the wall-side gap than in other places as it rose, she could hear it whistling as it dashed across the rocks, rising up further than she could see. The damp, dewy air was heavy, no matter how much it was pushed around. She tugged on her collar. The thin dress was still slick and damp. Now from sweat and the humidity, though that was a usual state of affairs when she went exploring. Looking over to the other side, her eyes met the road and followed its winding curvature up and around. Higher and higher it went, hiding behind tall trees and distant bends but always returning to sight. Until eventually it vanished into the vague coagulant blur that comprised ‘the above’ in its entirety.
There she stood for a while, as long as she could afford to spare. A fresh gust of wind rose from the abyss, tenderly stroking her face in condolence, as it rose upwards and away without her. The girl sighed dejectedly and turned around to head back down the way she had come down. Daylight was starting to wane and she was already cutting it close, but she should be fine if she hurried, thought Esper. The road seemed somewhat easier to traverse on the way back, almost as if the many branches and roots that had blocked her way before, were now giving way to allow her quick passage back. Drudgingly she pressed on back down the path, her feet beginning to drag a bit after a time.
A slight pang of pain and a high pitched grumble came from her stomach, which she resolutely attempted to ignore. Her hands lazily grazing the rough bark of the trees once again as she passed them by. Stopping, the girl looked at them. A large piece of dislodged bark jutted out of the side of one of them and she wrapped her fingers around the rough edges and tore it off. The thick fragment of flaky, damp wood came off with a slight ripping sound. Continuing her trek, she held the stale wood in her hand, raising it to her nose to take a deep smell. It gave off a strong, metallic, smoky smell. She placed the edge in her mouth and took a bite.
“Pthb-!” she quickly spit out the piece with a sour face and worked out the little bits of dry wood that had flaked off into her mouth with her tongue. It was a bitter, strong taste that was very unpleasant. She had trouble identifying anything similar. It wasn’t sour like the porridge, but also not meaty like the bird. She swished the spit in her mouth around several times, but the bad flavor lasted for a time. The large triangular piece of bark flew through the air, spinning as she tossed it into the pit. “Here. You can have this,” said the girl. “I don’t want it.”
She approached the clearing now and her eyes already began scanning the area for any newcomers, she would have to deal with them before she could go home. But her gaze found nothing in the empty field before her. She looked up towards the dwindling light above and wished it wouldn’t always be so short, but having nothing else to do and no problems to resolve, she turned and followed the familiar winding trail back home. The visions of the thick, heartwood trees fresh in her head, as she passed through the dense blue woods before the Burrow.
There was no food to be found this time, not so easily at least and so she went home to sit out the long night of the soon besetting darkness. “Bird,” she mumbled under her breath. “Ah!” She stops in her tracks looking back. She had forgotten papa’s rope out on the field. Stepping back towards the clearing, she felt a familiar breeze wisp past her face through the thicket and knew she wasn’t allowed to go back to get it today.