HUMMINGBIRD

In media res, I witnessed her flutter once more and slowly lower her leaf like wings as they lost their vibrant glow of color and turned the dullest of greys. I felt my heart beating, pulsing the blood through my body as I witnessed them remove her wings. I felt completely numb. I knew that was her end. That was the last time my emotions took flight darted through the wind happily and jofully. Her last breath, I would have never thought I would see it, the end of my best friend Garnet the fairy, my only friend… the world around me fell silent. The leaves rushed through the wind danced on top of my head, the light cascading around me… I could only see white, pure white and a faint voice, calling my name trying to pull me back to my world, but somehow I felt disconnected, without purpose. I felt a part of me had just died. Suffering in a dark room with no windows, no doors, no way out, I felt nothing, no life, no ambition, no happiness, nothing, I felt nothing but I was scared and sad. I felt like someone stabbed me in the heart, I returned to reality, I sat up and used a tree to support my back then I saw a rabid jet black dog with a scar across its left eye growling, snarling and drooling, before I could have realized, it bit me and I began to feel my mind spiraling, I blacked out. That feeling of helplessness is the most... most vivid memory I have from my childhood.

My name is Sylphia Glowridge and I’m not really someone that anyone really wants to be around, I don’t even like myself, I hate my name and how I look, even my voice is annoying. As I hung my garments on the washing line at the edge of the veranda, suddenly a large raven dived down low enough to glide over and brush its talons on top of my head and drop a small roll of parchment and in an ominous manner, a black tattered feather began to float to the ground as the bird flew away. The note read:

“Sylphia, I hate to tell you like this but your mother has become severely ill and I don't think she has long to live. She would be at peace if her daughter was here with her in her last hours. I urge you to come to Kreihm immediately.

your loving father – Roufus Glowridge”

I’m not too confident about leaving yet, I don't feel ready, then again I don't think I will ever be ready, I feel a black void within my soul. It’s like a lonely prodigious beast with a rabid drooling dismembered head, who’s nature is vicious mean and horribly angry, untamable but in need of help. It drained all the happiness and hope from my soul until… nothing… no life… no ambition… no happiness… nothing, I felt nothing except fear and sadness. I stumbled back and felll to the ground with tears coursing down the creases of my nose and off my lip, just hanging there for a moment and then falling, no hope of being saved, rushing through the wind, tears stained the floor darkening the dry oak strip, I smeared the stream and held the tears from bursting out, I had to be strong. I grab a large pail that I use for fetching water from the well because I don’t own a bag, I collect the damp garments on the washing line and some sandwiches I had prepared earlier and some fruit. I dart off chasing the fleeting sunlight without hesitation. Soon the pink-orange sunset became a clouded night sky making only the moon visible. Crickets and cicada’s clicking away and sly foxes creeping beyond the bushes. Brushing against the tall grass, suddenly a large black dog pounced and nabbed a rabbit, killing it, and began feasting on the corpse which was quite sickening and sad to see a creature be so viciously attacked by another. The image before my eyes was terrifying, somehow I felt I could feel the rabbit’s pain, as though there was never hope. I navigated my way to a fork in the path, pointing towards Kreihm that read 8km with what appeared like the image of a hummingbird adjacent and a tattered arrow pointing towards what looked like a farm in the distance that read “Robinwood Acres”, I turned right towards the sign that read “Kreihm”. Seeing that sign for some reason gave me a little hope. I begin to feel a sense of purpose once again.

I made my way towards the lake to fetch some water as the 3 am cloudy sky drifted past so peacefully. Suddenly, head-splitting barks and growls were near and the ground began to shake and tremble, I whipped my head around so fast and what stood before me was a colossal black, rabid, slobbering and dismembered head. A giant dog, its eyes pierced my soul, I felt terrified, my body frozen with fear. The dog began to leap towards me, and without thought my body began to move, my legs ran and ran, faster than I have ever moved. Paralyzed with terror I knew I had to do something or I was going to die. I’m not ready to die, but I didn't know how I was going to kill this vicious beast. I had to think fast, find a hiding place, I wiped my brow and had an idea. I tore off a piece of my garment drenched in my sweat so it reeked of my scent, I launch the wet cloth to my right and darted left without the dog seeing. A plan devised as I approached a cliff . I tear another piece of garment off, drenched with sweat, lay it on the edge of the cliff. I emptied my pail and piled soil and water into it and made my way over to the path that lead to the garment. I climbed a tree some metres away with the pail and waited. The ten ft. colossal hound bounded at great speed and as it approached I threw the mud on the beast’s face narrowly missing a hummingbird that swiftly flew upwards, its tail meeting the canine’s fur. As it tried to halt, Inertia threw the beast off the edge. I felt accomplishment, an exhilaration, a certain happiness, a hope I didn't know I would feel again. I heard an echoing cry, a tiny jet black puppy leapt from beyond the cliff onto the ground and shambled toward me with her head drooping, I pet her and she snorted happily yet hesitantly and a friendly expression stretched across her face, I decided I would keep her and call her Garnet.

I hurried the rest of the way to Kreihm with Garnet clumsily scampering behind and saw my parents, my mum looked depleted, I stood over her bed as she breathlessly voiced her last words to me “have the grace and bravery of a hummingbird my child, as the hummingbird is the vessel in which my spirit lives on” and then with her last breath she was at peace.