Moonlight Waltz

The girl wanders into the depths of the forest, bare feet softly brushing over cool moss and the lumpy roots of ancient trees. She feels like she’s in a dream; everything has that soft, pale quality, and the whole of her being feels light, as if she’s left the world behind. The very air seems to shimmer as the pearlescent light of the full moon drips from the sky, refracting off the leaves and spattering the forest floor with its glory. The white fabric of the girl’s nightgown floats behind her as she flits through the woods, the edge of it collecting bits of the forest, leaves catching in her hair. Through the fog of her waking dream, she hears a lilting melody drift through the woods, and follows it. Peering through oak and maple leaves, she begins to catch glimpses of wings and gowns and pointed, mischievous faces filled with joy, all bathed in shining moonlight. “Come join us!” they called from where they were dancing in a wild circle. “Join us, and Dance! Dance, Dance, Dance!” The allure of the pulsating beat and sweet, undulating swells of the tune called her as insistently as the fairies, and she gleefully joined their riotous tempest of a dance. She whirled with the fairies in the moonlit glad, her feet picking up the beat of the waltz they danced to as if they’d always known it. And as the silver light of the moon faded, so did the fairies, and gentle rays of sunlight filled the woods. No indication of their presence was left in the glade, or of the girl that had danced with them, save for a ring of colorful mushrooms, one slightly larger than all the rest.