Rain Glade

by Carroll, John H.

  Rain took another piece of bread off the plate. “What am I going to do with my life, Verna? Jacob says he has to give Lord Greffen five years of service. He’s not allowed to marry anyone yet and no one else would ever have me.” She picked at a corner of the bread. “I’m not able to become a Druid.”

  Verna set the pot of water over the fire to heat and then came over to kneel before Rain. “I’m sorry you’re not a Druid. More importantly, I’m sorry you think that no one else would have you, Rain. You are a bright star in the world, even though few notice you.” She put her hands on Rain’s knees and then rested her chin on them. “I don’t know what you will do with your life. I understand the forest, not people.”

  “You’re the brightest star ever, Verna.” Rain ran her fingers through the colors in Verna’s hair. The Druid closed her eyes, making a small noise of contentment.

  ***

  The next day, Rain watched the children for Tonia all day. The day after that, she worked on the garden in the morning and made wind chimes with Verna in the afternoon. Each evening, she would go to the pool in the hopes that Jacob would be there, but it wasn’t until morning on the third day that he showed up at Rain’s house while she was gardening. Rain put a finger over her lips for him to be quiet, took him by the hand and led him to the pool.

  “You’re dirty from working in your garden. Take your dress off and I’ll wash you today.” Jacob put his hands on her waist and began pulling up the dress.

  Rain lifted her arms and let him remove it. He began kissing her neck and running his hands over her body.

  “I thought you were going to bathe me . . .”

  Jacob responded by kissing her and lowering her to the ground.

  ***

  They finally did bathe together before making their way up the creek to the glade where they made love again.

  Sometime later, Jacob lifted her and carried her to their spot between the tree roots. “I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to have you in my life, Rain. I’ve been so happy it seems like I’m floating with the clouds.”

  “I’ve been the same way, only I twirl with the clouds, not float.” Rain kissed him on the cheek and curled up against his chest.

  “Your bruise looks much better. It’s still brown, but almost gone.” Jacob placed his hand on her side.

  Rain pushed herself up and pointed at a particularly nasty bruise on his upper arm. “You, however, have a lot of new bruises. What’s happened to you?”

  Jacob reddened. “I can’t seem to concentrate in drills and I’ve been taking a lot of blows. I think Sarge was glad to get me away from the castle.”

  “Do they hurt?” Rain pushed on the bruise.

  He jerked the arm away. “Ow! Yes they hurt!” He chuckled. “But it’s better I take these bruises now while I’m learning rather than when I’m in battle fighting for my life.”

  “Do you think you’ll go to battle?” Rain asked in alarm.

  “I don’t know. Lord Greffen is mad at Lord Bullot and has talked about going to war.”

  Rain pushed herself away and stood up. “I don’t want you to go to war.” Tears threatened to overwhelm her.

  He stood and took her by the shoulders. “I don’t think we’ll really go to war. There are only ten of us in Lord Greffen’s guard and Lord Bullot has fourteen. I don’t think that’s enough for a war. Besides, I’m getting pretty good with the sword.”

  Rain slipped away from his hands and grabbed her dress. “But you could die.”

  “I’m not going to die. I promise.” He came up behind her as she slid the dress over her head. “I’m going to become a glorious hero and then we’ll have our very own cottage we can move into.” He stood behind her, put his hands on her shoulders and whispered in her ear. “We’ll have lots of children and they’ll fight over who gets to take care of us when we’re old. Then we’ll come to this glade every night and make love.” Jacob kissed her neck.

  Rain smiled and tilted her head against his. “I want that more than anything.” She turned and put her arms around his neck.

  Jacob kissed her.

  When the kiss ended, Rain spun away. “Let’s dance!”

  “But I don’t know how!”

  “It’s easy! You twirl, you spin, you leap, you fall to the ground and then you get up and do it all again.

  Jacob laughed. “That sounds wild, but I’ll do it!” He dashed back to the roots, put on his pants and joined her.

  They twirled around the glade. Whenever they fell, they would steal kisses from each other before getting up and doing it all over again.

  Rain stopped and put a hand next to her ear. “Listen to the sounds of the forest. The breeze shakes the leaves, birds chirp, creatures rustle in the underbrush, insects buzz and occasionally a twig snaps.” She put a hand in his and the other on his shoulder. “Dance to the music of the forest. Dance to the music of life!”

  Jacob smiled in wonderment as they waltzed in slow circles around the glade. Their steps fell in time to the sounds around them. The magic in the air matched their movements and they began to float above the ground.

  Rain looked down at the grass falling away below them. Jacob’s eyes grew wide and he nearly stopped. Rain urged him to continue. “Don’t stop. Trust in the dance. The glade will keep us safe. I know it.”

  So Jacob continued the dance. It fell in time with the sounds around them, becoming effortless. Their bodies moved closer as they rose past the lowest branches. Rain wondered if they would rise above the clouds.

  A bright bit of color flashed by. They looked, but didn’t see where it had gone. A minute later, another bright light came nearby. Rain tried to catch a glimpse out of the side of her eye, but it flitted away.

  “What are they?” Jacob whispered.

  “I don’t know, but don’t do anything to scare them,” Rain whispered back.

  “They’re scaring me a little.”

  Rain looked into his eyes. “Let go of fear. It’s heavier than air. Focus on the dance and let your heart be light.”

  Realization dawned on Jacob as he felt the shift in his heart. “I love you, Rain.”

  The words filled Rain with bliss. “I love you, Jacob.”

  They danced, letting their love lift them higher. The lights appeared more frequently. Rain began to see little figures within the lights and realized that fairies danced around them in joy.

  “Are they carnivorous?” Jacob asked, wide-eyed.

  Rain shook her head. “No. Not these. I’ve never seen fairies before,” she said with awe in her voice.

  “Nobody sees fairies, ever.” Jacob gulped. “What does it mean?”

  Rain smiled. “I think it means we’re dancing through the air in a magical glade.”

  Jacob sealed his lips to hers.

  They closed their eyes as they continued the kiss and the dance. The leaves reached out to touch them while fairies played with their hair. Neither knew how long the dance or the kiss lasted, but stars twinkled above when they found themselves lying on the grass again.

  Rain looked at Jacob in the gentle moonlight and giggled.

  “What? Is something wrong?”

  “You have flowers and vines in your hair.” Rain reached out to touch one of the blossoms in his black curls. “It’s very pretty.”

  Jacob panicked and patted at his hair. “I have to take them out. If Sarge sees, he’ll throw me off a cliff.”

  “You can take them off tomorrow.” Rain pulled Jacob’s hands away from his hair. “If you do so now, it will insult the fairies and this glade will no longer welcome us.”

  He nodded. “You have flowers in your hair too. They’re beautiful, just like you.”

  Rain took a lock in her hands and stared in amazement at the woven strands. Her hair felt softer and the fragrance of the flowers was enchanting.

  Jacob put a hand on her neck and drew her in for a kiss.

  ***

  “It’s morning again,” Jacob said.

  “No it�
��s not.” Rain didn’t want to leave the warmth of his embrace. She had been awake for a little while, but enjoyed the feel of his chest rising and falling too much to get up.

  He chuckled. “I don’t want it to end either, but I promise I’ll come back as often as possible and we’ll dance through the air again.”

  Rain bit his shoulder.

  “Ow!”

  Rain kissed his cheek. “Promise?”

  “I promise.” Jacob rubbed his shoulder and stared at her in amusement as she stood and put on her dress. “You’re awfully feisty today.”

  “I blame it on the fairies.” Rain slipped her dress on carefully, not wanting to disturb the flowers in her hair. Then she twirled, enjoying their fragrance as her flowered braids flew through the air.

  Jacob stood and dressed. “You’re so beautiful.”

  Rain stopped twirling and walked mischievously toward him, dragging her toes with each step. He backed up, but she grabbed his unfastened jacket, stood on her tiptoes and licked his nose.

  “Hey!” Jacob wiped an arm across the nose. She laughed and ran away through the tunnel, leaving him to chase after.

  Jacob caught her a short way down the creek and lifted her over his shoulder. They laughed and played tag the rest of the way to the pool before he gave her a final kiss and headed back to the village.

  Rain held a strand of hair in her hands and inhaled the scent of an orange flower woven in it while she watched him disappear. She didn’t think she could get any happier. There was one discordant needle of doubt marring the harmony of her contentment though. It was the word ‘war’.

  She shoved the word away in a dark corner of her mind and buried it with cheerfulness as she skipped down the path to visit Verna. The Druid had insisted that Rain immediately come for tea whenever she shared herself with Jacob.

  As she came near Ulga’s house, Rain saw the old woman sitting on her porch. “Hello, Rain. You seem happy this lovely morning.”

  Rain stopped skipping as she came up to the gate. “Hello, Ulga. It’s nice to see you.”

  “And even nicer to see you. I have porridge if you’ll come show me those beautiful flowers in your hair.” Ulga waved her in, looking hopeful.

  “Of course!” Rain entered the gate and ran up to the porch to give Ulga a kiss on the cheek. They entered together. Rain poured herself the last of the porridge from the pot and sat down to eat it while Ulga sat behind her and looked at all the flowers.

  “Why, I’ve never seen this flower before. And this one shouldn’t bloom til late summer. Wherever did you find these and who wove them into your hair?”

  Rain didn’t want to tell anyone but Verna about the glade. It seemed important. She debated for a moment whether to even tell Ulga about Jacob. “I met a man and he tied them in my hair.” Then she held her breath for the reaction.

  Ulga leaned forward and said in a quiet voice, “That’s wonderful, Rain. You enjoy that man and you enjoy your life. You deserve to be happy.” She patted Rain’s shoulders. “You’re finished with the porridge, so you go on and have a good day. What do you have planned?”

  “I’m going to spend the day with Verna.” Rain washed out the bowl and put it on the table.

  “I don’t like that little woman,” Ulga said with a disapproving frown. “She’s touched in the head.” At seeing Rain’s face drop, Ulga softened her words. “But I know she’s a good friend to you and you need those with how worthless that father of yours is. Go on and have fun now.”

  Rain kissed Ulga on the cheek again and dashed out without another word.

  ***

  Verna was sitting on her porch working with a mortar and pestle. “Hello, Rain,” she said without looking up.

  “Hi Verna. Was I really that noisy?”

  Verna smiled. “No, you were very silent. The trees told me you were coming.”

  Rain sat on the front step of the porch. “Do you really talk to trees?”

  “In a way.” The Druid looked up and her eyes widened in surprise. “Did fairies plant flowers in your hair?”

  “Yes! How did you know?”

  Verna’s jaw dropped and she set the mortar and pestle on the table by her chair. “It was a jest.” She came over to kneel beside Rain. “Fairies never show themselves. These flowers are beautiful and most don’t grow around here.” She hugged Rain fiercely.

  Rain held on, surprised by the reaction. “It was in the glade. Jacob and I danced. We floated into the air and the fairies began dancing around us. Then we kissed and the fairies played with our hair.”

  Verna jumped up. “You must show me this glade right now.” She paused for a moment. “Please?”

  “Of course! I’ve been wanting to show you.” Rain jumped up as well. They took each other’s hands and began running.

  Upon reaching the path to Rain’s house, they slowed to a walk and labored to catch their breaths. “Let’s go into the forest away from that old woman’s house,” Verna said, dragging Rain into the trees.

  “Why don’t you two like each other?” Rain asked.

  “I don’t like most people,” Verna said with a wink. “Especially not ones who call me a freak because I dance naked in the moonlight.” She stuck her tongue out in the direction of Ulga’s house.

  “Oh, that.” Rain still liked Ulga, so she didn’t respond.

  They made their way through the woods behind Ulga’s house until reaching the creek. As they walked past the pool, Rain asked, “What can you tell me about fairies?”

  “Fairies are magical creatures that live all over the world, except in cities where humans are.” Verna scampered over a rock and did a twirl at the top. “They hide from nearly everybody, even Druids. It’s extraordinary that you saw one.” Verna tapped Rain’s nose.

  “I couldn’t even look at them directly, just out the sides of my eyes. They liked it when Jacob and I kissed. We stayed in that kiss forever, it seemed.” Rain sighed dreamily.

  “Oh! I didn’t make you tea.” Verna raised an eyebrow. “I’m assuming with a kiss like that, you need tea?”

  Rain blushed and nodded.

  “I expected as much.” She winked playfully, causing Rain to blush deeper. “As I was saying, fairies don’t show themselves. They are the caretakers of insects and small animals. Their wings are all different sorts of shapes and sizes and they are always pretty. That is all I know.”

  “Have you ever seen one?”

  “I have not, and they most likely will not show themselves to me today.” Verna shrugged sadly.

  “But you’re a Druid. I would have thought you see them all the time,” Rain said in surprise.

  “They don’t show themselves to anyone.”

  “But why did they appear to me and Jacob?”

  Verna smiled. “Because the two of you are in love. Because you are so much in love that you danced in the air in a magical glade. Because fairies can’t resist love and true happiness.”

  Rain hugged herself and smiled shyly. “We really are in love.”

  “You realize it means that Jacob truly loves you, right?” Verna asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Yes.” Rain blushed and hugged herself tighter. Then she straightened. “They also glowed . . . the fairies, not Jacob.”

  Verna’s pealing laugh mingled with the sound of the creek merrily running on its way. “I didn’t know fairies glow. Perhaps it’s because they were happy. And it’s good that Jacob doesn’t glow. That would be a very serious inconvenience.” She winked.

  “You’re terrible!” Rain playfully shoved her friend.

  Verna shoved back and ran ahead. They chased each other back and forth all the way to the tunnel leading to the glade. Verna slowed and stared at the tunnel with a mysterious smile on her face. Rain slowed along with her, still laughing and catching her breath.

  “It is magical, Rain. I’m allowed to go in.” She began walking forward.

  “Well of course you are. If I’m allowed in, you are.” Rain thought it was silly tha
t Verna would think otherwise.

  “That’s not always true. There’s no telling how a magical place will react to different people.” Verna gazed at the thick branches that made the roof of the tunnel. She gasped in pleasure when they reached the glade. Tears came to her eyes. “Your glade is so beautiful, Rain!”

  “Mine?” Rain was surprised that Verna called it hers too.

  “The trees are the most majestic I’ve seen and the flowers are beautiful.” Verna knelt by the creek and brought her face down to the blossoms. “It’s magnificent. I’m so happy for you.”

  “Mine?” Rain asked again. “Jacob said it was my glade, but he was just saying a lot of nice things.”

  Verna stood. “Yours. This glade has given itself to you. I can sense it. It loves you.”

  Rain looked around. It truly was the most beautiful place she had ever seen. There was something about it that seemed to concentrate on her as though it wanted her to be happy. The thought that any place could be hers was unbelievable, especially a place so magical.

  “Thank you for bringing me here,” Verna said, touching Rain’s cheek with her fingers. She kissed the other. Then she took Rain’s hand and they left the glade.

  Rain was surprised at such a short visit, but didn’t know what to say.

  They walked in silence for a while. Verna kept giving Rain mysterious glances, but didn’t speak. When they reached the pool, Verna faced Rain and took both of her hands. “May I give you a tattoo?”

  “A tattoo?” Rain’s breath shortened. Verna was the only person in the village who had them and most people looked down on her for it.

  “Yes. I saw a stunning yellow and blue butterfly in the glade and I’d like to tattoo one like it on you. Please?”

  “What if someone sees it though? People don’t understand things like that.” Rain didn’t want to disappoint her friend who had such a hopeful look.

  “You won’t be the first person in this village I’ve given a secret tattoo.” Verna winked.