New Story, Part One: Here We Go Again

OK, I know. As far as writing goes, I have not been good about finishing anything. This is actually kind of par for the course in my life. But on the writing front, I think I've got a fresh inspiration. On the down side, that means I won't be finishing "Last Battle" anytime soon, but that's been pretty much off the table for quite some time. The good news is that you get to read some new material here.

You may notice that this story has no title. This is for two reasons. One is that I don't like the title I currently have and will probably change it when I've written more. The other is that the current title ruins one of the plot points that I haven't even written yet. So for the time being, it's just called "New Story".

I'll probably throw in some thoughts on my process as this goes on. What I'm posting now is about a third of what I have written so far, so don't be surprised if there's a lot more very soon. Comments welcome as always.

Once upon a time there was a woman who lived alone near the edge of a great forest. She had been married to a soldier, but he had died in the last war and so she was left alone and longing for children. She had friends in the village and they came and chatted with her and brought their children for her to look after from time to time, so she was never entirely isolated. But when her friends came to retrieve their children and gathered them up in their arms, the woman would sigh and get a sad, far away look in her eyes. Some of her friends suggested that she marry again, but the woman had loved her husband dearly and couldn’t bring herself to even think of having another. So in time, as they saw how desperately she wanted a child, each of her friends in turn suggested she go to see the Lady of the Wood.

The Lady of the Wood was something of a mystery, though the whole village knew about her. They called her a healer or wise woman or sorceress, and some, very quietly, even called her a witch. Nearly everyone at least knew someone who had been to see her, or claimed they had. She lived deep in the wood, the very wood right near this poor childless woman’s home. That everyone was clear on. But exactly where in the wood she lived, no one could exactly say. Stranger still, no one could seem to agree what her home or the Lady herself looked like. Some said she was a horrible, green-skinned old had who lived in a grass hut by a swamp. Others said she lived in a pure white tower and was more beautiful than the fairest princess. Still others said she lived at the center of a maze of greenery and looked no older than a child. There were more stories than the woman could count. But all her friends agreed that she could definitely help the woman, for a price.

So one clear morning in the early spring, the woman set off into the wood to ask the Lady for help. Now the woman knew most of the woods quite well, having lived their for many a year. So she was certain that she could easily find the Lady’s home just by searching the places she had never been to before. But the search did not prove so easy. The woman found herself twisting and turning through unfamiliar territory, only to end up back in the middle of a place she knew quite well. Even familiar stretches of the forest didn’t seem to connect up the way they usually did. For long hours, the woman wove through the trees, marking her trail and retracing her steps and never ending up where she expected. Then, just as she was sure that she was lost without hope, she came to a small clearing and there was the house of the Lady of the Wood.

It wasn’t anything like any of the stories she had heard. It was a simple little cottage of gray stone in a wooden frame. There were large window, but it seemed too dark inside for the woman to see. Vines grew up along one side of the house, snaking wildly around the stone and up over the thatched roof. All along the wood frame were carved figures of all manner of animals. The woman was admiring a deer at the base of one corner when it suddenly raised its head and looked up at her. It was alive, not a carving at all. As she approached, the woman saw other real animals hidden among the wooden ones. A fat squirrel darted across the lintel carrying a nut. A small falcon perched on the edge of the roof flapped its wing and settled again. The woman recalled a tale she had heard about how the Lady tended to the sick and injured animals of the wood. She was starting to believe it was true.

The woman reached the door and a lizard that was definitely wooden eyed her from the frame. Taking a deep breath, the woman made three load taps upon the door.

“Come in.” The voice was soft but definitely commanding. There was nothing to do but obey. The woman pushed the door open and stepped into the Lady’s house.

It was rather dark inside. There were no candles, no light of any kind except what sun the trees failed to block from the windows. The menagerie of animals the woman had seen outside clearly had free range of the cottage as well. An owl perched in the darkest corner half opened one eye to regard the woman irritably before closing it again. A pair of little finches chirped from the sill of one window. A handsome red fox sat by a dusty cupboard. A little hedgehog played in the dirt floor beneath the table, circling the Lady’s feet.

The Lady of the Wood was seated at a small table stirring some sort of mixture in a small bowl. She was an old woman, with long tangles of gray hair, spindly, bony fingers, and wrinkled, craggy skin. Her clothing was dull gray and ragged and she wore no shoes. She set down her spoon and turned to look at the woman. Her sharp green eyes seemed as bright as candleflames peeking out from the leathery face. The Lady stood and the woman was surprised to see that she did not stoop or hunch over. Between her upright stance and her sharp features, there was something strong and almost regal.

“Now,” said the Lady, “what are you here for?”

Clearly the Lady was not looking to chat. The woman swallowed hard and began.

“I want to have a child. My husband is gone and I’m alone in the world. Please, good Lady, can you help me?”

The Lady stared at the woman for what seemed a very long time. The fierce gaze of her bright green eyes made the woman very uncomfortable. She wondered if the Lady was going to say anything at all. Perhaps she was trying to show the woman that her request was stupid. Perhaps she would be better off leaving now.

Just as the woman was making up her mind to leave, the little hedgehog looked up from its spot beneath the table. It scurried over to the woman, circled around her once, and began digging a hole by her feet. The woman wasn’t sure if there was any connection, but the Lady suddenly dropped her piecing gaze and nodded her head.

“I can help you,” she said.

The woman broke into a smile. The Lady’s words made her so full of joy that she hardly knew what to

“Thank you,” she stammered at last, waving her arms awkwardly to try to show just how overjoyed she was. “Thank you so much.”

The Lady was walking back over to her seat at the table. She settled back into the chair and resumed stirring her concoction.

“But before I can do anything,” she began, turning to the woman again, “I need something from you.”

The woman had nearly forgotten about the price, but it hardly diminished her happiness. Nothing seemed like it could be too much to pay for her fondest wish come true.

“Of course,” the woman answered. “Anything I have is yours.”

The Lady held up a hand in caution.

“I know. But it’s not that simple. I need you to fetch me a moon.”

The woman’s smile faded just a little and she raised a brow in confusion.

“A moon?”

“A moon.” The Lady lifted the spoon up from the liquid and scooped what looked like ground herbs out of a small pot nearby. “I want you to return with it in three days time. If you can do that, I can help you.”

“But…”

The woman stopped mid-sentence as the Lady looked up at her questioningly.

“…how will I found your house again?” the woman finished. It was not at all what she had intended to ask, but she couldn’t find the words to question the task the Lady had set her.

“It won’t be so hard next time,” the Lady answered, already more engrossed in her stirring than in the conversation. “Now that you have business with me, my home will be easier to find.”

Dozens of questions sat on the tip of the woman’s tongue. But the Lady seemed oblivious to her presence now and she couldn’t think of any way to start talking again. The woman went to the cottage door, more than a little concerned. The hedgehog once again abandoned its digging and trotted over to the door to watch the woman leave.

“Wish me luck,” the woman said half-heartedly.

The hedgehog looked at her and gave a little squeak. The woman laughed in surprise as the little creature went back into the cottage. She hoped the hedgehog’s good wishes would help her, somehow.