One: Four

I thought to follow her, but she had vanished so quickly I had no way of knowing which direction to choose. I sat in her spot at the roots of the willow, pondering my fate. A wind rose in the trees, causing the birds to squawk and twitter noisily. The air seemed heavier, and darkness soon descended on my lonely shelter. I hunkered down among the roots, hoping sleep would come to me soon.

Some time deep in the night I awoke. I could see little, though all around me there were patches of yellow-green light. Foxfire. The word came to my mind, though I knew not where I had heard it. While I marveled at the sight, I noticed too that there was no sound in the forest. The wind had died down and the heaviness to the air pressed against me. There was a brief flicker of light, followed a few moments later by a low rumble.

Tock. Something had struck a leaf overhead. Tock, tock-tock, tock. More sounds. Now I felt a wet trickle on the back of my neck. Then all at once a great rush of water from the sky, a jagged flash of cold light and a mighty roar overhead that shook the earth beneath me. I curled up within the roots, fearful that some mythical beast was stalking me for the kill. The rain fell in torrents, soaking me through my thin clothing. I could do nothing but close my eyes and wait the storm out.

The rain fell for many hours before finally fading away, the rumbling in the sky now far off. Water dripped lazily from the leaves above, and the stream feeding the small pool nearby gurgled busily. I shivered in my wet clothing, but soon exhaustion took me again and I fell into a dreamless sleep.