Swamp Bank Dance

Weekly Helpful Hint: Don’t eat lunch in a sound proof stairwell. You won’t hear the end-of-lunch-bell and will be late for your next class.

Ok, here’s the next segment of The End Time. Enjoy:


They wandered deeper and deeper into the woods. Brushing past plants, ducking under an endless amount of branches and jumping pebbles over streams. Lilette followed Mielou with cautious curiosity as she was led through territory unknown to a destination ... unknown.

“Where are we going?” she asked with frustration, for the seventh time since they’d embarked on this escapade.
“It’s a surprise”
“What sort of surprise?”
“If I told you, then it wouldn’t be a surprise, now, would it?”
“Will I like the surprise?” Lilette asked, now more wary than excited about the unknown destination. Mielou merely smiled to herself and continued across the Fairy built bridge, laid with firefly lights to brighten the way in the dark. Lilette had trouble seeing the bridge even with the lights, but holding onto the rope, she managed to climb across and join her friend on the other side.

“We’re almost there” Mielou said in a low voice, Lilette was becoming anxious, she didn’t find stumbling around in the dark, searching for a not yet specified location enjoyable.
On the other side of the bridge were more trees, and more trees meant more branches would be thwacked into Lilette’s face. Mielou hadn’t been a considerate leader in this expedition and had been failing to hold the branches for Lilette as she led her through forest after forest.

But, to Lilette’s relief, she only had to walk through a few more metres of tress, be thwacked by only a few more branches and then they were in a meadow. A deserted, unlit, slightly eerie meadow. Lilette imagined it would look rather lovely in the day, the grass felt healthy under her feet, she pictured the meadow as a luscious green field filled with merry creatures during daylight. She tried hard to picture this, but the creepy meadow seemed to be filled with dark secrets and she felt as though someone- or something- would creep up from behind her at any moment.

“Don’t be scared” Mielou reassured her, but she made no attempt at a physical comfort. Lilette could just make Mielou out, in the haziness of the night, looking around for something.
“What are you looking for?” Lilette asked anxiously, she didn’t like the idea of this surprise any more.
“Ash said to follow the red pebbled path off The Forbidden Meadow” Mielou replied, still looking around. Lilette found two things wrong with what Mielou had just said, firstly, the meadow they were on was not only dark and creepy, but it was also forbidden, and secondly, they were following direction given to Mielou by someone Lilette had never heard of.
“Who’s Ash?” Lilette asked, as if she should have been told of this person ages ago. Mielou put her face in her hands, remembering that she hadn’t told Lilette about Ash.
“Oh! I’m sorry Lette. Ash is the boy who lives in the Mushroom next to mine.”
“The one you went dancing with on the Mountain Peak?” Lilette asked, just to be sure.
“Yeah... the one you love” Mielou added teasingly, but with a touch of honest scorn.
“I do not love him!” Lilette said firmly, but remembered that Mielou would have read her emotions last week at the Spring Feast, and known exactly how she felt. Mielou didn’t answer Lilette’s obvious lie, her attention was focused on the red pebbled path, which she had just spotted and was heading towards.

Lilette followed without question, anywhere would be better than Forbidden Meadow. The red pebbles shone in the moonlight, making it easy for them to make their way down the moderately steep hill. The sound of delightful jazzy music gradually became more and more distinct as they continued walking, Lilette considered asking what the noise was, but the odds of getting an answer were too slim to bother. As they got closer to the music, Lilette could make out glowing lanterns and people dancing.

“Is that where we’re going!?” asked Lilette excited, all fears lifted.
“I think so” Mielou answered uncertainly “this is the place he said to come” she added, looking around for him, or anyone familiar. And then Lilette saw him, for the second time in her life, jogging towards them. Only this time she knew his name, this changed everything, by knowing his name she felt oddly closer to him like they were already friends.

“Mie?” called the same sweet voice she had heard last week at the Spring Feast. He gave up on the jogging and flew over to them, Lilette wished he hadn’t flown, it added a whole new level of grace to his perfection.

She looked down, knowing that if she looked at him, she would radiate messages of love and the awkwardness of this situation would only heighten. But she couldn’t last for very long and gave into her desires.

She was amazed at how much more she loved him, his eyes seemed even more magical and he was altogether more charming than before. Although she was sure he hadn’t actually changed since last week, he seemed completely different.

He smiled the amused smile Lilette loved, and for the first time in her life Lilette wondered how Fairies ability to read emotions actually worked. Was the word “love” imprinted on her forehead?

“Hi” he said, faking casualness and Lilette felt as if she was spinning around in a whirlwind.
“Hi” she managed to reply, when she realised the greeting was directed towards her. She couldn’t stop looking at him, and he didn’t look away.

“Sorry we’re a little late Ash” Mielou said, finishing Ash’s attempts at trying to be nice to Lilette.
“That’s alright” he said like there was nothing in the world that was more ok. As soon as he locked eyes with Mielou, they were in their whole own world. Lilette felt out of place and neglected, but apparently not even her strong negative emotions could get through Ash and Mielou’s impenetrable love bubble, because they continued to kiss (for what felt like forever) and seemed to completely forget about Lilette.

Lilette made an unnoticed suggestive cough, which made it clear that their bubble was also sound proof.

They finally broke apart from each other- they probably would have suffocated if they went for much longer- and suddenly snapped back into the real world. The bubble was popped and Lilette suddenly existed again.

“Sorry, Lilette” Ash said, with a deep concern and a strong desire for forgiveness.
“That’s alright” Lilette lied. Lying about your emotions to Fairies is never a good idea, now Ash and Mielou knew exactly how she felt plus they knew she was a liar. However, Ash continued as if they believed Lilette.
“I invited you, Lilette, because I thought you’d have fun dancing and meeting new people” it was clear that he still believed this would be the case. It was also clear that he wanted Lilette to meet someone that would take her mind off him. She was grateful they didn’t hate her, but wanted to help her instead.

Ash and Mielou held hands and flew towards the music and dancing. Lilette didn’t have to walk far before she was amongst the dancers. The red and yellow lanterns glowed, shinning just enough light to be able to see.

She wondered where she was and then noticed the murky water, they were dancing on the Swamp Bank. Of all the places to throw a dance, Lilette couldn’t think of a worse one. But somehow the lanterns and the wooden dance floor transformed the hideous Swamp Bank, into a lovely dancing arena.

Just as the music started to get her swaying and she began to enjoy herself, Lilette was shocked to discover that the dancers were not Fairies, nor were they Elves. Lilette had never seen creatures, like the one’s dancing before her.

Their height and size was much like that of Elves, but they were horrifyingly ugly. Their skin was wrinkly, like a dried up raison, and they were a sickly green all over. They looked as though they might be sticky to touch, but there was no way Lilette was going to find out.

A couple whirled passed Lilette and, instinctively, she took a step back. Bumping the punch table and knocking the cupcakes to the floor.

The dancing couple stopped and looked at Lilette. She tried to take another step backwards, but there was no were to go, her heart started pounding and she wanted to scream.

Would these creatures touch her? Hurt her? Kill her? ... eat her? Whatever they were going to do, Lilette had a gut feeling that this was the end of her. That her future would soon become nonexistent.