The Crimson Petal and the White Moon

[destiny4ever]

The Crimson Petal and the White Moon​

As it was her custom, Luciana was talking a stroll bordering the lake behind her house. Her faithful companion, Lobo, was at her side. A dog given to her as a birthday gift during her childhood was now the closest thing the young girl had as her friend.

Lifting her head, she fixed her eyes on the moon above her. The moon was shining brilliantly on the night sky; its dark veil covering the entire town.

With her eyes hypnotized by the moon, Luciana thought of how difficult this last year had been for her…especially after that painful accident when…

Suddenly, she remembered Lobo and returning her sight to the place where he had been she found the place empty. “Lobo…where are you? Lobo! Lobo! Where are you?!”

She looked in front of her. “No…please …no”. She heard some barks and it seemed they were coming from inside the forest in front of her. The famous forest that her mother had so many times forbidden her to enter when she was a little girl.

Collecting all of the courage inside of her, she went into the forest hoping to find her beloved companion very soon so she could get out of that place and go back home.

Little did Luciana know that that enigmatic moon and Lobo would become the sole witnesses and accomplices of the life-changing event that was going to take place on that very night when she got lost in the Lockwood forest…

 

[Tranquil Rain]

There she was sitting...beneath the emerald, grand tree which centred the eerie forest. She was quietly sitting there, soundly humming a placid tune. Her brunette, silky hair ran down her shoulders through to her arms like a cascade of melted chocolate, glistening under the glimmering light of the moon. The ebony branches of the emerald tree were surrounding her, embracing her...as if this lofty tree was her only friend..her only family. Yet, despite the loneliness embedded within the shadows and corners of the forest, she had a tranquil smile drawn on her serene face.
The sight of the young lady was awe-inspiring.....anyone, any thing, would have their fears, their agony, their anguish, their doubts erased upon approaching the majestic young lady embraced by Lockwood's most grand tree.

All of a sudden, a silver-haired dog reached the centre of the forest where the young lady was lying peacefully. The silver-haired dog was guided here by the humming of the girl....he felt a strange power in such a simple tune....a power which would relieve the sadness and melancholy his dear friend was feeling since the tragic accident which occurred last year....a tune which would answer all the questions lingering in her head for the whole past year. As the dog reached the humming young lady, he started barking to both catch her attention and call for his friend. The young lady turned her head slowly and faced the silver-haired dog. As she stood, the branches of the tree moved away, smoothly clearing the path for her to pass through. She approached the nervous dog and leaned forward towards him, patting his head softly. With her gentle, sapphire eyes, she looked directly into his beautiful silver eyes and murmured quietly: "Don't worry, young fellow. Everything is okay."
"May I know your name?" She asked.
As the silver-haired dog gave a small bark as an answer, she smiled and said: "My name...Elincia is my name."

 

[destiny4ever]

“Lobo!”, Luciana said with a gentle smile on her face as her eyes fell upon her best friend. A powerful sense of relief spread quickly from her heavy heart to the rest of her petite frame. She knew she wouldn’t be able to handle losing another loved one...
However, her sense of relief was short-lived...when she immediately realized that the silver-haired dog was not alone.

She had heard some animal noises coming from the woodland since she was a little girl so she was sure that some forest animals inhabited the woods; but people…how could anyone live in that dark, mysterious, and ghastly place?

With a gentle and friendly yet terrified and nervous gaze, Luciana carefully looked at the girl patting her dear friend. The stranger was beautiful. Her hair was shining so brilliantly under the moonlight.

Although she felt scared, Luciana couldn’t deny the feeling of calmness her heart was experiencing. It was as if for a brief moment her heart was lighter, happier and warmer. Mustering all of the courage inside of her, the young woman looked towards the stranger and her four-legged friend and said with a sweet voice… “Come here, Lobito…" "Come here, boy."

 

[Tranquil Rain]

Elincia's eyes followed the silver dog rushing towards a delicate young lady, standing beside one of the trees surrounding the grand tree centring the forest. The eyes of the two girls met. Elincia glanced thoughtfully into the lovely, amber eyes of the young lady. She sensed the relief and happiness the other girl was feeling expressed through her eyes as she was patting her dog. She felt the strong bond between the two, a special bond....

Elincia wore a placid smile seeing the warm reunion of the two friends.
"I am glad you found your friend, young lady.", said Elincia, slowly approaching the two.
The young lady took few, careful steps backward and began to turn away from Elincia as she gently grasped her silver friend. Elincia immediately knew that the young lady was sceptical of her. At the end, Elincia is nothing but a complete stranger whom she only met a few minutes ago...in the middle of a dark, eerie forest.
"Young lady, I advise you to stay here because.....", Elincia paused for a moment and glanced with saddened, worried eyes at the leaving young lady. "Because anyone who enters the forest won't..... won't be able to get out, ever....but...don't worry. for the time being, stay here and I will help you find a way out of here."
Elincia's words froze the young lady standing in front of her, and anxiety began to show on the girl's countenances. The silver-haired dog rubbed his head against his friend's feet and tried to lessen her growing apprehension. As Elincia realized how worried the young lady became, she started humming a tranquil tune; the very same tune that guided Lobo towards the center of the forest where she resides....

 

[destiny4ever]

Although Lobo softly caressing her feet and the tranquil tune that Elincia was humming offered some soothing calmness to Luciana’s agitated heart…they couldn’t remove all the anxiety her soul and her body were feeling at that moment.

Luciana repeated the brown-haired girl’s words over and over again inside her head.
"Because anyone who enters the forest won't..... won't be able to get out, ever....”

Were the stories true? Her mother used to tell her some wonderful, magical yet strange and frightening stories before falling asleep when she was a little girl…but she had always thought all those stories were a product of her beloved mother’s amazing imagination. Her mother was a writer after all…and having the forest so close to their house, it was only natural for her mother to come up with those kind of bedtime stories.

Luciana was so confused...were all those stories real? Did her mother know something that she never shared with her daughter?

“Am I going crazy?” the amber-eyed girl asked herself. With so many questions fluttering on her mind she felt she was on the edge of going insane. However, she also knew she needed the answer to one of those questions, and she knew she needed that answer right there and then.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. She was nervous and scared…but her curiosity overpowered all those other feelings.

With a sweet but at the same time firm voice, she looked straight into the stranger’s eyes and replied. “My name is Luciana. Elincia …that is your name, right?” She paused for a moment and continued. “Do you….do you….live here… here in this forest, Elincia?”

 

[Tranquil Rain]

"What a lovely name you have, Luciana." Elincia uttered, in response to the young girl. "And yes, Elincia is my name and well...I do live in this forest. It is my home, my beloved home."
Elincia paused for a moment, gazing upwards towards the white moon centring the dark night sky; an expression with a hint of melancholy was drawn on her face.
"But...I am all alone here." Pausing again, she faced Luciana again and wore a gentle smile saying:" But I have been alone for years and years now, so, I am used to this loneliness."
Then, with a sudden cheerful tone, she added:" Aaaand I have two lovely guests visiting me now, so I am not alone at the moment and I am happy."
Elincia hoped to calm Luciana with her words. She hoped she would clear the fears of the young lady; she hoped she would remove her doubts; but Elincia knew that Luciana would never be happy to be trapped in such a forest, even if she expressed to her how happy is she to see someone after so many years of loneliness. No, Elincia would never want for anyone to be trapped in this forest...because she knows exactly how it feels to be all alone. For this reason, for this reason alone, she vowed to her self to do her best to help Luciana to get out of this gloomy forest.
"Luciana", said Elincia with a calm tone:"Don't worry dear, I...I will try to help you get out of this forest. But, for now, you should have a rest after your search for your friend Lobo. Then, I will talk to you of how would we find out the way out." She walked towards Luciana and gently grabbed her hands, silently shaking in apprehension. They were really cold, as if Luciana was placing them in a freezing lake for hours.
"Would you come with me to my small house, Luciana? Here is quite cold; my house is warmer. You will be more comfortable there."

 

[destiny4ever]

After hearing Elincia complimenting her name, Luciana’s red lips shaped into a graceful smile.

“Beloved home?” Luciana asked to herself. “How could someone call this ghastly forest…her beloved home?”

Empathy bloomed inside the petite girl’s heart as she listened with great attention to the brown-haired girl’s voice.

Luciana knew loneliness. She had gotten the chance to get to know that feeling so very well during the past seven years…it had all started the day her much-loved mother died in that horrible accident.

“Used to the loneliness?” The amber-eyed girl thought to herself. She couldn’t believe Elincia’s words. For a brief moment she even felt envious of Elincia. For the past seven years, Luciana had tried so hard to get used to her lonesomeness, to that empty and aching hole inside her heart…but she had failed. She felt so very alone…but she knew that their loneliness were not the same…

Inside her manor, Luciana was surrounded by people all day…yet she felt so alone. Many servants lived in the manor with her; since many servants were required to look after such a large house. All of them were people that “that man” had hired after her mother passed away.

The mysterious girl’s hands were so warm…so different from Luciana’s icy hands. Upon hearing Elincia’s invitation, Lobo’s master kept quiet for a moment before nodding in agreement.

 

[Tranquil Rain]

Elincia guided Luciana to her small house not far away from the large tree centring the forest. As they walked, the trees gradually disappeared, and a small, deserted village greeted them at the end of the path. There were few houses here and there and few deserted shops. Just like those embroidered on Elincia's dress, strangely drawn patterns decorated the simply-built houses of the village. Along the deserted roads of the village, delicate, crimson flowers lined, swaying along with the soft breeze passing through. A small, glistening fountain centred the village. Patterns similar to those on the houses were engraved on the fountain. The gentle murmur of the fountain's flowing water was the only sound heard.

Seeing the bewildered expression on Luciana's face, Elincia broke the silence which conquered the place.

"Luciana, we have reached the village. My house is past few houses from here." Elincia paused, witnessing the anxiety and worry of Luciana. Elincia immediately realised that seeing a deserted village in the middle of an already eerie forest would only increase Luciana's fear and worry. Trying to lessen the young girl's apprehension, Elincia uttered: "Don't worry, Luciana. There is nothing to fear here. Once we reach my house, I will explain for you everything." She extended her hand for Luciana to hold and smiled gently at her.

 

[destiny4ever]

Luciana was amazed by what her amber eyes were witnessing. It was as if the trees were obeying some silent command coming from Elincia, a command to clear the way so that the two girls could access the brown-haired girl house. The sole heir of the Wolvestone estate blinked her eyes twice as trees began to disappear right before her.

She was astonished even more when Elincia, Lobo and her arrived to a small and deserted village.

“A village inside the Lockwood forest?! How could that be?!” she asked herself incredulous of what she was seeing in front of her.

Knowing that Elincia lived in the forest was an enormous surprise but now the petite girl was finding out that more people used…at some point…also lived inside the spooky wood. “What had happened to that people? Where were they now? Had all of them...died!?” A heartbreaking sigh escaped from her crimson mouth.

Death…death…death…it seemed as if Luciana couldn’t get away from that word even under these strange circumstances. Pain and uneasiness started to appear on the Wolvestone lady, feelings that were interrupted by her new friend.

Luciana bit her lower lip softly before stretching her hand towards Elincia. A warm and calm sensation emanated from the girl with eyes like sapphires. For an instant, she was reminded of Adonia Wolvestone…that was the name of her sorely-missed mother.

 

[Tranquil Rain]

Holding Luciana's hand, Elincia walked towards her small house, lying at the distant edge of the village. As the two girls entered the house, Elincia immediately began to start the fireplace's fire. Several minutes later and the room became warm and cozy. She offered Luciana to have a seat at the only couch in the house. Then, she stepped into the small, open kitchen facing the living room. She started to prepare a warm herbal tea for Luciana to drink and get warm.
Elincia's kitchen is in fact full of many kinds of herbs; living in the forest for so long, she collected and used many different herbs the forest treasured.
She grabbed the warm cup of herbal tea and placed it in front of Luciana whose worry and anxiety seemed to have lessened.
"Here you go, Luciana. This will make you warm," Elincia said to Luciana, sitting beside her on the other side of the couch.
"So..Since you have calmed down a bit, I will try to explain to you everything I can; about the forest; about the village; about the way to get out of here."
Elincia paused for a moment and sighed heavily; she hesitated to tell Luciana the truth about this place; she feared that she would only increase the young girl's fears and sadness; however, Elincia knew that she should tell Luciana everything as this is the only way to help her get out of this lonely forest as soon as possible. Determined to help Luciana with all she got, she then continued: "This forest is not like any other...people usually cannot enter it. In fact, people normally do not...see it. Only those who are not secured, who are anguished, who are in doubt, who cannot move forward, are able to see this forest and enter it.Yet...as I told you before, once they enter the forest they would not be able to get out unless they fulfil one condition, and they cannot do so without the "Guides", and those "Guides" are...are..." Elincia's expression began to deeply sadden as she tried to continue. Her mind and heart was reliving everything that happened long time ago. Although it pains her to recall her past which she tried to conceal all these years, looking at the lonely, sorrowful Luciana who was sitting beside her, she mustered her courage and determination and continued to further explain everything.

"The Guides are unique people with a special ability of finding scattered memories of people and sensing their feelings and emotions. They "find" a person's memories, joining them together, in order to help this person to move forward, to have peace with his or her past. You can say, they "cure" anguished people through allowing them to relive their memories vividly and clearly. And Luciana, I am a Guide....I am the only Guide left here. All members of my tribe whom lived here died during a massacre long time ago, when I was still a very young girl. My mother and I miraculously survived the massacre and hid away, but she also died not so long after the incident. I....I.."
Elincia could not control herself any longer. Tears ran along her soft cheeks. She never knew why her tribe was exterminated so cruelly; was their special powers the reason? was their existence a blessing or a curse? were the culprits who committed the crime that messed up and troubled that they mercilessly killed the people of her tribe? does this power really and truly relieves the sadness and sorrow a person feels?
Many questions occupied her mind for a long time; she tried to answer them but she couldn't, so she just tried to forget...and that in itself seemed impossible....
But now, she knows one certain thing....the girl in front of her is in dire need of her. Through her powers, she sensed the sadness and confusion Luciana feels. She knew for certain that Luciana is an honest girl. And she knew that her destiny of being a Guide is one that cannot be changed and she should live with it even if it caused her sadness and loneliness, and now, with Luciana, she could try her best to turn this power of hers into a real blessing, she might answer all the questions she had in her mind all along.
With that in her mind, she quickly wiped her tears, and said to Luciana while holding her hands and smiling a determined smile: "Luciana, as a Guide, I will help you get out of the forest. I will help you move on. I will do all my best to erase your sadness, but, I alone won't be able to help you find and relive your memories. Those are your memories after all, so I need your help as well for you to leave this forest for good."

 

[destiny4ever]

While holding Elincia’s hand, the petite girl couldn’t shake off the so familiar feeling she felt at the touch of her new friend. Closing her eyes for a moment, Luciana vividly remembered how her beloved mother used to clasp her tiny hand and take her in their special expeditions around the beautiful central garden of the Wolvestone state when she was a little girl.

Tender warmness began to sieve Lucian’s heart filtering way part of her sadness as she reminisced about Adonia’s beautiful smile and laughter.


The amber-eyed girl opened her eyes just before entering Elincia’s house. The house was small but very cozy at the same time. At her host’s invitation, she sat down on the only couch inside the cottage.


Luciana’s eyes followed Elincia as she stepped out of the living room and into the kitchen. The petite girl’s nostrils were filled with the fragrance of herbs. Her mother had also liked herbs. “Ah…so she is preparing chamomile tea…” , the petite girl thought to herself as she smelled the chamomile aroma coming from the kitchen. “That was mom’s favorite tea…”


Adonia had been an excellent herbalist, a trait she made sure to cultivate and pass to her only daughter.

It was strange, but Luciana felt more at home at Elincia’s small cottage than inside her big mansion. Carefully observing her new surroundings, the petite girl’s gaze stopped as soon as her amber eyes took notice of a pendant hanging on the wall. That pendant was almost identical to the one that used to hang from her mother’s neck. She was about the stand up and walked towards the pendant to make sure if it was indeed a replica of her mother’s, when she heard Elincia’s footsteps approaching.

Changing the direction of her gaze to Elincia’s frame, Luciana grabbed the cup of tea in her hands. “Thank you”, she said looking up at her host with a warm smile.

Luciana took a sip of the chamomile tea and began to pay attention to Elincia’s words. “Guides…”, thought the petite girl to herself. A pensive look adorned Luciana’s face. Leaning a little forward, the amber-eyed girl paid closer attention to what her friend was explaining. She easily noticed how Elincia’s expression changed into a sad one. Putting the cup on a table next to the couch, Luciana devoted all of attention to Elincia.

Just as tears ran along Elincia’s face, teardrops began to wander down Lucian’s rosy cheeks. She could sense Elincia’s distress, frustration and confusion. She could sense it so clearly. More tears kept wandering down her visage, when Elincia’s took her hands in hers. Suddenly a river of images flooded Luciana’s mind. Imagines she had never seen before. Men, women and children screaming, cottages being set on fire; she was seeing a massacre. Even though these images were not part of her memories, the petite girl could see them so clearly. “What is happening? What are these images?!”, Luciana asked to herself in anguish as she shook her head trying to get rid of these painful images inside her head.

She could hear Elincia’s words. Even though Elincia was sitting next to her, she could hear her words as if they were coming from very, very far away.

The amber-eyed girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath in a last attempt to erase all those sad images from her head.