Chapter Text
A clearing in a forest. Marigolds and daisies float through the air, roses flow downstream, and the forget-me-nots sing sweet songs in the trees. Water flows upwards from the bushes, and long flames drape from branches.
The sky is a beautiful shade of violet , the grass in the ground a dazzling silver.
A man appears from beneath a tree, pushing aside some flames, and stopping for a second to survey his surroundings. The vines around him are rough and warm. One drifts to his face and rests there for a second, then flickers out. He carries on into the clearing.
——
An unknown figure’s hand drifts away, warmth receding with it.
A woeful sigh is heard, then footsteps.
The stranger has left.
Darkness falls.
——
In the clearing, the man shivers, a sudden chill passing through the area. He hugs himself for a moment, and then proceeds to sit by the rose river. He plucks one from the current and begins to pluck petals from it, returning them to the stream one by one. A dull ache passes momentarily though his head, but quickly leaves. Pain is irrelevant in The Garden.
He discards the rest of his rose and stands.
“Hello?”
All falls still. The forget-me-nots stop singing. The roses halt their march. The flames die out.
Silence.
The man is alone in this place.
He sits once more.