Dawn glitters through a veil of heavy fog, / light freckles a still pond. The glassy surface / mirror to the heavens. A solitary goose / glides through the water, / her gossamer twin drifting in tandem beneath her / a reflection in an untouched world. / The air soft, carrying secrets known only to those / who rose before the sun claims the sky. / Each gentle stroke of webbed feet / sending small ripples fanning outward. Both the white bird and her shade / slow as they near the far end of the pond. / A silvered expanse meets a muddy bank. Their journey / reaching its inevitable drift: liquid yielding to solid. / She stalls at the edge, suspended between two realms, / peering into her double.//
Then, with careful steps / she ascended from the water. / Her orange feet sank into sand, leaving three-pronged prints / as she entered dew-laced grass. Droplets of pond clung to her back, / catching faint gold light before sliding off. She preened her pearly feathers / with unhurried calm, a ritual rooted in the marrow; a gesture / balanced between maintenance and survival. / Behind her, a small ripple stirred the inky water. / Her fair head turned gently over her shoulder, but it was a single rose / that held her gaze, its petals glowing indigo-white in the low light, trembling / as if brushed by unseen breath. Out of place in its brightness, / the dark wildness closing tight around it. / She returned to preening. Fully dry now, / the swim existed only in her memory. / She lifted her gaze to the horizon. / The earth in front of her lay quiet, cradled by morning. / A familiar comfort stretched before her, yet / she couldn’t shake off the feeling / that something precious was left behind / as if part of her remained / submerged, lost somewhere / beneath the water.Next Episode: Chapter 13 - The Big Day
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