For the Twins: a serial story, part 1

“Okay, your mom says, you have your teeth brushed, your faces washed, and your jammies on, correct?”

“Yep,” said both twins at once. “Come on in. We’re ready for our story.”

“And what will it be tonight?” The Three Bears? Hop on Pop?”

“Nooooooooo, a fairy tale!”

“Hmmm, alright. I think I have one left.”

"This is called Aurelia, a day in the Life of a wood nymph. It is possible that you have met Aurelia somewhere else in another story. I, on the off chance you have not met her, am going to reintroduce her. She is a small green-clad female with short soft tightly curled autumn leaf-colored hair, with a texture resembling leaves, vines, or the cascading branches of a tree — sometimes. Her eyes are large, expressive, and often colored in earthy tones, conveying a deep connection to the woods — usually. She wears simple and flowing garments made from natural materials of leaves, vines, or flower petals. The colors of her attire blend with the surrounding flora, providing her with a natural camouflage. She frequently adorns herself with leaves, flowers, or twigs, further emphasizing her intimate connection with the natural realm — often. Her appearance resembles that of a young woman with a graceful and lithe figure, though it would not be usual to see her as a teenager. Her skin has a subtle, earthy tone, mirroring the colors of the forest. She has patterns or markings reminiscent of tree bark. She can be described as an ethereally beautiful being, reflecting the pure and untamed essence of nature. She exudes a faint, natural fragrance, reminiscent of the scents found in a forest, such as pine, flowers, or moss. — always.

“Her size often makes adversaries think she can be intimidated, but soon they learn that would be a huge mistake on their part, for she is a powerful force. When she speaks to and for the trees they seemingly uproot and move to a new location if she asks them to. She can make paths appear and disappear depending on who chooses to walk in the forest. She shares a harmonious relationship with woodland creatures, who are drawn to her and serve as her companions. Likewise, she can invoke sounds that can frighten the bravest sojourner in the forest. She is playful, carefree, and delightful in dances, music, and other joyous activities. She loves to play tricks on humans who enter her territory, and that is one of, if not her dominant characteristic. And that my little ones, is where this story begins. Oh, one other thing before we begin, since she has the ability to shape-shift, her appearance is somewhat difficult to identify though often there are elements that she maintains in her various shapes. It would seem that she enjoys wearing horns, as they are one of her common looks. And now.”

“Once upon a time, four young people — two couples, actually — were walking through the forest on a bit of a lark, singing, laughing, and generally making merry as young people in love often do. They were carrying a large picnic basket. It appeared that they intended to make a day of enjoyable reverie. Danielle, a very attractive young blond woman, seemed to be the lead singer among the four, as she was leading a song of mirth about the ‘foggy, foggy dew.’ All Aurelia knew was that she was not ready to awaken yet, especially not to the joyful singing of ‘I laughed, I cried, I well near died, all because of the foggy foggy dew.’"

“Normally, Aurelia wouldn’t care one way or the other about the foggy, foggy dew or any robust singing thereof…."

“But!”

"But what?" the twins chimed together, gathering closer to hear the story better.

“Aurelia, having stayed up quite late the night before joining her fairy friends and other woodland creatures in the Festival of the Fireflies, was not at all ready to say good morning to the forest, its creatures, and certainly not to any young humans bent on having a pleasant, but rather bawdy, good day. For there had been more than a little dancing, singing, and, in particular, more than a bit of blackberry mead drinking among various fairy folk at the festival until well into the early morning hours. In addition to Aurelia’s singing and dancing, she had played a double reed flute as only a well-versed musician could play.”

“Truth be told, Aurelia very much looked the part of a young woman awakening much too soon for her liking. Her face indeed had a sleepy 'What in the world is that noise, look about it.' Clearly, her eyes had a ‘just awakened sleepiness’ look to them. She was sitting up but not fully awake.”

“After she was more fully awake and could see who was making such sport of the morning, she said, 'Well, this will never do. I am going to have some entertainment this day and foggy foggy dew will certainly factor into their merriment.' And with that, Aurelia changed into a proper wood nymph dress and set off to entertain herself and various other creatures in the forest with a prank or two….”