As she walked further into the deep wood, little by little a voice grew. It said nothing, but the melody it hummed drew her close. The girl hadn’t lost her mind. She’d simply let herself drift too far. Is that the same thing?

Every next foot infront of the other took her into a maze of glorious sound. The same voice overlapped softly in a beautiful harmony, and the closer she got to the very heart of the wood, the more clear it became. There was something so hypnotic about it. But instead of feeling an overwhelming sense of fear, she felt bliss. Utter and complete peace that both slowed and warmed her heart until it set at an easy rythem with the song.

There was a great tree. It’s body was wide and it’s great arms stretched far, far up overhead and seemed to never end. The tree’s leaves swayed calmly along. The girl made it to the base of the enormous trunk and placed her palms against it. She pressed the side of her head to it’s aged bark and the melody flooded her being like a warm wind. It quieted every daunting thought and replaced it with nothing but sweet sound. Like she had found home, she felt whole after feeling nothing but something missing for so long.

The girl would stay there for hours until her father sought her out and discovered her set at the base of the great tree, her lids closed, her hair softly blowing along with the leaves. He carefully woke her, and took her home. When his daughter mumbled about the song, he would gently kiss her head, and leave her to rest. He didn’t think she was crazy. He, more than anyone, understood the power of the sound of harmony.

What he would cease to tell her, was that if she hadn’t gone to the heart of the forest, she would’ve died that day. What he would also never say, was that that was where the girl’s mother was buried, who loved music as much as she had loved him and their child.

No doubt, it was her mothers voice she had heard. And the girls father would send a silet thanks to her every night since.