Work Text:
Entry 1:
I don’t even know how to date these entries. I lost track of time here long ago. My neighbor suggested turning to journaling to pass the time. There is little else in this blasted mountain that can entertain me. I’ve seen neighbors come in and out from the village here. One of the ghosts here has moved out, leaving his cousin behind. They barely have anyone to talk to. I’ve seen them once try to give a snail some pep talk before a race…It was a pitiful example of a mumble.
The flowers are no better. Thank the Angel they cannot repeat words on a page, or others may never hear the end of the whirlwind in my head.
My left eye is aching.
Entry 2:
The sky was indeed much bigger than the mountain. This mountain can barely hold an ember to how expansive it is. I’ve lost count on how many times I’ve skipped across the same stepping stones in front of the same waterfall. I wonder if my hooves have worn the stones down more than the water.
Entry 3:
I found…a lost child. Seemingly a monster like myself, but something felt off. Nonetheless she was scared and hungry. I took her home quickly. I asked her where her parents were. She simply buried her face into my mane. My senses told me to be cautious of her, but I knew better to not solely act on instinct. She was just a child.
Entry 4:
I sent word out of a lost girl, and no one answered with certainty. Not even a single monster I had seen resembled her. Frustrated I took my anger out in the wilds of the eternally frosted forest. She followed me! Stupid child, she could have gotten lost! That’s…when I saw it. Her soul was like mine’s, but with a hint of color. A hint of purple. I had several theories, and I did not like a single one of them.
Worse, I knew what could happen if the King knew of this. I wanted nothing to do with his plan. I was done with this war.
The candlelight near the bed is on its last breaths. She’s resting next to me. She told me her name was Suzy.
Entry 5:
I told her she didn’t have to tell me what happened, and I'm just glad that she is alive. She huddled up next to me, playing with my tail while I patched up her rags. She asked if I could teach her to sew. I’ll only teach her the simple stitches.
Entry 6:
It’s been about a month! Suzy is a handful. Actually, I had forgotten how much children can be. Before our banishment, I’d usually be herding children to school, and finding stragglers that got lost in the woods. My friend was a teacher, and I was her assistant. She was like a second mother to all of them…
Entry 7:
It took awhile, but I convinced Suzy that the bugs she catches are not meant to be eaten.
Entry 8:
Another month has passed and…I am seeing the Waterfall in a new light. The familiar glint in her eyes shone again when I told her about the real sky I knew. I even told her of a fable about the bugs she kept eating. They seemed to be some sort of firefly. Children of the stars. She asked me if she’ll be able to see the real sky again.
I hope so…
Entry 9:
She asked about how I lost my left eye. I told her a tall tale about how I faced a fierce beast from the dark. The truth was that I got it when I protected human children from the war’s destruction. A human thought I was leading them away to slaughter.
Suzy just called me mom. I suppose I am her mother, I just didn’t realize it.
Entry 10:
We had a human visitor! A child, but human nonetheless. They didn’t seem to want to hurt anyone, but I kept my eye on them, especially when they were around my daughter. Their stay was brief. Suzy had taken quite the liking to them. I don’t know how to explain what the King will do once he meets that child.