Blinding & Binding

On Touch

Note: I have come to realise that I write a lot of thoughts and not a lot of action so I deeply apologise. The start of this chapter is mainly description once again but I promise that something does happen in the second half... I wonder if you can guess where this is going... Also, the next chapter will be from Medusa's pov so be excited!!! End of note...

I woke to the light straining through my eyelids. My skin prickled with cold from the breeze that broke against my bare shoulders. I could hear my pulse loud in my ears. Beneath my back, grains of rough sand itched under my clothes and the sweetness of salt air sat heavy on my lips. I suddenly became very aware of the hollowness of my stomach.

I stood from the ground, my knees almost buckling over. Land was an odd feeling now. I had spent so long trapped at sea, trying to stay balanced as the waves tipped me backwards and forwards. Land was almost too calm, too balanced. I would have to grow accustomed to it once more. It would take time.

I brushed the sand from my clothes and hands before trying to sweep my knotted hair from my face. Allowing myself to rest on my feet, I listened carefully to my surroundings. Perhaps I had washed up back home. I might reunite with my family, that is if they were still lived. I hoped they lived.

I stood alone. The breeze swept sharply against my cheeks and the air was fresh, scented by the delicate branches that I heard rustling in the wind.

It took great courage to step forward into the unknown around me. Listening carefully, I heard the silent melody of birds chirping and the cracking of sticks under my feet as I walked into what I thought was foliage. The grass was soft pillows against my feet. I tried to imagine the land as I had once known it; covered in a mass of pastels and shapes like that of a canvas painted by the intricate eyes of Persephone. I let my hands dance through the leaves, the smell of flowers cascading in great quantities. I picked a few. I imagined they were all different shades of yellows and pinks and possibly blues.

Walking further into the brush, twigs snagged in my hair. I did not mind. There was little care in my mind as to whether I looked proper. The thought of nature covering me brought a smile on my lips and I wanted to frolic in the glowing light that was now my freedom.

Soon the soft moss under my feet turned to plain dirt and the scent of smoke wafted around me. It wasn't the same as the smoke from Troy. It was smooth and green and fresh, like that of melting tree sap baking under the sun's lips.

I hesitated. The sun was beginning to deepen in the sky and the warmth of its blanket was slipping away leaving me alone in the shadows of the forest clearing. Reaching forward I found the place empty, yet the soft scent of sweet honey and smoked lemon sap lingered in the air like an overgrown garden catching alight. Whilst I wanted to know more of the mystical air and the way the trees intertwined with one another I knew I had to go back to the sand where I knew I would be safe.

Tomorrow . I would explore more then.

The only time I ever gave acknowledgement to the sun was when it rose and fell over the far line that marked the edge of the world, the ending. Many cycles had fallen behind the waves of the angry sea and I had stumbled upon a small house hidden beneath old growth and imprisoned by gnarled oak trees. At first touch, it was old, possibly older than myself but yet it was still shelter. The singular door to the house was a small wooden frame attached by twine as hinges. Inside the air smelled of lemongrass and honey melting with incense. I called out. No one responded. I was alone. Inside I found a table and chair as well as a small bed frame made of carved sandstone and bedding made of moss for a pillow and dried ferns sewn delicately as one.

I decorated it with the flowers I had picked and mossy carpets to hide the sandy ground beneath. I don't know why I put so much effort into how it looked. It didn't really matter for I had no way of telling, but the idea that it might look like a home to many birds and insects that kept me company made my heart warm like the blazing of the summer breeze turning my cheeks red.