As The Stars Tell

Snow fell softly from the great sky down unto the quite forest night. Moonlight danced from the icicles in the trees to the brook that moved too quickly to freeze. There was no sound other than the howl of the wind through the stars.

She tread lightly across the forest ground, her soft leather boots made by her father protecting her feet from the bitter cold. Her shawl was drawn around her head and over her face to protect both her health and her identity. Her hands, with gloves made from the same leather as her boots, gently brushed each tree as she passed. Though the winter had striped them of their leaves, the trees seemed more majestic as she made her way through the wood. Her leather satchel, again the same, thumped familiarly against her hip as she wove in and out of low hanging branches. She moved like a shadow composed solely of liquid mercury. Every movement was purposeful and fluid.

When she reached a clearing, she stopped. Looking around to make sure no creature was near, she reached into her bag to check on her prize. It was an orb, small and smooth, seemingly made of glass. She removed a glove and reached her trembling fingers towards its cool surface. When her fingers grew near, the orb began to glow. As her skin touched the orbs surprisingly warm surface, color bloomed from the core of the orb like no color known on earth. With a smile, she took the orb in her hands and hiked to the top of the hill centered in the clearing. Taking a deep breath, she blew onto the orb to further illuminate it, and then threw it up into the air.

The orb floated higher and higher until it began to blend in with the stars. When it finally reached its place, the orb spun faster and faster until it looked as though it was not moving at all. The glow brightened for a moment, and then calmed down as it took it's place among it's brothers and sisters. 

Far off, the girl heard the cry of a new born baby and smiled. Spinning with happiness, the girl raced back through the forest to her village where the newest member of her community was born. Glancing over her shoulder only once during the run, the girl noticed that the new star shone a little brighter than those around it. She smiled at what this meant and ran even harder. This child was going to be something great.

Hope

The great trees swayed, rustling their colored leaves in response to the babbling brook. Rabbits and squirrels and foxes and birds all came to listen. The birds would join in when the could. It was a delicate balance between the three as they shared all that they knew.

The trees were ancient. The had lived hundreds of years, and would likely live hundreds more. They have seen change in it's purest form, and have known the world before it knew itself. The trees spoke of how things were.

The brook reached far across the land. It saw everything there was. All of the happiness, sadness, loyalty, and desperation of the world were plain the the brook as it made its way through the world. The brook spoke of how things are

The birds were fresh and new. They exist only for a short while, but make the most of what they have. They see the world from high above. When removed, the have the ability to look at a situation from a different perspective. The birds spoke of how things could be.

The three conversed in their own languages. Day in and day out, speaking of how things were, are, and could be, until at some point they come together. A single language is formed. It is a language formed from history and knowledge. From optimism and pessimism.

It is the future. It is hope.

Fear

The pitted floors creaked with each step as she crept through the house. Sweat trickled down her back and her chest shook with each breath. Her eyes strained to see in the dark beyond the reach of her simple flashlight. Her hands trembled as she pushed open door after door. Her stomach seemed to flip in time with her heartbeat. Her mind screamed at her to go back, but her legs shuffled on. Tripping on an unseen rug, she crashed to the ground, scraping her knee in the process. The flashlight tumbled our of her clammy hands and hit the ground with a thud that seemed to echo throughout the empty house like the bells of a church. The light flickered tauntingly, then went out. Shaking, she drew her knees, sticky with blood, up to her chest and whimpered. Tears fell down her cheeks and stung her open wounds. Her ears hurt with effort, trying to listen for any signs of life or danger in the darkness. With a deep breath, she put her head to her chest and sobbed silently to herself.