The Elder Tree

For years, Anya made the pilgrimage to the Elder Tree.

Now in her one-hundredth year, the matron wonders if this will be her final visit. As in previous years, she brings a flower to lay at its trunk after telling her wish. This year, however, brings a surprise, for when she links with the tree, she hears a voice calling her name.

“Anya, time grows short. Seek the diamond in the rough before Summer solstice,” came the voice.

Shocked, the woman drops her flower and quickly steps away from the tree. “What diamond?” asks Anya.

Later that day, she visits her friend Melnik for advice and learns that high in the Mythic Mountains is a shrine known as the diamond in the rough.

She asks Melnik, “Should I go?”

“What choice do you have when the Elder Tree speaks,” replied her friend.

“Then tomorrow, I shall go and see this diamond in the rough,” said Anya.