Day Dreams

“I wonder what the future holds for me,” the Trelf asked.

Cerius loved to dangle her feet in the wishing pool and think about the future.

“I want to travel the world on an adventure,” said Cerius. “I’ll climb the tallest mountain and see all the way around the world.”

“Why do you always come here and daydream, child? Shouldn’t you be out playing in the forest with the rest of your kind?” asked the elm.

“Hello, grandfather, I’m sorry I woke you from your afternoon nap. Please forgive me,” apologized the girl.

“I am worried. Cerius, you have been coming here much too often of late,” said the tree.

The grandfather tree tells the girl a tale about a boy who wasted away. He kept looking at a reflection of what was the truth, not the truth itself.

“That’s the story of Narcissus. I’m not in love with myself, grandfather,” remarked the Trelf.

“Child, you are in love with your daydreams,” said the tree. “You will waste your life as the boy did.”

Cerius sat stunned. She had never thought her daydreams could hurt anyone, least of all herself.

“I see I have been a fool. I thank you, old wise one,” Cerius said.

The girl stood, bowed, and thanked the tree again.

“I will not waste my life dreaming. Tomorrow I will begin my adventures,” said the Trelf.

True to her word, the following morning, Ceruis awoke early, packed bread and cheese, and headed out across the field.

When she reached her grandmother’s home, she stopped to eat her lunch. Then she slept until the sun had set low in the sky.

“Time to head home,” the girl remarked. “One does not want to overdo it on the first day of an adventure.” She walked home.

“I wonder where I’ll travel to in the morning,” she asked. She slipped off to sleep to dream of her adventure yet to come.

Folksburywoods Story Blog