The Right Word

It was a beautiful night. The countless stars smiled down upon the rolling muted green hills, bathing their slopes in a soft silver light. Down the dirt road whirred the well-worn wheels of a solitary bike.

Adrona could hardly believe that anyone could be sleeping at a time such as this. She inhaled a deep draught of the crisp night air as she gently pumped the pedals, and a herd of goosebumps rippled down her bare arms and legs. Everything around her spoke of... of something indescribable.

Soon a distinct line of forest appeared before her, with a quaint cottage sitting just within its borders. As soon as she had passed the low-lying mossy stone wall, Adrona threw aside her bike and raced up the steps to the door.

As always, the soft orange light of a small fire illuminated the deep-cut windows of the tiny house. Even as her she reached for the magpie-shaped doorknocker, the hinges creaked aside to reveal a beaming old man.

"Master Kerino," he greeted the girl with a flourishing bow.

"Oh, hush Padhem," she snorted as she strode in to the cottage and settled down in a squishy armchair, "now read to me as I warm up so we can go out again."

"Very well, my dear. I hope you shan't find this one too difficult"

Adrona scoffed. "Of course not, you old wimp. Although I can't say the same for you, I fear nothing!"

"We shall see, diuyr," the man responded with a knowing twinkle in his eye as he picked up a musty volume from the side-table.

Once he had properly -- and rather slowly for Adrona's liking -- settled into his chair before the crackling fire, he selected a seemingly random page and read aloud.

Adrona closed her eyes. Though the resonant, almost musical words that drifted into her ears were of a language entirely foreign to her, she understood their meaning.

She concentrated, and a landscape opened up before her. It was a night not unlike the one she had just rode through, yet the air tremored with anticipation. A proud knight in shining armor stood upon a hill. He had traveled far, and he was exhausted, but his mission was paramount. In the distance loomed and ominous spire that reeked of terror, but the knight knew the spire to be his destination. Suddenly, the stars were blotted out! It was a dragon! It swooped down towards the knight, about to--.

The book closed with a soft thump.

"Very well done, Adrona. Very well done indeed. You have certainly mastered your understanding of tongues, yet now we must move on to the next step of your training."

The girl's eyelids sprung open, and she sat up in her seat. "Really!? Wow, what would that even be? I have so many questions!"

Padhem chuckled warmly. "Calm yourself." Even he couldn't keep from grinning uncontrollably. "I can show you right now, if you wish."

The night was just as they had left it. An endless twinkling dome towering over the silver meadow, the trees swaying gently in the faint breeze. Adrona ran ahead, laughing gaily, to tumble onto her back to lay in the cool, dewy grass. Padhem laughed as well, for the girl's pure joy was horribly contagious.

He joined her on the grass.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

"Now close your eyes. Listen. Tell me what the owl says."

An owl softly hooted in the distance.

"She warned a fox that she could see him so he doesn't try anything."

"Very good. Now listen to the crickets. What do they say"

Adrona giggled faintly, "they're so silly, they just keep yammering about food and stuff."

Padhem chuckled, too. "That one was easy. Now try the grass."

She paused for a moment. The grass was different from the crickets. Simpler. Yet they all waved the same way in the breeze, whispering against each other in the dark.

"They're having fun... but quietly. They love the dew and the moist air, but they're almost sleeping."

"The trees. What do they say?"

Adrona sank her consciousness deeper into the night. The trees. Their roots tangled into the earth, reaching deep and far to unseen water, ever growing beside the restless burrows of underground creatures. Their leaves stroked the night air, reveling in the moisture the lazy wind blew to them. And the trunks. They were old and strong. They knew much, but didn't say anything. They stood as constant and tranquil as ever; tall yet deep; spread out yet centered; balanced.

She opened her eyes.

The night hung above her, ever-present.

Padhem waited to speak. "Go on," Adrona urged.

"We need not speak. You have done well," he said, beaming as he stood to his feet. "Now let's go for a ride."

I'm thinking of making this into a series of short stories. Still not entirely sure what the plot's gonna be but oh, well, we'll all find out together!

Tell me if you think the paragraphs and sentences are too choppy sometimes. I feel like I sometimes may have overdone the hushed, dramatic feel, so tell me if there are any spots where you were like, "Okay, let's get on with it, dude" or something of the like. Thank you so much for reading! Tell me if you want more from this era of my world because I've hardly done any stories in it. Hope to see you again!

For Tuisku, Here is The Word