She bent her knees slightly and lifted herself onto her toes, not in a jarring leap, but as if she were being lifted by something magical and celestial.
She paused mid-turn, chest rising slowly as she inhaled, arms extending out like wings. Each breath she took seemed to reshape the air around her, every step she took was placed carefully, her foot gliding softly over the mossy earth.
Her head tilted slightly as she turned in profile, and the bright smile came again, beautiful and wide.
But why could I only see her smile? And also the way she moved? I couldn’t see her eyes or her face in whole. Just that smile she kept flashing as she danced.
She tilted backward slowly, body arching in a perfect curve, arms trailing behind like streams of silk. For a moment, she stood still, balancing the object on her head as her eyes lifted to the sky above the clearing.
Then she began again.
Twirl. Again. Again.
A hush fell over the trees, as if even the wind dared not interrupt her. The branches didn’t sway. The birds didn’t chirp. The forest was watching her. I was watching her. And somewhere deep inside, I felt so at peace I could fall asleep.
I was about to take a seat, utterly entranced by her dance, when I realised that I wasn’t the only one watching.
A chill shot through me. Across from where I hid, another figure stood behind a tree. I flinched, slamming back against the bark when I saw him draw a bow.
He was cloaked in black from head to toe, a literal shadow incarnate. His long hair veiled most of his face, his head tilted in perfect alignment with the arrow’s flight path. His grip on the bowstring was tight, as though he was ready to shoot.
No. No, no, no.
My eyes darted to the girl in white.
She twirled in oblivion, her smile still beaming, her hands still flowing. Her bare feet still moved across the moss in perfect harmony, innocent of the threat that stood some distance away from her.
I imagined the ethereal, white dress she wore tainting with blood and tried to scream.
But nothing came out of my throat.
My mouth opened, throat stretched in agony, but no sound came out. I clawed at my neck, panic burning through me like acid. My knees buckled, and I collapsed to the forest floor, mouth open in a silent, voiceless wail.
Say something. Warn her.
But I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t scream. The feeling was so akin to a sleep paralysis. My heart crashed against my ribs as the archer adjusted his stance, finding the perfect target on her body.
Should I run?
If I bolted now, what were the chances of reaching her before he loosed the arrow? Would he change target and kill me as I ran? For interrupting his mission?
Suddenly, I found myself moving on my bed again.
No. No. Don’t wake up. Go back there. Stay. Please. Let me warn her.
He pulled the bow tighter as I stood up on my feet.
She turned.
Their eyes must’ve met.
Horror seized my chest, a tear escaping.
The arrow fired, flying towards her.
She stopped dancing.
And I screamed.
