Dappled Moonlight

[Zacari Lee Binks]

Silence. After a busy day filled with noise and commotion silence was a gift. Something that the night brought to everyone at the end of the day, but most people don’t notice and take it for granted. It was a shame for without silence many things cannot take place. Such as music. Everything seemed to have its own song, some prettier than others, and none of which couldn’t be created without silence. The forest had two songs: one for the day and the other for the night. Both beautiful in their own way if one stopped to listen. The wind had a song, the fire, the water, each animal and man. All unique from one and other and all linked. If one was lost it would be a disaster. And yet many still forget to stop and listen and some seek to silence the others around them.

Midnight. Silent in comparison to the commotion of the day but its song plays softly for all to hear if they try. The soft stir of the trees as a breezes picks up, the chirping of crickets, a lonely hoot of an owl before he takes flight, a drip of water and a small tap as a leaf floats to the ground. All these make up the nights music. Simple over looked things. A faint footfall adds to the music as a girl walks through the trees silently. She had her wavy blonde hair tied in a loose knot and she scanned the area searching for something with curious chocolate brown eyes while holding a guitar in her hands. Coming up to a tree that had a low fork she set the guitar down and climbed up. Once in the tree she reached down and pulled up her guitar.

Zacari. She leaned back against the smooth cool trunk of the tree and looked out at the world around her. The world she had come to know. Come to call home. And one she had learned to be afraid of. Sighing she closed her eyes and let her thoughts return to her home. Surely her mother was asleep, but Daylee might have heard her leave. Again. She always seemed to know when she was awake no matter how careful she was around her. She enjoyed the night and the forest that she thought of as her sanctuary. She knew she wasn’t supposed to be out this late, but she always took the chance of getting caught. Here she could relax and be herself. Here she could escape the nightmares. Like the one she had tonight. Opening her eyes she pushed it away telling herself that it was only a fantasy. But that was a lie. What was a fantasy was that she found the forest safe. It couldn’t protect her or her family. Shaking her head to clear her mind she pulled her guitar onto her lap and began to play a song that her mother had taught her. After a few minutes she began to sing softly. Her voice was gentle and it had been described once as angelic but she thought the compliment was biased. She was told that she was good, but she didn’t know what that really meant. She didn’t care all that much though as she added her music to the night’s.

[Elletnah Sworn]

Hear us whisper in the dark

In the rain you see the spark

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Elletnah had wandered into the woods again. It was not like she was trying to get lost she just felt more at home here than anywhere else. The woods were quiet at night, because during the day people were working and making a living on the districts prime industry. He father spent most of his days in the woods working with her brother while she was stuck in school, most days she would rather be in the woods with her family then stuck inside hearing the same drool about the dark days.
Even though she wasn't supposed to be out here at night Elle still enjoyed it. Her parents warned her against it, but Elle liked living on the wild side and she liked exploring places by herself. She knew it was dangerous out here, not just because of the peace keepers but there were bears and wolves out here that was another annoying warning the kids of the district heard on a regular basis.
As Elletnah neared her favorite spot she heard an odd sound, a girl singing a beautiful tune. She soundlessly made her way to the source of the sound and found a girl around the same age as Elle leaning against a tree and singing.
"You have a beautiful singing voice." She said to the girl.

Feel the beating of our hearts

Fleeting hope as we depart

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