The Crooked Forest, Legacy of the Holey Stone

When the winds of change come blowing

As they surely will

May the gusts blow soft and warm

Gently on your skin

May your soul be firmly sown

With the seeds of bravery

And may your journey be illuminated

By your own strong energy.

Chapter 1 ~ Fate

Willow struggled to fill her lungs with the heavy air that reeked with the ancient smell of age and the centuries that have already passed away. The trees that surrounded her small body rose from the tangled underbrush, creating a veil of secrecy, mystery, and shelter in this peculiar woodland known as the Crooked Forest.

The Crooked Forest makes you feel as though you have stumbled into a strange and spellbinding fairy tale. It is a place between places, not quite a part of the world that we know but rather a world that lies alongside our world, separated only by a crossroad. Here, the pine trees flourish and grow fantastically large, twisted at the roots with a curve-shaped arch near the base. Lifetimes before, when the trees were just young sprouts, a blizzard descended, freezing the young trees into a bent-over position. The snow weighed down the saplings as they were sprouting, causing them to grow crookedly.

Bracing herself against the base of a crooked pine tree for support, Willow placed one hand on her forehead and one hand on her heart. Feeling tightness in her chest and pounding in her temple, she closed her eyes tightly until the dizziness passed.

The center of her heart felt as though it had been deeply bruised. Willow was unaware that she was suffering from broken heart syndrome, a condition that could be brought on by receiving a sudden shock, emotional trauma, or bad news.

Fear and panic were taking hold of Willow’s tiny body. Her knees began to quiver and shake, and she felt that she could no longer stand upright. Sliding her spine down the trunk of the tree until she was sitting firmly on the ground, Willow clasped her small hands over her eyes as the tears began to stream down her flushed cheeks, and time seemed to stand perfectly still. The realization that she had become separated from her dear mother and that she was now hopelessly alone had set in.

Where Willow sat sobbing, the timothy grass surrounding her now seemed to be more brown than green and the nearby flowers seemed to wilt and shrink as if they felt her great despair. Overhead, the tassel-eared Abert squirrel halted his playful antics and watched in pained silence as the little girl who was so deeply connected to nature mourned her devastating loss. It was as if all of Mother Nature’s creations could feel the pain of Willow’s broken heart. When the sobbing ceased and the tears dried, many hours had passed, and dusk was rapidly approaching. Little Willow had no more tears to cry, but the bruised feeling in her heart lingered.

A light evening breeze rustled the tall, thick blades of timothy grass. The soothing sound quieted the tiny girl’s mind, as the warm air dried her tearstained face. Willow blinked twice, thinking she saw movement within the lush field of swaying grass.

As Willow stood to investigate, the grass where she had been sitting unexpectedly turned green and the nearby wilted flowers stood straight as an arrow. The Abert squirrel began to run overhead once again, as somehow nature sensed that Willow’s distress had momentarily subsided. The air felt lighter, and the wind smelled sweeter.

Unexpectedly, the tall blades of timothy grass parted, and he majestically appeared. He remained stock-still, his deep brown eyes staring steadfastly into Willow’s eyes. Striking a muscular and sturdy poise, the puppy carefully approached Willow, lowering his head to the ground as if bowing before lying down at Willow’s feet, pressing his nose ever so softly against her tiny hand. Willow reached out to stroke the soft fur of this new visitor, and when she did, she felt a slight lift in her broken heart.

“My name is Willow. My mother named me this because it means ‘strong and resilient’ like a willow tree, able to withstand the strongest of storms. But after today’s storm, I am not feeling so strong.” Willow’s voice trembled. “Do you have a name?” she questioned the inquisitive, intelligent, tricolored creature who was looking her steadily in the eye.

The little dog shook his head from side to side. Willow giggled at the sound of his big flapping ears.

“I will take that as a no.” Willow smiled.

The puppy lowered his front legs to the ground as if he were going to playfully pounce before releasing a single shrill, high-pitched bark.

“Do you have a home nearby?” Willow inquired.

The puppy rolled over onto his back, raising all four paws into the air as he squirmed along the soft green grass that felt so good against his fur.

Willow looked in all directions, wondering where this splendid creature had come from. But there was no one else around. They were completely alone. It was as if he had mysteriously materialized out of thin air.

“You are most welcome to stay with me. That is, if you have no other place to be. I have the most delightful name for you,” Willow continued. “I will call you Gyzmo. Do you know what that name means?” she questioned.

The puppy looked thoughtfully at Willow with his soulful, unblinking big brown eyes, cocking his head sideways as if processing her words.

“It means ‘strong and handsome and always fighting for the greater good,’” Willow declared.

As the darkness of the night fell upon the sweet pair, Willow snuggled up next to her new friend, burying her face in his soft fur. As the hours passed, the two fell into a deep slumber lying side by side. As Willow curled up closer to Gyzmo, the tension in her body subsided, and her mind floated into a deep dream state, remembering back to how this difficult day had begun.

Chapter 2 ~ Separation

“Wake up, Mama!” Willow playfully nudged her sleeping mother. “You said we could gather mistletoe from the forest today.”

Luna smiled lovingly at her cherished daughter as she rose from her bed and prepared a quick breakfast of berries and nuts for them both before they set out to gather mistletoe from the pine trees that grew thick within the Crooked Forest.

Willow and Luna were Shuns. The little people known as the Shuns were appropriately named because they had been shunned by human society for their deep reverence for nature and earth. It had come to pass that the humans had become disconnected from nature as they moved out of the forest and built communities nearby one another and formed towns. They had lost their sense of mystery and respect for something greater than themselves. Gone was their inherent connection for the celebrations associated with the cycles of the seasons that had previously been marked by festivals. Moving away from the closeness of the earth and into huts and cottages, the humans felt they had found a better way to live and had become intolerant of their former style of living and intolerant of the Shuns.

As the peaceful Shuns clung to their beliefs about nature’s magic, they were criticized by the humans and labeled as country dwellers for their special kinship with Mother Earth. Known as keepers of the forest, the Shuns understood the connection between the land, the water, and the animals. They revered the tall ones commonly called trees and the old ones known as mountains. The Shuns understood that a single blessing could affect the next seven generations, so they lived with grace and ease, deriving joy in the simplest things—a single flower, the fragrance of freshly gathered herbs, and the constant movement of the clouds.

The Shuns had no need for a centralized government. They were bound by culture and belief. They had no written language and chose to pass on their sacred teachings orally and live by example. The Shuns stood only six inches tall and made their homes within the tall ones, inside the hollowed-out tree holes in the forest where they felt safe and protected.

Once, humans and Shuns lived side by side, sharing all Mother Earth provided. But now the humans wanted little to do with the Shuns and preferred to live nowhere near them.

On this morning, Luna and Willow had set out to gather herbs, in particular, mistletoe, which was revered for its curative properties. The Shuns knew that when gathering mistletoe, you should never let it fall to the ground. Mistletoe’s magical properties are preserved by the fact that it lives suspended between heaven and earth.

Luna’s quick, nimble fingers harvested the berries, leaves, and stems from the mistletoe plant that she would later boil into a medicinal tea and secretly consume to soothe the headaches that she was suffering from. Harvesting and consuming herbs was now strictly forbidden as it broke the new social rules put into place by the humans, forcing the Shuns to hide their practices from human eyes and human judgment to avoid persecution.

So when the human sheep herder named Aidan saw Luna gathering mistletoe within the Crooked Forest, he sneered and became irritated and annoyed as he had turned a deaf ear and a cold shoulder to the belief in nature’s magic. Not only was Luna violating the law by gathering herbs, but her very presence also made her a witness to the crime he was preparing to commit against nature.

It seemed that Aidan had manifested a magnificent scheme to steal water from Sleeping Creek for Flowerville, the village where he lived. Flowerville had recently grown into record numbers, as the humans had moved far away from the forest and from Sleeping Creek. More humans in the village equated to more water consumption. Presently, Dragonfly Ditch was the only source of water that Flowerville had, and it was not considered to be enough. Aidan felt that if he could divert the water from Sleeping Creek by constructing a ditch, then those waters could be channeled and navigated into DragonFly Ditch, and Flowerville would have ample water.

Unaware of Aidan’s watchful eyes, Luna paused in her gathering, sensing a shift in the weather as the wind began to pick up and black clouds darkened the sky. As she watched the sky change and the clouds shift, she felt a chill unexpectedly run up her spine, and she began to feel uneasy. Luna turned to check on Willow, who was softly singing a lullaby to her doll made from broomcorn. Luna lovingly smiled at her daughter as she felt the vibration of the distant thunder in her bare feet, and blue lightning flashed in the sky.

“Whatever does that little Shun think she is doing? She knows that gathering herbs is strictly prohibited by the law!” Aidan said with no one nearby to hear him other than himself. “And furthermore, I am not going to allow her to interfere with my plan!” he grumbled, and his frown lines deepened.

Reaching into his pocket, Aidan pulled out a handful of stones and began hurling them at Luna. Luna was a ridiculously small target though since she stood only six inches tall, so the stones that sailed through the air missed her entirely. As the lightning flashed and the raindrops began to fall to the ground with a fury, Luna ran faster, dropping her basket of mistletoe and fleeing into the forest, becoming separated from Willow, who was still silently watching, clutching her doll to her heart.

Willow was paralyzed with fear and could not find her voice to call out, which was a blessing, as Aidan remained unaware of her presence. Suddenly, Willow felt a sharp pain in her heart as panic ensued, and her breath became short and ragged. The robust wind blew, and the sky darkened. Willow remained stranded and abandoned with only her broomcorn doll to give her comfort.

Luna had been running from Aidan for what seemed like an eternity. Stopping to catch her breath, she crawled inside a nearby tree hole, seeking safety inside the tall one. Burrowing down into the darkness of the cozy tree hole, a memory arose from a time not so long ago.

Chapter 3 ~ Ceri

Willow had never met her father, her mother being her only parent and the one who provided for her and met her daily needs. They say you cannot miss what you do not know, and Willow supposed that was true, although she was still curious about her father’s absence nevertheless.

Willow’s mother was named Luna, which meant “moon,” and her birth father was named Ceri, which meant “beloved.” Ceri was guarded closely by his large Shun family. His parents and siblings treasured their beloved son and brother so much that they secretly hoped to hold him tightly within their close-knit family circle forever. In their family, the blood bonds were thick and sturdy, leaving no room for an outsider to join their family unit.

Ceri’s family considered him unavailable to be in any type of relationship that might jeopardize the loss they would feel if Ceri had truly left home and made a life of his own. His siblings required his presence and were reliant on him to entertain them, in what most of the world would consider an unnatural way. His family became irritated and jealous when Ceri and Luna spent time together. Sharing Ceri with Luna incensed the family, and they voiced their disdain loudly, hoping to strike discord within the couple’s young relationship.

The family’s arrogance was so strong that Ceri could not rail against it. He did not possess the strength required to speak up for himself. The truth was that it stoked his ego to be put upon such a high pedestal, and he relished the abnormal adoration that he received from his family. So Ceri did nothing. Doing nothing was far easier for him and remained a pattern throughout his life when it came to resolving life’s difficult challenges.

“We could make a beautiful life together, Ceri,” Luna lovingly said. “A life we could call our own, in our very own space, if only you can find it in your heart to begin a life with me.”

But Ceri could not find his voice and remained silent, feeling a lump in his throat that prevented him from speaking.

Feeling like an unnecessary nuisance and an obtrusion, Luna never stood a chance. It didn’t take long for her to realize that she was coming between the family household and their beloved Ceri.

So Luna left Ceri’s company, knowing that she could never truly hold his heart, and Ceri remained unpartnered, even into old age, never having the courage to live his own unique life.

Feeling crushed and confused, Luna fled into the deepest recesses of the Crooked Forest, leaving Ceri and his strange and peculiar family behind. Soon thereafter, she felt the first sensation of the new life that was expanding inside of her. Listening to her instinct, Luna sought out a field of sprawling ivy that represented rebirth and regeneration and remained there for several months.

On the night of Willow’s birth, Luna held her cherished infant up to the light of Grandmother Moon, asking her to hold Willow’s heart closely, as well as all her hopes and dreams.

As Willow grew, Luna taught her daughter about the cycles of the moon as it waxes and wanes and how to apply those same principles to their life in the Crooked Forest. She taught Willow to rejoice in the brightness of the full moon, to experience the darkness and silence of no moon, and how to set her intentions with the dawning of the new moon.

Grandfather Sun warmed Willow and nourished her life as she grew from a baby to a young girl. Luna taught Willow that the stars in the sky held her own dear parents, Willow’s grandparents, now long gone from their life on earth. But just like the night stars that allude sight during daylight, Willow’s grandparents were still there, just like the stars, watching over Luna and Willow as they lived their lives in the beautiful, mystical Crooked Forest, where all things were possible.

Chapter 4 ~ An Enchanted Fairy Dog

Gyzmo was born into his earth life as a Pembroke Welsh corgi, a high-energy breed, meaning “dog of the dwarfs.” His dog ancestors had been known to be great helpers of the Shuns. Legends spoke of how the dogs pulled the carriages and carts of the Shuns, providing them with transportation. They were considered as an enchanted dog of the fairy folk, and you need only to see a Pembroke Welsh corgi in the moonlight to know this is true. Willow had known that Gyzmo was special from their very first meeting. It did not take long for the pair to weave a special bond based on trust, companionship, and love.

Gyzmo had a thick double coat and a naturally darker patch of fur under his shoulder, commonly called a fairy saddle. But his beloved Willow wanted him to have something even more superior than the fairy saddle he was born with.

Distracting her aching heart from the broken heart syndrome she was suffering from, she gathered flowers from the forest, braiding columbine and lavender together to form a seat where she could ride upon Gyzmo’s back. She interlaced ferns and coyote willow into a halter that she gently placed over his head so she could hold on tight as together they rode through the whimsical landscape of the Crooked Forest, discovering the magic of each new day and strengthening their bond.