"There was a scent in the air, she was close, lavender and mint....

"There was a scent in the air, she was close, lavender and mint. Someone who kept her own secrets. 

I lifted Christian from his sleeping place and crept deeper into the woods, until I found a darker, hidden place. An old cedar, pungent branches circled like a fallen nest. I needed to nurse Christian. My secret was still encrypted, months after my arrival in the village.

From my hidden spot, I finally caught sight of her: a slight and careful figure, tiptoeing around the fairy rings and fallen logs, plucking carefully the purple loosestrife, the wild rose and thyme. She was the only other soul I’d ever seen so far afield, for this was where wolves and wild boar were seen. So only those of us with great need traveled here. In fact, I had thought that only I came so far, so deep.

— from the novel Sinful Folk

PHOTO: 

woodendreams: (by oskarzapi)