I… I hardly know where to begin. There has been so much to take in this day. You see, I thought that the forest had already revealed its store of secrets for the summer. What could be more enchanting than a unicorn?! But oh, dear reader, the Well at the heart of Greenwood holds a treasure far greater than I could have ever imagined! And… I think perhaps too… I begin to know my own heart...
It was a glorious morning this day, with puffy white clouds shifting across the deep blue sky. Lorenz met me at my cottage with a broad grin that made me smile too. We set off through the lush forest to the Hollow Tree and made our way on to the Well of the Green Sister. Lorenz said there was something in particular he wanted to see at the bottom of the stairs, but he’d forgotten about it until then because of our meeting with the unicorn. I said I’d like to look at the strange stone again too, the one that felt like a memory. He asked me if I’d like his help… but goodness, well I’m not sure what happened… the way his eyes shown, his voice so gentle… I suddenly felt very shy and turned around, saying that I wouldn’t be long and would follow after him shortly.
I went to the room with the stone. Sunbeams filtered in through the open windows, and I noticed I was breathing very hard. I steadied myself and looked at the fresco of the great white-leaved tree for a time. My eyes wandered over the painted plants and animals big and small, and among them was a unicorn. Again I became overwhelmed. Nervousness and excitement mixed and pulled at one another inside me. I shook my head and approached the alcove that held the stone, withdrawing the magic mirror I straightened my hair in the reflection. I had seen many magical sights in the forest of Greenwood, all of them leaving me with a sense of awe and wonder. Why now did the unicorn thrill me in this new way? But no, it was not just the unicorn. I had been feeling odd all summer long… longer than that. I couldn’t say when it had all began... seeing the unicorn, dancing on Solmar... I picked up the stone and tried to let its emotions wash over me, but I could not focus. I looked at the mirror again, but what was this?! It was glowing! I was about to put the stone back down to focus on the mirror, but the glowing seemed to be linked. I placed the stone on the surface of the mirror, hoping for something more to happen, but it just glowed brightly, much as it had that night when the unicorn shared its visions. I tried to recall everything that had happened, hoping to find a connection: the unicorn touching its horn to my heart, touching its horn to the water, to the magic mirror, Lorenz grabbing my hand. Goodness, what was the matter with me? Slowly as a new thought formed in my mind, something appeared in the magic mirror…
I gasped! “Sonya?!” Lorenz was there in the mirror, and he had called out to me! “Lorenz?!” Oh goodness, and to my astonishment his image answered back! He looked just as surprised as me. “Come down here,” he said, “You must see this.” His image disappeared into shadow. I blinked in surprise, for a moment completely stunned. Then, without thinking, I shoved the mirror and stone into my pockets, ran through the courtyard and down the stairs to the where Lorenz was waiting for me his hand outstretched. We moved beside the glowing water to a spot on the cavern wall covered by hanging vines. He pulled them aside and revealed a carved doorway.
The open chamber beyond was large, bigger than any of the others we had explored so far in the Well of the Green Sister. At its center was a tall fountain shaped something like a three-leafed clover, and full of the swirling colorful water. It was ornately carved on the sides, and I instantly recognize the vine symbol from the back of my mirror upon it. The glowing liquid of the fountain lit the room in rainbow light, and I could see there were several stone tables about, numerous items strewn atop them. The walls held recessed stone shelved and alcoves, some filled with rolled scrolls, others with capped jars, and still more with small cloth sacks and wooden boxes. But Lorenz pointed to the far side of the chamber.
There hung a silvery oval mirror. My own looked tiny by comparison. If I were to have stretch out my arms to both sides they would barely have reached the sides. It had elaborate markings, some familiar, but most of them I’d never seen. The greatest difference between this mirror and my own, that I could see, was the long golden horn, secured by the metal frame and pointing down into a little hollow space along the bottom edge. Lorenz explained that the mirror had reminded him of mine, but that somehow when he touched it, he’d seen me. Oh goodness, could it be that the two mirrors were connected?! I asked him to try it again, and once more we were looking at each other through the mirrors. It was incredible!
After a few minutes of examining the huge mirror, Lorenz asked if I had any idea what the unicorn horn could be for. I attempted to gather my thoughts. It was difficult; I was too excited. Then I remembered what I’d been doing before his image had appeared. I explained my own little finding, how the stone and the mirror seemed to affect one another. Oh, then I had the idea to try holding the stone to the surface of this new mirror. It did glow, but nothing materialized. “Not there, Sonya,” Lorenz whispered. “Remember the unicorn… ” Suddenly realizing what he meant, I moved the stone down to the hollow space below. It fit just so that the point of the horn touched it. We stepped back as the mirror shown bright, and an image began to form in the mirror.
A man with green skin stood in the reflection before us, his leafy hands and ears clear as day. He wore fine robes of chestnut and sage linen, embroidered with braided vines. The figure’s hair hung long and dark, and around his neck was a delicate chain with a golden acorn. For an instant I wondered if he could see us, but his eyes did not focus in our direction; he seemed to look out past us, gazing upon nothing in particular. He opened his mouth and began to speak. My heart leap, but I could not understand the words, only the feelings behind them. They were the same as when I had held the stone in my hand, feelings of melancholy and longing. His face was forlorn, but there was also hope there. I watched as he touched the golden acorn at his neck. He finished his speech and then slowly the mirror went dark, leaving only the reflection of our astounded faces.
“What did we just see?” asked Lorenz in a hushed tone. I took a deep breath. “I think…I think it was a memory.” We removed and replaced the stone, and the same vision played out before us again. I asked Lorenz if he understood what the man was saying, but he said he did not. Some of the words seemed familiar but in that moment he couldn’t think why, save for one: ‘Aumbra’. “It’s what we call the forest of Greenwood in the north,” he replied.
Oh dear reader, after Lorenz walked with me back to the cottage, and wished me goodnight, I felt so completely overwhelmed I actually didn’t go inside at first. I leaned against the door just thinking. Now as I stand outside watching the red sun descend through the sky, I think sharing with you has helped calmed me somewhat. There are still so many questions. Hopefully the answers await us in that chamber with the new magic mirror. I want to go through all the items on the tables and shelves, open every bottle, unroll every scrolls. But… there is one question I think I already have the answer to. In some ways I’m a bit scared to admit it. I am not ready to say it out loud, not just yet anyway. But with the last golden light of this day I think I shall draw out the Impression of all my feelings, then read through the book Lorenz lent to me once more.