3 // 365

 So, before you think I cheated and skipped a day, I didn't. I really did write this yesterday. I just had a really rough time and didn't get a chance to post. I'll have another one up later this evening. Thank you, ladies and gents! <3 Enjoy.

From the garden window of Nora's ballet studio she could see autumn beginning to take over the deciduous forest. The eloquent green leaves had begun to transform into vivid reds and golds. Nora aimed for perfection as she spun pirouettes, but the colors had become such a distraction. The colors blurred as she turned in tight circles until they became a watercolored mix in her mind. She came to a stumbling halt and tried to catch her breath; her eyes never leaving the revolutionizing leaves.

"Nora!" The voice of her instructor broke into her thoughts. "What are doing? Rehearsal isn't over. I guess we're going to have to begin from the top, ladies." The entire class groaned behind Nora. The music began to play again, and Nora took first position. Just as the queue for the first motion sounded, Nora broke from the group and darted outside.

"Nora! Nora! Where are you going?!" Her instructor called after her, but her question fell on the deaf ears. As she ran, Nora began to question herself. When had dance become so mundane? She could vividly remember a time when the gracefulness of the art had spoken directly to her soul and caused her to body to respond in fluid movements. Her pink ballet slippers pounded against the ground as she sprinted towards the glittering forest.

Nora burst through the tree line and instantly felt the magic of the forest consume her. She slowed to a walk and continued her journey deeper into the woodland grazing her fingers across the bark of the tree trunks as she went. After a while, Nora felt at home in the woods. She settled down on the grass and began listening to the sounds of the world around her. Somewhere in the stance was a stream of rushing water and closer to her was a woodpecker creating a tempo against the outer husk of a tree. Gradually the rhythm began to move her body and she began to dance.

                                                                

Nora started slowly, keeping pace with the sounds around her, but eventually the sound of her own heart beat became her music and she began to spin.  Her circles got tighter and faster until she was creating a swirling vortex in the dirt that was swallowing her from the ground up. She spun so quickly that it felt to her as if the earth had stopped moving. Finally, Nora fell to the ground and drifted to sleep.

When she awoke, the air was brisk and the leaves had all fallen from the trees. Nora sat up, startled and confused as she took in her surroundings. There was no color, no life and briefly Nora found herself pondering whether or not this was death. Nora stretched her legs and then arched her stiff back before standing. She tried to retrace her steps through the forest to find her way back home, but the more she walked the more lost she became.

After what seemed liked hours of trekking through the thick, dead trees Nora fell to the ground and began to cry. She hugged her knees to her chest and it was then that she realized that her once pale, rose colored slippers had been replaced with golden ones. Her fingers gingerly traced over the fabric. Instantaneously, memories of the glistening harvest forest flooded her. She watched in her mind as the gold, red, and orange left tumbled from the trees and rained down her as she leaped and twisted beneath the trees.

Suddenly, the urge to dance again overwhelmed her. She started slowly, but when she gave into the quick sound of cracking winter limbs and the brisk wind her body began to contort into sharp angles; all around her tufts of green cracked through the gray ground. Emerald green buds appeared on the trees and then blossomed into flowers. Nora danced until her body collapsed from exhaustion. She lay on the warming ground and realized that she had found love in her movements again. She reached down and touched the golden slippers one more time and they comforted her as she drifted to sleep. Nora never noticed the way the trees seemed to smile down at her performance or how the forest creatures gathered to watch as Nora welcomed a new season into life.

2 // 365

Josephine sat poised in the castle's tower while the warm spring breeze caused stray strands of hair to dance around her face. The princess watched with envy has the blue jays fluttered in the wind. There were times that Josephine found herself wishing that she would sprout wings; perhaps then she could leap from this balcony and fly away from this place she had grown to hate. Hate, she shuddered at the word that skimmed across her mind at the thought of Marcus. When did I learn to hate? she asked herself, but the feeling of loathing was overwhelming and undeniable at the thought of being trapped in this tower until her wedding day, and possibly long after that day. 

"He isn't a bad man," Josephine muttered to the blue jay that had landed a few feet away from her on the balcony's stone rail. The little bird cocked its head at her in what Josephine took as disbelief. 

"Oh, come now. He really isn't. Papa said he'd take good care of me, and," she paused looking around her confinements. "And, that he'd protect me...I guess in his mind this is a way of prote--." Josephine was cut short as the bird spread its wings and leapt from the balcony. She watched as the bird soared over the courtyard. "I guess even a bird doesn't believe the things I try to convince myself to believe."

Josephine remained on the balcony as the sun began to fall past hills in the distance. As night fell, Josephine lit a candle, fearful of the darkness. She pulled the fur blankets from her bed and dragged them out the double doors to make a pallet on the hard stone floor of the terrace. As she lay on her back, green eyes stared up at the dark sky in admiration of the stars. Her mouth gaped open as one by one the stars began to plummet towards earth. The stars glowed brighter and brighter as they descended upon Josephine. Skepticism and amazement filled her and she closed her eyes and wished a million times over: "I wish for wings! Give me wings!" She chanted the words until they felt overused on her lips and, then, she continued until tears were rolling down her flushed cheeks. Eventually the princess drifted to sleep beneath the shower of burning stars. 

"Princess," the voice of the chambermaid broke into Josephine's subconscious and stirred her awake. "Prince Marcus sent me with breakfast for you." 

"Thank you, Martha." Josephine spoke softly, sleep still weighed heavily on her brain. The memory of the falling heavens jolted her awake quickly though. "Martha," she asked, "I need to ask you something." 

"What is it, Princess?"

"Last night, did you happen to see the stars?" 

"Oh, yes! It was a perfectly clear night; great for stargazing. Sometimes, some of the other maids and I will take dinner outside and sit beneath the stars. Last night was one of those times--" Martha realized she was rambling and quickly bit off her words. Being the servant of Prince Marcus had made her, and the other workers, timid. Josephine recognized Martha's quiet retreat and comforted her.

"That sounds rather lovely, Martha dear. One day, perhaps I can join you?" The very thought of the Princess sitting on a thin blanket in the grass was enough to trigger a snicker from Martha who quickly covered her mouth. 

"Forgive me, Princess. I didn't mean to laugh. I think it would be lovely if you were ever permitted to join us." 

"Me too, Martha, me too. I have one more question for you, if you have the time?" Josephine knew before she asked that Martha wouldn't leave until she was dismissed, but kindness came so naturally to her.

"Of course, Princess."

"Did you happen to notice the stars...well, were they falling?"

"Falling?"

"Yes, falling, right out of the sky."

Martha chuckled, again, "Falling stars? No, Princess. You must have had one terrifying dream. Are you feeling well?"

"Yes, Martha," Josephine sighed, "I'm feeling just fine. I just had such a vivid dream. But, it wasn’t terrifying at all. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Do you mind if I have some time to myself, Martha? I'd really love to think. Thank you for bringing up breakfast." Martha bowed and walked out the door, locking it from the outside as she left.

Josephine tried all day to forget what she had seen in the sky the night before. If only she could dismiss it as a dream and get back to her mundane days in the tall tower, but it was eating away her thoughts. The day passed without a single visit from Marcus, but that was nothing new and Josephine had grown accustomed to it. To him she was nothing more than a beautiful trophy. It was doubtful that she would ever leave the tower. 

As night fell, Josephine found herself staring at the skies. The stars were still and there were no streaks of white fire across the black horizon. Dismayed, Josephine shut the balcony doors and crawled into her bed, but she couldn't find sleep and she tossed restlessly as the night drifted by her. When the moon was highest in the sky, a sharp gust of wind against the double doors blew them open and Josephine sat up in bed, gasping. She pulled the blanket up around her and sat silently listening to the darkness. A soft coo came from the balcony and Josephine felt her body tense. 

"Who's there?" she called out, but was only answered by the same soft coo. She gathered her courage and shifted to the edge of the bed. Her toes came in contact with the cold stone floor and she tiptoed closer the now open doors. 

"Hello?" she called again. A sleek, scaly head peeked around the corner and Josephine stumbled backwards and fell. She scrambled for the door on the other side of the room and tried to call out, but her voice faltered. She pressed herself against the door and clinched her eyes shut waiting for the dragon to attack her. Her thoughts were racing as the seconds passed. 

Maybe he's gone? she thought after what seemed like hours. Josephine took a deep breath and turned to face the balcony. She stared at the dragon; his sleek skin gleamed under the luminescence of the moon. She pressed her back into the door, but didn't turn away. The dragon was solid white and had large silver translucent wings. Josephine finally let her breath free and took an unsteady step in the dragon’s direction. The animal cocked his head at her and stepped towards the princess. They two continue to walk closer to each other timidly until finally the creature was in arms distance of the girl. Josephine gingerly reached out her hand, palm down and waited for the dragon to close the distance. He bowed his head and pushed up against her hand. 

"Hi there," Josephine said, as she grew more comfortable with the large animal who had barely fit through the door way. Josephine let her hands run down the spine of the animal as she admired his seemingly glowing white skin. Suddenly, the dragon turned and headed back towards the balcony doors. The movement startled Josephine and she stumbled backwards. As the dragon stepped through the threshold, he expanded his large wings and poised himself for flight. 

"Please don't go!" Josephine called out to the beast and he turned to look at her, tilting his head. Josephine rushed to his side. 

"Take me with you?" She could hear the desperation in her own voice, but she didn't care. The dragon dipped his head, brushed the side of the princess face and then bowed. Josephine's heart raced as she climbed onto his back. 

"This is absolutely crazy," she said aloud. She felt every muscle in the animals back as his wings opened and he leaped from the balcony. Josephine smiled as the wind pushed through her hair. As the pair peaked in the sky they were joined by what seemed like hundreds of other fire-white dragons. Josephine streaked across the sky in a blur of white and she couldn't help but wonder what girl was making a wish on her and her dragon as they darted over the kingdom that she was escaping. 

1 // 365

Sophia’s bare feet felt chilled against the cold hardwood floors of her Seattle apartment, gray rain pounded steadily against the window. She stared briefly at the outside world; gray on gray on gray, she thought. She pressed her back against the neutral colored wall and let herself slide to the floor. Come on, Sophia, get it together. She tried coaching herself to no avail. For two days now she had tried to ‘be strong’ and remember that ‘things will get better’, but the promises of people: family, friends, coworkers, even strangers, had proven to be meaningless when she was alone with herself and her memories. She pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face into the fabric of her husband’s shirt. The familiar smell pulled her back to better days and she didn't bother trying not to cry as fresh tears brimmed in her eyes as memories flooded her.

Warm, golden rays of sun slanted in through the window shade and crept across the floor until it fell onto the ocean blue bed spread. Sophia was barely waking, blue eyes peeking from behind fluttering lashes. She stretched until she felt the edge of the bed and then drew back. The warmth of her husband next to her was more than inviting and she curled into his side. She watched the rise and fall of his chest as he slept; counting the breaths. Sophia felt him waking and she lifted her head to kiss his cheek. She smiled as the small hairs on his face tickled her lips. "Good morning, my love," she breathed into his ear. He grunted in response and pulled her closer to him; fighting off the oncoming day. "Let's stay here, just a while longer." he spoke softly. The couple lay in bed, tangled in one another as the busy morning passed by them outside. "I love you, Sophia." 

The words broke over her like a wave slamming into the coastline. A sharp intake of breath shook her body and she sobbed. Sophia lost track of time as she cried into the white button down. Three short taps on the door drew her back from her despair, briefly. Blue eyes scanned the dark door of the apartment. A small piece of hope slipped into her mind, and she ignored the impossibility of it being him on the other side. She stood and crossed the room; she placed her hand on the silver door knob and paused before opening it. She rested her forehead against the wooden door; regaining her composure. Two taps, and then a third sounded again. She opened her eyes and turned the knob. 

"Oh, Soph, you are an utter...mess," the shrill voice of her mother bit into her ears. The use of the nickname didn’t lessen the blow and Sophia sighed before falling into her mother’s arms. The mother’s wrinkled hand stroked her daughter’s hair, but there was not comfort for Sophia in the touch.