Lorelei crawled back to the cave. Once she arrived, she sat at the entrance observing it for a while, reminiscing about the time she spent with the fox. It was all over now, the fox was gone, but she still believed that he lived throughout her body.
She sat for a while, looking at the sunshine slowly piercing through the crystal white snow.
''I NeEd To Go.'' , she said.
Then tried to stand on her own legs for the first time since she fell from the cliff. It was hard, very hard; she fell countless times, yet didn't seem to be showing signs of giving up.
She had dreams to accomplish, she still had her whole life in front of her, she had to carry through the souls of the ones whom she killed, giving up was not an option for her, she must do it.
She stood and fell until the sun could no longer be seen, leaving the empty night to carry through, but today's night didn't seem so scary, rather it looked stunning.
The same starry sky that she once observed with the man was now once again present.
She sat there watching them for hours until a shooting star passed by.
She remembered the man's words.
''wE mAke A wiSh whEn A sHoOtiNg stAr PaSseS bY!'', she muttered excitedly.
Her first wish had not been answered, but she was sure this one would be.
She slowly closed her eyes and softly whispered.
''I wIsH tO Be HaPpY.''
It seemed like the starry night sky had dyed her colorless eyes in a fiery light purple; she was brimming with hope. It would seem like a simple, insignificant wish for others, but for Lorelei, it meant the world.
Without realizing it, she fell asleep, and before she knew it, the sun was already blazing through the sky, shining upon her face.
She slowly woke up under the sunlight and once again tried to get up; this time, she was able to stand on her legs. She was able to feel under her the warm, wet soil mixed with the snow slowly melting away through her feet. She walked step after step and fell and got up again. Every fall only made her will to seek the fresh air blowing on her face even stronger, so she walked again and again.
Lo tried walking a few steps along the riverside. She was able to move, she was able to see, she was able to breathe. She stood in front of the river watching as the water slowly carried away through the current the ice that was left unmelted. She stared at the water flow; it was free, unshackled, unbothered. Even under the thick layer of ice that formed above it during winter, it would not stop flowing underneath, waiting for an opportunity to show the world its will to live. She looked even deeper into the river; she was able to see her reflection; it stared right back at her, but she had an odd feeling about it. Her reflection was still, even though the ripples carried through on the water. It seemed as if her reflection was smiling at her. She was startled by it and looked away. Once she looked back, it was no more, leaving only her confused look on the surface of the water. Lorelei didn't think much of it and took a last glance at the cave before walking away.
Crawling on the ground tired her; dragging her own heavy legs was exhausting, and her face was always covered with snow. Her nose ended up purple and numb from the cold more times than she could remember. It was different this time; she knew that being able to stand on two legs was not something to take for granted.
As she walked and walked along the riverside, she observed everything around her.
It was a whole new world being introduced to her, a world she had never seen before. The perspective of those who stand high is tremendously different from the perspective of those who stand below. All she saw while crawling on the ground was the hardened soil and mud blinding her, but now that she stood high, she could see everything she wasn't able to see below.
The trees that once seemed colossal and scary did not look so scary anymore, rather they looked staggering. The birds were slowly coming back, happily chirping their way through the forest. Some would land on nearby branches as they sang away the beginning of spring. Lorelei would stop and listen to their playful chirps. The melody emitting from their syrinx was something Lorelei had never heard before. The long, shrill ascending melody would be interrupted by the loud coughs of the other birds, yet the whole melodic sound wasn't disturbed at all; it seemed as if they were one organized orchestra with as an audience the forest's wildlife. It was beautiful, she thought.
The sun was already setting below the horizon, its beams were not shining as bright and powerful as they did in the morning.
She decided to walk a little more before settling down next to a tree, but then, after walking for a while, she was met with the cold breeze of the wind blowing on her face, it felt refreshing. Her rhythm started increasing, faster and faster, until she started running. The wind blew through her long, silvery hair, lifting them high in the air. At last, she was free. Not free from sins, rather free from the weight of having to bear them constantly. It was weighing on her and slowly crushing her to bits, but as she ran, she felt as if those shackles she had been bound by since her birth, since she had taken the life of her mother, had gotten a little longer and looser just enough for her to be able to freely run in this cage she had called her world. Lorelei could feel it all over her face. She ran and ran even more, until she got tired and stopped.
She soon realized that she had reached the forest's border; beyond that, she knew that it was a world she had never experienced before. She felt fear for an instant, fear that those knights would come and find her again, fear that she would have to kill again. She sensed her legs giving out, and the moment she fell to the ground, the shackles that had once unloosen giving her enough space to breath came back, crushing her with the pressure of her sins. Foolish, she was thinking that it would be so easy to escape what she had done; she was cursed from the moment she was born until her very end. She looked at her hand, the wool glove, the gift she had received. It was the only thing that she had left to hold dear. If she stopped here and died, who would carry the burden of these sins? Who will bear the weight of these shackles? For those reasons only, she had to atone for what she had done; she had to keep walking no matter how many times she fell. Until the voices found forgiveness in their heart she had to keep standing.
After walking for a while in the far distance, she saw a house on top of a small hill.
Her body froze; she didn't want to meet any humans, not any longer. She hated them, she despised them, yet she also despised herself.
She decided to take the route going behind the little hill. As she continued on the path, she saw a field of cabbage.
Back in the town, she was never able to observe them from close since the villagers would always chase her away, thinking she was going to curse their plantations.
So she got closer and closer to it until she was met with a tree. Lorelei looked behind the tree and saw a little girl.
She was surprised, so she instantly got back.
The girl looked just as old as her.
She closed her book and got up as she walked towards Lorelei.
Lo was terrified; she kept going back and back until she fell down on a branch, making a loud noise.
The girl got close enough and stretched her hands out to help Lorelei get up as she introduced herself.
''Hey, my name is Maria, what's yours?''
Lorelei got startled; she knocked away the girl's hands and rolled herself in a ball. She truly was terrified.
As Lo was curled up in a ball, she heard a soft voice in the distance, saying with a playful tone.
''Maria! It's time to get back! The sun is already setting, and dinner is ready!''
The voice she heard got closer to Lorelei, she curled even more.
She could hear them whispering. She did not want to look; all she wanted was for them to go away. Then the playful voice once again talked.
''How about you come in? We'll take care of you!''
She could feel Maria's happiness from the little jumps she was making, shaking the snow on the ground near her. Maria said excitedly ''It's ok, we won't hurt you'', Lorelei did not believe those words anymore. All humans are the same, she thought.
She was getting cold on the ground, and after a while, seeing that they weren't harming her. She got up and looked at them. The girl that she saw reading a book under the tree's shade, Maria, looked just the same age as her; she had short light brown hair and was about the same height as Lorelei. When she glanced over at the other Maria was talking to.
She looked older, yet elegant; her hair was tied in a ponytail going down her chest. Her clothes were clean, and she was still wearing an apron.
''Come in! Come in! You're welcome!''
Lorelei reluctantly followed them back to their dwelling on top of the hill.
When she opened the door, Lorelei stood out for a while before Maria said.
''It's ok! You can come in, you know?''
After hearing these words, Lorelei took a step in.
The inside of the house was charming; it was well decorated with a chimney in the middle of it.
On the side, there was a table already filled with food, mostly composed of cabbage, all sorts of them.
She glanced over to the right side and saw an open door as well as a staircase leading to the second floor, and that's when Lorelei got interrupted in her observation.
''Come, come, the food is ready, please, help yourself.''
Lorelei sat down on the chair while staring at them. Once she was ready, Maria sat next to her, and at that moment, the older lady came out of a room with wooden forks and handed them to Maria and Lorelei.
Once she handed her the fork, she realized that Lorelei was single-armed.
By the look on her face, she could tell that she was surprised, but what Lo didn't expect was the tears swelling in her face as she walked towards Lorelei and hugged her tightly. Her embrace was warm and comforting, her touch was gentle and soft, then she abruptly said in a shaking voice, different from the warm, cheerful voice she had.
''How could... Who did this to you? How can someone do this to a child of such age.''
Lorelei was confused. No one ever cried over her, no one ever held her this tightly except the man, but he was gone now.
This feeling brought up memories, as she cried in the woman's arms.