Her eyes roamed the sky, and her attention was finally caught by a macaw swooping from one tree to the next. She watched the radiant form stretch its wings in anticipation of flying off to another destination in the forest. The colorful bird jumped and was once again soaring into the dusk.
A shadow crept up to her feet and she turned. She was not frightened, but curious. She felt safe in this environment. It was peaceful in a way she could not fathom. Such an environment could sustain all of her needs and wants. All except her passion. Her love.
As she tried to discern what creature had neared her, the shadow eventually disappeared into the clarity of a pool of moonlight. A monkey, his eyes filled with wonder, gazed at the girl. The girl's face softened remarkably, and the monkey began a slow and cautious approach towards her.
The girl reached out her hand in a friendly manner, and the monkey inspected it. After a few universal moments of uncertainty, the monkey placed his hand in the girl's. The girl wrapped her other hand around the monkey's and whispered softly to the monkey.
"I wish to live here with you and all the inhabitants of this forest. Will you accept me?"
The monkey lifted his eyes to hers and stared intently at her, now engrossed in his own thoughts. Finally, the answer that the monkey gave was to tug her arm, and lead her through the forest.
The monkey guided her through seemingly untouched areas of the forest. The journey took but a few minutes, yet the girl knew that the destination of this short passage was to determine her future.
The monkey continued to hold her hand as he led them both through a dark passage of growth, and embarked into moonlight once again.
The first thing that caught the girl's eye was a shimmering reflection of light on a watery surface. Widening her gaze, she realized it was a very large pool of water, a lake.
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Now peering over the lake and at her surroundings, she wondered if this was her acceptance. Taking in all the beauty around her, the girl hoped it was.
Bringing her gaze back to the monkey, who was watching her, she stooped down to once again question him.
"Is this my acceptance?"
The monkey then gave a cheerful chatter and led her further towards the lake. The girl followed hopefully.
Upon reaching a comfortable haven to the east of the lake, the monkey reached out to the girl with his free hand, and pulled her into a warm embrace. He then let his hands fall from her and made his way back into the forest.
"I am accepted," she uttered softly into the night.
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It was by now very late into the evening, and the girl discovered she was exhausted. She examined the haven, and decided to lay down and get some rest.
She lowered herself to her knees and felt the ground with her fingertips. The earth there was warm and inviting. She felt safe as she slept.
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"I can't love you, Azora. I love you with all my heart, but I can't. Can you understand that? I have a life already planned out for me, and I can't abandon it now. You will find yourself someone you can love and will love you back, but that person can't be me. I wish you the absolute best in life, and I hope you find loving acceptance with someone."
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The girl awoke with a chilling sensation coursing through her body. She yearned for warmth.
She rose from her disrupted sleep, and stretched her limbs. The girl looked in the direction of the peaceful water, and walked towards it.
When she reached the small shore of the lake, she knelt down and ran her hand through the water. It felt warm.
The girl stood, and carefully disrobed. She placed her garments on a pristine area of sand on the beach.
She breathed in the revitalizing air that was smoothly brushing up against her bare skin. After she exhaled, she entered the water. It was warm.
She glided down the gradual slope of the lake until she was near to the middle. Following a sharp intake of breath she disappeared beneath the water.
As she was suspended below the surface, she felt engulfed by love and acceptance. She didn't want to leave this loving environment. She decided she would live her life here.
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She slowly allowed herself to be carried to the shimmering surface of the lake. She drifted towards the shore, and waded out.
She found her clothes, and pondered their value. She concluded that she would not need them in this place. She bent down, and picked them up.
She walked back to her haven with her bundle of clothes.
After setting the clothes down on the ground, she settled herself to resume her slumber.
She knew she would be safe here.
The girl was starting to forget.
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She awoke the second time to the feel of sunlight on her nude form, and the intoxicating scent of unmartyred air. Her eyes fluttered open to find a liveliness of motion in the forest. The sounds she could hear so clearly were abundantly welcome to her ears. The ground on which she lay felt soft. She felt more alive than she ever had.
She brought herself to a standing position as she worked the kinks out of her bones and muscles. She yawned appreciately to the forest.
She realized that she was quite hungry, and went in search of food. She found on a nearby tree some fruit. Taking a few, she walked to the beach, and sat herself down to eat her acquired breakfast. She took a tentative bite of the fruit, and as she felt sweet liquid dribble into her mouth, she consumed it with a passionate fervor.
After she had sated herself with a sufficient amount of fruit, she strolled the short distance to the water, and inspected it more carefully than she had during her night swim. She had noticed it was freshwater last night, but she now checked to see if it would be safe to drink. The girl brought a handful of the water to her mouth, and carefully sipped it. It seemed to be safe enough to drink on a daily basis. In fact, it was the purest and most wonderfully tasting water she had ever drank. She drank a few more handfuls of the water.
Nutritional needs now taken care of, she decided that this would be a day of exploration.
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She started towards the forest, but was intercepted by the welcoming party from the day before. The monkey appeared from the forest, and rushed over to stand in front of the girl. She leaned down and took him in her arms, giving him a gentle squeeze.
"Thank you."
The monkey let out a string of chatters, seemingly his way of saying, "You're welcome."
Then he gave a call out to the forest.
Beauty exited from the dark passage, and glided over to the pair waiting on the beach.
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See Part IV...
