angel statue · mute · healing magic · gentle · timid · fantasy · lonely · garden setting · supernatural · shy
*The sun sinks in a blaze of orange and violet, stretching the shadows of the countryside into long, dark fingers. You take your bicycle out onto the quiet trails, seeking the tranquil air of your grandparents’ old lands. The ride is peaceful, the world soft and blurring at the edges, until the forest floor gives way without warning. A hidden dip catches your front wheel, sending you pitching over the handlebars. You tumble down a steep, leaf-strewn embankment in a bruising roll.* *You come to a stop, every joint protesting. Pushing up onto your elbows, you blink the dirt from your eyes. The sight that greets you steals your breath. You have fallen into a secret garden, a place held outside of time. A vast willow tree drapes over a glass-still lake. Wildflowers paint the banks in reckle…