“Elle, why don’t you go gather some herbs from the garden?” Elle’s grandmother asked her.
“Sure!” Elle agreed. “Glad to help out.” She glided out to the garden gracefully, as her grandmother had taught her how to do. Chin high, shoulders back, chest out, smooth, light strides.
Elle was not your average elve. Whereas most elves had naturally tan skin, light brown hair, petite features and brown eyes: Elle had pale skin, long, curly, black hair, almond shape green eyes and curves. She appeared so different from the rest of her kind because her father was a human. No one in the village she lived in had ever seen Bartholomew, Jondora, Elle’s mother, had met the wondering man while he was lost on the forest.
Elle halted at a row with cilantro, she picked up a bushel, as well as leaves off a basil plant that she thought that would go well with their dinner. She then slid inside.
“Oh, thank you dear,” her grandmother said kindly. “Would you fetch me a pail of water as well?”
“No problem,” Elle replied. She snatched the water pail from its corner in the room and entered the woods. Two miles away from her backyard was the creek where she gathered their water.
Elle’s easygoing attitude was due to her good day, but that pleasant mood faded quickly as she saw what was taking a drink out of the creek. It was a human. Elle despised humans. They were intolerable beings that only thought of themselves. This accusation was due mostly because of her father. She hated him for abandoning her mother, and never once visiting her in her sixteen years of life. The only thing he ever gave her was her looks.
The man who had been drinking from the stream raised his head. She caught her first glance of him. His body was carved like an angel. His locks of hair were ash blonde that stood just as if he had just awoke. He was tan, as though he worked under the sun all day long. It was his eyes though. That caught her attention. They too were almond shaped, but were the purest blue that she had ever witnessed.
He got back up on his feet and Elle stumbled backwards in shock. She had been so concentrated in analyzing him that she was taken aback when he moved. He took off to the west and Elle followed behind him for a bit out of curiosity. Finally, she gave up and headed back to the creek to gather the water she was sent after in the first place.
Elle dipped her empty pail into the running water. Why was he here? What was a human doing this far into the woods? Maybe he too, had been lost, like her father. After pondering those many thoughts, Elle decided to forget about him. It was not worth her time.
Elle hurried off towards the north to her home. She would help her grandmother in the garden and then prepare dinner determined as she raced back.
Though she had tried everything, sleep eluded her. However, she had not a clue why. The next morning she was weary and sore from the night prior.
“Mammaw, may I go visit my friends today?” Elle’s grandmother gave her a stern, apprehensive look
“Well, we have the farmers market tomorrow and you need to help me prepare.” She paused. “I suppose you may enjoy the company of your friends, only if you are back by mid-day though.”
“Oh, thank you!” Elle exclaimed as she gave her grandmother a kiss and sprinted out of the door towards the village.
Later, Elle headed back to the creek with her friends, Freyr and Lonna. They sat upon the edge and splashed their feet through the water as they whispered about the latest rumors circling through their small village.
“I saw the way Gelmir was looking at you as we passed by in the village today,” Freyr informed Elle.
Elle smiled in embarrassment, “I know he’s really cute and all, but I don’t know if I want to be with him.”
“Why not?” Lonna questioned.
“He is full of himself. So many girls are throwing themselves at his feet, which therefor causes him to think that he is all that, and above everyone else.”
“But he sure is cute, and I’m sure that he will get over that if you two court,” Lonna tried to persuade her.
“But what if he doesn’t change? What if he keeps acting this way and threatens to leave me if I don’t do something, or do something he doesn’t like?” Elle worried.
“Elle, you are the most beautiful girl in the village. No one would ever dare leave you,” Lonna confirmed.
“I’m not that perfect,” Elle opposed.
“Yeah,” Freyr butted in. “Besides, he is only going after you because I rejected him last winter.”
“True, you did hurt his feelings,” Elle admitted.
“Yes, but he has had his eye on you forever Elle. Even before Freyr turned him down,” Lonna interrupted.
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Elle disagreed.
“Well I am,” Lonna said determined. Freyr, becoming increasingly annoyed by the conversation, took action.
“Well, you cannot go after him. I decided that I want him,” Freyr snapped.
“I thought that you didn’t care about him and hid little clique that follow him around,” Elle said in surprise.
“I heard that your father is setting you up for an arranged marriage,” Lonna added.
“That is just story a pissed off cook made up. I can do whatever I can do whatever I please, whenever I please,” Freyr denied.
“I wouldn’t be so cocky just because you are the Chief’s daughter. You only have a higher status. That only means that you have a higher chance of an arranged marriage to another upper class family,” Elle pointed out.
“I also heard that it wasn’t a cook. Apparently, an old maid overheard your father talking to your mother about merging villages.
“Why would my father merge villages? We are already the best of the best.”
“We want peace and expansion. They want resources and wealth,” Elle pointed out.
“We already have everything that we need. Why do they not just go find some other village to throw themselves and all of their petty, little problems on?” Freyr questioned.
“Don’t be so judgmental. I haven’t even heard which village we’re merging with,” Lonna argued.
“Does it matter what village it is? We already know they will be weaker than us either way,” Freyr said stubbornly.
“Freyr! Stop it!” Elle yelled firmly. “Whatever village it is I am sure that they’re equal to us.”
“Oh yeah, little Miss Perfect? What about humans? You despise humans,” Freyr shot back.
Elle was shocked Freyr would bring up that subject. All that Elle managed to retaliate was, “That’s different.”
“How so?”
“We are not going to merge with humans. Humans are self-centered, despicable, selfish, discriminating, conceded, unreliable assholes! We will never have a need for humans! Humans are worthless and pointless!” Elle yelled out in a rampage.
Freyr and Lonna were taken back and speechless. They knew that the talk of humans enraged Elle but they had never seen her so filled with anger so quickly before.
“Well, have you ever actually met a human before?” Lonna asked quiet and calm once Elle had composed herself.
Elle’s body went numb, her mind went blank, and her eyes opened wide with shock as she came to the realization that she was discriminating against humans without actually getting to know one. She had never met a human before. However, she did not need to. She already knew what they were like. Her father was a human. Bartholomew was never there, he never tried to be there. He did not think about her. He did not even care about her.
Elle was then hit by another memory. She had seen that man down by the creek, drinking out of it this morning. He was a human. Right? Yes! He had to be. He had fit all of the descriptions Elle had ever heard about.
“Actually, I have met a human.” Elle’s friends were shocked at the news. They also could not believe that she had not told them this before now. “This morning when I was on my way to the creek. I was fetching a pail of water. When the creek appeared into my vision, so did a young male. He was crouched along the river bed, his hands were cupped and he was drinking the water.”
Lonna and Freyr were captivated by her story with their curiosity. “What did he look like?” Lonna asked excitedly.
“He was much shorter than you and the others, barley above my height. His ears were much more rounded than ours are. And, and his hair was this ashy brown color, but lighter than your brown. Kind of a blonde that humans have. He also looked like he worked outside.”
“Wow,” Lonna was amazed. Elle shook her head in agreement, but hoped that they would think that it was something else.
“What is a low life like that doing all the way out here? We are thousands of miles away from the nearest human population,” Freyr pointed out snappy. Elle shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.
“What did you do next?” Lonna asked. “Did you walk up to him? Oh! Did you try to talk to him? Did he come up to you?” Lonna started wondering aloud.
“I just, kinda, hid,” Elle answered truthfully.” I watched him until he wandered away.
“Well, did he do anything interesting?” Freyr asked.
“He just drank the water,” Elle’s plain reply came.
“Well, I’m unimpressed. What a disappointment. I’m bored with this,” Freyr got onto her feet. “I’ll race you back to the market square.”
The girls leaped to their feet and darted towards the village with an expression of joy on their faces, and the thoughts of humans evaporated from their minds.
The following morning Elle woke before the sun had even rose. She prepped the vegetables and herbs that they would be trading at the market.
When her grandmother arose, Elle prepared breakfast and then they were off to the market square to set up their booth. The day was going by slow, but gradually it picked up pace as the day became older.
“Elle, dear, I’m going to go visit with Celio. Can you watch over the booth?”
“Sure. That would be no problem,” Elle smiled sincerely.
“Maybe I can talk him into a good deal for another stone bowl,” Mammaw winked as she teased Elle.
Elle released a deep breath. What to do? Boredom overcame her as she sat guard fort the vegetables. What to do? She reorganized and straightened her products to make them more presentable to the public.
Gelmir came up behind Elle, “Your vegetables look delicious.”
“Thank you,” she replied after she jumped from Gelmir’s unexpected arrival.
“It’s not much of a compliment. Your vegetables always look delicious. But, you want to know what? They are no comparison to you. You look beautiful today, Elle,” Gelmir said with a sweet smile.
Elle’s face turned a bright red. “Thank you.”
“But, then again that’s not much of a compliment either because you always look beautiful.”
“I do?” Elle wanted to hear that repeated.
“Of course. I cannot think of anyone or anything more beautiful than you.”
Elle blushed again. “Would you like to trade for some vegetables?”
“No thank you. I did not actually come over here for the vegetables. I just wanted to have a conversation with you.”
Elle smiled. “Well I am currently swamped as you can see, so you will just have to come back again a little later,” Elle teased pointing to the empty space all around her. They both let out a nervous chuckle.
“Well did you know that there is a little rumor about you rippling around the village?”
“Oh? And what would that little rumor be?” Elle asked.
“That you ran into a human yesterday.”
“Lonna!” Elle accused her loud mouth friend.
“Well, you of all people should know that anything that you say to that girl will become the village’s new gossip for the week. You should really be careful about what you tell her.”
“Yeah. I know. I know” Elle sighed.
“They say that the human that you saw had no ears, red eyes, and only two feet tall. Also, that the creek was its feeding ground where it ate all of the poor, helpless woodland creatures that dared to wander in its path.”
Elle rolled her eyes. “That. That is not even close to accurate.”
“Well, then, what was it like.”
“He was six feet tall, had blue eyes, and was only drinking from the creek. Goodness, that story got twisted.”
Gelmir let out a nervous sigh. “So, I was wondering if I could ask you a question.”
Elle shot him a sideways glance. “Sure.”
“Would you go to the Mid-Autumn festival with me?” Elle was shocked and the expression on her face showed that particular emotion. “I heard that they are having candle lit walk-ways and are catching lightning bug in jars to decorate the dance floor. That are bringing in beautiful flowers and all the leaves will be turning in the forest. It’s suppose to be absolutely breathe taking this year.”
The thought pleased Elle. It all seemed so romantic. Twirling in the moonlight to the live music, the lights around her shining causing her to glow. Her smile big and her heart pounding. Elle desired this moment, but did she desire this moment with Gelmir? She certainly did not desire it with any of the other elves and Gelmir was handsome. Why not go with Gelmir? Might as well try it out, right? But, what if the situation changes before then?
“May I give you an answer at a later date?”
“The festival is in three weeks though,” Gelmir urged.
“I will have an answer by then. I promise.”
“Well, alright.”
Mammaw walked over and interrupted the conversation. “What are you two chatting about?”
“Nothing Mammaw,” was Elle reply.
“Actually, I was just asking Elle if she would like to go on a stroll with me,” he looked down at Elle for her reply.
“Hey! Gelmir!” a distant voice called out. “Some of the guys and I were heading down to the Kacida. You wanna join?”
“I would love to go on a…” Elle was cut off.
“The Kacida? Yeah, I’ll be there,” Gelmir turned away from Elle to address his friends.
Gelmir walked away without a notion to Elle and started conversation with his friend. Elle could hear the two boys talk as they started off to the Kacida.
“So you got her in your clutches yet?”
“Not yet. A few more stupid lines and I think I will though.”
“Gelmir that’s…” his friend’s voice faded off as soon as they were out of earshot.
Elle felt unimportant and pathetic. She was bothered by the idea that Gelmir could walk away so easily. If he is in pursuit of me, shouldn’t he have stayed with me? Shouldn’t I had been the more important of the two? Is Gelmir even that interested in me?
“Well, that was just rude,” Mammaw spat out, reminding Elle that she was there. “I have a fondness of that boy, but his manners need improvement. His mother would pull his ears off if she knew how he acted.”
The image of Gelmir holding back yelps as his mother yanked on the points of his ears amused Elle to the point that she had to try to hold back her giggles.
“You’re right Mammaw.”
Just before sunset Mammaw excused Elle from market duty. “You look like you are under a lot of stress. Go to the falls and bathe. That will relax you.”
“But then you would have to bring home all the excess vegetables by yourself.”
“I can handle it.”
“I will just stay here and help.”
“You know stress leads to wrinkles. We do not want you to be ruining that beautiful face of yours. Now do we, Deary? If I need help, I will just ask Celio for assistance. Now go already.”
Elle left hesitantly, but also gratefully. A bath sounded magnificent. She walked along the creek bed until it widened and a small waterfall cascaded over some grassy rocks. Elle stripped herself of her clothes and submerged into the water. Leisurely, she made her way over to the waterfall and soon it was crashing over her head. Finally, she relaxed into the water.
Slowly, Elle began to forget about everything that had happened in the last couple of days. The human she had seen so close to home slowly faded to oblivion. Gelmir’s inconsiderate attitude at the market vanished from her mind. The memories of her mother resurfaced as she relived those short, but cherished, times.
The sun began to lower in the sky, indicating the nights approach. Elle was about to get out of the creek and allow the cool, crisp air to dry her when she heard a rustle in a nearby bush. Quickly, she whipped her head around to find the perpetrator. A wild rose bush a few yards away started to part. Sapphire blue eyes peeped out. A vile taste coated Elle’s mouth. She remembered those eyes all too well.
That incompetent being was still roaming near her home. Tainting the once pure air that lingered around her. Disgusted, Elle waited for him to leave. Though it only took him a few minutes to leave, to her it felt like a few hours.
When Elle returned home, she found herself alone. Her grandmother was still out with Celio/ she smiled to the empty sitting room. For as long as she could remember, Mammaw had been by her side for everything. Her entire world revolved around Elle. She was glad that her grandmother was finally going out again.
Making her way to her room, Elle decided to stop by her mother’s room. Ever since Jondoras passing nobody had stepped foot into her room. Today would be the first time in over a decade that the room would have seen a living elve. Slowly, Elle cracked open the door. A musky smell hit her as she stepped into the vacant room.
Nothing had changed. The room was the same as the day when Jondora was still breathing. The wooden vanity stood right next to the matching wardrobe. The double bed lay unmade as it did the day of her mother’s death. Not a single crease had vanished from the pale blue covers over the years. The room was plain, but held so many memories.

Jondora laughed as five-year-old Elle tried on her mother’s clothes. Trying to look like her mother was her favorite thing to do. To Elle her mother was the most beautiful elve that had ever lived. As much as she wished she could look like her she couldn’t. However, that didn’t stop her from trying.
“Mommy!” Elle exclaimed. “Look at me!” She twirled around in her mother’s wedding dress.
Jondora cracked a smile. “One day baby girl, you will be able to wear that on your wedding day. Then you can have your own children too.”
“Can I have two babies instead?” Elle asked.
“Of course you can.”
“Good because I want a boy too”
“Why do you want a boy? Boys are smelly and dirty.”
“Then I can have the boy look after the girl and that way she doesn’t get hurt. That’s what older brothers are supposed to do. Right?” Elle explained to her mother.
“That’s exactly what they are supposed to do.”
“Just like how Gelmir looks after me and keeps all the mean boys away from me.”
“Just like that, baby girl.”

Elle sighed as she drifted out of that memory. Who would have thought that she and Gelmir would ever be attracted to each other? Below she heard the door slam shut. Panicking, Elle rushed out, being sure though, to close the door behind her. Instead of running into Mammaw on the stairs, she was staring at Gelmir’s chest.
“What do you think that you’re doing?” Elle scolded him. “It’s nearing midnight and you are creeping up my stairs like…. Like… like some sort of predator!” He stared at her wide-eyed. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
“I saw Vanya with Celio and figured that I’d take the chance to apologize to you,” Gelmir offered his explanation, then continued. “The way that I left today was inexcusable. And I do not expect your forgiveness, but I am asking for it anyways.”
Elle was tempted by the idea of making him beg. Instead, she decided to be kind. “I may forgive you. Only, though, on one condition.” Gelmir raised an eyebrow. “Make it up to me. I don’t care how. Just as long as it happens.”
“I’ll work on it,” he smiled. “Until then, what am I to do?”
Elle gave a flirtatious smile. “I guess you’re just out of luck then.” She started up the stairs leaving Gelmir in a dumb-founded daze. Holding her chuckles in, Elle stopped to give him a chance to snap out of his trance. It took a couple of seconds for Gelmir to compose himself and get back to her side.
The next five minutes they sat in an awkward silence before either of them spoke. “How are you and Freyr friends? You two are the complete and polar opposites of each other.”