Another post!
The little girl I’d seen before came bursting into the clearing, twigs embedded in her short, dark hair. “There you are!” She laughed, pulling on Peter’s arm. Then she caught sight of me and stared. “Who are you?” Her eyes weren’t filled with mistrust or anger; they were filled with wonder and curiosity.
I smiled down at her twinkling eyes. “I’m Nianna, a nymph who lives in this forest.”
The girl gasped. “Wow! I’ve never met a nymph before.”
She was still gaping at me when Peter introduced her to me. “This is Lucy, my little sister.”
Lucy nodded, still looking up at me. “Peter’s told us a lot about you.” To this Peter, gave her a sharp glance.
“Where are the others?” he asked her quickly, looking around the trees.
“Oh, Susan is back there searching for you and we lost sight of Edmund,” Lucy informed him casually. It seemed a usual occurrence.
“You didn’t lose him,” a teenage voice came from the thicket. “I’m right here.”
I had to hold in a gasp as the dark-haired boy, Edmund, stepped into the clearing. It was him, the one who made me uneasy. His eyes flew from me to Peter, questioning his older brother with his eyes.
“This is Nianna,” Peter introduced to Edmund. “She’s the nymph who lives here.” He turned to me. “I take it you know he’s Edmund, from what Lucy said?”
I nodded and attempted a smile at Edmund. Surprisingly, he smiled back, though a bit hesitantly. Perhaps my assumptions had been wrong after all!
“Susan! Susan!” Lucy called in a sing-song voice. “We found Peter! He’s here visiting with the nymph!”
After a few moments, the disheveled girl I recognized flew towards us. “You shouldn’t have wandered off like that, Peter! Tell us first next time.” She gave him a stern look, though it was kind and compassionate. Her eyes turned to me and her face arranged itself into a smile. “Why, hello! You must be that nymph…”
“This is Nianna,” Peter said before she could say anything else, motioning to me. “Nianna, this is my sister, Susan.”
I grinned broadly. “It’s a pleasure to meet all of you. It’s not often that we get humans in our forest.”
Edmund shot me a glance. “Does that mean we’re not welcome here?”
“Oh, no!” I exclaimed hastily as Peter gave his brother a reprimanding look. “You’re definitely welcome here; it’s a treat!” To confirm this, I smiled.
Edmund seemed a bit comforted by this and nodded. “Cool.”
An awkward silence passed between the five of us. Then Susan announced, “We’d better go now.” Edmund murmured his agreement.
“All right,” Peter said reluctantly, and the other three started to make their way back as he lingered behind. “I’ll visit you as soon as I can,” he whispered with a smile; I nodded, and he waved, disappearing into the thick forest.