I know you'll return,
To me and my arms
And I know you'll transcend
All my thoughts

I know you'll return,
And if not in this life.
I'll know you'll return
In the next.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" shouted a voice as she watched two boys walk through the forest, her eyes following the tip of the tall one's bright-red hat. She jumped off the stump she was sitting on and walked over to where the two stood, leaning down to look at them.

She eyed them curiously, she couldn't remember seeing the likes of them around here, and she'd been her for quite some time.

"W-Wouldn't do what?" asked the boy in the pointed hat, his cheeks going red as he stepped back, hand tearing away from the apple he was just about to pick.

The younger boy seemed to be wearing a tea kettle on his head, but there were so many strange things here that it didn't cross her mind to ask why.

"I dunno." She said, her eyes flashing up to the sky as the sun disappeared behind a few clouds. "Just had a bad feeling about those apples, they looked pretty suspicious," she said with a grin.. Her gaze falling back onto them, wondering what she'd said to make him so nervous. She leaned down and made eye contact with the taller one, a wide grin on her face.

"Are you supposed to be a gnome or something?" she asked, raising an eyebrow before she glanced down at the younger one. "And you…" she said, as she straightened up and spun on her heel, leaving her back to them. Her head tilted back so she could smile at the two of them.

"Maybe an elephant or something?" she asked, "I could tell by your trunk." She said, as she reached over and tapped the spout of his tea kettle.

"You're right!" he said, as he jumped up, "We left in these clothes…" he said, as he looked up at the girl, "And when we came back we were still in the same clothes." He said.

She turned around, a troubled look falling upon her face. She crouched down onto her knees, eye-level with the smaller boy.
"Just who are you two?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowing as she bit down onto her lip. "Not that many people leave this place." She said, as she sat back onto the ground, suddenly looking up at them.

"W-Well, we really shouldn't be talking to strangers." Said the older boy, looking from side to side as if he was looking for a way to escape. She tilted her head to the side, pressing her lips together as she scrunched up her nose. Her eyes locked with his as she stuck out her tongue at him.

"I assume you're his brother, then?" she asked as she glanced away from him, dark green eyes on the sky.

"H-How did you know that?" he asked, as she stepped back a bit, reaching out and grabbing around the younger boy's arm.
She merely laughed, her head tilting back. Her red bangs fell out of her eyes, braid falling back from her shoulder. She stood up once more, and brushed the dirt from her knees. Her white, knee-length dress floating around her legs, bare feet pressing into the cool dirt of the forest.

"I know because you remind me of my big brother, not my little one." She said, as she looked up to the sky, the sun seemed to be dipping down faster than it had been moments ago.

He seemed to relax at this, his own eyes glancing up to the sky as the sun began to sink down. He shivered as if he was remembering something from a long time ago, though he seemed to shake it from his head. His eyes raised back up to hers.

"My name is Sayble." She said, as she turned walking away from them, the shadows seemed to dance through the trees. "Are you coming?" she asked, as she looked back, the shadows falling against her face, casting half of it in darkness. "The last time I was here it wasn't very safe to be out at night…" she said, her voice going quiet.

"My brother got rid of The Beast!" shouted out the little brother, as he ran over to her side. "My name is Greg, and that's my brother Wirt." He said, reaching up and clutching to the skirt of her dress, his hands leaving a small dirt stain where they touched.

"Well, is Wirt coming with us?" she asked, as she turning back to smile at him.

"Hold on!" he called over, as he cautiously held onto the other side of her dress, his hand leaving no stain, and clinging meekly. "Where are we going?" he asked, looking up at her, "Forgive me if I'm a bit cautious, I just just feel so lost in being back here...as if I'm spiraling through the air and floating up into nothingness." He stated, seeming to go off into his own little world.

"A poet joins the party!" she said, "You probably give us an intelligence burst and double as a mage." She said, as she pumped her fist into the air. She giggled softly, before she started walking again. "My cabin…"she said, "I was here for a while the last time I…visited." She said, as she smiled, the corners of her lips twitching hesitantly.

They walked in silence, save for the singing that came from Greg, and seemed to get louder and louder as they walked on. Her bare feet made almost no noise as they hit the ground, alluding rocks and branches as they walked out from the woods. Soon she could feel cool blades of dewy grass under her feet, and a small structure stood before then.

"Home sweet…" she paused, seeming to think for a few seconds, eyebrows furrowing. "…vacation home?" she asked, as she started for the door, opening it with a quiet creak as she stepped inside. She lit a lantern that stood on a table besides the door, before she led them inside.

"It's not much…" she said, her arm sweeping out to wave across the dimly illuminated room. The room was simple, containing a wooden table and a bed in the corner. A hearth rested in the corner, a pot laying in it, a kettle on the mantle. The last rays of daylight fell across the room from two small windows, casting shadows against the walls.

She closed the door behind them and drew the curtains, as if she feared what might be outside. Her mind snapped back to the beast as the two boys sat at her table. "Do you guys wanna tell me how it is you came to this place at all, The Unknown I mean…it's kind of um, unknown," her words coming out quickly as she laughed.

"This will take a bit of time then…" said Wirt, he glanced at Greg who was in the corner arranging her firewood into elaborate shapes, and decided he'd be the one telling their tale.
Sayble listened intently as they spoke, her eyes on him the entire time, only interrupting a few times to ask questions. She seemed intent to just close her eyes, tilting her head back as she listened. She put on a pot of tea for the three of them, making due with what she had, two measuring cups and a tin can.

"Wow…" she said, as she leaned back, "And you guys just go to the spot where you almost drowned and that's how you found your way back?" she asked, as she tilted her head back, her chair leaning back to the point of almost toppling over. She leaned forwards and the chair came forward abruptly, clacking to the floor.

"Just wow…and you got rid of The Beast." She said, her head shaking in disbelief, before she looked back at him.
"What about you Sayble?" he asked, "How'd you find this place?" he seemed more interested now, happy to talk since she was happy to listen.

"U-Uhm, well it's not really cool." She said hurriedly. Her hands clutched together under the table, knuckles going white as she glanced away, eyes averting his gaze. "I guess sometimes I just fall asleep and end up here…" she said, sipping at her tea and hoping the subject would be dropped.

Seeming bored with Wirt's retelling of what had just happened to them, Greg moved his cup from side to side, sloshing tea across the floor. He'd moved to the table during Wirt's story, leaving Sayble's floor littered with small branches. "What do you me-" He was abruptly cut off by his brother, who could sense the uneasiness that his question had caused.

"We should be going!" said Wirt, as he stood up from his chair, and tugged Greg towards the door. "It's great to meet somebody else to talk to about this, maybe I'll see you around…the not-Unknown?" he asked as he looked to her hopefully.

"Y-Yeah…maybe. Bye, hope you guys get home safely." She said, "Maybe we can meet up again here…if I happen to be around." She said, as he nodded, and they disappeared out the door with that same quiet creak.

She waited till their footsteps and voices disappeared, before she leaned forward, burying her head into her hands.

"Sleeping…" she said, as she sighed and smiled, coughing into her hand and laying her cheek against the tabletop. "I'm just taking a little nap."