Evergreen Amanda Spokes

Evie used to say she could never survive in books where the characters lie to their mothers. From a young age she vowed never to lie to hers and has kept that vow ever since, but it’s just the two of them in the woods.

The woods. The deep, evergreen woods, where the sun reflects through the leaves. She is named after this place: Evergreen Amanda Spokes. Her mother always says the woods carry something special inside, you simply have to look with open eyes and you will find it.

She traverses deeper into the woods, gazing up at the sky, until she turns a corner and finds herself in a place unknown. Her ears are filled with the sound of flowing rapids splashing against rocks. Just beyond the clear pool is a cave with icy blue mist glowing from its entrance. Evie inches her way into the mouth of the cave.

But then she stops at the sound of her mother’s song, the one she sings to call her back home. Even this far away, she hears the stark melody bouncing off the trees to where she stood. Drat, she thinks. I suppose I’ll have to come back later. She runs back through the tall evergreens to her house embedded at the edge of the woods.

She reaches the steps. “Hello, Mother!”

“Come inside. Your food’s getting cold.”

They sit at the spruce dining table towards the right of the entryway. A fire crackles in the hearth as they bite into their grilled cheese sandwiches. “Find anything new today? It took you longer to get back,” Mother notices as a string of cheese pulls.

“I did! I found a strange cave with a glowing blue light,” Evie responds emphatically.

Mother drops her sandwich and leans toward her with a whisper. “What?” she breathes, barely audible. “Do not go there again. Do you hear me?” her voice trembling, holding back a scream. She locks eyes with Evie, and does not let go.

Evie’s heart thuds as she holds her mother’s gaze, lest she look away and betray her thoughts. She hesitates. How could she never return?

“Evergreen? You understand?” Her mother clenches her teeth and seems to hold Evie’s breath with her demanding tone.

She manages to sputter the words. “Ye-yes. It’s just-”

“Don’t go.”

After a long pause, her mother softens and offers, “I’m sorry.”

For the rest of the hour, the two sit in silence, hardly touching their favorite meal. Evie finishes first and starts out the door once again. She walks in the direction of the cave, letting her feet lead before thinking about where she is going. Aloud, she struggles with the questions swirling in her mind. “It’s not lying if she never knows, right? I’ll be back before she knows. No, I can’t. I can’t lie or disobey so boldly. It’s not me. But, I wouldn’t have to tell her…”

Something strange continues to tug at her heart as she walks farther from her mother. She approaches the cave entrance with golden dust guiding her steps. She places one foot into the cave, glancing back to listen for her mother’s voice. Time seems to stop in the silence. Her heart races in her chest. Could she really do this?

She holds her breath, leans forward, and places her other foot in the cave. The cave walls are thick black, but she is able to follow the blue light emitting from crevices all around her. Around a bend, she comes to another opening. She passes through to find herself surrounded by a lush, colorful world. There are blue and purple and pink mushrooms and flowers everywhere. Towering, vibrant red wood trees are so tall she can barely see the white leaves at the top. She stands in awe of everything around her, her stance as still as stone.

As she looks up and around, Evie meanders through the deep forest. The pathway she walks upon is a muted orange. Then, she catches a man staring at her. He strides toward her. “Hello, my name is Endel. What’s yours?” He bows and offers his hand. She fumbles, aiming to curtsy, and he laughs in return.

Her face must have a look of embarrassment because he apologizes. “I’m sorry, it’s just that you seem to have little practice with your curtsy.”

“I don’t.” She raises her hands in defense. “My name is Evie.” She pauses for a moment and spins around. “What is this place?”

He gestures with his arm outstretched. “This is Aluna, home of the protectors of this forest.” Endul guides her down the path.

As they reach his village, archers practice their aim to her left, and swordsmen sharpen their weapons on the right. Above her, bridges connect a web of huts amongst the trees. Instead of suspicious glares, they offer genuine smiles. Only a few let curious glances escape her way.

“Our job is to protect this place. It’s alive, afterall.” He looks down at her and smiles. She flinches as she sees the branches of one tree bend down to be about a man’s height from the ground. “Don’t be afraid. It means they welcome you.” The tree lifts its branches once more.

Endel places a bow in her hand and gives her an arrow. “Pull the string back, like this with the arrow. Place your finger here.” He demonstrates beside her, and she follows suit.

Her face lights up. “Thank you.”

His eyes cloud with water as he stares at her. “You’re welcome.”

Ignoring what she tells herself is her imagination, she takes aim, and it strikes into the fifth ring. “Not bad. We’ll make a protector out of you yet.” Endel smiles.

Evie’s lips widen into a grin and she readies herself to take another shot. But beside her, she can’t help but listen to what others are saying and misses. “You know, that girl looks oddly like Vere.”

“Yeah. Wonder what happened to her.”

They continue, but she ponders the words and rolls the name on her lips multiple times. “You talking to yourself?” Endel jabs.

“Oh, sorry.”

The name reminds her of her mother, and she remembers. Her stomach knots. I lied to her. I didn’t do what she asked. Guilt creeps into her heart, but she tries desperately to reason with it. The two sides battle for her mind. I didn’t-I did. I disobeyed-But who doesn’t? What will I tell her?-Who says you have to?

Who is this girl who broke the one vow she swore to never break? What would her mother say? What would she think of her? It’s too much. She sets her bow down and rushes away, as the emotions boil up inside of her. Endel follows her, asking what’s wrong but she doesn’t listen.

Then, in the midst of the racket, Evie hears a faint melody. She stops to ask, “What is that?”

“It’s the sound the trees make. Why?”

Her song. “It’s a song my mother always sings to me.”

She picks up her pace, second by second, following the same shining, gold dust that brought her here, until she’s running and can no longer hear his voice calling behind her.

She stops-the melody suddenly so loud, and turns. The world spins, taking her somewhere else in time, or so it seems. She spots her mother ambling out of a similar cave. It can’t be. Evie and her mother run toward each other, until they embrace and she lets the tears fly as her mother strokes her hair softly.

“So you’ve found it,” Mother frowns.

The words come tumbling out faster than she can form her thoughts. “I’m so sorry, Mother. I knew you said not to come. I don’t know what came over me. It doesn’t matter why you said not to come. I-I should have listened. And now I’ve done the one thing that kept our relationship special. Different.”

Mother tilts Evie’s face upwards. “And what is that?”

“I lied. I disobeyed you.”

She laughs gently. “And you think that could change it? Sweety. If that was how small my love was, it would never last. Besides, there’s things we both need to work on. I should have told you.”

Endel is standing to the side, watching them as tears roll down his cheeks. He bends down to meet them and wraps his arms around Mother. It’s like they never want to let go. As they finally break apart, he says to her, “This will be quite shocking, but I am your father.”

Evie’s eyes grow wide. Her father? “How? Mother always said you died fighting in a war.”

“No, but we knew you couldn’t know yet. You weren’t ready for this world.”

They sit on the floor in the center of the wood. “When your father and I were younger,” Mother began. “I found a similar cave to the one you found near my grandparents house. It was so different from everything else there, so I had to go in. I met your father there. It wasn’t long before we fell in love,”

“Even faster for me,” her father breaks in, nudging Mother.

“Anyways, I spent my days switching between this world and the other, and after a few years, we were married and had you soon after.”

“But then your mother became very weak and her memory of her parents and the outside world started fading. This was happening to others who were from your world too, so the King here passed a decree stating that those from your world would have to leave. And so, your mom left with you to keep you safe.” Her father focuses on Evie, pleading for her to understand. “She would have died if she stayed, and who knows what would have happened to you. I couldn’t allow that to happen.” He lowers his head, gazing at the floor. “I missed watching you grow up, but I pray you’ll be able to forgive what I couldn’t be there for.”

Mother takes Evie’s hands in hers. “I’m sorry for not allowing you to come. I didn’t want the same thing to happen to you. To get hurt and not be able to spend your life in a world not meant for you.”

Evie looks between her parents, her heart full. As if she had a missing piece all her life and now, standing before her is the last piece to the puzzle. “I know you did it for me. You always do.”

“I suppose Aluna called the caves to bring us back together.” Her father helps her and Mother up.

She reaches for her mother’s hand, and then her father’s, and believes with all that is in her, that this is the beginning of a brand new story. As they walk away, she smiles and wishes she could pause this moment. Even though she can’t, Evie knows she can’t lose the love she found.