Reclamation

“Cover up,” they were told. “Once nature starts to reclaim you, it’s best to hide the markings for as long as you can. No one wants a reminder of our mortality.”

So it was with the Folk of the Creeping Wood. Long lived as they were, even they did not live forever. Unlike humans who are reclaimed by the earth after the life has left their bodies, the earth began to take back the Folk while they were still alive. What began as small markings, resembling painted vines or branches, slowly became more and more real, until it was impossible to tell where the person ended and plants began. Most covered up their markings for as long as they could, until the vines crept down their legs and rooted them to the earth. It was better, they thought, to not remind others or themselves that they too must come to an end.

Not so with Van. This particular Folk walked uncovered amongst their peers as the painted vines crept further and further over their head and neck. Each fearful look, they returned with a smile or a knowing nod. Van welcomed the change. Having been between worlds more times than any other resident, Van did not fear this new venture. Van had lived several lifetimes in the time that most Folk live one. Van had loved, lost, and learned more each time they lived. In this way, they viewed the reclamation not as an ending but as a transformation, a new journey.  A journey that would quite possibly bring them back to her.