...Once Upon A Time...

Silently the forest beckons to her.
Longing to reach her place of solitude, she quickens her pace.
Fallen branches snap underfoot.
Music from her sylvan friends no longer fills the air.
The wind whips around, tangling her raven hair;
Her cheeks glow an apple red.

…so close…

The gnarled trees thin out, a clearing comes into view.
Reaching her destination, she slowly sinks to her knees.
The swirling snow falls from the sky stinging her bare flesh.
She lifts her face and closes her eyes.
Her memories take her to the place where her soul has died.

…almost…

Her pulse is pounding through her body.
Senses heightened, she hears the brook that has become a trickle.
The temperature drops, her blood thickens.
She draws her blade and stares at her reflection in the steel.
Tears that she thought were gone forever appear.
The icy streams make their way down her cheeks.

…it’s time…

The blade is pulled across her skin.
A quiet gasp escapes her lips.
And like a budding rose, blood blossoms from the wound.
Scarlet ribbons snake around her wrist
Before falling onto the snow laden ground.

...almost...

“Fairest in the land,” is a title she does not claim.
Her life never followed the primrose path.
This journey she must make alone.
No white knight will come to save her.
The world has shown itself to be a painful, dismal place.
Beauty lost among the thorns of lies and deceit.

…so close…

Her head grows heavy, her arms are weak.
The blade now clumsy in her grasp.
She falls back, eyes closed, a small smile upon her face.
As her last breath leaves her body
She’s found her happily ever after.

…The End…