By Jona Eselaye David
Editor's note: Due to the formatting of this work, it is best enjoyed on desktop.
There is no doubt.
This forest is a dark and frightening place.
But among the monsters survives a girl.
Where ghastly creatures thrive and defend their home
She is unkept, unremembered and unloved
No matter. For here, she is all alone.
Strangely, for earthly monsters she has no fear, Now
she’s learned the song of silence can be serene.
Hushed are the howls of hunted strangers,
Crimson spatters in an otherwise wonderful world of
green.
She may never know, that once
She was a daughter destined for forge and
fire. Identity and protection, loaned out of
loyalty
Then stolen by nameless men of steel attire.
Ancient foliage protects the shelter
A precious inked bear tucked away
Broken chattels and a crafted jewelled dagger The
only treasured relics from before that cursed day.
When she’s a woman
At her roots she may begin to wonder
The bluestone palace and humble village
Merely a traveller's walk south yonder
Would she return to the corrupt citadel
That her parents had been so willing to flee?
Accept that for the final battle, her origins
Are still where she is expected to be?
Mazes of strange places.
In which her life could ascend anew.
Then her scars a stern reminder,
Only this forest will welcome her home.
After all,
isn’t she a monster too?
Jona Eselaye David (she/her) is a new voice from Melbourne, Australia. She enjoys consuming and creating edgy or witty work with a touch of fantasy. As a children’s author, Jona also writes whimsical stories to encourage a love for literature in younger readers. Jona’s educational background is in Applied Science (Biotechnology) and Business Management but is currently studying Professional Writing and Editing. You can follow Jona’s work through Instagram.