Dryad

You're an adventurer, travelling through the forest. You know you need to keep to the path. But sometimes, things get in the way.

* * *

The forest felt… Closer, than it had seemed when you first entered it. The trees seemed to hem you in, keep you on the path. The scents weren’t helping. Cloyingly sweet fragrances that made you want to stop and smell every flower along the way.

You knew not to. Any adventurer worth their salt knows how dangerous it is to get too close to such things. But now there were vines everywhere? Draping down infront of you, that surely weren’t there a second ago. You turned around, and – there were vines behind you?

Your turned again. Had the vines gotten closer? They were twisting, furling and unfurling in the wind. A pattern was forming, slow, rippling, easy to watch. You stopped turning, stopped and just focused for a moment. It was so nice to stop. To be able to rest.

You were vaguely aware that you should keep moving. That it would be unwise to stop. But there were vines, all around you. You looked, and looked, until eventually you saw, a parting in the wall of greenery. Leading to a path. You weren’t sure if it was your original path.

But that didn’t matter. You dashed, as quickly as your surprisingly relaxed body would let you, throught he small gap. Feeling the vines try to wrap around you, try to ensnare you. But you fought free, until, with a small gasp of surprise, your foot caught a root.

With a thud, you hit the ground, dazed, confused. You rolled over, looking up, to see the vines rippling in waves that reminded you of the ocean waves. You sat up, and felt something brush your lips, you looked down, and gasped, realising your mistake a moment too soon.

The bright purple bloom was less than a centimetre away from your lips. You could feel its pollen enter your mouth. You could feel the dreamy relaxation wash through you, and as you stood, you could feel how heavy everything had become.

You tried to stumble onwards. Hoping that the direction was correct. A noise seemed to emanate from the forest. You looked around, was someone laughing at you? You felt vines, still trying to coil around you. It was getting more difficult to wrench yourself free.

The sweet smell had gotten stronger. It felt like it was filling your mind, replacing your brain with candy floss. All at once, you found yourself facing a small pool of water. You stumbled to the waters edge, away from the grasping vines, and lay down, breathing hard.

“Awh, cutie. You look tired!”

The voice made you sit up, groggily looking around. “Who- who’s there?” You called out. The forest showed no signs of another being.

“Just a friend!” Came the reply.

The voice seemed to echo all around you as it continued. “You’ve been so nice, most adventurers try to cut my vines when I try to tie them up.” You saw them. A face, inhumanly fair.

“I.. I see why.” You tried to stand, but your body wouldn’t move. You felt too heavy, too relaxed.

“Oh, silly human. It looks like you took in some of my pollen… Maybe you should rest a while. I’ll take care of you.” They stepped into the small clearing. They were slightly smaller than you, but their voice had a tone of authority to it. You felt yourself slip down, helplessly, into sleep.