Page 60 of Apples Dipped in Gold

The grass grew green where she bled,

And fairies followed where she led.

She danced until she wished to die

And came to a place where spirits lie.

Beneath that barren ground, there lay

Witches’ bones and evil fae.

Soon a handsome prince walked along,

Drawn by the elves’ silvery song.

So smitten was he with the dancing maid,

He promised to save her and drew his blade.

But when his feet brushed barren ground,

He began to spin and dance around.

The fairies clapped, their laughter rang,

Their voices rose, and they sang—

Finally, I pushed aside a curtain of greenery to spy the source of the singing. Two women sat on rocks in the middle of the river. One played a flute while the other sang and brushed her long yellow hair. They were lovely, dressed in white, and beneath the moon, they too seemed to glow.

The woman with the brush turned her head toward me and smiled, beckoning. She had strange features—large, round eyes and glittering scales on her temples. I thought that perhaps she was half human, but I was not afraid. I waded through the water toward them as she finished her song.

There once was a girl with thorns in her hair,

Who danced to music no one could hear.

And when a prince came along,

He swore to save her, but he was wrong.

They danced until their hearts gave out

And died upon the barren ground.

She paused and turned to the other woman.

“Look, Elke, we have brought our own beauty here,” she said. “Perhaps we can make her dance.” She turned her pale eyes to me. They were yellow in color and flickered like lantern lights. “Do you dance, beauty?”

I shook my head.

“Do not worry, beauty. We will teach you,” she said. Slipping off the rock, she entered the water with me and brought her hand up to my face but did not touch me. “Beautiful,” she said, and then she circled me, and I followed. The woman smiled. “Now we are dancing, beauty.”

Then she took my hands and held them aloft, stepping into the left side of my body and then the right. I followed, unable to look away from her face. She was so beautiful, and her smile was so sweet.

“You are dancing, beauty,” she said, leading me around in a circle, and then she let go of one of my hands. “Twirl.”

I did as she commanded.

“Beautiful,” she said when I faced her again, continuing to smile.

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