The Little Lady
Persephone was a lady. A little lady at the age of seven, but as her mother continuously reminded her, a lady none the less. And ladies, in case you didn't know, were allowed to do very little. They could not run, they could not scream, they could not come home muddy after a rousing game of tag, and they most certainly could not be left to their own devices. Who knows what foolish things they could come up with if left with nothing but their thoughts to keep them company.
Persephone knew the unwritten rules of ladyhood very well, which is why her mother thought that she was currently on a walk through the garden paths, accompanied by a small group of other little ladies with similar upbringings. It wasn't even very hard for her to tell the lie, because it was only a little lie after all.
She was technically on a walk. In fact, she was walking right now because it happened to be her turn to play be the seeker in hide and go seek. And she was definitely in the company of the other little ladies… or at least she would be as soon as she found them. The only thing that was technically a lie was that she was in the garden, but who could blame the little girls for that. The garden was too open to play hide and go seek and if you actually managed to get one of the good spots to hide, like in the middle of a hydrangea bush, the gardener was certain to find you first and he just couldn't keep his trap shut. He would definitely tell the cook, who would tell a maid, who would let it slip to one of the little girls' moms with the hopes of getting a promotion. And that is why the girls were not in the garden. They were in the forest, a much more suitable place for the sensible little girls to be left alone. So you see, it was only a little lie, and it was a lie that Persephone told exceptionally well.
As she wandered through the shadowed woods, listening closely for any noise that would give away a hiding spot, she noticed the strangest thing. There was the most beautiful yellow flower growing out of the middle of a twisting knot of tree roots. "What a strange place for such a delicate looking flower to be." she thought to herself.
As she bent down to inspect the intricacies of the pointy yellow petals popping out of gnarled and twisted tree root, she felt something strange. The hairs on her arms rose, and she could feel someone staring at her. She quickly stood and scanned the area. Persephone looked but as far as she could see there was nothing to fear. Even so, she should probably get back to the task at hand, and find the other girls. Knowing them they would be hiding in a big clump so none of them had to hide alone. Silly girls.
Persephone turned to leave, when out of the corner of her eye, she saw the flower move. It seemed to grow taller out of the knotted mess it was imbedded in. It was as if the tree was offering her a gift, and so she bent down and cupped the delicate petals in her hands, careful not to uproot the little flower.
That was when she saw it. Staring up at her from within the tangled roots, were two black glittering eyes staring hungrily at her.
Persephone was not known for screaming, and not just because she was a lady, but rather to her credit Persephone was far too proud and sensible to ever be caught screaming in fright. But, if there was ever a time to scream, it was when you were seemingly alone in a forest with the eyes of a hungry monster staring up at you from the depths of a spooky old tree's root system.
Yes, now was the time to scream, and so she did. Persephone screamed and ran as fast as her legs would carry her. And as she screamed and ran, the other four little girls came out from their hiding spot and followed suit.
The punishment received by each of the little ladies for the lie, the running, and the shrieking was not needed to deter them from returning to the woods. The terror in Persephone's scream was enough to deter them all. All but Persephone herself that is.