chapter 4

Emma knew she should make her way back to the village, but she found herself reluctant to leave this strange new friend. "Will I see you again?" she asked Aisling hesitantly.

The faerie smiled. "If you wish, you are welcome to return. But tread carefully - the forest protects its secrets from prying eyes." She gestured and a faint path emerged through the trees. "This trail will lead you safely home. Farewell for now, child of Man."

As Emma walked, her mind whirled with all she had discovered. Aisling was unlike any creature from her village's old stories. There was wisdom and kindness behind those glowing eyes, not mischief. She reached the edge of the forest just as the sun was setting, emerging from the shadowy boughs like one in a daze.

The other villagers eyed her with suspicion when she arrived home soaking and mud-spattered. But Emma hardly noticed, her thoughts lingering in the magic glade. Over the next few days, she found excuses to slip back into the forest, following faint trails that only she seemed able to see. Each encounter revealed more mysteries - Aisling singing in the tree branches, dancing among the whispers of leaves, revealing ethereal glimpses of her hidden world.

Emma knew she was risking the villagers' wrath by consociating with the faerie folk. But she no longer feared Aisling and her strange powers - only losing the newfound sense of wonder the forest had awakened in her soul. And each time they parted, she found herself longing for their next meeting all the more.