Jasunr leaned against the doorway and looked out at the
valley. He could remember when it was a beautiful place; a magical place. Farms
had produced food in abundance, the river had been filled with fish, and bees had
hummed among the flowers.
Then three years ago the river had turned brackish. Now, the
land was barren and brown. Wearily he rubbed his face and looked to the road.
Many families had left and he wondered if he should follow. Suddenly, he
started. Was there someone walking into
the valley? No one came into the valley these days.
“Hello there!” he called when the figure was close enough.
He could see now it was a woman. “Where are you going?”
“To the head of the river.” she answered.
Jasunr stared at her. Why would she want to go there?
“That’s a three day hike. There’s nothing to see.”
She had been going to pass him, but now she turned with
interest. “You know the way?”
“Well, yes. But it’s the same up there as it is down here,” he gestured to the polluted river.
“My name is Elethia. I left the valley two years ago to find
a way to save the river. And I can.” she hesitated. “Will you take me there?”
He almost refused. But she was so sure of herself that he
agreed. Elethia told him about her journey to save the river during the hike.
It was a tale of magic, but he still wasn’t prepared for what she did when they
reached the head of the river. Kneeling down she pulled out, what at first he
thought was a small statue of a unicorn, then he saw it was a bottle. It was
made of crystal, or maybe glass and filled with liquid that glowed silver. Elethia
poured it into the river. “Heal,” she whispered.