<font size=1>The shallow water rippled slowly as Provesthia’s long white dress drifted along the surface. Her wavy, brunette hair was damp at the ends as it draped down her shoulders and into the blue green water below. She silently waded through the pond that resided a mile or so outside of Arca’s grand wall. Her fingers gently caressed the lily pads that lie on the water’s face and, even at the slightest touch; they blossomed into a beautiful white flower. Her face flourished with a small smile, like that of a gentle mother that sways with her little baby to sleep in a rocking chair. The woman, not quite an adult but not a child either, pulls her hand slowly away from the blossom and turns her eyes ahead of her.
With her long, layered garb floated behind her like a bride’s would as she walks down the aisle, Provesthia took leisurely steps through the water, not caring how moist her petticoat became. In the center of the body of water, she closed her eyes tight and, taking a deep breath in, puts her hands out in front of her and dives beneath the surface. Some underwater plants get entangled with her long brown locks and fish brush by her quickly. Her long, slim legs kicked rapidly behind her as she swam forward. The mere bliss of being in a whole new world directs a smile to her face.
Ever since she was a small child, Provesthia had escaped from her high-class lifestyle in the busy city of Arca to this tranquil pond in the country. Here, the girl didn’t need to care about how much money the family was gaining or how unsophisticated she looked playing with the neighboring kids of middle-class Arca. All she minded here was how the flowers looked in blossom and how the rain had made the water deeper. Here, in this place of nature, Provesthia had thrived under the care of her mother and father, the trees and the wind. And so now she swims, with her gown dancing around her like the breeze on a warm summer day and the earth being a place of worship.
After an hour or so of swimming, the girl stands once again, her bare feet sinking in the wet sand below. She takes a deep breath and begins to walk out of the pond, her body soaking. Liquid droplets fall from her eyelashes, stinging her eyes. She lifts her hand and wipes them away with one simple movement. Before long, she is sitting on the water’s edge, her fingers drifting limply through the pond, sending rippling movements once again. The girl hums a soothing song and her brown eyes close half-way. The wind begins to dry her off as she puts on her flat-heeled, white shoes. And so, she sits quietly, awaiting nature to take its toll.</font>
