He smiled, standing in the doorway watching as she disappeared into the forest. He waited a few seconds more before turning and closing the door. Maybe it wasn't hopeless. He could only hope.
He walked into his bedroom, closing the door behind him before readying himself for bed. He laid down and switched the light off. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.
He woke up and walked to the door, readying himself for his walk. He opened it, saw the basket and read the note. He was at first confused and then he smiled, moving the basket into his house for later. What a nice gift. He wandered off into the forest.
The leaves rustled high above in the trees. The birds among the leaves whistled their tunes and Zebediah kept the notes with his flute, hitting each note the birds sang as if he had been born to play it. He strolled along the trail, kicking stones as they crossed his path. Today had been particularly hectic. The best way he knew of relaxing was with a walk through forest, admiring the colors, sounds, and smells. They all seemed to swirl around him, engulfing him in pure peacefulness. The music grew as he added more and more notes to it, making it more complex, more beautiful. The intensity grew and he let the music take him over until he was merely letting the flute play itself.
He held the last note for a while, letting it echo around the trees, slowly fading away and leaving the silence behind when it finally died out. The birds fell silent as well. He sighed, wishing for the music to have continued. He shoved his flute in the carrier on his back and marched on, glancing from tree to tree, spotting a squirrel here and blue bird there. He smiled and breathed deeply, walking further and further into the forest.
He had been walking for a few minutes. Everything was moving around him, going on with it's daily functions. He began to hum subconsciously. Step by step, one foot in front of the other. The music grew louder, though still far away. It was an eerie tune that drew him in it's direction. He hadn't even realized were he was going until he reached the peak of the music. He couldn't see the source of where it was coming from but he couldn't leave until he did.
He followed his feet and his ears. They drew him forward, inch by inch. Minutes passed until he turned a corner and saw her. She was tiny and fragile looking. Even from far away he could see the glimmer of gold in her hair. He wasn't sure what he was going to do when he approached her, but if he didn't, it would break him even though he wasn't sure why. He continued forward slowly but surely. She was just staring off into the distance, her expression completely blank. He was nearly close enough to touch her when his feet stopped. He couldn't move forward anymore. So instead he decided to try and break her trance. " Hello miss. You lost?"
