Pearl of the Stars

Her eyelashes fluttering to a standstill, Violet was sure she could make out the sound of distant water rumbling. She was curled up, covered in darkness and an earthy smell. Stretching her arms, she brushed against what felt like hanging strings. Grasping them between her fingers, Violet realized they were some sort of roots coated in dirt and cobwebs. She must have been under the ground somehow, perhaps close to a tree?

A sudden sound alerted her of something shuffling nearby. Violet backed up against a wall of roots, cringing as her lungs ached in protest. Her body trembled. How had she survived the storm? Had they found her at the edge of the woods and brought her back to the castle, to rest in some sort of filthy cell? She only hoped they would feed her soon.

“Eh, little lady. Can ya sit up for a sec? Good, good. Oh! You're mighty awake now, I see. Eat plants here. They good for you, yes, little lady,” a strange voice startled Violet, echoing from directly in front of her. But she couldn't see anything – much less anyone.

Regardless, she reached out blindly, coming in contact with what felt like human flesh. “Nah, that's me, silly! Take plants, yeah?”

Violet didn't know what to say. The jail guard seemed like a strange one, with an even more strange accent, but at least he was offering her food. Violet reached out again, a bowl suddenly sitting in her palm. She brought it towards her lips greedily, engulfing the mushy powder that was invisible to her eyes in the darkness. Choking, she struggled to swallow. It was nasty.

“Tastes down, yeah?”

Violet felt a cool hand press roughly against her forehead. Something wasn't right about the touch. Whoever this mysterious jail guard was, he didn't appear to be quite normal, quite right. Violet hadn't even seen him! At least he seemed somewhat good-natured. She cringed, blinded even more with pain. “Where am I?” Her voice sounded weak, and she certainly felt so.

“You's in Cam's home. Cam likes strangers, little lady,” she felt him lean down close to her face, his breath fanning against her ear. His words grew dark. “But he likes pretty lady strangers even more.” Jumping back, the mysterious voice was suddenly cheerful again. “Can little lady stand up, yeah?”

Violet set aside the bowl, shaking as she struggled to her knees. Her head bumped against the ceiling of roots. She was definitely underground. Crawling towards a brief flicker of light, Violet yelped as something pulled her backwards. “Not so fast! You's not well yet, little lady. Cam cares for you, see? He gives you plants. He gives you home. Now little lady must rest before she can go into woods.”

Her eyes narrowed, and she got the impression that the voice could somehow see it. “My name is Violet, good sir. And your name is? Please tell me exactly where I am. The castle, or... or where? And why can't I see anything?”

The voice chuckled, and a hand patted her shoulder. Violet felt overwhelmed. “I is Cam! Not real name, but works fine. You are in Cam's home, yeah? Underneath tree, big tree! In the deepest center of the woods. I went out to edge to find you, little lady. Cam is a very determined. He cares for little lady.”

Her head began to spin. “Why... why can't I see a-anything, Cam?”

He seemed happy that she had called him by name, chuckling in that childish way yet again. “Because it's dark underground, little lady should know. Cam sees, though. Cam sees everything. Cam is special.”

And then he was gone. With a rustle of leaves and swinging roots, he had vanished out into the wilderness. The tiny flicker of light had disappeared, Violet assuming that Cam had trapped her there. She felt her head ache even more. A dizzy spell had cornered her within this strange place under the earth. Perhaps she shouldn't have eaten those herbs. She needed to act before Cam returned. Shoveling roots away from her, Violet bravely outstretched her hands and patted every surface of the unknown. Nothing much was there besides a ruffled blanket, a few wooden bowls atop what felt like a crude shelf, and many insects to keep for company, unwanted or not. But there, at the very back of the shelf, rested a tiny flute. Violet picked it up and curled her fingers around the delicate wood.

Laying down on the dirty blanket, she rested on her side once again. Violet suddenly felt overly conscious of her white nightgown. It was certainly very muddy and wet... and see-through. She decided to ignore it, though, and went back to staring into the darkness, attempting to gather her wits and see the tiny flute that rested in her hand. Bringing the instrument to her bloody lips, Violet blew a single note. It was soft and soothing. Almost immediately, Violet felt a flaming passion envelope her. She yearned for Cam, she needed him to... to what? Her thoughts traced his cool touch on her forehead, his beautiful way of speaking. She wanted him.

“Stop! Little lady, please stop!” Cam was suddenly there, and the flute was pulled abruptly from her mouth, tossed somewhere in the unknown darkness. “No touching Cam's special flute, yeah? Get you into... into trouble, yeah?” Cam stuttered wildly, clearly flustered. The overpowering passion had disappeared as quickly as it had come. Violet pushed his cool hands off her, struggling to stand on her knees once more.

“Please, leave me alone.” She needed him to leave, before the feeling came back. Something was very, very wrong. Her heart ached in a way like no other, as if she had suddenly lost something very important. Something she had no knowledge of. Violet's emotions swirled and lunged, attacking her from within.

When she reached out to blindly slap him in the darkness, Cam was already gone.