Just as God once sent his son to earth in order to aid mankind, Mother Nature, too, sent her child. Her daughter, Diana, was an ethereal yet natural beauty. Her golden hair was a mass of glossy waves that appeared to be suspended in mid-air they were so voluminous and curly. Her tan skin was freckled, and at the bottom of her gossamer gown peeked bare feet.
Her mother had bestowed upon her the gift of basic knowledge; because of this she was able to recognize many things that she had never encountered before, such as umbrellas or libraries. Her wisdom and goodness manifested itself as a sort of… intuitive generosity. While walking down a decrepit street in New Ark she came across a myriad of children – all ages, in varying states of disarray. The smallest stuck out their hands in the classic beggar’s gesture, while the older formed the words “Spare change, miss?” with practiced ease.
She knelt down to peer at them, eye to eye, as the hem of her dress met the garbage and filth around her. Seeing the earnest faces of these starving children deeply touched her, and she opened her arms wide until coins started pouring out of her sleeves. Coinage of all types skipped out of her sleeve onto the street, the children shrieking with joy and clamoring all about the new-found wealth. The smallest were pushed to the outside, unintentionally; but this carelessness was remedied as the older children brought piles of the fortune to the feet and laps of the little ones.
Her heart warmed as she heard the children squeal and thank her. It was not the gratitude that she most enjoyed – it was the thought of a warm dinner finding place in their protruding malnourished bellies. She was startled then, when a man came up behind her and rigorously grabbed her arm.
“What are you DOING?” he growled at her.
The sinewy man was dressed in a fine silk suit, entirely black. It served as a stark contrast to his albino skin. His hair, free of pigment and a few inches past his shoulders, was frightening and bluntly cut. His red eyes looked as though they would jump out of his head if they could, but some indescribable force was somehow locking them in. His appearance so disarmingly unusual had prevented Diana from responding.
“I said… WHAT are you doing? Where did you get that money?” he asked her again, in a more agitated state. “I gave it to the children, because they are hungry. I helped them.” Her reply was simply, and to her, conclusive and obvious. She was patient with the angry man.
“NO! You have not helped those children, you have single-handedly DESTROYED the economy! You have given no thought to the ramifications of your actions, you have underhandedly attempted to ruin me! You wretch, you witch-sorceress, I will make you pay!”
And so he held fast to her arm and summoned his driver to collect him. He and the hostage went into the car – Diana rather peacefully acquiescing to his rather absurd capture of herself. While her powers were great, they were limited – she could only use them for the aid of others. Thus, she calmly stayed next to this mad mad little man because she saw little reason – or opportunity - to do otherwise.
They had driven to the edge of the city, the very outskirts of civilization. They approached a large building with a long gravel driveway, strangely situated at the mouth of a great woodland. Up towards the house they went, the man not saying a single word to her.
As the car approached the house, the man finally ordered “OUT” to which Diana readily obeyed. He took her into the house, up the stairs, and finally flung her into an empty room slamming and locking the door behind her. “You shall rot in here, I can’t have you out and muddling about! That’ll teach you to mess with things you don’t understand!”
Bemused, Diana sat in the little room for a few moments before standing up and going to the barred window. She wondered why her mother hadn’t given her enough information to understand such a strange man and his actions. Some time passed and she could see a sliver of moon in the sky.
Weary of her confinement, frustrated at the prospect of being eternally trapped, the daughter of Mother Nature began to weep. Her tears fell to the hard cement floor, making a barely discernable sound that only the smallest of creatures could have heard.
While Diana was unable to help herself, the earth and its clever inhabitants were not beyond aiding their fair sister. When the creatures of the world heard her other-worldly tears fall, they devised a scheme to rescue her. Hundreds upon hundreds of termites rushed to the building in which she was imprisoned, and scurried up the wall towards her window. Unable to eat through the window’s bars, they instead attacked the wall, using their astounding multitude as an efficient force.
Soon the window fell out of the wall. Wish a crash it reached the ground, and Diana rushed to look out. He face still tear-streaked she soon heard the rush of many little wings approach her. A throng of butterflies in orange and black splendor rushed towards her. Their little feet grasped her delicate gown and with the cumulative strength of their number the little Lepidoptera managed to lift their dear sister out of her confinement down to the ground below. With haste she thanked both the butterflies and the termites, then ran towards the forest directly behind the house.
She could hear footsteps behind her, and prayed that she would maintain speed despite the rawness of her naked feet. Reaching the woods, it was only moments until she felt a toad underneath each foot, as well as a crow grabbing hold to each shoulder of her dress. In this way she increased her speed in a ridiculous but rather functional manner.
Mr. Charleston was not a man to be eluded. As the distance between himself and his prey lengthened, he ceased running and drew out an arrow to fit his bow. Grabbing his lighter from his pocket, he lit the end of the arrow and proceeded to release it into the air, in the sure and unfortunate direction of Diana.
Diana, unaware of her transformation from fleeing woman to targeted prey, was stunned by the sudden piercing that penetrated her left side. Falling forwards, off of the toads, out of the crow’s clutches, she hit the ground with hardly a sound. The fire that had engulfed the arrow now burned at her heart, and as Mr. Charleston slowly walked up to her he could remove the arrow with ease.
In doing so, her shish-ka-bobbed heart was plucked out and remained on the arrow like a large charred marshmallow. As her body somewhat repaired itself, Diana was able to turn and rise. Mr. Charleston was able to see the fire in her eyes fade and smolder and it was then that he knew he could offer her a job at his bank. After garnering her acceptance, he marched off back towards his house while the girl slowly trailed behind.
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