Interpoetry

Lake of Enchantment

There was once a place so breathtakingly beautiful that it is almost impossible to describe. The mountains were lush and green and speckled with dense purple heather.
Waterfalls cascaded down from rocky crevices and flowed into fast running streams, which bubbled and splashed their way to a river and onwards to a vast lake which
shimmered in the valley, shaping the mood and feeling of the surrounding countryside. Great verdant forests nestled on the mountainside and led down to the river,
spreading into sweet wildflower meadows. On warm days the valley was permeated by an aroma of soft fragrant lavender and musky grasses, as the breeze gently swept
their scent over the land. Near the river nestled a small, bustling village; the houses were made from local stone and timbers, giving the impression that it too had
naturally grown up from the land. The people of the village worked hard, growing crops and tending to their animals. Often, they came together to celebrate -
the plentiful harvest, or the passing of new moons were all grounds for dancing, singing and huge communal feasts. The climate was temperate and predictable,
so the villagers were never troubled by poor crops or suffering animals; this was a good life, a happy life, a contented life.

Sorrentina was the most beautiful girl in the village; she smiled all day and laughed often. Her life was filled with simple pleasures: the rich smell of bread baking
in the morning, the splendour of the mountains, forests and flowers which surrounded her and the safe and certain knowledge of her parents’ adoration and her own beauty.
There was however, one truth universally known by each and every villager, young or old: never, ever, ever step into the great lake.

It was a hot day, a haze shimmered above the grassy meadows as bumblebees whirred between the cowslips, cornflowers and poppies. Sorrentina had finished her daily
chores and was lying in the meadow watching the clouds drift past and absorbing the suns warm rays. There was very little breeze, pearls of sweat beaded from her skin
as she lay listening to the insects and inhaling the air which smelt hot, dry, laden with pollen. As she lay delighting in the lazy heat, she became aware of another
sensation, a vibration, a distant murmuring instrument or voice creating a compelling tune she found impossible to ignore. As if in a trance, she rose and began to walk;
the music was so alluring she felt its pull as if she were a fish on a line. She was passive and enthralled; she walked on and on until she found herself at the edge of
the lake. The water appeared iridescent in the sunlight, a fusion of green, blue and silver - an irresistible sanctuary from the heat of the day. The music grew sweeter
and louder as she neared the edge; her skin tingling at the thought of the coolness of the water; her lips moistened anticipating the refreshing liquid swallowing down,
whilst her mind, lost in reverie, urged her to plunge into the lake. She did not pay heed to the counsel of her parents or fellow villagers; she could not ignore the
musings of her enchanted mind or draw herself away from the fresh appealing water; in a daze she lifted her delicate foot and dipped her toe into the lake. Suddenly,
she was ripped from her space on the bank and pulled down, down, down, faster, deeper, colder, darker, to the very depths of the lake. The air in her lungs compressed
and compacted, gurgling and bubbling from her mouth, water rushed in causing Sorrentina to gulp and gasp; eyes wide, she saw her world slipping away from her, down into
darkness, away from happiness and light. She glimpsed one final glint of sunshine above the water as she dove, searching her mind for hope but finding none, she blacked out.

Sorrentina was surprised to awake. It was dark, she was cold, and there was no smell. Her breathing felt strange, laboured; she felt heavy but weightless in the same
moment. She could feel a burden on her chest inside and out, as she struggled to make sense of her surroundings. Gradually, her eyes became accustomed to the dim light.
She could see inky shadows of cobalt and jade, whilst filigree threads glistened and gleamed all around. As she felt around, she realised that she was confined in some
kind of natural cage. Sediment laid down over thousands of years had created an impenetrable fortress of solid rock, there was no obvious entrance; she puzzled as to how
she had been placed there and how she may ever escape.

Soon, Sorrentina could sense the presence of others; she peered out into the murky water, willing her human eyes to adapt quickly to this strange new environment. In the
reeds that lay outside her cage she began to make out round red and orange circles, which flickered in the darkness like the fireflies, which had gathered at dusk at the
edges of the forest. Out of the swirls and shadows of the reeds came a huge pale, slimy creature, skimming through the water with fast, decisive movements. Sorrentina was
scared and shrunk back into the corner of her enclosure. The creature began to talk, not a language she had heard before but strangely she could make sense of his words.
The creature explained to her that she was an honoured guest, a prize treasured above all else in this underwater world, the beast apologised for her incarceration but
explained that the stones that encased her were magical and enabled her to breath underwater, if she tried to leave she would surely die before she could ever hope to reach
the surface. The Great Ambassador explained that the Lake People meant her no harm and would care for her like a revered queen, all they asked in return were tales from
the surface; they wanted her to describe her homeland, explain what it was like to feel the sun on your back, or the rain on your face, or taste bread, or smell fragrant
flowers. So it was that every evening the Lake People would eagerly gather outside Sorrentina’s stone prison, as she regaled them with vivid tales of brightly coloured
birds swooping through the sky - soft woolly lambs capering in fields ablaze with lustrous golden daffodils; the changing colours of the seasons and the rich, fresh
flavours of sun ripened fruit or crisp vegetables.

As the weeks passed Sorrentina became resigned to her fate. Her skin grew pale and she forgot how it felt to laugh, or feel an embrace, or inhale the fresh dewy morning air.
Time began to blur her memories of the old world and her stories became bland and featureless. This did not seem to deter the Great Ambassador of the Lake People, who
insisted it was his cleverness in sending the charm which had drawn their trophy to the waters edge that day, thus giving kudos to them over all other Lake People. He was
planning to assert himself as the Supreme Ambassador of all Lake People across the land and wished to use the leverage Sorrentina gave him to achieve his goal. He set
about spreading news of their achievement to other lake dwellers, inviting them to join him for a great feast and storytelling festival.

So it was that all the lake dwellers from miles around gathered before Sorrentina keen to listen to her enthralling tales from a far off land. Amongst the crowd was a young
lake dweller, who was excited as the others to hear her tales, but when he looked upon Sorrentina he saw something the others seemed to have missed, or simply chose to
ignore - she was lonely and full of sorrow. Her skin was pale and filmy, the blood that coursed beneath it could be seen as it continued to circuit her body. Her eyes had
become opaque from straining to focus in the gloom. There was no sheen to her hair and the clothes she had been wearing were now more like lace than cotton. She was
diminished by her sadness and the young lake dweller could not take pleasure in her stories, as the more she told of her old life the smaller she appeared. All around them,
great celebrations were taking place, but the young lake dweller did not join in, instead he spent his time watching Sorrentina. As he did so, a plan began to take shape
in his mind: if he could release her back to her own kind, the Grand Ambassador would no longer be able to lord it over the lake people; balance would be restored. He
realised he would need some powerful magic to release her from her stony prison, but this was of little concern to him, as he was descended from a line of shaman.

As the party came to a close and the lake dwellers either slept where they were or made off to their own dwellings, Sorrentina shrank back into her cage. She heard a faint
muffled noise coming from behind her; it was the young lake dweller. He spoke quickly, telling her that he wanted to help her, that she must stay calm and trust him.
Sorrentina’s eyes grew large and her heart pounded at the notion that an escape from this cold dark place may be possible. She listened to what she was told, feeling that
she had nothing to lose by trusting this creature. He offered her a small piece of root, it was purplish in colour with a rough knobbly surface and she hid it in the palm
of her hand. He told her she would only have one chance to escape, as he could not manage to conjure the powerful magic that was needed to penetrate her stony fortress
more than once, without risking his own life. The young lake dweller began a long incantation, which in itself was mesmerising but Sorrentina knew she must remain alert.
Gradually, there was a grinding and shifting of stones until two of the bars of her cage seemed to shrink.
“Quickly!” called the creature.

Sorrentina dived through the gap, which seemed to disappear almost as fast. As she did so, her chest began to ache and twist, causing severe pains to arch through her.
She realised she could no longer understand the young lake dweller, the enchantment of the cage was broken, she must get to the surface - quickly. The pain inside her was
mounting, when she remember the root in her hand. The young lake dweller gestured to her to eat it. With every last ounce of strength she rammed the root in her mouth and
began to chew as hard as she could. Once again, she felt herself being dragged through the water faster and faster, like a cork out of a champagne bottle. Until, with a
burst of water, she found herself on the surface of the lake. She came out of the water and lay down in the grass under the dazzling golden light. She noticed all the
fruit on the trees and many birds in the trees. She saw people coming through the meadow. She went out to meet them. They came up to her and took her hands and
embraced her.