It was a beautiful spring day in the forest. Ptelea, the forest nymph, danced and played in a carefree fashion. She was overjoyed with how healthy and vibrant her forest had become and wanted to enjoy the beauty of the sun with as many of her botanical friends as she could.

She bounded in long strides and at times seemed to almost float over the forest floor. She would sometimes stop to acknowledge any woodland creatures that would stop and look at her quizzically. It seemed that she had become lost in the moment because she heard the sharp crackle of twigs breaking which signified that there was a human nearby.

Panicked, she ran as fast as she could to try to find shelter inside a nearby oak tree. As she neared the tree, there was a loud snap and she fell to the ground in intense discomfort.

The hiker, a young woman named Carrie, heard the trap go off followed by a yelp of pain. She turned suddenly and almost lost her balance. It felt like the entire forest trembled in unison with the sound, but she quickly decided that she had imagined that part.

Carrie ran toward the commotion, expecting to find a fox or another small animal in a trap. Instead, she found a peculiarly undersized woman with her foot caught in the trap.

The woman was roughly the size of an adolescent girl. She was quite thin, particularly in her arms and legs. Her torso, though, was quite shapely and womanly. She had long, straight hair that seemed to be on the whiter side of blonde.

Upon a closer look, she didn’t seem to be wearing any clothing. She did, however, have what appeared to be ivy wrapped around her torso. Also, offset on the side of her head was a small cluster of wildflowers that encircled a particularly large, blue wildflower.

As Carrie ran up to the woman, she had a look of pure fear on her face. Strangely, she seemed more afraid of Carrie than she was of her injury.

In her panic, the woman tried frenetically to free herself. It was immediately apparent that she hadn’t the physical strength to open it. Carrie tried to comfort the woman as she quickly assessed the situation. The trap seemed to have pinched nearly all the way through the woman’s ankle somehow, and her skin had already turned black wherever the trap touched it.

Carrie quickly pried the trap open and the woman scooted away backward until she rested against a large tree.

The woman still looked terrified as Carrie once again approached her. Carrie introduced herself. The woman responded that her name was Ptelea. Carrie assumed that she was from another country based on her name and reluctant behavior.

Carrie sat down next to Ptelea and attempted to reassure her that she would be alright. When he told her that she would take her to get medical treatment on her foot, Ptelea responded confidently that it wouldn’t be necessary.

Ptelea told her that the forest would heal her, just as she would heal it. Carrie smiled at Ptelea but was beginning to question her grip on reality.

Ptelea added that she remembered seeing Carrie in her forest before. Carrie thought that comment was odd because the forest was a state wildlife area and Ptelea clearly didn’t own it. Before she could finish her thought, Ptelea said that Carrie looked like the living embodiment of the sun and snow. She was clearly referring to Carrie’s pale complexion and her fiery, red hair.

Ptelea seemed entranced by that thought. She reached her hand out to brush Carrie’s hair away from her cheek.

As Ptelea touched her, Carrie was instantly overcome with passion. She felt like her chest was on fire and she lunged forward and met Ptelea with a long, lustful kiss.

As they broke away, Ptelea stared at Carrie with a look of shock as she gasped for air. Ptelea’s luminescent blue eyes seemed to sparkle as they shared a look.

Carrie couldn’t remember ever being this aroused before. She reached her hand between Ptelea’s legs and started to rub her clit slowly. Ptelea’s mouth drew open and she behaved as though she had never been touched before.

Carrie continued on faster than before. It felt like the entire forest was swaying with their every move. Ptelea started to tremble. Carrie leaned in for one more kiss. Ptelea wrapped her arms around Carrie and squeezed her with all of her might as she came.

The two held each other for several minutes. As Carrie refocused, she found that they were surrounded by wildflowers several feet tall in all directions. She was stunned by that development but decided that she needed to get Ptelea some assistance.

She looked down to find Ptelea’s leg had healed completely. Ptelea rose to her feet and boasted that the forest had indeed healed her. She thanked Carrie for removing that “infernal contraption” from her foot. Then she told Carrie that she needed to leave, she had already broken her vow by interacting directly with her kind.

“My kind?” Carrie asked.

“Humans!” Ptelea shouted as she scurried off.

Carrie called out to Ptelea, begging her to come back. There was no response.

She returned to the forest many times after that day. Carrie never actually saw Ptelea again, although she could sense her presence several times.

One time, in particular, she was convinced that Ptelea was hiding inside a tree. As she touched it, she felt the same warmth as she did on that first day. She sat at the bough of the tree, talking to Ptelea for hours. Sometimes she could hear the leaves of the tree rustle in response, but Ptelea never appeared.

Carrie never stopped feeling connected to Ptelea, despite the fact that she never reappeared in her physical form. To this day, she still spends her spare time searching the forest for her soulmate.