A Sanctuary For Lost Souls
created with dreamlike art ai.
Nina sat in the back of the moving taxi, glancing at nothing particular through the window when the scene caught her eyes. There were at least a dozen women all dressed in long white gowns. They wore colorful flower wreaths on their hair. Two of the women hung flower baskets around their necks. As they swirled and sprinkled white dust and flowers in the air, the other women formed a circle and let out soft hums. Their voices were like sweet opera perforating the atmosphere. They began to raise their hands high.
Nina became enthralled. The scene felt weird yet so intriguing. The hums sent gentle strings of sensations through her body. It ignited her mood instantly. Nina had been feeling terrible all week. She was moving to a new town. She had just gotten a promotion at work. She would be the new supervisor for the construction her company was carrying out in the little suburban town. Nina felt sick to her stomach. She had just lost a pregnancy a month before and she felt like she didn’t own the right to be happy.
“What are they doing in those woods?” curious, Nina leaned towards the front seats.
“Oh, that’s a procession. Women who have lost their babies do this to sanctify and protect their souls. They believe the souls of their babies become angels who watch over them. After the procession, the grieving mother leaves her wreath. It is believed that the child takes it with them to the spirit world.” The driver yawned looking through his side mirror. He curved the steering and took a left turn. “We are here,” he announced.
Nina leaned back, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. That evening after unpacking some of her stuff, she decided to take a stroll. She walked down the path where she had seen the women earlier that day. Nina stepped off the main road and into the forest path. She saw a sign that read, sanctuary for lost souls. On the forest floor was a wreath. Nina picked it up.
The leaves began to sway from side to side. She started to hear soft hums. It was like the trees were singing. Just then, a little boy came out from deep in the woods and tried to snatch the wreath from Nina. “Tell them not to cut down the trees.” The boy looked into Nina’s brown eyes before he ran off. Everything happened so fast but Nina noticed the boy wore only a white cape.
“Hey wait!” Nina quickly ran after him but it was like he just disappeared. The humming and swaying stopped. Nina strolled back home feeling a way she couldn’t explain.
The next day at work, one of Nina’s contractors handed her a file. “The local community has authorized us to get wood from this forest,” he said. The name on the paper was sanctuary of lost souls. Nina felt cold as memories of the little boy washed through her.
“Is everything alright ma’am?” the contractor asked.
“Umm,” Nina nodded.
That night, Nina She sat on her front porch holding the wreath in her hand. She couldn’t stop thinking about the boy, the wreath, and the forest all day. She began to look around, the night was cold and gentle. Then she noticed little footprints. Nina followed them. They led her back to the sanctuary of lost souls.
Nina saw the little boy she had seen the day before. He appeared to be sulking in a corner. His white cape had dirt on it.
“Hey, little one. Is everything okay? What are you doing out here all alone?” The boy looked up. His face was as bright as the moon.
“You have my halo with you. Without it, I cannot join my friends there.” He pointed towards the forest and the leaves began to sway again accompanied by humming sounds.
Nina didn’t understand what the little boy meant but she took out the wreath and handed it over to the child. The boy placed the wreath on his head. Like magic, the wreath transformed into a halo. It let out a soft glow.
The boy began to walk deep into the forest. The humming in the air deepened. Nina quickly followed. “Wait! What did you mean when you said, ‘tell them not to cut down the trees?”
The boy turned to look at Nina. His eyes were also glistening now and his cape had become crisp white. “ All of this is our home,” he replied. “She lives here too. I'll show you.”
The boy turned. He walked to the front of a big sequoia tree and stood there. The trunk suddenly began to path open before Nina's very eyes. Lights began emanating from the trunk. When the trunk was completely split, it revealed the most breathtaking scene Nina had ever seen.
Inside was a mass of sheen-like sunlight. The light was blinding. Nina saw dozens of children and babies with white wings flying around. They all had white capes and bright halos floating above their heads.
One of the babies came to where Nina stood and hovered around her. She flew to Nina's face and looked into her eyes. Instantly Nina felt a deep longing in her. The kind she had felt when she lost her pregnancy. Right there, she recognized the little angel in front of her. The baby left a soft kiss on Nina's cheek. She then hovered back into the trunk.
Nina stood there watching her until the tree trunk closed. She must have frozen for moments unending. She wanted to remain there and relive the moment forever. Nina sat on the forest floor in silence. She felt peace and conviction. Peace she had never felt before and conviction that she would protect the forest no matter what it takes.
Wow!
I imagined the scene that appeared before Nina. Lovely 😍.
Let it be that they didn't later cut down the trees
Oh, thank you so much.
I believe Nina did her best to preserve the forest and the souls of the little departed ones.
Excellent! What a compelling and thought-provoking story. You pulled me in from the beginning with the intriguing scene of the women dressed in white gowns in the woods.
I was worried at the point where Nina took the boy's wreath. I felt like telling her, "Drop that! Didn't you get any of the cab driver's gist?" 😒😂
I'm happy Nina got to see her unborn baby. I love stories that explore themes of grief, healing and nature. Your descriptive language and narration is effective. Well done! !LUV !LADY
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Where do I start with this beautiful comment? Thank you so much. You make my heart full.
I bet Nina thought they were just stories at first. Now she's a believer and would do anything to protect the forest.
Thank you again.
How lovely, Nina gets to have something I would say is more than closure.
Your writing is breathtaking.
Thank you so much. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
🤗your welcome.
Yay! 🤗
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Thank you very interesting your literature
Thank you so much for reading.
This is such a lovely and poignant story, @kei2. Nina's plight tugs at our hearts. The little boy is like an outstretched hand between this world and the next. When Nina gets to meet the soul of her lost baby, it is a beautiful moment. Nicely done!
One tip for you: If you go back and carefully read your story again, you will find that there are some errors. One way to catch errors in your stories before posting them is to use Google docs to draft your stories. It will point out most grammatical errors by underlining them. Then you can click on the underlined text to see the recommended fix. For example:
When you click the suggested fix, the change is made.
For more information, see our article [Help for the Grammatically Challenged](Help for the Grammatically Challenged).
Thank you so much inkwell. I will run the story through google docs and make the necessary adjustments. I appreciate this.
Just an amazing story to start my day, Nina showed resilience that was actualized... Thanks for sharing
Thank you so much for engaging. I appreciate it.
This is the first time reading your story miss and I was wowed.
Someone around me had a miscarriage, she had just a few months to delivery, and all efforts to keep the child didn't work. I was comparing how she felt to Nina's condition and her experience in the forest must have been so comforting that she would want the moment to last forever.
I am sure she will do everything in her might to make sure the tree is not touched by anyone.
Thank you so much. I’m so sorry she had to go through such a painful experience. It is one that lingers in the heart and people only learn to live with it. I wish her all the peace and light. Like Nina, I pray she finds comfort.
Thanks again.
I am a mother who has lost a child prior to delivery. I really understand Nina , glad she found comfort.
So nice story kei 👌
I am so sorry to hear that. I sincerely wish you all the love and light there is.
Thank you so much 🥰
Nina's story is emotional, I was glued to the story to the end.
Thank you for this great masterpiece.
You are amazing!!!
Awe! How sweet. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for reading.
You welcome dear
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The masterpieces you write...heart thud!
I love how you're not shy to play with your imagination. It reflects in your stories and it is just incredible. Peace to Nina.
Oh my. Thank you so much for this beautiful comment. I learned to stop holding back.
🙂❤️
Such an intriguing storyline which I enjoyed. I believe with what Nina has seen and has felt, she will do all it takes to protect the tree and not allow them to cut it down because there are lost souls living there. That was amazing, @kei2
I came to your post through #dreemport
It was a life changing experience for her. She would do everything in her power to preserve the forest. Thank you so much for reading.