by Morgan C.

Excerpt from Story of Sprites and Gnomes:

“SNAP!” a branch broke under Calliope’s boot as she walked through the dark forest, the only sound for miles. She wore jeans and a maroon t-shirt that has been patched together with scraps of different things. She had dark green boots that were extremely muddy from going so many places without washing them. On her back she carried her swords and a worn leather bag which stored her notebook, a box with fire designs on it from her mother, what looked to be a disk made out of a leaf, and the last remains of food she still had from the last time she was in town.

Calliope was known for her bright orange hair, almost neon, she got this from her mother. Her mother is a fire sprite. Sprites are almost entirely human but there are some distinct differences. The most noticeable difference being their hair, which are all different colors. Fire hydrant sprites with red hair are a close cousin, and often confused with, the more well known, fire sprites with orange hair. Sun sprites have yellow hair, field sprites have green hair, river sprites with blue hair are a close cousin of the ocean sprites with indigo hair, and night sprites have purple hair.

It was quiet as she walked. The dead leaves crunching under her feet were the only sounds. The dark forest is tied as the second largest of the forests in their kingdom, and it was completely abandoned. There are 4 main forests, the dark forest and the light forest are tied for second largest. The jungle is the largest and thickest. And, the blooming forest was always the most popular to visit before they were all abandoned.