Title: The gnome and the Water Sprite
Genre: fantasy, based on Finnish mythology
Rating: G
Warnings: none
The night sky was clear and the land was covered with snow. Few squirrels jumped from tree to tree, keeping the gnome company while he checked around, making sure everything was all right. The old gnome, beard white and grey, blue eyes warm and smiling, watched the squirrels’ antics and laughed quietly. Trees were heavy with the snow and he smiled as one squirrel jumped on a branch making the snow fall with a soft sound.
Despite the unfortunate events that happened few moons ago he was content. The house was secured: human family living in didn’t blame him but left him offerings, asking him to protect the remaining family and he would. His felt slippers left footsteps on the snow but he didn’t care. Near dawn snow would fall once more and the footsteps would be covered.
The cottage was almost dark. The gnome made a mental note to himself to check the fireplace before returning to his own burrow to rest for the day while his family would do their jobs and leave some bread and milk to him in some corner. In the evening he would wake up, check the house, the barn and the sauna. Then he would make sure nothing dangerous remained in the forest. He would keep the family safe.
He stopped in the middle of a step when he saw someone sitting on a snow bank. He relaxed as he recognised the form and crept closer.
“What are you doing here?” the gnome spoke, his tone gentle as always. The figure turned around, a wide smile on the pale face. His wet hair was mixed colour of green and blue, already freezing because of the cold. He looked like a small human child but his hair gave him away as did his misty eyes and the fact that he wasn’t shivering though he wore nothing on him.
“Got bored. Someone broke the ice. Wanted to see if you were here.”
The gnome stopped beside him to stare the house in the middle of the clearing. Near to it was the barn and the sauna and somewhere there was his own burrow but he wouldn’t be able to go there now. Not before the water sprite was gone. Usually they talked a lot during other seasons but every winter the sprite’s lake froze and he couldn’t get out. He knew all the other gnomes would laugh at him, for befriending a creature whose nature wasn’t to protect.
“Why are they so sad?” The sprite’s question was an odd one since, usually, the sprite didn’t care for humans that much.
“They lost one of their children a few moons ago”, the gnome answered. He still felt a tingle in his chest as he thought about it. Centuries he had guarded this house and the families living there but the child had been sweet.
“A young boy? Blonde hair, blue eyes and a birthmark on his left thigh?”
“How did you – “, the gnome turned to watch the sprite and realised. “You drowned him?”
“He broke the ice”, the water sprite shrugged and grinned though his smile faltered a little as he saw the gnome’s face. “Didn’t know he was from there.”
The gnome said nothing. He let his glare speak for him before stumping away and leaving the water sprite there to stare after him. Inside the house he listened the peaceful silence, only the wind outside broke through and the small noises the fireplace made. Muttering to himself, feeling sorrowful for not realising earlier what had happened to the young, cheerful boy, he carried few logs in the fireplace and gave them to the fire.
Other gnomes were right, he mused as he settled for the night, taking away his felt slippers and covering himself carefully with a blanket. Water sprites weren’t good friends for those who were supposed to protect and guard. Water sprites were evil, most would say. Families scared their children saying water sprites would take them away and eat them if they would not obey and be good. Just because he considered the water sprite his friend didn’t mean the other did the same. He had met the water sprite few years after his spouse had passed away and something in the cheerful, yet so dark creature had fascinated him. The lake was the only one in the area so maybe the sprite had felt lonely and therefore hadn’t had anything against talking to someone not-human.
The sun started to come up, he felt it, and heard the family getting up. Feeling sleepy he closed his eyes. He thought he heard someone play violin, the soft tunes being sorrowful and calm. It reminded him of his wife and a small smile came to the gnome’s face as he let the sleep claim him.
When he woke up he instantly knew it wasn’t evening yet. The sun was still up but the shouts were loud. He recognised the family’s wife being the one to yell and oddly she sounded happy. Frowning, he knew he wouldn’t be able to know what had happened unless he left his warm burrow. He dressed up, making his way to the house, being extra careful not to be seen. The family was fussing over someone. Blankets had been thrown over the figure and the gnome stopped in shock as he recognised the face of the young boy who had disappeared. Had been drowned, he corrected himself, wondering how the boy was there, clearly living and well if not being little bit cold.
He stayed at the shadows, hiding, and watched as the boy’s shivering calmed down. The boy said to his family he didn’t remember anything except someone playing violin. The gnome tugged his beard, frowning, and then he realised what must have happened. He saw the wife put bread and some other foods in a small basket she left in a corner. They thanked him for the boy’s return? The gnome sighed, grabbed the basket and left outside. The sun was still up, the snow glistened almost in a painful way but he ignored it while he made his way through the trees towards the lake.
The water sprite was sitting on a snow covered boulder, his violin resting near him. The gnome noticed the almost wary look the sprite gave him as he came closer.
“They left this for me but I didn’t save him”, the gnome said, showing the basket.
“Don’t like human food”, the sprite muttered. “Didn’t do anything.”
“I heard”, the gnome sat down near the sprite. “Heard you playing the violin.” Calmly he took a small slice of bread and started eating it while watching the water sprite who was still staring warily, not him, but the basket.
“My cousins are going to laugh at me”, he muttered in the end and snatched the rest of the bread. The gnome smiled, relaxing and enjoying the meal shared with a friend.
bouncyGenre: fantasy, based on Finnish mythology
Rating: G
Warnings: none
The night sky was clear and the land was covered with snow. Few squirrels jumped from tree to tree, keeping the gnome company while he checked around, making sure everything was all right. The old gnome, beard white and grey, blue eyes warm and smiling, watched the squirrels’ antics and laughed quietly. Trees were heavy with the snow and he smiled as one squirrel jumped on a branch making the snow fall with a soft sound.
Despite the unfortunate events that happened few moons ago he was content. The house was secured: human family living in didn’t blame him but left him offerings, asking him to protect the remaining family and he would. His felt slippers left footsteps on the snow but he didn’t care. Near dawn snow would fall once more and the footsteps would be covered.
The cottage was almost dark. The gnome made a mental note to himself to check the fireplace before returning to his own burrow to rest for the day while his family would do their jobs and leave some bread and milk to him in some corner. In the evening he would wake up, check the house, the barn and the sauna. Then he would make sure nothing dangerous remained in the forest. He would keep the family safe.
He stopped in the middle of a step when he saw someone sitting on a snow bank. He relaxed as he recognised the form and crept closer.
“What are you doing here?” the gnome spoke, his tone gentle as always. The figure turned around, a wide smile on the pale face. His wet hair was mixed colour of green and blue, already freezing because of the cold. He looked like a small human child but his hair gave him away as did his misty eyes and the fact that he wasn’t shivering though he wore nothing on him.
“Got bored. Someone broke the ice. Wanted to see if you were here.”
The gnome stopped beside him to stare the house in the middle of the clearing. Near to it was the barn and the sauna and somewhere there was his own burrow but he wouldn’t be able to go there now. Not before the water sprite was gone. Usually they talked a lot during other seasons but every winter the sprite’s lake froze and he couldn’t get out. He knew all the other gnomes would laugh at him, for befriending a creature whose nature wasn’t to protect.
“Why are they so sad?” The sprite’s question was an odd one since, usually, the sprite didn’t care for humans that much.
“They lost one of their children a few moons ago”, the gnome answered. He still felt a tingle in his chest as he thought about it. Centuries he had guarded this house and the families living there but the child had been sweet.
“A young boy? Blonde hair, blue eyes and a birthmark on his left thigh?”
“How did you – “, the gnome turned to watch the sprite and realised. “You drowned him?”
“He broke the ice”, the water sprite shrugged and grinned though his smile faltered a little as he saw the gnome’s face. “Didn’t know he was from there.”
The gnome said nothing. He let his glare speak for him before stumping away and leaving the water sprite there to stare after him. Inside the house he listened the peaceful silence, only the wind outside broke through and the small noises the fireplace made. Muttering to himself, feeling sorrowful for not realising earlier what had happened to the young, cheerful boy, he carried few logs in the fireplace and gave them to the fire.
Other gnomes were right, he mused as he settled for the night, taking away his felt slippers and covering himself carefully with a blanket. Water sprites weren’t good friends for those who were supposed to protect and guard. Water sprites were evil, most would say. Families scared their children saying water sprites would take them away and eat them if they would not obey and be good. Just because he considered the water sprite his friend didn’t mean the other did the same. He had met the water sprite few years after his spouse had passed away and something in the cheerful, yet so dark creature had fascinated him. The lake was the only one in the area so maybe the sprite had felt lonely and therefore hadn’t had anything against talking to someone not-human.
The sun started to come up, he felt it, and heard the family getting up. Feeling sleepy he closed his eyes. He thought he heard someone play violin, the soft tunes being sorrowful and calm. It reminded him of his wife and a small smile came to the gnome’s face as he let the sleep claim him.
When he woke up he instantly knew it wasn’t evening yet. The sun was still up but the shouts were loud. He recognised the family’s wife being the one to yell and oddly she sounded happy. Frowning, he knew he wouldn’t be able to know what had happened unless he left his warm burrow. He dressed up, making his way to the house, being extra careful not to be seen. The family was fussing over someone. Blankets had been thrown over the figure and the gnome stopped in shock as he recognised the face of the young boy who had disappeared. Had been drowned, he corrected himself, wondering how the boy was there, clearly living and well if not being little bit cold.
He stayed at the shadows, hiding, and watched as the boy’s shivering calmed down. The boy said to his family he didn’t remember anything except someone playing violin. The gnome tugged his beard, frowning, and then he realised what must have happened. He saw the wife put bread and some other foods in a small basket she left in a corner. They thanked him for the boy’s return? The gnome sighed, grabbed the basket and left outside. The sun was still up, the snow glistened almost in a painful way but he ignored it while he made his way through the trees towards the lake.
The water sprite was sitting on a snow covered boulder, his violin resting near him. The gnome noticed the almost wary look the sprite gave him as he came closer.
“They left this for me but I didn’t save him”, the gnome said, showing the basket.
“Don’t like human food”, the sprite muttered. “Didn’t do anything.”
“I heard”, the gnome sat down near the sprite. “Heard you playing the violin.” Calmly he took a small slice of bread and started eating it while watching the water sprite who was still staring warily, not him, but the basket.
“My cousins are going to laugh at me”, he muttered in the end and snatched the rest of the bread. The gnome smiled, relaxing and enjoying the meal shared with a friend.
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