Chapter 38
Bathed in gentle warmth, I was woken the next morning by the intoxicating feel of sunlight on my face and the sound of gently rustling leaves all around me. Before I even opened my eyes I could smell the delicious fragrance of the tree I was hanging in, like a peppermint gum only sweeter, and I was content to just lay there and relish the moment. My ears were still filled with the memory of the lullaby my mother had sung me to sleep with. I had slept through the night. Deeply. No sad music. I’d almost forgotten what it was like not to wake up crying.
We had stayed up until the early hours of the morning, singing and dancing with the people I was happy to think of as elves. Not because they looked any different—they were more human than I was—it was just that they were everythi
