Nymph's Grove: A Short Story

“The gentle green hills which on either hand enclosed the village, tufted here and there with magnificent trees, the village itself, straggling and wide, each cottage being far apart from its neighbors and each ornamented with flower beds and shrubberies; these with a lovely stream which would through the valley, formed, as far as my memory may be trusted, one of the most exquisite panoramas, on which it has ever been my good fortune to

“a mountain/within which a cave/where was heard/a stream’s faint murmur/ and seen the mirrored glance/ of an iridescent bird’s/luminous eyes/a cave/across the ridged walls/of which gallops and flickers/a herd of elk/ and on the sandy/floor beneath the feathers of firelight” (24).

“Hey Sherbert! You hair is standing up!” It was true. Everyone’s hair on the island stood up and a strange buzzing filled the air. All became quiet, but the buzzing stayed burning in their ears. People started screaming, and the little girl fell to the ground. Everything caught flame and the mother huddled her babies on the ground in the corner of the town square. Buildings crumbled, and the ground shook. There was a blinding light, and then a beautiful forest faded into view on Roanoke island. A small and slightly confused dog stood in the middle of a daisy patch. It watched a hand sink into the earth, burning, and right where it disappeared, a daisy sprouted. The dog looked around, and there were no homes, no sidewalks, no babies, no treats. There were just beautiful trees, birds, grasses, and ponds.

Soon high jungle closed in... The air here was dark too, and the creepers dropped their ropes like the rigging of foundered ships. His feet left prints in the soft soil and the creepers shivered throughout their lengths when he bumped them. He came at last to a place where more sunshine fell. Since they had not so far to go for light the creepers had woven a great mat that hung at the side of an open space in the jungle; for here a patch of rock came close to the surface and would not allow more than little plants and ferns to grow...Then he bent down and wormed his way into the center of

Then, it comes out of nowhere. The biggest climax, suddenly brought on like a wave crashing against a cliff’s edge. The oboe melody recurs again, this time less sorrowful than inviting. Come back, it sings. And the flute comes skipping over the sound, the sun rising from behind black clouds. But the melody it plays sounds out of place, lower than and not as bright as what it could be. My fingers twitch, following the flute countermelody as if I were up there playing with them—as I should be.

“There were orchards, heavy leafed in their prime, and vineyards with the long green crawlers carpeting the ground between the rows. There were melon patches and grain fields. White houses stood in the greenery, roses growing over them. And the sun was gold and warm.

Response: The setting in this paragraph is peaceful and mystifying. The words used to illustrate how the darkness fell over the jungle (poured, dim, strange) allows the reader to visualize it happening calmly, while still keeping a mysterious air to it. The comparison to the sea further highlights the mystery, as the sea to this day is still mostly unexplored and unknown. Comparing this to the jungle makes

said to her was true she would live with him and be his love. However

Many had made arrangements for new cabins to be waiting for them, others would stay with family members or friends; as for Adam, he headed towards a lodge to spend the night. The next morning, Adam was fully prepared to begin in his journey in making his fame. His plan was to go up north and see what treasures he could find. Four hours into his journey, and Adam had already began to experience a whole new world. He wrote every single detail down in his journal like the diverse species of birds and small beasts, as well as the exotic plants he encountered. As he continued to walk, he heard the song the birds chirped in trees along with the crunching of dried leaves and branches made with every step taken and fragrance of pine cones filled his nose. He was amazed by the beauty of the forest, but what he did not know was he was not

As the afternoon dawns hours later, he proceeds to sweep the paths of the once again brisk city alive with noise and action. From afar, an assemblage of nature’s undisturbed emerald leaves, ensnare his gaze. With a swift motion he rushed towards what seemed to be nature’s personal gift to him. This being a habitual reaction left him unaware of the effects of his senseless behaviour. His arrival upon the peaceful scene was a reflection of the early morning scene in the

“Continuous as the stars that shine and twinkle on the milky way, they stretched in never-ending line along the margin of a bay: ten thousand saw I at a glance, tossing their heads in sprightly dance.” This beautiful and lovely description of the daffodils portrayed in “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” helps the reader to envision what Wordsworth saw while he was out walking. Such a description makes a reader’s imagination flow and encaptures a reader. Another story that catches a reader’s attention in a similar way to “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” is the text “Calypso Borealis”. Authors William Wordsworth and John Muir both write beautiful descriptions of nature that pull readers in and allow them to see the wonders of nature through the authors’

There is a tall tale of an ancient harp in an ancient forest of mystery known as, The Aaaggghhh. Which got its name when a wise man came running out of the forest screaming, when he found a nearby village where an expeditioner was staying, and when he asked about the surrounding forest, the only thing the wise man could say was aaaggghhh. As such the expeditioner named the forest and its surrounding area the Aaaggghhh. The harp itself has been known for many years as a tall tale told by similar wise men to the original. The tale has always been about the harp belonging to a magical everlasting dinosaur, specifically a tyrannosaurus rex, named Wembleton that plays it with his tiny arms. The tale also denotes the song being so beautiful that every organism within earshot falls into a deep trancelike sleep. After everyone is asleep the t-rex then roams around the forest eating the nearest forest animals. The telling of this story has gone through many generations so much so that the year is now 1978 and disco has taken over the world. Wembleton uses this to his advantage in that his

Eden is an idyllic haven, proportionate in beauty to its inhabitants. Tigers and lambs play about in mutual joy, and roses have no known thorns yet. Milton takes to epic grandeur as he presents,

I gazed up at the mountain now drenched in light red and squinted, trying to keep my eyes open, as the bright sharp light burnt into my eyes. Struggling to keep my eyes open, I finally closed them unable to the pain any longer; I wiped my watery eyes and thought where Samneric’s fire was? There was a rumble inside me, and I looked hopefully at the jungle wondering if I could find Samneric’s fire as well as something to eat. In the morning light the jungle seemed like an old and tattered rug chewed to bits by moths, yet despite this the jungle and the whole island was beautiful shining in the sun’s warmth. I kept on walking as the jungle beckoned me calling me with its beauty. As I passed between the trees, the canopy overhead plunged me into velvet darkness. The only source of light was from the small gaps in the shell of overlapping leaves, where the sun glistened through. Moss and lichen covered the ground in abundance, thriving in this humid atmosphere, and feeding on the eerie green light that managed to penetrate through the ceiling of emerald leaves. The strange green shade and the various knotted pillars made it impossible to see for great distances or to walk about freely.

As I left behind the somber forest, I now recognized an appreciation for nature that I did not realize I had. I now knew there was more to nature than just trees and animals, but also I found the