3. Untitled (Mirkwood)
The child has a secret place in the wood: a heart of trees, where through the spring a knot of honeysuckle opens like his own star.
Later, when the air turns chill, he is bidden not to go there. When he goes, nonetheless, he sees broken leaves; blood is on the ground, and a strange, splayed outline hoisted in the tallest tree.
He stands and sobs, and hears the strain of the winter wind. Someone picks him up and carries him away, and he somehow knows that the flowers are over, and that his people will never return to this place.
This is a work of fan fiction, written because the author has an abiding love for the works of J R R Tolkien. The characters, settings, places, and languages used in this work are the property of the Tolkien Estate, Tolkien Enterprises, and possibly New Line Cinema, except for certain original characters who belong to the author of the said work. The author will not receive any money or other remuneration for presenting the work on this archive site. The work is the intellectual property of the author, is available solely for the enjoyment of Henneth Annûn Story Archive readers, and may not be copied or redistributed by any means without the explicit written consent of the author.
