Pulling on his hiking boots, Marian grabbed his walking poles, entering the forest near his home.

Soft ferns brushing against his legs as if welcoming him in, Marian tapped his walking poles on the ground, navigating the terrain carefully. The air was tinged with the smell of pine and soil, filled with the sound of birds and the rustling of leaves.

Marian ignored all of this, focused solely on the soft voice beckoning him deeper into the forest. It began weeks ago, when he was relaxing outside his home. A soft voice began to call out to him from the direction of the forest, charming and sweet. Marian greedily kept the knowledge of the voice to himself, basking in the affection it held. None of the other townspeople seemed to hear the voice and he was content, almost pleased to be the only one special enough to hear it.

The longer he listened, the harder it was to keep himself away from the forest. He wanted to be closer to the alluring voice that whispered soft affections in his ear, to hold and cherish the voice meant only for him.

Making his way deeper in, the sound of birds faded away, and the air grew colder as the warmth from the sun was blocked out by the trees. Everything seemed to come to a standstill as if the forest was holding its breath. Marian pulled his coat tighter around himself, continuing onwards in the direction of the voice. It was louder now, whispering to him encouragingly and beckoning him forward.

He was getting close.

Pushing onwards, he suddenly found himself in the sun, warmth washing over him once more. Marian ran towards it, dropping the walking poles in his haste. The voice was louder than ever before. Pausing precariously on the edge of the cliff, Marian swiveled his head around, reaching out blindly.

Where was it? What- Who is it?

Leaning forward towards the edge of the cliff, Marian’s face was awash with light, as he stretched his hands out towards the sun. Breath catching as his fingers caught on the soft planes of your hand, a wide smile crossing his face.