A strange cottage in the mist

Bright and clear it stands, stark against the hazy fog that presses in around. Walls of charmingly jumbled stone, wooden window-frames painted a vibrant red. A single chimney from which rises a thin smoky plume. Firewood stacked about, and a simple but neat garden of flowers and vegetables is arranged to either side of the stony path to the front door. An oasis of pleasant cultivation, in a clearing flanked by wild woodland.

It is, simply enough, the image of coziness. An idyll made solid – no, Lux reminds herself, made to appear solid. In this place, if something looks too good to be true, it surely is. Here is everything Lux needs right now, everything but a signpost pointing the way back to her own world.

But does that mean she can walk away? She’s gone through so much. The promise of safety and shelter beckons to her. There has to be some reason the nereid brought her here, some importance. She takes one step forward, then another.

As she draws closer, something…shifts in the air around her. The air feels warmer. The fog itself appears to recede – as if the sky were clearing overhead, rays of light shine down, and then—

Tears blur Lux’s vision as she realises she’s seeing sunlight. It feels like it’s been so long. Lost in this forsaken fog, assailed at every turn, she just wants to get out…

But even as she steps closer, the picture changes again. Vines coil up from the earth, forcing her to stop in her tracks as they quickly twine to block her way. Soon, a hedge adorned with spine-fringed leaves and round red berries stands between her and the cottage.

Increasingly ****, Lux continues along the edge, seeking a gap, a way through. But the hedge is all around now, and the nearer she approaches it, the more densely it gathers. Tentatively she reaches out a hand and finds that it’s no illusion. Someone, or something, is trying to keep her away.

“Hello?” she calls out, voice hoarse with effort. “Please! Is there anyone there? Can you hear me?”

No response at first. Lux sinks to her knees. Staring through the veil of green, she considers calling on her magic – she could cut through, burn through – but she can’t muster the strength. Some unseen weight presses down on her shoulders, makes every thought sluggish. Can she hear music…?

Then there is movement. Through the leaves, Lux sees a figure approaching. The vines – they coil back, parting somehow reluctantly. Forming the shape of an arch, a gateway, the path clearing before her…

Her heart leaps, but she hesitates to move forward. In this place, a clear path feels almost too easy. She blinks, trying to focus on the approaching figure.