Woods Academy.

(An attempt at short story writing. This piece focuses on Woods Academy, a godly adobe set by PAN to raise the spirits of Earth and how even the spirits are not devoid of emotions-positive or negative despite being far far away from humans. I have read too much of Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Greek Mythology. I respect Rick Riordan).


"The lesson for today ends now", Mrs. Terra announced. It had been a tiring day for the little grown up spirits of the earth for they had been learning the entire day about how the sun makes a brief drift over the earth and the processes that goes on with it namely photosynthesis. This had been a special class for special little dryad Cedar. She was the tree spirit. When she was born a beautiful tree had grown along with her. She was a part of it and the tree was her. She would perish if someone had the tree cut. But in the densest part of the Earth away from the humans where the God of Nature Pan had set grounds for this very particular academy there was absolutely no chance any humanly invasion. Everything was godly here, including the amorous visits by the nasty Olympians to the staffs of the academy. And they didn't bother at all about hiding in a secretive niche. But who am I to question the very Olympians.

Sure there were tens of hundreds of other tree or plant spirits there but Cedar had grown very beautifully. She would not admit it but it was her naiad friend Pearline who would visit her home regularly. She took her freshly water to her and then nurtured Cedar and when the sun would take its course across the sky Cedar would bask and giggle under its light and imagine Apollo riding a red-black blazing Mercedes. Wait, she had no idea what Mercedes meant but Pearline had found a floating strange looking assortment of paper made of wood drifted on her aquatic body and there they had a whiff of the humanly world with "Mercedes" that made them giggle with excitement before Mrs.Terra found those odd assortment of pages and had it to nothing but ashes by her faithful phoenix.  And Apollo was quiet the charmer. Cedar and Pearline had discussed this very information with many of their little grown up spirit friends and no one denied his attributes.

"Dismissed," Mrs. Terra announced curtly and they spirits began to drift away. Some to the earth, some to the water, some to their wooden adobes and some to their windly existence. Cedar and Pearline especially envied the wind spirits the Anemois. The wind spirits were indeed free spirited as their very existence. They were prone to fits of rage and tantrum for they weren't bound to a particular place. The entire world was theirs, as far as the atmosphere extended. Naiads weren't bound to a particular place either but once they left their places it was difficult for them to get back and so no one took a chance to forage the earth in search of lower grounds. 

With a weary gait they were proceeding that Skaya, the Anemoi appeared in front of Pearline and Cedar. "Hi, you look so...what's the word...gorgeous today Cedar." Skaya said. She meant it or did she just mock? She was often a difficult character to understand with her always away to create tempest in parts of the world. She was a cosmopolite  and not so much as Mrs. Terra had traveled as much as her. She was faster and swifter than other wind spirits and she was strong. With a strong tenacity for fury and windly destruction she was often a feared character. She never had her feet on the ground. Cedar blushed for she couldn't help it and uttered a "thanks" in a slurred tone. She wasn't intimidated by her of course. But especially now there were other spirits hovering around who heard the loud compliment. 

"I have to fly now. Perhaps I will gather news of your wooden leafy maids at the humanly earth and I can deliver messages," offered Skaya.

Cedar was confused. She didn't know anyone much so far away than her tree roots extended. "Ah, I know no one. You are so lucky you get to see the world the humanly one. How I wish I could, " she fumbled. 

"Well we did see a little bit of it and it had our inner energies gushing out That black blazing chariot I often dream Apollo riding upon, "admitted Cedar.

"Oh you mean cars," Skaya looked playful. "There are handsome mortals who ride it and I get to seep in through their lovely quiffs."

Other spirits were listening intently though they made no attempts to join the conversation with Skaya talking mostly but only to Cedar. But the others were listening. The news of the humanly world was beyond imagination the most excitable.

Pearline made an attempt to end the conversation as she was sure Skaya would continually ignore her no matter what the situation. "Mayhaps you should go to your worthy duties now and we have to leave too. The sun is setting."

The final bell for the day rang and they had to go to their respective houses. They were little grown up spirits that would one day be fully independent of the tiresome lessons of the academy and their jobs were to be themselves. Grow beautiful and look out for each other. Therefore why the need of an academy if the only task was to grow up. Often many lacked the very spirit of livelihood. The team work.

Cedar went in her bark and snuggled in. She felt her energy replenish. She grew along with her tree.

Something ran on her roots that made her wake up with a startle.

"Hey Cedar," it was a faint whisper. It was completely dark and the sky remained studded with thousands of those celestial bodies. Her favourite one being Cassiopeia constellation and would she ever be honoured as to have her place in the skies. Her wooden eyes weren't exactly keen at seeing in the dark. "Who is there?"

"It's me Myrtle right here," she sounded annoyed.

"Ok so why did you call me?"

"I heard Skaya. She loves you a lot," chided the other tree spirit. He voice sounded curt.

"I think she is a good wind spirit if no one intimidates her, " supposed the other.

"Well, the problem is she is the problem. Too much attitude in her. The other day Hazel and she got in a tussle and then Skaya got very violent that she nearly shook her roots out of the ground," she informed. "A scary sight it was. If it had not been for Mrs. Terra Hazel would be treeless by now and would have perished." She accounted.

"Oh," was all that escaped from her throat. No one had informed her that.

And something washed upon her. Pearline!

"Mind if I join?" Pearline grinned. She had left a trial of water behind her. 

"Oh Pearly we were just talking..." continued Cedar.

"About Skaya? Yes, she is indeed a boastful one that one. Must keep in mind to avoid her as much as possible," Pearline noted. 

"She has her head full of air," said a tiny voice. It was Chisel and the forthright mockery from this tiny dryad made the rest giggle.

And while they mocked of Skaya little did they know her windly spirit was floating around.

"Oh my, it's quiet a little party here. I am sorry for breaking this meeting. I hate you all," broke in Skaya who sounded not less than Zeus thunderbolt booming above them. She was indeed a fierce character perhaps just because she imposed onto others.
Silence lasted maybe for a split of a second and before Cedar could settle this uncomely overture Skaya bellowed and out came all of her Amenoi powers. A really hard tug of the wind and the trees were nearly upto its uprooting! 

Tiny Chisel was blown away and there gathered other spirits who were terrified to their most. Pearline made a splashy grab for Chisel which she missed and therefore in her fit of anger sprang towards the forces of wind. It made a terrible little storm, there was wind and rain not less than any hurricane and the combined force started sucking in everything in its path. Before Mrs. Terra appeared along with the God Pan, that satyr and immediately chanted something that stopped the hurricane abruptly sending in gashes of water and wind everywhere. Then the  spirits were just merely girls. Normal girls devoid of powers or any connections to the earth.

The satyr fumed. "What is the meaning of all these?"
Skaya was on the ground unlike her usual self floating everywhere and Pearline was next to her. Both of them were caked in mud.
His question went unanswered.
He sighed.
"I knew you spirits have a lot to learn but this leaves me completely disappointed in myself, in Woods Academy and mostly in all of you."
Skaya was near to tears. "They spoke of me behind my back."
"But have you yourself been nice enough to have not been spoken behind?" asked Pan.
Her eyes lowered and she felt water brimming in her eyes and it flowed. "I am not supposed to give out water from my eyes." She sobbed.

Pan came closer, his hooves clicking onto the ground. "Listen little spirit. You are powerful alone, but together you are all wonderful. Look at how mighty a hurricane you created with your friend Pearline. But ones powers musn't be misused. Think how wonderful it would be if you could carry your friend and then let it rain over the trees. It would flourish. Likewise with the trees flourishing it will always keep you clean and beautiful. We are all interconnected and this power has been bestowed to you for good."

Pearline and Skaya looked at each other and smiled. 'I am sorry," said them together. And hugged. Skaya stood up and faced all of the others and said, "I am sorry for how arrogant I have been so far. I  must make it up to all of you but it will take time. I hope you all will come to forgive me eventually."
Cedar came and hugged her. "You are forgiven."

Afterwards they all settled down and learnt the spirit of teamwork at the very Woods Academy and if they worked hard enough some of them would get to go to CAMP HALF BLOOD with Percy Jackson!
And with that the story ends. 

Blah blah blah.

                                                                pE@ce-dr.Diksha