The forest always has an eerie yet calming feeling to it.

Whenever the wind blew, the sounds of the rustling leaves fill the space. Running water coming from the river gave a sense of freshness to the earthy atmosphere. Traces of the animals’ footsteps could be heard, and yet it was difficult to catch a glimpse of any of them.

Gyuri loved everything about the forest. To her, there were a lot of mysteries that hide within the trees, rocks and plants, but it doesn’t mean they were meant to be discovered. She liked the way it is. It’s mysteries make it all the more beautiful.

She was doing her usual routine during one Saturday afternoon. She walked by the river and fed the fishes, planted some flowers and watched them bloom. She even played with some rabbits and squirrels.

As she walked back to her special spot by the river, she saw an unfamiliar girl. She quietly sat there while observing her surroundings. She watched the birds flew by. She looked curiously at the fishes in the river. She touched the flowers and smiled as she traces the petals with her fingertips. Her eyes glistened whenever something excited her and a smile would come afterwards.

She was beautiful.

Gyuri watched her from the other side of the river. There was something calming about her, but so much questions came to mind as she watched her. Who was she? What was she doing here? Why is she alone?

As much as Gyuri would want answers, she would never get any of them.

The girl stood up from her spot and started walking out of the forest.

Gyuri wanted to follow her, to know where she was from and maybe find out who she was, but she couldn’t.

Forest sprites can’t leave the forest. So she stayed put and watched the girl’s back until it was gone.

-

She wasn’t expecting the girl to come back, but there she was, sitting at the same spot a week after she first saw her. However, there was something different.

The girl somberly looked at her own reflection at the river. It seemed like she was crying.

Gyuri moved closer to her.

The girl lifted her head up and looked straight past Gyuri. A sigh escaped her lips as she frustratingly ran her hand through her disheveled hair.

It pained Gyuri to see the girl like this. Right in front of her was a beautiful girl with bruises on her cheeks and tears welling up in her eyes. She wanted to comfort her. She wanted to tell her that everything was going to be alright.

But she couldn’t.

Forest sprites were invisible to the human eye.

As much as it pains Gyuri that she couldn’t give direct comfort to the girl, she did what she can.

She went upstream and bloomed a flower. She let this flow down the river to where the girl was. When the girl noticed it, she wiped off her tears and looked hopefully at the flower.

A smile slowly came upon her face.

Gyuri smiled as well. She wondered and hoped that she could see her again.

-

She didn’t come back the week after.

-

Gyuri was on the brink of falling asleep when she heard loud cries. She quickly got up and followed the sound.

There she was. The same girl from before. Crying her eyes out. Screaming angrily at the trees. Kicking her own reflection when she sees it on the water.

It was so painful. Much more painful than the last time she saw her.

She couldn’t imagine what she went through for her to be suffering like this. She couldn’t understand how can someone like her be in so much pain.

All her life, Gyuri liked being invisible. She was away from attention. She could do whatever she wanted. She didn’t have to interact with humans at all.

But she felt the opposite right now.

She hated that she was invisible. She hated how she couldn’t directly comfort the girl. She felt so helpless.

The girl fell on her knees as she cried louder in her hands.

Gyuri moved closer and looked at her with sad eyes. Flowers worked last time, but tonight’s feeling was different. She thought deeply as she watched her.

And then the perfect idea came to her.

Carefully, she called for the fireflies and asked them to comfort the crying girl.

She looked up from her hands when she noticed little specks of light. Her tear-streaked face was slowly filled with fascination as she looked at the fireflies. Her eyes glimmered as she watched them spread around her. It almost felt like a new spring of hope opened up in her.

Gyuri hoped her feeling was right and the girl will have better days from now on.

-

It was a sunny day and Gyuri was resting under the cool shade of the trees. Animals were taking a dip in the water to cool themselves off. Flowers bloomed brightly towards the sun.

Suddenly, some of the animals ran off from the river. This was odd, so Gyuri got up and checked the area.

The girl was back again, but she looked a lot more better than the last time she saw her. She looked healthy and happy.

She carried a tree sapling with her and started planting it. She chose the spot where she broke down a week ago. Gyuri watched her closely, digging up some of the soil when the girl wasn’t looking.

When the sapling was in place, the girl knelt down in front of it. She took out a few pieces of tangerines from her bag and placed them under the plant. With clasped hands and closed eyes, she silently said her wishes.

It was a calming sight to see.

“Saerom! Are you done?” Someone from outside the forest shouted. It sounded like a friend of hers.

She opened her eyes and turned towards the direction of the voice. “Just give me a minute!”

She turned back to the plant and rested her hand on the soil with a smile on her face.

“Thank you.”

Gyuri watched her walk out of the forest with unexplainable good feelings building up in her.

Maybe she wasn’t completely invisible after all.