SITA

Benjamin had noticed this barely audible vibration which had pushed itself into his mental world. Although it wasn't in fact a sound like he had ever heard in the world outside his thoughts, he knew that something must have caused it. It was quite normal for him to be aware in advance of the approach or the proximity of a person even before he heard the usual sounds like footsteps or the crackle of twigs underfoot. But however much he tried to grasp what it could have been, it remained quiet. There was only a light, delicate breath of air, scarcely tangible, which had escaped from the motionlessness of the silence and had gently stroked the fine down of his face. Irritated for a moment, he opened his eyes, blinking, and turned his head slowly in all directions. Then he scrambled up, lifted his head high, and carefully looked round him over the edge of the embankment. But there was nothing there. Feeling calmer again, he closed his eyes again and had decided to recall all the pictures of Rosemary again. Perhaps he had overlooked something... There was the vibration again! It was even a little finer than before. But it was there! Not unpleasant, but nevertheless strange and new, was the thought that passed through his head. In front of his closed eyes fluttered indistinctly a little flicker, almost brighter than the yellowish sunlight which penetrated his eyelids. It seemed to him as if he had opened his eyes even though they were closed. This tiny light dancing up and down assumed an ever more intensive sparkling and glinting. Now it looked like a silvery, shimmering, almost transparent dragonfly on who's unspeakably rapidly beating wings the sunlight leapt about like tiny lights. Then out of this glowing and glittering ball of light a small, blond girl creature came into shape. A little head came closer and closer towards him and got bigger and bigger until he could clearly see her face covered with little freckles. Bright blue sparkling eyes stared at him. As if he had sand in his eyes, he tried to wipe his eyes clear with both hands, to rub the apparition out of his mind. But his hands now seemed to be transparent and he had the feeling that he only thought he was moving them. But he wasn't really. He felt rooted to the spot and forced to have to look directly at this `something' before his eyes. Then he discovered that this thing floating before him even had little arms and legs. An elf? »Ha, ha, ha,« came the flabbergasted response from somewhere in his thoughts. Elves only exist in old fairy tales! Am I in a fairy tale here by this silver lake? I always thought they were just tiny little creatures in the stories told to young children. The elf raised a hand to her mouth. She cleared her throat. »Yes!« she answered with a fine, clear voice, »Actually that's true!« Then a trace of sadness overcame her. »In earlier times my home was in a fairy tale too. There was a lake there exactly like here. But I was not alone. I had all my many sisters, my family. Sadly I've been alone here for a very, very long time.« Benjamin had quickly pulled himself together and just chattered on, as if it was the most normal thing in the world to talk to an elf. »But why are you all alone here and why here and how and why can you talk to me and how can I hear you?« The little elf fluttered to and fro in front of Benjamin's eyes. She seemed to be a little nervous. He noticed it and wanted to quickly relax her tension. »I didn't want to hurt you with all my questions, « he whispered, feeling concerned. »I know that was not your intention, « answered the elf, which had calmed down a little, quietly. »I was simply forgotten. « »You were just forgotten? I can't believe that. How could you have been just forgotten here at this lake?« The elf whirled around here and there, as if suddenly quite agitated, and Benjamin found it difficult to follow her with his eyes. »I shall have to explain it to you, « she sighed, seeming to be rather desperate. »Oh, by the way, what is your name?« Benjamin enquired. »Sita, « she said shortly, and stopped for a moment. »My name is Sita! « She darted from side to side. »Fine, Sita,« Benjamin responded and sat himself down with an unfamiliar effortlessness, feeling briefly surprised about that but then following her rapid movements with his eyes. »You were about to explain to me why you are here and how it came about that you were forgotten.« He gestured to her invitingly. »If you would like to, you can sit on my knee. Have a little rest and tell me about it.« Sita seemed to think about it for a moment, buzzed in an arc all around him, moved far away from him so that he could hardly see her and then rushed towards him in a flash pulling little stars of gold dust behind her. A little out of breath, she sat, with her fine wings fluttering gently, on Benjamin's knee. He looked down at her in amazement. She adjusted her tiny dress, looked behind her quickly and then looked at Benjamin. »Well ...« she began her story. »A long time ago, before there were any books, humans simply believed in elves. So many humans could see us and they talked to us. But that was a very long time ago. Later we elves and other magical creatures lived our lives only in fairy tale books. Humans had begun to think we were only fantasies or nice figments of their imagination. In reality we were still there, however. We helped men whenever they were threatened with danger; we helped them in their adventures against treacherous enemies and the powers of darkness. We helped men against the demons of evil, which once awakened, can be quite nasty ......«