Story Notes:
The chapters in this story are in no way connected to each other, except for the fact that they are all inspired by song lyrics from "There's a river in the valley made of melting snow", by Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, formerly The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band, formerly A Silver Mt. Zion (ASMZ) and, at one point, The Silver Mountain Reveries. There will be 36 chapters, with none of them having more than 2000 words. Each will have its own topic, according to the individual titles. Each will have different characters and a different setting, in order to show just how many topics this song deals with. Speaking of which, in case you'd like to listen to it, you can find it on YouTube. I recommend this song; I've been listening to it for about three years now, and it just never gets old. There are so many things that come to my mind when listening to it, so now I'm trying to write them all down. Since the chapters are going to be really short, I think I'll be able to put a new one online every two days or so, depending on how much time I have. I know there are other projects I should be working on, but now I suddenly had this idea and I'd really like to see how it turns out. It's a bit hard to write stories that are so very short and still meaningful, but luckily they don't have to stand on their own, as they are mostly ways to interprete the song they are based on. Well, I hope I'll be able to update as often and as quickly as I am planning to, and I hope you'll enjoy reading and listening to "There's a river in the valley made of melting snow".
...i hold my love... to my belly...
PLEASE NOTE: I do not own Pokémon, and I have to say that I'm kind of proud of it, because the idea of capturing animal-like creatures to make them fight each other is pretty sick, actually. Be this as it may, every species of Pokémon referred to in the following text and everything else that is a part of the Pokémon franchise is the property of their rightful owner, however, the actual story belongs to me. The title belongs to Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band/ The Silver Mountain Reveries. No copyright infringement is intended.
Thank you.
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Have you never heard that there's a river in the valley made of melting snow...?
...i hold my love... to my belly...
On top of a hill that emerged from the center of the forest, there stood a single large tree. Even though it was a little windy, it did not seem like its leaves moved even in the least. The tree had a thick trunk and strong branches, which were firmly holding on to their healthy green canopy, almost as if they would never let go of it again. It appeared like this was the state the tree would always be in, through all seasons and for all eternity.
A Wigglytuff was standing next to it, her gaze resting on the many treetops that began at the foot of the hill. It was early in the morning, and she was waiting. The sun was rising, but the tree did not cast a shadow. It seemed to have its own light, and so did the Wigglytuff. No matter whether it was day or night, the hilltop would still look the same. The forest, however, was excluded from such luxury. It gained its light from the sun, it had to deal with dark clouds, rain, thunderstorms and snow. Still, what was the worst about the forest were all the other Pokémon.
When the Wigglytuff put her mind to it, she could hear them. She flicked her long ears and began massaging her temples with her stubby front paws. All the voices seemed to be loud and angry. Every once in a while there was a loud scream, which always made the Wigglytuff wince. All she could do was hope she would never have to hear Baras scream like that. Waiting for him was certainly the worst part of her day. She could never be sure if he would manage to make it to the hill. Down in the forest, there were simply too many things that could harm him. The Wigglytuff wished he would just decide to stay up here, with her...
Not too much time had passed when the Wigglytuff finally noticed the distinctive red and white figure of a Delibird running out of the forest and up the hill, but to her, it had felt like an eternity. She kept her eyes on Baras as he came dashing towards her. She opened her front paws to an embrace as he jumped, and caught him in a tight hug. Keeping her balance was not too hard as Baras was very light and a bit smaller than most other Delibirds were.
The Wigglytuff kept her short front paws wrapped around him and began to rub his back, gently ruffling through his soft feathers. Baras was pressing his body against hers. His eyes were closed, and he was shivering.
She held him until he calmed down a little, which took quite a bit of time. He opened his eyes and looked up at her, the fear still present in his uncertain gaze.
"They're on the move again," he whispered, staring right into the Wigglytuff's big, bright blue eyes. "I don't know what they want. I don't know why they do it. I don't know why they have to be so cruel."
"They won't come up here," the Wigglytuff said lowly. "This is a safe place." A moment of silence followed. The Wigglytuff could tell that Baras did not believe her. "You should trust me," she remarked. "You should stay up here with me. I always get worried when you return to the forest." The Delibird looked at the ground and sighed softly.
"It's where I live," he replied. The Wigglytuff took a long look at the forest below.
"You live up here," she spoke. "There is nothing down there that should be a part of anyone's life. I can hear the screams of pain, I can hear young children crying out for their mothers, I can even hear the many lonely sighs in the night." Her gaze came to rest on the Delibird.
"I love you," she said. "That is something you can never hear in the forest."
"I love you, too," Baras mumbled, once again lowering his head. "Sometimes there is beauty in the forest," he began reluctantly. "Sometimes there..." He stopped talking and swallowed. The Wigglytuff knew he did not want to lie to her. As he continued, his voice was shivering.
"Sometimes I get so very afraid, Lini. When it gets quiet in the forest, something terrible is about to happen. I don't know what they want, but they just take it from anyone they can find." A loud, scary cry came from above. Baras whimpered, closed his eyes and pushed himself even closer to Lini. The Wigglytuff looked up and saw a squadron of six Fearows flying across the sky.
"They won't see us," she spoke, but it did not make the Delibird calm down. She could hear him mumbling lowly to himself as the Fearows descended and, after a moment, disappeared beneath the thick canopy.
"They're gone," she said. Baras was shivering.
"I... I always have to hide when I hear the cry of a Fearow, they can just come down from the sky all of a sudden, and... and then..." He fell silent, but the way his body kept shaking told Lini exactly what he meant.
"The world has been treating you so badly, I can't understand why you're letting this happen," she said calmly. "Tell me, my love... have I ever done anything that scared you?" The Delibird shook his head and breathed deeply, trying his best to stop shivering.
"Of course you haven't," he mumbled, and Lini suddenly felt his stubby wings on her sides. "The only thing that scares me right now is the thought of having to go back to the forest..."
"You don't have to do that," she remarked. Baras looked up at her and shook his head.
"I can't stay up here," he said. "The forest is where I belong. It's where I was born, it's where I have spent my entire life..."
"It's where you will die," Lini interrupted him. "The forest does not own you," she went on. "Would you not much rather belong to me than to something that scares you so very much?" Baras' beak twitched slightly, and he blinked. The Wigglytuff's eyes slowly became softer. There lay a silent plea within her gaze. "You don't even understand what I mean," she stated in a sad tone. "I think you haven't yet realized what we have up here." The Delibird looked around, and then turned his head back towards Lini, a questioning expression on his face.
"The world has always just hurt you, so why not live without it?" the Wigglytuff continued. "If you let the forest be your owner, it will sooner or later destroy you. I live on top of this hill, and I am safe." She gave him a soft lick across his cheek, parting his feathers with her tongue, caressing his skin. "Do you want to know why?" Baras nodded silently and looked up at her. He did not seem to be thinking about the forest anymore, and it made her smile.
"It's because I belong to you, and to no one else," she replied in a low tone. "I live only for you, my love. No one else will ever even know I am here, as you are the only one I want to have anything to do with. I've left the world behind, because I wanted to focus only on you." He just kept staring up at her. After a moment, she sighed softly.
"My poor love," she spoke while gently rubbing his back with her paws, "what have they done to you to make you forget how to truly live?" Baras glanced over at the forest.
"When... When I go back this evening, I'd like you to come with me," he said, as he had apparently not understood the Wigglytuff's question. "I can protect you if you just stay close to me, I'm always worried something might happen to you... After all, you live up here all by yourself..." Lini blinked, and her expression slowly returned to being as nondescript as it had been before.
"I wish you could just give yourself to me, like I have given myself to you," she whispered. "Then you would understand..."
Days went by, and nothing changed. Every morning Lini waited for Baras, and every evening she lost him to the forest. It broke her heart to see him go, and she knew she broke his by not coming with him. However, this was the way it was. Baras lived in a different world than she did. It seemed like she could not go back and he could not join her.
One day, however, Lini heard more screams than usual. In the distance, she could see smoke clouds rising from the forest. The Wigglytuff became increasingly nervous, until Baras finally came running towards her like he always did. However, he did not let her hug him; instead, he began gesturing wildly.
"We have to get away!" he shouted. "There was a fight between a Charizard and a Tyranitar, and the Charizard set the forest on fire! Quick, let's go!" Lini shook her head and simply sat down on the ground.
"I'm staying," she said, "and so are you." She knew she was stronger than the Delibird, so he could not just drag her off. Baras stared at her, not believing what he had just heard.
"You're going to die!" he yelled. The Wigglytuff remained calm.
"You love me," she stated. "You're not going to leave without me, and I'm not going to move." Lini patted the ground at her side with one of her front paws. "Here, sit down."
Baras spent the next few minutes shouting at her, trying to make her run away with him. However, at one point he had to admit to himself that it was useless. He sighed deeply and sat down next to the Wigglytuff. They looked at the forest, watching the flames spread.
After a while he leaned against her.
"We'll die together," he spoke softly. "That's a lot better than living without you."
"Don't worry," Lini replied. "Things will be alright now."
It took quite some time for the hill to become surrounded by flames, but eventually it happened. Baras found it strange that he could still feel a cool breeze, even though all the trees were on fire.
"The world may or may not end," Lini spoke. "Either way, it doesn't matter. Why should it be of any concern to us? We have each other, that is all we need." She turned towards the Delibird and hugged him.
"We cannot live anymore if the world ends," he stated. It made the Wigglytuff chuckle a little.
"You're wrong, my love," she replied. "That is when we'll start living."
Baras nodded slightly. The forest was on fire, but it really didn't seem to matter all that much. When he closed his eyes, there was nothing that reminded him of it.
He could feel Lini, who was holding him. Other than that, there was nothing. The world was gone.
Several Blastoises and other water types eventually managed to put out the fire. However, Baras did not return to the forest.
He stayed up on the hill, together with Lini. Since they always had each other to listen to, they never heard the pained screams and desperate cries coming from below again.
A new world had begun. It was small, but free of sorrow.
(1978 words)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chapter End Notes:Well, this chapter was a bit different from most others, meaning that I pretty much sacrificed realism for symbolism. Personally, I think I should do that more often, but the problem is that it always takes some time for me to come up with something good and/or meaningful. In any way, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. If you'd like to comment, please write a review or send an email to [email protected] . Thank you very much for your interest.
Please be free...
-- Lion vom Silberwal
Thank you.
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...i hold my love... to my belly...
On top of a hill that emerged from the center of the forest, there stood a single large tree. Even though it was a little windy, it did not seem like its leaves moved even in the least. The tree had a thick trunk and strong branches, which were firmly holding on to their healthy green canopy, almost as if they would never let go of it again. It appeared like this was the state the tree would always be in, through all seasons and for all eternity.
A Wigglytuff was standing next to it, her gaze resting on the many treetops that began at the foot of the hill. It was early in the morning, and she was waiting. The sun was rising, but the tree did not cast a shadow. It seemed to have its own light, and so did the Wigglytuff. No matter whether it was day or night, the hilltop would still look the same. The forest, however, was excluded from such luxury. It gained its light from the sun, it had to deal with dark clouds, rain, thunderstorms and snow. Still, what was the worst about the forest were all the other Pokémon.
When the Wigglytuff put her mind to it, she could hear them. She flicked her long ears and began massaging her temples with her stubby front paws. All the voices seemed to be loud and angry. Every once in a while there was a loud scream, which always made the Wigglytuff wince. All she could do was hope she would never have to hear Baras scream like that. Waiting for him was certainly the worst part of her day. She could never be sure if he would manage to make it to the hill. Down in the forest, there were simply too many things that could harm him. The Wigglytuff wished he would just decide to stay up here, with her...
Not too much time had passed when the Wigglytuff finally noticed the distinctive red and white figure of a Delibird running out of the forest and up the hill, but to her, it had felt like an eternity. She kept her eyes on Baras as he came dashing towards her. She opened her front paws to an embrace as he jumped, and caught him in a tight hug. Keeping her balance was not too hard as Baras was very light and a bit smaller than most other Delibirds were.
The Wigglytuff kept her short front paws wrapped around him and began to rub his back, gently ruffling through his soft feathers. Baras was pressing his body against hers. His eyes were closed, and he was shivering.
She held him until he calmed down a little, which took quite a bit of time. He opened his eyes and looked up at her, the fear still present in his uncertain gaze.
"They're on the move again," he whispered, staring right into the Wigglytuff's big, bright blue eyes. "I don't know what they want. I don't know why they do it. I don't know why they have to be so cruel."
"They won't come up here," the Wigglytuff said lowly. "This is a safe place." A moment of silence followed. The Wigglytuff could tell that Baras did not believe her. "You should trust me," she remarked. "You should stay up here with me. I always get worried when you return to the forest." The Delibird looked at the ground and sighed softly.
"It's where I live," he replied. The Wigglytuff took a long look at the forest below.
"You live up here," she spoke. "There is nothing down there that should be a part of anyone's life. I can hear the screams of pain, I can hear young children crying out for their mothers, I can even hear the many lonely sighs in the night." Her gaze came to rest on the Delibird.
"I love you," she said. "That is something you can never hear in the forest."
"I love you, too," Baras mumbled, once again lowering his head. "Sometimes there is beauty in the forest," he began reluctantly. "Sometimes there..." He stopped talking and swallowed. The Wigglytuff knew he did not want to lie to her. As he continued, his voice was shivering.
"Sometimes I get so very afraid, Lini. When it gets quiet in the forest, something terrible is about to happen. I don't know what they want, but they just take it from anyone they can find." A loud, scary cry came from above. Baras whimpered, closed his eyes and pushed himself even closer to Lini. The Wigglytuff looked up and saw a squadron of six Fearows flying across the sky.
"They won't see us," she spoke, but it did not make the Delibird calm down. She could hear him mumbling lowly to himself as the Fearows descended and, after a moment, disappeared beneath the thick canopy.
"They're gone," she said. Baras was shivering.
"I... I always have to hide when I hear the cry of a Fearow, they can just come down from the sky all of a sudden, and... and then..." He fell silent, but the way his body kept shaking told Lini exactly what he meant.
"The world has been treating you so badly, I can't understand why you're letting this happen," she said calmly. "Tell me, my love... have I ever done anything that scared you?" The Delibird shook his head and breathed deeply, trying his best to stop shivering.
"Of course you haven't," he mumbled, and Lini suddenly felt his stubby wings on her sides. "The only thing that scares me right now is the thought of having to go back to the forest..."
"You don't have to do that," she remarked. Baras looked up at her and shook his head.
"I can't stay up here," he said. "The forest is where I belong. It's where I was born, it's where I have spent my entire life..."
"It's where you will die," Lini interrupted him. "The forest does not own you," she went on. "Would you not much rather belong to me than to something that scares you so very much?" Baras' beak twitched slightly, and he blinked. The Wigglytuff's eyes slowly became softer. There lay a silent plea within her gaze. "You don't even understand what I mean," she stated in a sad tone. "I think you haven't yet realized what we have up here." The Delibird looked around, and then turned his head back towards Lini, a questioning expression on his face.
"The world has always just hurt you, so why not live without it?" the Wigglytuff continued. "If you let the forest be your owner, it will sooner or later destroy you. I live on top of this hill, and I am safe." She gave him a soft lick across his cheek, parting his feathers with her tongue, caressing his skin. "Do you want to know why?" Baras nodded silently and looked up at her. He did not seem to be thinking about the forest anymore, and it made her smile.
"It's because I belong to you, and to no one else," she replied in a low tone. "I live only for you, my love. No one else will ever even know I am here, as you are the only one I want to have anything to do with. I've left the world behind, because I wanted to focus only on you." He just kept staring up at her. After a moment, she sighed softly.
"My poor love," she spoke while gently rubbing his back with her paws, "what have they done to you to make you forget how to truly live?" Baras glanced over at the forest.
"When... When I go back this evening, I'd like you to come with me," he said, as he had apparently not understood the Wigglytuff's question. "I can protect you if you just stay close to me, I'm always worried something might happen to you... After all, you live up here all by yourself..." Lini blinked, and her expression slowly returned to being as nondescript as it had been before.
"I wish you could just give yourself to me, like I have given myself to you," she whispered. "Then you would understand..."
Days went by, and nothing changed. Every morning Lini waited for Baras, and every evening she lost him to the forest. It broke her heart to see him go, and she knew she broke his by not coming with him. However, this was the way it was. Baras lived in a different world than she did. It seemed like she could not go back and he could not join her.
One day, however, Lini heard more screams than usual. In the distance, she could see smoke clouds rising from the forest. The Wigglytuff became increasingly nervous, until Baras finally came running towards her like he always did. However, he did not let her hug him; instead, he began gesturing wildly.
"We have to get away!" he shouted. "There was a fight between a Charizard and a Tyranitar, and the Charizard set the forest on fire! Quick, let's go!" Lini shook her head and simply sat down on the ground.
"I'm staying," she said, "and so are you." She knew she was stronger than the Delibird, so he could not just drag her off. Baras stared at her, not believing what he had just heard.
"You're going to die!" he yelled. The Wigglytuff remained calm.
"You love me," she stated. "You're not going to leave without me, and I'm not going to move." Lini patted the ground at her side with one of her front paws. "Here, sit down."
Baras spent the next few minutes shouting at her, trying to make her run away with him. However, at one point he had to admit to himself that it was useless. He sighed deeply and sat down next to the Wigglytuff. They looked at the forest, watching the flames spread.
After a while he leaned against her.
"We'll die together," he spoke softly. "That's a lot better than living without you."
"Don't worry," Lini replied. "Things will be alright now."
It took quite some time for the hill to become surrounded by flames, but eventually it happened. Baras found it strange that he could still feel a cool breeze, even though all the trees were on fire.
"The world may or may not end," Lini spoke. "Either way, it doesn't matter. Why should it be of any concern to us? We have each other, that is all we need." She turned towards the Delibird and hugged him.
"We cannot live anymore if the world ends," he stated. It made the Wigglytuff chuckle a little.
"You're wrong, my love," she replied. "That is when we'll start living."
Baras nodded slightly. The forest was on fire, but it really didn't seem to matter all that much. When he closed his eyes, there was nothing that reminded him of it.
He could feel Lini, who was holding him. Other than that, there was nothing. The world was gone.
Several Blastoises and other water types eventually managed to put out the fire. However, Baras did not return to the forest.
He stayed up on the hill, together with Lini. Since they always had each other to listen to, they never heard the pained screams and desperate cries coming from below again.
A new world had begun. It was small, but free of sorrow.
(1978 words)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chapter End Notes:Well, this chapter was a bit different from most others, meaning that I pretty much sacrificed realism for symbolism. Personally, I think I should do that more often, but the problem is that it always takes some time for me to come up with something good and/or meaningful. In any way, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. If you'd like to comment, please write a review or send an email to [email protected] . Thank you very much for your interest.
Please be free...
-- Lion vom Silberwal