The train to Avallon, then a buggy. Beatrice is getting more impatient with every rattle when, at a distance, a line of houses emerges from the dust. "It is Vezelay!" Beatrice shouts. They have finally arrived. The coachman stops near an earthy path leading to houses surrounded by fields. Beatrice and her parents get off. Walking towards the village, they are looking for a cottage with a white, stone wall and a thatched roof.
Beatrice unpacks quickly. Her eyes gleam at the thought of new adventures. She decides to go for a walk around the village, taking her journal with her. The pages of the journal smell like dust and salt - they're worn out. She remembers riding in a wooden buggy. The Victorian streets left a big mark on her heart. A tight feeling settles in Beatrice's chest. Sketches are uneven, and words are messy. Dover is there as an iconic picture of white cliffs surrounded by fog. She remembers just the moment when she took one last look back. Pages start to be even messier. Water drops smudged the graphite. A sound of roaring horns and jangling chains repeats in her head. She remembers the train. It was her first time travelling by train. The train pulling away still sends a shiver down her spine.
She sits in tall grass, continuing to go through pages. The pages bloom with even more colour - soft hills, forest tangled in green, winding paths, drifting petals... the pages seem to breathe with nature. The Sun is spreading across the fields, making a picturesque scene. They are just like she imagined them.
A breeze lifts the leaves, leading Beatrice's eyes to the forest. The forest seems strangely uneven. Inviting and mysterious, yet terrifying. Goosebumps rise along her arms and legs. The breeze strengthens, and a dark atmosphere begins to build. A cold shiver runs through Beatrice's body. She has a tight, aching pit forming in her stomach. The Sun has already disappeared behind the horizon. "I should go back now... The weather doesn't seem to be favourable for a walk."
Now that she is back, she is getting ready to go to sleep. She remembers the unsettling goosebumps and tries to forget about the weird atmosphere the forest created. Suddenly, thunders start to crash and rumble in the distance. Beatrice looks out the window, shocked. Lightnings light up the sky with a purplish gleam, disappearing shortly after. The rain platters and the wind howls. Scared, Beatrice covers up with her blanket, trying to fall asleep.
In the morning, the birds are chirping, and water drops are dripping from the roof edge. The paths are muddy. Not long after, the Sun brightens the village and the sky turns clear. Beatrice decides to go outside again, still unsure what to think about yesterday.
Walking around, she stumbles across an old house. "It looks abandoned, but... There is light inside... someone very poor must be living here." She is even more curious, so she knocks on the door. No one answers. She pushes, and the door opens, making a creaking sound. "Hello?" Beatrice says in a search for someone who lives here. Suddenly, an old lady shows up. "Oh!" Beatrice's heart pounds. The old lady has a plate of cookies in her hands. "Come in, dear, I can see that you are new here... why don't you sit down and make yourself at home?" The old lady pulls her in quickly. Beatrice gasps. She dares to take a cookie. "See? I told you I'm not going to hurt you."
"So, where are you from, child?" the old lady asks as she approaches Beatrice. "I'm from Britain. My parents and I have moved here. We are not well-to-do, but we manage." Beatrice explains. "I see," the old lady says. "See, there is a dark side to this small and innocent-looking village. If you wondered why we are poor, your questions are about to be answered."
"One day, a mysterious creature with the skin of bark and the body entwined with veins showed up here. With its tireless army of human-like soldiers, they came to take everything from us - they took our food, our things, our savings - but the worst of all, our fortune. With no money afterwards, we were left in despair. People struggle to make enough money for their life needs..." says the old lady in a sad voice. Beatrice is speechless. "So... there is a creature lurking in the forest...?" she asks with just a little hope that this is not true. "Yes - and we need help from someone outside this village, someone who will listen to my story and learn from it."
"The pages rest where the forest listens. What sleeps below, watches above. Follow the place where moss outlives stone, and leaves remember what trees forget," the legend says. "Take this key and go find the book," the old lady continues, saying out a mysterious riddle once more for Beatrice remember. Beatrice doesn't have options, so she runs back to her new home and grabs a linen bag. She guesses that the book is somewhere in the forest.
Beatrice walks quickly. Her lungs are burning. Completely lost, Beatrice sits on a stump to rest when she sees flowers forming a line. The flowers seem to form a path. "These flowers... they show the way!" Her eyes gleam. Beatrice remembers the flowers' names as she gets up to take a closer look. "Forest-edge flowers that grow specifically at this time - late summer to autumn..." Beatrice starts to follow the flowers. Thorns and sharp leaves poke into her knitted greaves. Soon, she finds where the flowers lead. A blackish chest is there. The chest is decorated with spirals and swirls, and the keyhole is golden. Beatrice feels a strange discomfort in her chest. The flowers and weeds are spreading all around the stump. Beatrice decides to open it.
"There is only one way..." she says to herself as she pulls out the key from the bag. Beatrice slowly puts the key in the keyhole, feeling greater discomfort. The key clicks, and the chest slowly opens. A mysterious mist releases. Beatrice sees a weird book lying inside. The covers are decorated with lush flowers. She picks it up carefully and opens it. The book is written like a journal - drawings of mythical creatures with notes. One of them looks like the creature tha old lady described. "A creature with the skin of bark and the body entwined with veins..." she repeats in her head.
One page catches her eye. It seems like this is the name of the creature the old lady described: Dryad. There is another riddle: "Seek the place where trees grow crooked, for the ground was once torn open there. What was stolen rests where the forest broke and learned to close its wounds." Beatrice bravely decides to go deeper into the forest and starts walking through the weeds.
Deep in the forest, she feels lost. The flowers are gone; the dirt is podzol. The awkward silence lurks in the atmosphere. It's dangerously quiet. She can't be alone. A branch cracks behind her - Beatrice gasps. Fear tightens her chest and stomach. She gathers the courage and starts running. Beatrice funs until she stumbles over an exposed tree root. A short scream rips from her throat. Her T-bar shoes are all in dirt, as are her palms. Dryad is standing above her, as the veins sway around. It's holding a wooden weapon. Telepathically, Dryad tells Beatrice, "I sense their intentions; what's sacred and precious to me is to be protected." She freezes but dares to meet Dryad's eyes.
There is despair in Dryad's eyes, covered with a strong appearance. Its eyes widen in surprise. She shows the book, still uncertain. Dryad recognises the book and offers its hand to help her get up. It knows what this is about. They finally start walking, and Dryad leads the way. In Dryad's base, Beatrice finds all the stolen things from the village. A golden franclies on the floor. Beatrice gets the proof that this is the creature that, together with its "tireless army", stole from the village.
"But what did the villagers do to you?" Beatrice wants to know. The creature understands her. "Long ago, the villagers took my forest. By building the village, my forest was torn. I believe that what's sacred and precious to me is to be protected," Dryad says decisively. "So they did take something big, in fact," Beatrice whispers to herself.
Beatrice is trying to explain everything to Dryad, hoping that it might accept peace. Dryad hesitates, but finally, it accepts. They go back to the village. People run to their homes in fear, children close the windows. Everyone fears the creature that is just grieving for something it lost.
"People! Out of your homes! I've got something to say..." Beatrice shouts. "I know you are scared and shocked by this unrealistic event, but you must hear me out. People, people! This is big! Come out! Come out!" she starts shouting. Beatrice's mood lightens. People start to peek through their doors and slowly come out. Beatrice looks at Dryad in hope: "We can do this!"
"Long ago, you built this village here. Not just for any price, but for the price of a home and a hundred lives! This part of the forest was this creature's home! When it lost its home, it became very mad. This battle is equal - both stole what the other needs. It was never a one-sided attack!"
The mayor of the village approaches. "So, little girl. You are telling me that we started this?" "Yes!" Beatrice, happy about someone understanding, answers. "I see... But what about our things?" asks the mayor. "We must swear to be fair. Dryad will return our things and fortune if we promise to protect the forest," she says decisively. "So, people of Vezelay, will you accept this exchange?"
Chattering is all around. The old lady is cheering up and persuading people. Finally, the mayor decides. "Very well... Creature of the forest, as a village, we agree! We promise that we will protect the forest and restore it. We will plant more and make your forest a habitable home again!" Both Beatrice and Dryad are happy. Beatrice is proud of doing something brave and memorable. Her heart is fluttering. Dryad's eyes squint and its face becomes warm, in sign of happiness.