�

The shallow creek sang as it slipped among the many water-worn stones that dared to interrupt the smooth face of its clear water. The patches of sunlight, filtering through the deep green foliage of the overhead trees played along the smooth ripples of the stream inlaying the crystal water with a million tiny diamonds. The warm breeze whispered through the trees and almost seemed playful as it danced among the leaves making them all twirl and spin in union, like a million tiny ballet dancers with deep green skirts. As they danced their reflections danced too among the sea of diamonds and then quietly slipped back into the shadows as if afraid of the world witnessing their daring performance. The breeze blew again, this time bringing with it the cool spray form the down-stream waterfall. The sun caught it for a second and from this natural prism, a brilliant rainbow lit up the shady forest.

Annie lay on the warm grassy bank and cried. The beautiful morning around her was her only comfort. Though it wasn't much of one. She wanted someone to love her. Someone to speak to her without fear, without prejudice, and without the sympathy that the whole town, and even her parents had for her.

Annie had been born an albino. Which meant that her hair and skin had no color, that they were pure white. And her eyes; well her eyes where bright red.

When it came to livestock, albinos weren't uncommon; but an albino person? Well to superstitious folk like the early California settlers, it was a bad omen and they shunned her for it. They believed she had brought evil to their town. And it was true in a way. Evil had come to their town with her birth. But she wasn't the cause of the evil, it was their own fear that made the once friendly town wary. Though maybe it had been there before; waiting. But had just appeared when they had something they could direct it at. So Annie became the target of all their fears, and hatred. It was amazing she hadn't been killed at birth. Some of the townspeople had tried to kill her, but her parents protected her, saying that maybe it would go away. That her pasty-white skin would soon grow tan, and that her white hair would grown out darker and her eyes...well maybe the red eyes, that seemed so evil, so demonic, would change; maybe those were just temporary...

But they had been wrong. Nothing had changed. Her skin didn't tan, it burned, badly and easily. The sun scared her. That's why she liked the deep shadows of the woods, in which she now lay. And her hair? Well her hair grew out, it was down past her waist now, but it was still as white as an old lady's. And her eyes? They were redder than ever. She wore the sunglasses the doctor had given her, not to protect her eyes, (she didn't care what happed to them anymore) but to hide them from the stares of others. She hated the way people stared at her. Especially children. She remembered once, when she had gone to town, she had passed by a girl with the most beautiful redish-brown curls Annie had ever seen. Annie had smiled down at her because she looked so sweet and innocent. The girl's eyes had grown wide, not with simple, childish fear, but complete terror. Annie had felt like a monster when the little girl ran crying in fright to her mother, who had immediately scooped her up in her arms and crooned to her until her flood of tears slowed down. But no one comforted Annie. No one wiped away the tears that quietly rolled down her pale cheeks. How she hated feeling like a monster, a freak. She wanted to be beautiful. With dark hair and big brown eyes. If she was beautiful her parents would love her. But she wasn't and so even they were afraid of her. Afraid and ashamed. She knew because she could see it in their eyes when they were near her. That's why she had run away.

She stood up and started deeper into the woods. The trees were thicker and more gnarled the further in she got. But she knew that the woods loved her and would protect her. From surrounding trees, about half a dozen ravens began to screech making Annie jump and her heart skip a beat. They seemed to be laughing at her. Their piercing cries reminded her of the townspeople. They had never actually laughed at her but she knew they thought it. She could see it in their smirks, and in their stance, and in their eyes.

�

"You're different." They said in their glares

"You don't belong"

"We don't like things that are different."

"You scare our children and worry our wives."

"Stay in your shanty"

"Why did you have to be born?"

"We should have killed you!"

�

Their harsh, wordless, scorning rang in Annie's ears with the screeching ravens. She fought back the tears. She couldn't cry...

The whole town was in a panic. Annie, the albino girl, was loose. There was no knowing what demonic powers Annie had. She had been sent by the Devil, hadn't she? They had to stop her. It seemed silly to some that there was such a big fuss just over a little girl who had strange eyes. But many of the people were incredibly superstitious and had been wanting her killed for years. This was their chance. All over town men were loading their guns and young boys were grabbing their sling shots and miniature bows and arrows. Woman were pleading their husbands not to shoot the poor thing but deep inside many of them hoped that they would. Only Annie's parents weren't doing something against her.

The did love her although they knew they never showed it. The were ashamed that they couldn't love her like good parents. But they had always been afraid of being thought of as devil worshipers. They knew Annie wasn't evil. If anyone was, they were. Who else could have spent night after night listening to their own daughter cry herself to sleep and do nothing? Who else would have let their own child be tormented and shunned, and not lifted an hand to slap the tormentor or comfort their child? They must be soulless. And now, when their child was being hunted, like a wolf or a bear, they did nothing but stand on their porch and watch the town's men pass by.

"Robert." Annie's mother said as her eyes filled with tears of pain and she fell into his arms "We should have done something. We should have been kinder to her. I should have hugged her and read her stories. Oh Robert! What have we done?"

Annie's father held his wife as the last of the men disappeared into the woods. "There's nothing we could have done." He said trying to comfort her. But he knew there was. They could have loved her.

Philip had been raised to fear and hate everything that was different. His father had taught him all that he knew; from how to shoot a gun, to how to plow a field. Being the town Mayor, his father was a powerful man, and Philip, following along in his footsteps had become the leader of his friends. He showed no mercy, and loved pranks. From a young boy he had hunted with his father, and been taught that killing wasn't wrong. He was now a strong, hansom young man of sixteen. He respected his Father and thought everything he did was right. It was no different with Anne, the Albino girl. When his father started the search party to hunt her down, he grabbed his gun, and was among the first to leave. He had run ahead so that he would get to her first. He wanted to be the town hero. But most of all he wanted his Father to be proud. He started looking around at the trees. The afternoon sun was bright, but the thick foliage blocked out most of the light, making it dark and creepy. "like a graveyard" he thought. From the surrounding trees a few ravens screeched, deepening the haunted feeling. He almost felt as if the forest was glaring at him. He could feel the trees' eyes, and their hate towards him, oozing out of them like sap. Their angular, gnarled branches were like claws reaching for him, grabbing at his jacket and clinging to his reddish hair. Thick roots seemed to jut up from nowhere, making him stumble through the darkening woods.

"Darkening? They shouldn't be getting darker." He thought. It seemed as if the trees were closing in on him. The leafy foliage appeared to be spreading, covering the gapes that once let light through. Was it just his imagination, or was the forest really trying to hurt him him? But that was silly. How could a forest want something? A forest wasn't living. Just a bunch of trees. Trees couldn't be hostile, couldn't move. Just then he tripped. Tripped? Over what? He looked back but there was nothing but leaves.

" I must have tripped over my foot" He decided. Hadn't he? For the first time in his life he felt fear. As much as he tried to control it, he couldn't. His brown eyes were wide with fear, and his breath came in loud heaving gasps. And then all the sudden he stared remembering. Remembering the countless animals he had killed. The fear that distorted the peaceful innocence in their eyes. The forest seemed to blur around him, and spin. It seemed to be laughing, and hundreds of bright black eyes stared back at him. In every eye shone his reflection; his eyes wide in fear, like a helpless animal. "An animal" He thought, that's all we are. Frightened animals trying to run away from our fears. Or kill them...

"Annie!" He stood up quickly realizing what he had to do. He couldn't let the townspeople kill her. He picked up his gun, and started to walk away, but then stopped. He took it in both hands, and smashed the barrel against a boulder.

"No more killing...No more hate. It has to stop." He said to the silent woods around him. Suddenly the wind blew through the leaves overhead, parting them. A beam of warm sun shone down on him.

"Don't worry Annie, I'm coming..."

Annie had seen the men hiding behind the house. But she didn't let on that she had seen him. She didn't want them firing. She couldn't believe that now she had people hunting her. The hatred and fear had already made her feel like a beast, but now they were hunting her like one. This couldn't be real. She stood there crying and waiting for the door to open. Hoping it would be before she was dead. Though death might not be so bad. She would go to heaven. She was sure of that. And heaven had to be better than this. But she didn't want to die like a beast. She wanted to die like the person she was. She had known they would kill her someday. She was surprised that she was still alive. But this isn't how a human should die. Even an abnormal one. She heard people walking through bushes and knew that more men were coming to shoot her. The ones behind the house were just part of them. She stood still. They could hunt her like a beast but she wouldn't run like one. She wouldn't give them the thrill of the chase. Just then she heard someone calling her name.

"Annie!" it called "Don't shoot her, please!"

She turned towards the voice to see a older boy running towards her. His redish-brown hair flopped into his brown eyes, and a look of desperation embraced his features like a mask. He ran and jumped in front of her.

Philip was relieved that he had gotten there in time. He knew the forest had helped. It had shone him where she was. Now he stood in front of her looking out at the men. The same men he had started out with, all here with the same intent that he had started with. But now they were on opposite sides of the battle. He could tell a lot of them thought it was a joke. He had always been a prankster, and they figured it must be him fooling around again. Some of them were even laughing. But his father wasn't. He could tell that he was confused. His was frowning and his eyebrows were furrowed.

"Philip, this is no times for jokes" he said. "Come down from there, she might be dangerous."

"No" Philip said. "Father I've made my decision. The killing, the hate, it all has to stop. We have to learn to live with things that are different. We can't continue with the hate and the fear. Don't you get it? It's not Annie that has brought evil into our town, it's ourselves. Our dread, and hatred that has made us become monsters; animals. It has made us forget how to love, and how to accept. We have to get over this ourselves; without killing the innocent. If you shoot her, you have to shoot me first." He felt the tears running down his face as he whispered the last words. He hoped his words would stop them, but as he stared down at his father he saw a side of him that he'd never seen before. The hate, the madness, and the fear. He had never thought of his father as someone to be afraid, and yet he was. Philip felt a chill go up his spine as he looked at his father's distorted face and wild eyes. He knew that his father was possessed by his own fear an hate. His lip curled down in a sneer as he raised his gun to his shoulder.

�

Annie closed her eyes as she heard the gun go off. Once, twice. The loud bangs rang in her ears and through the whole forest breaking the silence, like you would break a mirror or a window. She could hear the bullets singing as they cut through the late afternoon air. She was amazed how many thoughts could go through your brain in such a short period of time. She thought about her parents, where were they? Was her father one of the men back there? She couldn't see because of the boy who had poised his body protectively in front of hers. Maybe her father had been the one who shot the bullet. He must have wanted her dead, so he could have a normal daughter.

�

�

"Normal? I'm normal." She thought "I just look different. Why is it that people are so scared of things that look different that they can't see what's truly there?"

She felt the impact as the bullets hit the boy in front of her. She tried to catch him as he staggered backwards. He doubled over in pain clutching his chest. As she tried to help him, someone pushed her over. No, she realized. It was another bullet. She hadn't heard the gunshot, but it didn't matter. She fell forward with the force, but there was no pain. It had been a good shot and she knew she was dying. Blood ran out of her nose and mouth making a pool around her head. She looked off into the forest. Twilight was beginning and it was blanketing the trees with a bluish glow. A butterfly danced in a single sunbeam that hit the forest floor, splashing color among the drab dead leaves and shadowy patterns. The sky was white as her skin with the dimming day; and a single bird sung with the dying sun. "Dying." she thought "like me." She looked over at the boy. He sat clutching his wounds. The blood ran between his fingers and down his arm.

"Why did you jump in front of me?" She said.

He said nothing, just smiled. His smile was as peaceful as the afternoon sun. She wanted to lift her face and let it warm her. She felt so cold...so cold. She heard someone calling to her. She looked around, but all she could see was the men staring at her. It seemed as if the woods themselves were calling to her....

"Annie...." they called "Annie come to us.... Annie." She looked over at the boy, and realized he was hearing it too. He turned and looked at her. Without a word, they clasped hands, and walked towards the sound. As they got closer, they saw a light. It was a soft blue light; like twilight. They walked towards the light and it seemed to embrace them.

"Is this what it's like to die?" Annie thought as the light swirled around them like a dense fog. But she didn't feel dead. She could feel the boys hand holding hers. It was warm and comforting. She still couldn't understand why he had saved her. And who was he?

The whole world had disappeared into the swirling light.

"Annie, Philip," a gentle voice called "because of the love in your heart when you died, and the lack of and evil like hatred or prejudice, I will return you to the world. You will not return as humans though. I will turn you into something that will symbolize love and peace for the whole world."

As she finished the world darkened and she felt like she was spinning...falling. Suddenly she awoke. At first she thought it had all been a dream, but then she looked down and saw the snow white feathers that covered her wings. Wings? She spread them and looked again. Where her arms once where, there now were two snow white wings. She walked over to the stream, the same stream where she had sat and cried before, and looked into it's clear water. A beautiful bird looked back at her. It's whole body was covered with snow white feathers, and its eyes where as red as they once were, but now they seemed to belong there, and a narrow black beak stuck out of the downy feathers on her face.

"I'm beautiful..." She said to herself.

�

Another of the same bird waked up beside her and looked down into the water. It looked startled at first but then sat there turning it's head from side to side. Finally it looked over at her.

�

"Philip?" She said, realizing who this bird was.

�

"Yes Annie." He said. He looked the same as her, except his eyes where black, like two shinny marbles. They danced with an unseen smile.

�

"I guess that's how birds smile" She thought. And smiled back.

Then with some instinct from the back of her brain, she lifted her wings, and flapped them once, twice and lifted into the air. Philip followed her and soon they were high above the trees. Annie looked down and saw the town passing under them. The forest spirit had been right about symbolizing love. As they passed over the town, children laughed, and couples hugged each other. The whole world seemed to echo with the songs of love. Except for one house. The bright light that lit up the world seemed to have passed it by. From its shadowy windows echoed tears of despair that cut through the sun lit world. Annie recognized the house. It was the shack she'd been raised in. Could it be that her parents were crying for her? The daughter they never loved? Or had they? All at once she realized that they had. Sure they didn't show it, and she wasn't forgiving them for that, but she knew how much the townspeople had feared her and hated her, and they would have hated her parents too if they thought that they worshiped the devil too. Now she understood. It still wasn't justified, but at least she knew they had loved her. And she couldn't let them just cry like that.

�

She flew down to their window and inside the tiny shanty. Her parents looked up as they saw her. Their tear stained faces froze in a look of surprise and wonder. She gently lit upon her mothers hand and started to sing. They just stared at her. Then when her song was done she stood for a second staring back at them, then flapped her wings and soared out the open window. As she flew away she looked back. Her father had his arms around her mother, and they were both smiling. Maybe they knew who she was, and maybe they didn't. She would never know. All she knew was that they were happy again, and that's what she was here for.

�

"This must be heaven" she thought "'cause for the first time in my life, people are glad to see me. That's all I ever wanted and now I have it."

�

She soared over to where Philip was flying in circles, waiting.

�

"And now I also have someone who loves me." She smiled as they flew towards the rising sun. It was so beautiful with the rosy light kissing the contours of the wispy clouds, and glinting off the thin sliver of sea that framed the spreading coast.