Messenger

Matty and his puppy, Frolic, enter Forest and follow paths to post notices of Village’s closure. Though Matty knows Forest well and has always felt confident and safe in it, he senses something different about it. It feels hostile. Animals that used to greet him are now aggressive. Poison ivy is growing along the path where it hadn’t before, and there is a strong rotting smell coming from the center of Forest. Matty sits on a log at a familiar campsite, and it crumbles beneath him, beetles pouring out of the stump.

Matty reminisces about his childhood and the journey that brought him to Village. He was a brash young boy, fatherless and unwanted by his mother. Life in his village was difficult, and he stole to survive. He was mischievous and troublesome but gentle and kind. He also befriended Kira, though she had a twisted leg that made her an outcast in their society. Kira taught him manners and how to bathe and polish himself.

On one of Matty’s numerous journeys through Forest as a young boy, he stumbled upon Seer, who was shocked to learn that his daughter was alive. Matty reunited Seer and Kira. Though Matty and Seer both begged Kira to return to Village, she refused. She told them she would come when the time was right. On Matty and Seer’s return to Village, Matty saw Forest give Seer a Warning, and he knew that Seer would not be allowed in Forest anymore.

Matty’s reverie ends when Forest expels him forcefully, and he hurries to find Kira. He finds her in her house and watches her maneuver around her home with her twisted leg and walking stick. Matty is tempted to use his gift to heal her.

The next morning, Matty tells Kira about his ability to heal and offers to straighten her twisted leg. He’s surprised when she says no. To further prove his point, he cuts himself with a knife and then heals himself telling her that he can make her whole. Kira argues that she is already whole and does not want his gift. She agrees to return to Village with him but says she will return as she is.

She then uses her gift in front of Matty. Her hands shimmer while she weaves a picture into some fabric. The scene she weaves depicts Matty, herself, and Frolic entering the Forest and shows Mentor and his supporters building a wall around Village. The pictures she weaves allow her to see the future. While she does not see Leader in her weaving, she tells Matty that she could sense his presence.

Kira, Matty, and Frolic begin the journey through Forest. Kira brings her weaving frame and threads in case she needs to use her gift on their journey. Kira is cheerful and tells Matty that she’s not afraid of Forest while Matty is with her. Matty, on the other hand, feels the hostility from Forest but does not tell Kira.

On the other side of Forest, Leader uses his gift and sees that Matty and Kira have begun the journey. Seer, who is with Leader, is relieved. Outside of Leader’s home, Mentor and his supporters have already begun gathering materials for the wall though they cannot officially start building for another 10 days. Seer hears the changes in Mentor’s voice. He is louder and harsher, calling the wall builders idiots. Leader describes the physical differences in Mentor, saying that he is thinner and taller. His birthmark is gone, and his chin is firmer. He marvels that Mentor did all of that for a woman. Seer leaves to prepare flower beds for Kira, and Leader worries about what else he saw while using his gift. Though he did not tell Seer this, he could sense that Forest was preparing to destroy Kira, Matty, and Frolic.