"You are never alone, Ebony."
The beautiful sound of the piano matched wonderfully with the beauty outside. The elegant mixture of flora with the rich grass and mature trees were the perfect components for the grounds to complement such a graceful abode, as the one of Hedge Manor. The outdoor breeze was gentle, pushing everything around him, including the hem of a blue summer dress onto the back of its owner's ankles. The young woman's hair also moved to the wind's command, flying past her face and tickling her long copper neck. The wind seemed to appreciate the woman's natural beauty; for it preceded to lift the elegant aromas of the flowers she was surrounded in and wrapped them around her. So that, with each breath she took, the blended harmony of all the flowers entered into her nose and consequently made her smell just as lovely as them. The woman smiled fondly at the wind, and he replied with a rush; happy that such a woman had graced his domain and presence so early in the morning.
With its final notes, the piano ended its song, and the woman proceeded to think that was the end of its performance. But then, another tune began to enter the air, and the young lady's eyes fluttered with surprise. She gave another smile as a thank you to the piano, for its continual efforts to beautify her time in the garden. Gently, she removed her gardening gloves, then dusted her dress of the dirt collected from her time harvesting flowers. Grabbing her basket and resting it in the crook of her arm, she prepared herself to take one giant step over the cluster of flowers. As she stepped, the wind placed his hands around her waist and aided her, changing her step into a leap. When her feet landed on the soft grass, she looked back at the flowers and was happy to see that not one was damaged. She then made her way to the small stone path that would lead her out of the garden.
Unbeknownst to her, the spirit of the wind gently walked beside her, behaving as her escort. Only those of the spirit realm could see the two walking side by side. The woman on the path and the spirit on the grass. And as she walked further toward the garden's border, the edge of his domain, the less his winds became, until finally, his strength was nothing more than a zephyr. While the young woman opened and closed the garden gate, the spirit of the wind watched her every moment, as he rested against the small iron fence. He didn't follow her as she continued her way down the path. He simply watched, with both hands resting on the fence until he could see her no more. Then he, too, left the fence and walked back into his domain, his winds strengthening again as he wondered when the daughter of the master of Hedge Manor would enter his garden again.
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END OF ACT 1
THE SPIRIT OF THE WIND