Legend CIV – The Leaf Sleeper and the Book That Remembered

More about Legend CIV – The Leaf Sleeper and the Book That Remembered

Deep in the forest of Greymoss, where even the mist hesitates before settling among the trunks, lived a creature older than many of the trees, yet so small it was easily overlooked. It usually rested curled up on a bed of fallen oak leaves, its fur the color of damp moss, streaked with tiny traces of earth, resin, and time. Its eyes, however, were large and dark, and anyone who ever gazed into them long enough would have seen something no other animal possessed: memory. It was called the Leaf Sleeper, though it rarely slept, for sleep was simply another form of wakefulness. The forest breathed through it, and it listened to every breath. Beneath its claws lay a book, heavy and worn, its cover bearing the title: Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them. But the writing was older than any known language, and the pages contained not just words, but fragments of worlds that had once almost existed. The Leaf Sleeper had not sprung from flesh alone. He had been born the moment a child lost his favorite book in the woods and turned around in tears, unaware that stories, when left behind, sometimes take root. From those roots grew the creature, nourished by imagination, regret, and the quiet longing for something preserved to be preserved. Since then, the Leaf Sleeper had carried a small leather pouch on his back, collecting things no one wanted anymore: broken keys without doors, discarded names, dreams never spoken. Every night, when the forest grew darker than usual, he lit his lantern. Its light was dim and warm, but it didn't fall to the ground—it fell inward. Those who approached him felt memories rise up, memories long thought buried, and some wanderers left the forest in tears, without knowing why. The book beside him was more than a relic. It was a mirror. The beings within it changed depending on who was nearby. Some pages remained blank until someone came along who could read them without wanting to. Then drawings appeared, fleeting as breath on glass. The leaf sleeper knew that the book held him bound, just as he guarded the book. Should it ever be completely forgotten, he too would fade, leaf by leaf, hair by hair, memory by memory. That was why he never left it alone. Rain didn't bother him, nor did cold. Only oblivion did he fear, for it was quieter than any storm.It is said that the Forest of Graumoos still exists, although no map marks it. Those who enter it sometimes feel the urge to stop, without knowing why. Perhaps somewhere among the roots and acorns lies a small, curled-up creature, its tail wrapped around itself, awake. Perhaps beside it lies a book, heavy with stories that refuse to die.