The sixteen year old Janine sat on one of the spindly chairs at the cedar table looking expectantly out of the window. Then, out of the deep, dark shadows of the forest, a furry ginger face poked expectantly out. The clumsy kitten tripped over its own paws in its eagerness to get back to Janine. His bright blue eyes sparkled expectantly.

It pranced this way and that though the fields of emerald grass. Janine lost sight of it for a moment due to a hill, only for him to regain his presence once more when he bobbed right back up. He was like a rowboat on an ocean.

Janine's joyous laughter broke the silence in the otherwise quiet cottage. It was a lovely spring day with flowers blooming cheerfully in vibrant colors in the field.

All over the peaceful house were new pieces of art. Whether it was the beautiful pottery that perfectly captured the life of the specific flowers they held, or the pictures of the stream that seemed to move and flow along the canvas, mimicking the water, by far the most exquisite piece of art was a beautiful jar.

One side was a perfect blend of sky blue with a layer of bright green cutting through for grass. There was a beautiful pop of pastel purple that showed the willow tree from the outside field in bloom. On the other side was a symphony of reds, oranges and yellows melded perfectly together to fit the persona of autumn. The less vibrant grass arched over to create the hill that a single maple tree (perfect for climbing) sat on top of.

The top of the jar arched ever-so-slightly outwards to look like the rising sun. The handles were curved in such a way so they looked like rainbows. It was breathtaking. So breathtaking that, no matter how hard they tried, Holly and Janine couldn't think of what to put in it.

"Come here, Frederick!" Janine called out to the oblivious ginger cat, "C'mere!!" The kitten made one final leap into her arms, purring all the while.

Janine looked towards the rolling hills of green while stroking Frederick absentmindedly and saw a bright white fabric dancing among the flowers with several plastic bags in each of her hands.

Holly had returned from her trip to the downtown early. "Janine," Holly called, "Can you help me with these? I bought Oreos!!!" At the mention of Oreos Holly set Frederick down as quickly as possible and raced out the door. "Oreos!!" Janine cried.

Holly laughed when she heard her yell for her favorite cookie like that. She was amazed at how childlike a sixteen year old could be. "Where's Frederick?" Holly asked, "Was he in the woods again?" Janine nodded vigorously. "You know he loves to play by the stream!" Holly rolled her eyes, "Well, at least he didn't fall in this time."

Holly giggled and said with a contented sigh, "Yes, I suppose you're right... Oh! Elastique is coming over tonight. He's bringing his late birthday present for you. He said something about needing you to help him with something, too."

"Okay!" Janine said enthusiastically, her eyes lighting up at the thought of seeing the lively satyr. She especially loved it when he played his pipe. It even seemed to calm the plants around him hearing the soothing string of notes that protruded from the roughly hewn pine instrument.

Janine and Holly made their way inside and soon they set down their bags with two soft thumps. As if on cue, Janine abruptly saw movement in the rippling waves of wind on grass in the meadow. She chuckled at him scampering through the rolling hills with grass so bright, it hurt to stare at for too long. As he leaped carelessly from one place to another, he appeared to be friskily playing a game of tag with the shadows of the great clouds drifting lazily by in the sea of aquamarine high above.

She bolted outside and down the cobble path to greet the satyr that she had so dearly missed. "Elastique!" she shouted at him as she practically jumped into his arms for one of his signature hugs that made her feel, above all, protected. There was something about him that always made her feel calm and safe. Then again, that was probably just his magic, but Janine didn't care. She snuggled her head deeper into his green hoodie. It had a picture of a tree plastered onto its front and it smelled like daisies.

"Ho, ho!" Elastique responded in a warm, yet strong voice, hastily returning the surprise hug, "Well, hasn't somebody grown?" Janine smiled, finally releasing the satyr. His curly raven black hair fell over one of his brilliant green eyes. His ebony skin was as flawless as his personality. Of course, if you managed to tear your eyes away from his masterfully sculpted facial features to look down, you'd realize that he was covered in thick grey fur from the waist down with shiny black hooves for feet. Hence the constant mentioning of the word satyr.

If your still not getting the picture; HE'S HALF GOAT.

He smiled warmly at Janine who began catching him up on everything that had happened since she last saw him (three months ago). "Oh, Lastie!! You'll never guess what's happened! The dryads by the lake have actually managed to find Artemis's Hunt! They were passing through here a few weeks ago to  hunt a hydra!... Or was it the Nemean Lion?.. I can't quite remember... Well, the point is, I got to see Artemis! The Artemis! How cool is that?" Janine took a deep breath to steady herself then turned to Elastique for approval of how amazing her story was.

His eyes widened and he beamed at her, "Wow! That's awesome Janine! Tell me.." he said, feigning seriousness, "Did you become.." his voice dropped below a whisper, "Besties Forevs?"

"Oh, shut up goat man!" Janine shouted hotly, but she was smiling. After a few moments of shared laughter Janine broke the chain by saying, "Come inside!" She turned her back on the satyr and gestured for him to follow. "We made pork-chops with garlic mashed potatoes." Elastique smiled and followed Janine up the path as he began playing his pipe.

The peaceful music was carried inside by the gentle evening breeze and relaxed everyone inside of the cozy cottage that was mysteriously larger on the inside. Everything was calm and restful, even if it was only for a short while.