I rode on the edge of twilight, the edge of forever, and I passed through fields never seen by man. All green and gold was the landscape, thick with the light of the setting sun. I rode for the forest, far ahead of me, for though it was dangerous and fey, there might the light of the final day linger still, caught in the leaves of the elder trees and sparkling in the still, glassy pools of Faerie.

I rode, and when my horse could go no further, I ran. Behind me a shadow crept over the land, and the sunset licked at my heels 'ere I came to the forest.

Thick were the trees in that ancient forest, and I was loath to enter, for the air was stifled and silent, and no birds sang, nor did any wind rustle the leaves. Nothing there was to interrupt the stillness and the silence, and I did not like the thought of disturbing the sanctity of the place with my mortal presence. Still, patches of sunlight yet dappled the ground beneath the spreading branches, and behind me crept a shadow.

Further, I had some small protection from the vagaries and deceptions of Faerie, for I yet carried a certain jeweled bauble with which I might bargain, knowing as I did its value to the fair folk. Great had been the price with which the bauble had been purchased, but that was in another life, and I could scarce recall the details of the bargain I had struck.

And so I entered the forest, and passed beneath the great boughs of the trees, and found that evening lingered yet awhile in the lands of Faerie, and darkness did not fall, and time did not pass. Here I knew, might I rest a bit, and gather strength for my journey, for though I had come far, farther still I had to go, and I knew that much of my wandering would now be in darkness.

Hesitant was I to pause overlong in Faerie, for I knew that time plays tricks in those lands beyond the mortal fold. And again, a dim recollection came to me there under the trees: a recollection of some dream I'd had of a forest like unto this, and of a maiden, and a wandering knight with eyes that glittered like gems. These things combined to make me passing uneasy, and I was wont to leave the fair realm with all due haste.

Still, I knew that darkness pursued me to the west, and that the treasure I sought was far, far to the east, and I was greatly wearied.

Ever must a man sleep, even in the fair fields and forests beyond the wonted haunts of the children of God. So I rested, first bathing in a cold stream, and then lying down in the soft heather beneath a gnarled oak.