Which Road?

Ceara traveled for several hours. She finally stopped for the night beside a quiet pond.   After eating a small meal of the bread and cheese from her pack, she settled down for the night. The sounds of nature and the soft light of the moon lulled her to sleep. As she slept the word of her presence sped thru the forest.   

 The warmth of the early morning sun upon her face woke Ceara from her dreams. Dreams of magical places, dreams that were still so real that Ceara decided to seek them out. With a smile on her face, she again set out not noticing the whispering rustle of the wind in the grass as it raced ahead of her. The path twisted and turned, following the rush of a stream through the forest. The sun was high as she passed through the brambles and thin oaks at the forest edge and stepped from the cool shade of the trees. Ceara stopped, startled at what lay before her. In the small clearing just at the edge of the forest the path split, going north, south and west. Ceara stopped to rest beneath the shade of three trees.

  

  “A good day for a journey I would say.”    

Ceara was startled to hear a voice coming from the trees and looked about to see who was talking. It was then that she noticed that each of the trees appeared to have a face. Two were watching her with interest while the third slept.

 As Ceara stood there without speaking one of the trees began to impatiently tap his foot. “What are you waiting for girl? We don’t have all day? If you have a question spit it out!”

"I am but a traveler and do not know what lies ahead.”
“To the west lies the great sea, to the north lies the mountains and to the south lies the endless desert."
"Which way should I go?"
Two of the trees quickly whispered to each other and then one turned toward Ceara and spoke, "You should go to the mountains. That is where your path leads." The other nodded, "Yes, to the mountains you must go."
"Thank you." Ceara said and once again putting her pack on her back started down the path to the north and toward the mountains. As she disappeared down the path, the third tree woke up.