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Tikanni Corazon
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 Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:34 am Post subject: |
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Poll is now closed, guys!
Starting the next chapter tonight, so hopefully I'll have it up in the next couple of days! Thanks for voting! 
_________________
.... there is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham....
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, 1887
 
 
  
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| Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 12:19 pm Post subject: |
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SparkleSteps – Chapter Three
The object was wrapped in a red velvet cloth, and tied with a thick, gold brocade ribbon, of an elaborate design of fairies and flowers. The children knelt down on the grass, and Milo proceeded to untie the ribbon, and free the item from its bonds.
It was a book. Thick and leather-bound, very much like the ones on the shelf in their lounge. The cover was a deep rich purple, with inlaid gold writing and illustrations. The title though, unlike the other books, was in a language that Milo had never seen, nor heard of, let alone that he could read. A complex jumble of swirls and shapes, but still clearly writing, all the same. He puzzled over it for a moment, then opened the book.
Winnie stayed perfectly quiet throughout his inspection, and continued to do so now, as her brother slowly turned the pages. The writing inside the book, was the same as the front cover, but the illustrations were only too well known, to the children. They were identical to the one that their intruder had left on the floor, the night before.
They passed the story of the Grottbiler, and the other scary creatures that they had read about. Then they came to where the story of Tianna and the Veeka had been. But in this book, the pages were missing. All that was left was a few torn edges, to show that they had existed. Milo pointed them out to Winnie.
“I wonder if that is what the creature was looking for last night?” He frowned, as he thought about it. “But,” he went on, “the story about Tianna was only a couple of pages long. There are...” He counted the ripped edges. “... eight pages torn from this book.” He turned to Winnie. “What came after Tianna’s story?”
Winnie shrugged.
“I can’t remember, “ she replied.
“But you read the whole book again, this morning. I didn’t. We stopped, last night, after we read about Tianna and the Veeka. Now think, when you read it this morning, what came after.”
“Oi! What are you kiddies doin’ over there?” came a gruff voice, from behind them. They turned to see Old Bob striding, determinedly towards them. “Get up off that grass! Gettin’ grass stains on your clothes, makin’ work for poor old Rosie!” As he neared them, he spotted the book. “What ya got there?”
“It’s just a book,” Milo replied quickly, as Old Bob reached past them, and picked it up. He held the book in his hands, and glared down at the cover. For a moment, he said nothing. Then his stony expression redirected to them.
“Where’d ya get this, boy?” he demanded, in a dangerously calm, quiet voice. Milo gulped, trying to figure out what to say.
“We brought it d..down,” he said, finally, “f..from our room.”
The old man’s face turned red, with unspoken anger, which he then proceeded to unleash upon the boy before him.
“Don’t lie to me, boy!” the old man bellowed, his face like thunder. He grabbed Milo by the arm, in a vice like grip. “Now tell me, where’d ya get it!”
“You’re hurting me!” said Milo, trying to pull himself from the old man's grasp.
“And I’ll continue to do so, if ya don’t tell...”
“What’s going on, out here?”
They turned to see Violet running over to them. She forced Old Bob away from Milo, then held the frightened boy to her, as she turned back to the old man.
“What do you think you’re doing!” she cried, stroking Milo's hair, soothingly. “They’re only kids, you big bully! Leave them alone! They’re not doing you any harm!”
“They had this!” Bob held up the book, which Violet glanced at, then returned he glare towards him.
“You did this, because they were reading a book?” she said, in disbelief. “For God’s sake Bob! Pull yourself together! I know you’re not used to having kids around, but that is going too far.” She reached forwards, and snatched the book away from the old man’s grip, and handed it to Winnie. “And you can bloody well give that back too!” She ushered the children back towards the house. “Off you go. Your lunch is ready. It’s up in your room.”
The children walked away, glancing over their shoulders, every now and then, to where Violet was still berating Old Bob. Winnie clasped her brothers hand, and looked up at him, her expression concerned.
“Are you okay?” she asked, watching her brother rub his arm, where Old Bob had held him. He flashed her a small smile, and nodded.
“Thank God Violet came over when she did,” Winnie went on. “I thought that he was going to...”
“I know,” Milo replied. He looked back, at Violet's continued scolding of the old man. “I wonder why he got so angry?”
“Because he’s a weirdo! ” Winnie replied, “We should tell Uncle Jem! He’ll be sorry then!”
“No Win, leave it, for now. Violet seems to be doing fine on her own.” Despite his recent scare, he chuckled. “I don’t think that we’ll have much to worry about while she’s around. And besides...” He reached down and took the book from Winnie's hands. “At least we’ve still got this!”
They went up to their room, and, as tempting as it was to examine the book further, they abandoned the idea, in favour of the bowls of stew, that sat, steaming and smelling divine, upon the table.
Violet came in, half way through their meal, looking a little flustered, but triumphant. She went straight to Milo, upon entering, and demanded to see his arm. She tutted at the five small, round bruises left by Old Bob’s fingers digging into his flesh.
“Stupid old goat!” she exclaimed, in annoyance, giving Milo his arm back, so that he could continue eating. “Surely that can’t all have been about a book? Not that there is any excuse for what he did, but you must have done something more than that?” She looked at them, questioningly.
“He did tell us to get up of the floor,” piped up Winnie, between mouthfuls. “He said we’d get grass stains on our clothes.”
“That’s just as ridiculous a reason as the book,” said Violet, frowning. “Don’t know what’s got into the silly old bugger. Where is that book anyway?”
Milo pointed towards his bedroom, and Violet went though, coming back with the book in her hands. She sat down on one of the chairs, and looked at the cover. For a moment, she retained her puzzled frown. But then, almost like a light had been switched on in her head, the frown melted away, to be replaced with a look of shocked understanding.
“Where did you get this?” she said, in a near whisper, not taking her eyes away from the book.
“From the bookshelf” replied Milo, deciding to stick to their earlier story. But Violet shook her head.
“No Milo, the truth, please. I’m not going to be angry, just tell me where you found it.” She looked up from the book, looking slightly desperate. “Please tell me!”
“We found it, in the tree,” said Winnie, earning her a glare from Milo. “Someone must have put it in there, while we were in the tree house, ‘cause it wasn’t there when we went in. Are we in trouble?” Violet smiled, and shook her head.
“No, sweetheart, you’re not in trouble. I just needed to know, that’s all. Everything makes more sense now.” She stood, tucking the book under her arm, and started to gather their empty dishes. Milo and Winnie watched, as the made for the door.
“Why are you taking the book?” said Milo, “Can’t we have it? It’s just a book!”
“We’ll see,” was Violets reply, “I’ll have to show it to your Uncle, then he’ll decide whether it’s okay.” Then she went out, and strode off down the hall.
“Wait here a moment,” Milo said to Winnie. Then he slipped out the door after her.
Winnie did as she was told, all the while wondering what he was up to. He returned, about ten minutes later, a triumphant grin on his face.
“I saw where she put the book, and later, I’m going to get it back.” He went over to the book shelf, and took down the original fairy tales book.
“Milo, no,” said Winnie, “We could get into trouble, especially if Violet or Old Bob tells Uncle Jem.”
“They won’t know,” Milo replied. “I’ll go and get it, when everyone is asleep, and when we are done looking at it, I’ll put it back. No one will be any the wiser.” He grinned smugly, and, settling himself on the sofa, he opened the book. “Now to find out what was on those other pages.” He flicked through, until he reached Tianna’s story. He turned the page and...
“Nothing,” he said, blankly. “There is nothing!” He counted through the blank sheets of paper. “There is not even another eight pages!” He searched for any tears, when the pages may have been removed, but he found none. He looked up at his sister, who remained sat at the table. Winnie merely shrugged.
Milo threw the book down, in frustration, and sat glaring, with his arms folded across his chest.
“Stupid old man!” he grumbled, “If he just kept his big, fat nose out of other peoples business, we’d still have the other book!” Winnie said nothing, slightly nervous of her brother's sudden change of mood. He turned to face her. “And you! Why did you tell her that we found it in the tree? If we had just stuck to the story, we might have been able to keep it!”
“She knew that you were lying, Milo,” replied Winnie, clearly upset by the outburst. “And besides, I thought that you said that you were going to go and get it later?”
“I want it now!” ranted Milo. Winnie just stayed where she was for a moment, then she got up and ran to her bedroom, and shut the door.
Milo knew that he was being unfair to her, and that he should go and apologise, but he retained his bad mood, and instead of doing the right thing, he continued to sit and stew.
He woke up, hours later, still sat on the sofa.
“Must have fallen asleep,” he mumbled to himself. He looked towards the window. It was dark outside, the moon shining brightly, in the star-filled sky. He turned towards Winnies room. The door remained closed. He felt a little bad then, about how he had treated his little sister.
Looking at the clock, where it hung on the wall, he saw that it was nearly ten o clock. He wondered if it was late enough to snoop around, to try to get the book back. He doubted it, but he was itching to take another look at it.
He walked carefully over to the door, trying his best not to creak the floorboards. He opened it, just a crack, and looked out into the dark hallway. There was nobody around. Violet's bedroom door was closed, and there was no light coming from beneath it. So, he decided, she was probably already in bed. Other than that, Milo had no idea who might still be up and about.
His stomach grumbled, and he briefly wondered why Violet hadn’t woken them for dinner. But the thought soon left him, as he made his mind up that he was going to take the risk, and go and get the book.
He opened the door fully, and crept out. He stopped and listened, just outside, to see if he could hear anything. There was nothing, so he continued on, past Violet's door, and to the top of the stairs.
He peered down over the banisters. There was no light on in the hall below, and all, as it was upstairs, was quiet. He could just see the carved doors of Jem's study, and they, like Violet's door, were closed.
He, slowly descended, pausing every couple of steps, to listen for movement. When he reached the bottom, he took one last look around, and breathed out a quiet sigh, of relief. He’d made it practically half way. The book was in a dresser, opposite him in the hall. His bare feet made little sound, as he made his way, quickly, over to it.
He opened the centre drawer, and there it was. He picked it up, and the gold writing glinted strangely, though there was no light to reflect upon the gilded surface. He hugged it to his chest, as he stole back across the hall.
He made his way back up the stairs, much in the same way he had descended, keeping aware for any noise, or movement. He, once again, reached the top, and returned to his room. He flashed Violet's room a final glance. It remained dark, and the door shut. He closed his own door, and smiled triumphantly to himself.
“I did it!” he exclaimed, under his breath. He looked down at the book, gleefully. “Now to try and discover your secrets.”
He sat down on the sofa, and began to turn the pages. He looked at the now familiar pictures, studying them intently, trying to spot anything unusual. It suddenly occurred to him to get the other book, so that he could compare the two of them. He got up and placed the new book, open, on the floor. Then he went, took the other from the shelf, and laid it down in the same way. Then he sat down, cross-legged, before them, and proceeded to turn the pages, comparing each for any differences, no matter how tiny. But, page after page, the only difference was the language in which it was written.
He reached the pages where Tianna's story was, and where it should have been. He gazed down at the figure in golden armour, painted so intricately upon the page.
“Why was your story torn out?” he asked the figure. “What was so important about you Tianna?”
Suddenly, the window, which was locked and bolted, threw itself open. Moonlight streamed into the room, touching the pages of the open books. There was a flash of light, and Milo watched as a strange glow passed across the new book. Tendrils of the magical light, reached out to the other book, and then entered it. Milo watched, with astonished eyes, as the figure of Tianna the warrior, turned her graceful head, and looked directly at him.
With a gasp of shock, he backed quickly away from the shining books. He couldn’t believe what was happening, didn’t understand what was happening. He pressed against the wall, as hard as he could, as if, if he wished it enough, he might pass through into the room on the other side.
Then, as he watched with utter fear, a hand ascended from the book, closely followed by an arm. Then another. Milo squeezed his eyes closed, then opened then again, hoping that the vision would be gone. But it remained, and still more appeared. A face, covered in a bejewelled mask, a torso clad in pure gold armour. Shapely hips and long, elegant legs emerged, until a shimmering, life-sized image of Tianna, the Skylan warrior stood before him, looking down at him with the irises of the most incredible blue, surrounded in gold, where there should have been white, with thick, dark lashes.
Tianna reached up, and removed the mask, revealing a face of such beauty, that Milo didn’t even know existed. Her shining locks cascaded over her shoulders and down her back, more brilliant than the armour she wore. Her full lips parted, and she began to speak.
“Do not be frightened child,” Tianna said, in a soft voice, “I will not harm thee. ” Milo didn’t move or speak, still too much in shock to do either. The figure waited for a moment, for a response. But, when she got none, she continued on. “I will not waste time. A sister of mine, here in your world, is in danger. She needs your help.” Milo managed to find his voice.
“M..my help? How c..c..can I help her?”
“You, of the Allington bloodline, swore long ago, that you would help us, if and when we needed you. We need you now. I do not have time enough to tell you more. Soon I must go.” Her eyes bore into him, with such intensity, that he felt like she was staring into his very soul. “Will you stay true to the word of your ancestors?”
“I...I don’t know,” replied Milo, trying to make sense of it all, inside his head. “I don’t know what I can do. I’m just a kid.”
The figure looked puzzled for a moment.
“A kid?” she questioned, but waved it aside almost immediately, “It doesn’t matter what you are. You and your sister are the only ones who can help.”
“What about my Uncle? He’s an Allington too and...”
“We gave up on him a long time ago,” Tianna interrupted, “He failed us once before. He will not get the chance to do so again.”
Her eyes burned with an intense anger. She pointed a long, elegant finger out of the window and towards the forest.
“My sister awaits you. If you decide to help, find her, and pledge your allegiance to her cause. If you do not, you shall be a failure to us, as your Uncle was before you!” She bowed to him. “The choice is yours, child of the Allington bloodline. Choose wisely. I bid you farewell.”
With that, her beautiful form, began to melt back into the book. The last thing Milo saw, were those gorgeous eyes, still gazing at him, before she disappeared, and the light with her, leaving him alone once again, with a big decision to make.
Okay, DP is very similar to the first, what does he do now? Does he do as Tianna requests, or not? Does he tell Winnie? It's all down to you!  Thanks for reading! Hope you like it!
_________________
.... there is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham....
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, 1887
Last edited by Tikanni Corazon on Mon Mar 15, 2010 12:34 pm; edited 4 times in total
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Tikanni Corazon
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| Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 6:29 am Post subject: |
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Okay, change of plan, again!
Instead of another two parter, which was the original idea, I've decided that I have a perfectly good DP to use anyway. So I've edited it in, and await your thoughts!
Thanks for reading!
_________________
.... there is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham....
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, 1887
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D-Lotus
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| Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 2:38 pm Post subject: |
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This chapter introduced many new elements, but the mixture of them is somewhat perplexing.
First we have Bob's agressive reaction: does this mean he has orders to keep an eye out on the children and prevent them from getting entangled in the magical world of the manor, or was his reaction his own initiative-- does he have his own agenda? But if the first is true, who is giving him orders? If it were the children's uncle, why didn't he forbid them to explore on their own in the first place? Besides, judging from Violet's explanation, it seems as though the uncle may willingly let them participate in this magical world.
Secondly, we have Milo's weird affinity for the "evil" book and his spiteful accusations against his sister, which reminds me of the effect that the ring in LOTR had on almost everyone it encountered. How it will cause Milo to behave is still a mystery, but it doesn't seem to be a positive influence.
Then we have the coming alive of Tianna from the book. It seems that if the two books are placed side by side, they have the power to bring its characters to life. It's likely that whoever placed the "evil" book in the tree for the kids to find knew this would happen. Thus, we should be aware that Milo is being manipulated. Perhaps it is Tianna herself who engineered everything to find herself alone with Milo; it's especially relevant that she is a beautiful "woman" and Milo a boy in the age of puberty. Her presence is sinister, especially because she obviously is very angry at the uncle for his previous failure-- the demands are very high, apparently. She didn't ask for Milo's help very graciously, instead she demanded from him, with accusing undertones, to fulfill a promise; a debt. But at least she didn't force him into anything.
I think Milo will accept. He doesn't have the character or maturity to realize he is being manipulated, and both Tianna and the power of the "evil" book have too much allure to resist. There is hope, however, that because Tianna had to leave, that in the meantime either Violet or Milo's sister will figure out what happened. I especially like the sister, I think that she will ultimately save Milo. Maybe she, too, will join the adventure because she wants to protect her brother and be with him.
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Crunchyfrog
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| Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 5:06 am Post subject: |
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There's a little history between Milo's family and Tianna's world that clearly, Milo needs to know about. I sense that Violet's reaction at finding the book (And old Bob's) suggests that what Tianna perceives as Jem's 'failure', translates to some very bad experience that neither Violet or Bob want to see repeated.
Tianna has not threatened Milo with anything if he doesn't honour his ancestors' pledge, other than the knowledge that he'll be a failure in Tianna's eyes. So Milo can walk away from this right now if he wishes.
I agree with D that Milo is not the type who will shy away from adventure. We've seen evidence of that. But he is feeling bad about his sister right now, and he'll have to clear the air with her, and then convince her of what he saw.
If he's to have any chance of success he'll need her support, either at his side, or to cover for him while he's away. If he doesn't, he'll have a hard time even getting started.
So - my suggestion is to convince Winnie that (a - that his meeting with Tianna wasn't a dream, and (b - that she'll support him in any way she can.
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Chinaren
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| Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 5:10 am Post subject: |
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Well, they'll go for it of course! As they pointed out themselves, they are kids. Kids think they're immortal anyway, and it's exciting. I don't think we need think more than that really.
Mind you, they may try to recruit Violet somehow, as an ally.
Nice chapter Tikks!
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Tikanni Corazon
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| Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 5:06 pm Post subject: |
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Thankyou D, Crunchy, and C-Ren for your comments and suggestions!
I'm kinda itching to get the next chapter up, so I'll leave it open for suggestions for a couple more days, then put up the poll.
Thanks for reading!
_________________
.... there is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham....
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, 1887
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Tatkret Sos
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| Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 7:32 am Post subject: |
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At last I've read it!
Great start to the book sis! I thoroughly enjoyed it!
I think the others have suggested very good ideas 
I think he should have a snoop around the house because he knows that his uncle failed them once before, so maybe he could find something else about the mystical being Tianna. Milo should then hopefully persuade Winnie to help him and they could then explore the forest together, and yes maybe Violet could be some help too!
Also, just to be a little different, he could go it alone!  Winnie or Violet could find out and they could go out looking for him!
Last edited by Tatkret Sos on Tue Feb 02, 2010 1:43 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Tikanni Corazon
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| Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 1:37 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the comment, Tats, and with that.....the poll is up!
Thanks for all of your imput guys! Get your votes in!
_________________
.... there is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham....
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, 1887
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Tikanni Corazon
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| Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 9:34 am Post subject: |
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I am closing the poll in a couple of days, so if there are any more votes, please get them in soon.
And be warned, I've got a feeling this is going to be another mega-long chapter, possibly a three-parter!
_________________
.... there is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham....
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, 1887
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Tikanni Corazon
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| Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 8:24 am Post subject: |
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Poll is now closed!
I'm in a writing-sorta-mood, so I should hopefully have the first part up by tomorrow evening, possibly even tonight. And then hopefully, all of it up by the weekend!
Thanks for voting!
_________________
.... there is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham....
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, 1887
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Tikanni Corazon
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| Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:56 am Post subject: |
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SparkleSteps – Chapter 4: Part 1
Milo could not sleep that night. He tossed and turned, the image of Tianna always before his eyes, whether they were open or closed.
Finally he just lay back, and thought hard about the decision he would have to make. The thought of entering the forest, though it had intrigued him from day one, also filled him with fear, made worse by the imaginings of the creatures that could be living inside the darkness. If the book was anything to go by, he couldn’t see himself lasting for very long anyway, so how much help would he be, even if he chose to go?
“But,” he said to himself, in the quiet of his room, “if I was of no use, surely, she wouldn’t have asked me to do it in the first place.” He frowned, as he thought. “Although, she could be evil, and she might want me to go inside, just so that I will get hurt.” His started to picture images of flesh-eating witches, and sabre-toothed monsters, and the like. He gave his head a sharp shake. “Stop doing that! Pull yourself together!” The image of Tianna floated into his mind, once again. He shook his head again. “And that! You need to think about this, without any distractions.”
Morning had begun to break, before Milo finally made a decision. He would accept ‘Tianna’s Quest’, as he now called it, and he would go into the forest, to find and help this sister of hers. ‘And hopefully’, he thought to himself, ‘I will be able to convince Winnie to go with me.
His mind felt lighter, now that he knew what he was going to do, and allowed him to feel how truly exhausted he was. He snuggled deep into his pillows, and slept.
Someone shouting his name, followed by a sharp poke in the ribs, awakened Milo sometime later. He opened his eyes to find Violet standing over him, looking furious. Instantly, he knew the source of her anger, and he could have kicked himself. The book! He’d left it on the floor, forgetting about it, in his state of shock and confusion.
“I’m really sor...” he began, but Violet cut him off.
“I don’t want to hear that you’re sorry Milo! Why did you do it? I told you that I would have to get your Uncle's consent, before allowing you to have it, but did you take any notice? No, of course you didn’t! Did it occur to you what kind of trouble I might get into, all because you wanted your own way? I’m betting, not for a second!”
Milo listened to her rant, in shocked silence. He felt ashamed. He hadn’t, for one moment, thought about Violet, and what Uncle Jem might do if he found out. He might sack her, then who would be there to look after him and Winnie, and to keep Old Bob off their backs?
Violet finished, and stood panting, waiting for a response.
“I’m sorry,” Milo said, simply because he could think of nothing else to say.
“Why did you take the book, Milo?” Violet repeated, in a calmer voice.
“I just....I just wanted to look at it”, he replied, not actually sure why he had been so desperate to get it back.
“That’s your excuse? You just wanted to look at it?” Violet's voice began to sound shrill once again, and Milo hurridly tried to explain.
“I don’t know why, Violet. I just...sort of...needed to look at it. I had to.” He shrugged hopelessly, unable to think of any other way to illustrate how he had felt at the time, but it seemed to be enough for Violet. Her face changed from one of anger, to one of concern.
“Milo, nothing...happened last night, did it?”
Milo stared at her, not knowing how he should answer. He did not know whether he should tell her about Tianna, or not. What would she say?
“What do you mean?” he said, to buy himself some time to decide.
“Did you...see anything...unusual?” There was a desperate look in Violet's eyes that made him feel uncomfortable. ‘She knows about all of this’, he thought, to himself, ‘She knows about Tianna.’ At the thought of being forbidden to carry out the Skylan warrior's request, he decided to keep quiet.
“No, nothing happened,” he replied, innocently. Violet looked at him disbelievingly for a moment, then she went through to the lounge area. Through the open door, he saw her pick the purple book up off the floor. Then she turned back, and looked at him.
“I hope that you are not lying to me Milo,” she said, quietly. Then she walked, out of his view, and he heard the door close.
Milo got out of bed, and peeked into the lounge, to make sure that she had gone. She was nowhere to be seen, and he breathed a sigh of relief. She had left breakfast on the table, porridge with chocolate chips again, but it had gone cold, during the interrogation. He ate it anyway, though it wasn’t as enjoyable as it had been the day before. He noticed that Winnie’s bowl was empty, and her bedroom door was, once again, closed. Obviously, she was still avoiding him.
He felt awful. After all that they had been through, he couldn’t believe that he had treated her in such a way. They only had each other left, and he had been wrong to make her suffer, all because he wanted the book, and couldn’t have it. He would make it up to her somehow.
He finished his breakfast, and then went to bath and dress. When he came back out, he went up to Winnie’s door, took a deep breath, and knocked. There was no reply, so he knocked again. Still nothing.
“Win?” he called out, “Win, please answer me. I’m sorry about yesterday. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that. Please forgive me. Win?”He put his ear to the door, and listened. He could hear no movement on the other side. He tried the door knob, and the door opened.
He peered inside. Winnie wasn’t there.
“Win?” he called out again, just in case she was in the bathroom. But there was still no answer. “I wonder where she is?” he said to himself, quietly.
He closed the door, and went to look out of the window, thinking that maybe she might be out in the garden. It was a beautiful day, the sun shone brightly in a pure blue sky. Old Bob was pulling up weeds, in one of the many flower beds, sweating from the work and the heat. But Milo could see no sign of his little sister. But then, as they had found out the previous day, the grounds of the estate were vast. He decided to go and look for her, and thought that he might check out the forest border while he was at it.
He grabbed his torch, and left the room, racing down the stairs, running headlong into Violet, in his haste.
“For goodness sake Milo!” the housekeeper grumbled, bending down to pick up the basket of washing, that she had been carrying, but was now scattered around the floor, at her feet “No running in the house. You nearly knocked me flying!”
“Sorry,” Milo said, helping her to gather the split washing, “I was looking for Winnie. Have you seen her?”
“She headed out to play, a long time before you were even out of bed. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that you had had some kind of disagreement. Poor little soul looked very sorrowful, when she was eating her breakfast this morning. Barely said two words.”
Milo went red with shame, and Violet frowned, knowingly.
“I thought as much. Well, you’d better go and find her, and say sorry. Last time I saw her, she was hanging around the rose garden, but that was a while ago, and she’s not there now. You’d best ask Old Bob. He might have seen her.” Milo looked horrified at the prospect of asking Old Bob anything, but Violet’s expression was stubborn. “Well, off you go.” He hesitated, then headed out the front door.
Old Bob was still weeding the same flower bed. He looked hot, and his usual grumpy self, and Milo found himself unable to approach him, remembering what happened the last time they had met. Instead, he made his way over to the rose garden, deciding to begin his search there.
As Violet had said, Winnie was no longer in the rose garden, and Milo didn’t have a clue which direction she may have gone in. He headed down, towards the forest, thinking that he would have a quick poke about, around the edges, before he went anywhere else.
But he had barely reached it, when he heard someone yelling at him, to get away. Old Bob was striding over to him, looking furious.
“You ‘ave bin told t’ stay away from there! So try doin’ as you’re told for once!” Milo backed a few steps away, as the old man reached him. “Get goin’! You’re not to go in there, understand?” Milo nodded, and after a final warning glare, Bob turned and headed back the way he had come. “Oh, and if you’re lookin’ for your sister,” he called back, “I think she’s up in the tree ‘ouse.”
Milo waited till the old man had disappeared from sight, then breathed a sigh of relief. He had got out of that one unscathed, and now he knew where Winnie was. He remembered their conversation in the tree house, the day before, and how upset Winnie had been, and it made him feel even worse about how he had treated her. He headed around the other side of the house, and then down, towards the oak tree.
As he approached, he could hear her humming quietly to herself, from inside the wooden structure. He went around to the entrance.
“Win,” he called softly, “is it alright if I come up?” The humming stopped, and there was a pause. Then he heard her answer quietly.
“Okay.”
He clambered up the oak , using the foot and hand holds carved into the immense tree. He found Winnie sat in the centre of the tree house floor, surrounded by wild flowers and ivy, making a wreath. He remembered their mother showing them how to make them, and a lump came to his throat at the memory.
Winnie turned to him, as he pulled himself inside. Her eyes were red, like she had been crying, though she wasn’t now.
“I’m so sorry Win,” he said, “I shouldn’t have yelled at you, and I hope you will forgive me. Please?”
Winnie placed the wreath on the floor, as her face broke into a smile, and she went over to her brother and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back.
“Is that a yes?” he said, with a chuckle. Winnie nodded, but didn’t let go. Evidently, she had been miserable on her own, and wanted nothing more than to have her big brother back. When she finally pulled away, she was still beaming at him, though a few stray tears had escaped her eyes too. Milo wiped them away, with his sleeve.
“What are you crying for, silly?” he said, affectionately. Winnie shrugged, and laughed. “Come on,” Milo continued, “Lets head back to the house. I’ve got something to tell you.” She nodded, and, leaving her wreath and flowers, to come back to later, they descended the oak, and wandered back up to the house.
As they passed the flower beds, they noticed that, though his wheelbarrow and tools were still there, Old Bob was not. Fleetingly, Milo wondered where the old man might be, but the thought was gone an instant later. They entered the house, and were just about to go upstairs to their room, when the sound of raised voices reached their ears. They found that it was coming from Jem’s study, and the voice was obviously that of their Uncle. The study door was open a crack, and, though they knew that they could get into serious trouble if they were caught, curiousity overcame them, once again, and they could not resist a look.
They peeked through the crack in the doorway. There stood Violet and Old Bob, and before them, with his back towards the door, was Jem. And Jem was not pleased.
“You have both behaved unacceptably,” he berated them, in a low, but dangerous sounding voice. “Probably couldn’t have been worse! You!” He pointed to Old Bob. “Making so much fuss about it! There’s no way that they will forget about it now. They will keep poking around, looking for things. Milo has already shown he’s that way inclined, and I’m sure Winnie would be only too willing to follow him! And then you,” he said, turning to Violet, “after all that, you give it back to them! And then, when you do come to your senses, you allow Milo to see where you've hidden it!”
“I didn’t kno...”
“Well, you should have known, Violet!” Jem's voice raised, slightly, making the young housekeeper flinch. “It is your job to know! I don’t want those children to know about the forest, or anything that dwells within it. And if something, from inside that forest, tries to contact them, in any way, it is up to you to find out. Now it’s too late!” Jem sounded defeated, and he slumped into his black, high-backed armchair. “What are we going to do?”
“They may have tried Sir, but there’s nothing to say that they succeeded in contacting the children. Milo said...”
“He’s lying.”
Violet knelt down beside Jem, and looked up into his face, “Sir, maybe if you should just tell them everything. Maybe they will understand the danger. Maybe they will just...stop.”
“Maybes Violet,” he replied softly, “Maybes are not good enough. When it comes to that other world, you need certainties, otherwise they will break through any barriers, that you try to put up.” He sighed deeply. “I need to think. You are both dismissed.” He waved a hand towards the door, and the two of them hurried to leave.
Milo and Winnie backed away from the door, and the two approaching figures, on the other side.
“Quick! We’ve got to find somewhere to hide!” Milo hissed at his little sister.
Okay, here's part one, sooner than I anticipated! Parts two, and possibly a part three will follow soon. I hope you like it! Thanks for reading!
_________________
.... there is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham....
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, 1887
Last edited by Tikanni Corazon on Mon Mar 15, 2010 12:37 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Tikanni Corazon
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Joined: 25 Oct 2009
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Location: Running through the plains of my mind, my wolf spirit at my side (but doing so in the UK!).
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| Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 2:34 pm Post subject: |
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SparkleSteps – Chapter 4: Part 2
They looked around madly, trying to spot somewhere that they could conceal themselves, until the other two had passed. Milo spotted an open door, and dragged Winnie inside the room beyond, just as Violet and Old Bob exited Jems study.
The children listened and watched, through the slightly open door. The other two argued, quietly, with each other as they walked across the hall.
“This is all your fault, you stupid old goat!” they heard Violet hiss at the old man. “Why didn’t you tell me what it was in the first place?”
“I would ‘ave, if I coulda got a word in edgeways!” Bob retorted. “Mouthin’ and trappin’ away! You tell me, ‘ow was I supposed to tell ya anythin’ with you goin’ on like that?”
Violet simply made a huffing noise, and strode off towards the staircase, which she proceeded to climb, while Old Bob headed out to the garden, in an equally sour mood.
Milo and Winnie waited, until they were sure that they had both gone. Then they breathed sighs of relief.
“That was close,” said Milo quietly. Winnie nodded, in agreement. “We had better try and sneak back out and go upstairs,” he continued. He peered out, into the hall, to make sure that the coast was clear.
“What was Uncle Jem talking about Milo?” Winnie looked up at him, questioningly.
“I’ll tell you when we get to our room. I don’t want anyone to...”
“Who’s there?” The voice, that interrupted him, was soft, and gentle, and sounded a little nervous. They turned, and at first they couldn’t see the owner of the voice. They saw that the room they had hidden in, was the kitchen. A big table was situated in the centre of the room, with two sturdy benches, one on either side. Then they saw her.
In the corner of the room, was a large, flowery armchair, and seated in it was an elderly woman. She looked small, and frail , with long, white wavy locks. She looked nearly directly at them, yet she called out her question once again.
“Who is it? Who’s there?”
After a short pause, Milo answered.
“My name is Milo,” he answered, “This is my sister Winnie. Sorry, if we’re not supposed to be in here, we just...got a bit lost.”
The old woman gasped, and her hand flew to her mouth.
“Oh my! You’ll be little Kathleen's children! Of course there is nothing wrong with you being in here! I just wish you hadn’t taken so long!” She removed her hand, and beamed at the children. “I am Rosie Finnagan. I am the cook, here at the estate.” She gestured for them to come closer. “Come, come! I want to know what you look like.”
They walked over to her, feeling a little shy. As they got nearer, they both gasped quietly. Rosie’s eyes were pure milky white.
“You’re blind,” Milo exclaimed. Rosie beamed. The smile lit up her face, and, despite her years, made her look utterly beautiful.
“Can’t get nothing past you can I?” She replied, with a chuckle. “Why do you think I wanted you to come closer?” She reached out in their general direction. “Come, dears, don’t be frightened. What do you think that a poor old blind lady is going to do to you?”
Hesitantly, Milo took the offered hand, and found himself being pulled, gently, towards the old lady. She reached up, and touched his face with both hands, running her fingers across his nose, his mouth, his eyes, as if drinking in his features with her fingertips. He watched her face, as she did so. There was something strangely familiar about that face, and her voice. But he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. It was like trying to remember something from a dream, knowing that the information was there inside his head, but not being able to access it.
“You’re not like your mother, are you child?” she said, her voice breaking his chain of thought, as she touched his dark hair. “No, not at all. But a handsome lad, all the same.” Milo blushed at the appraisal. Winnie giggled quietly, the first noise she had made since they had discovered Rosie. The old lady reached out, in her general direction, at the noise.
“You knew our mother?” said Milo. Rosie nodded, placing her hands back in her lap.
“I did, child, back in the days before I lost my sight. I used to take care of your mother and your uncle, when they were children, same as Violet does for you now.”
She suddenly looked sad, as if remembering caused her pain. But she gave a small shake of her head, and the smile returned, and she beckoned once again, with her hands, to Winnie.
“Now you,” she said. Winnie hesitated, but at a look from Milo, she stepped foward. Rosie did the same to her as Milo, touching each facial feature, forming a picture in her mind. She let out a soft gasp.
“Now this is Kathleen all over again,” she whispered, “Same nose, same mouth, same long eyelashes.” Winnie beamed with pleasure at Rosie’s words. The old woman caressed the long curls that fell around Winnie's shoulders.
“I’d be willing to bet, that these curls are the colour of golden corn,” she exclaimed quietly.
“Yes,” replied Winnie. Though she couldn’t see her, Rosie looked directly into Winnie’s face.
“Beautiful child, just like your mother.” She held Winnie's hands in her own, and smiled warmly at the little girl before her.
Both of the children wanted to ask more questions about their mother's childhood at the estate. But at that moment, the door opened, and Violet walked in, with a basket full of fresh vegetables.
“Rosie, I got the stuff that you asked for...” Violet's words trailed off, as she noticed the children. “What on earth are you two doing in here?”
“Uuuh...we...uuh...wanted to explore...the house, and we wandered in here,” Milo said, quickly. “And we met Rosie.” Violet sighed.
“If you wanted to look around the house, you should have asked me to show you. There are places here that you are not allowed. The kitchen being one of them.”
“They didn’t mean any harm, Vi,” Rosie said, gently, “and it was nice to finally meet them both.”
“Yes, well...”Violet said, looking affectionately at the old woman, “I’ll let it go this time, but no wandering around again, okay?” She turned to the children, looking stern. “Understood?” They both nodded. “Now off you go. It’s a lovely day outside today. Get out there and have some fun. But,” She lowered her voice to a whisper, “try and stay out of Bob's way, okay? He’s not in the best of moods.”
“Okay, Violet,” replied Milo, and the two of them went to leave. They turned back at the door.
“Bye Rosie. Nice meeting you,” said Milo, fully intending to return to see the old lady sometime soon.
“Yes, goodbye, children. Have fun!”
“Bye,” said Winnie, cheerfully, and the two of them left, and headed for the garden.
“I thought that we were going up to our room,” said Winnie, looking up at him, “You said you wanted to tell me something.”
“I’ll have to tell you out here,” replied Milo, “Violet told us to play out here, and she might get suspicious if we don’t do as we are told.” Winnie looked puzzled. “Don’t worry,” Milo continued, “You’ll understand better when I’ve told you everything.”
They found a quiet spot near the rose garden, and, in a voice slightly more than a whisper, Milo told his sister all about Tianna, and what she had asked them to do.
As the story went on, Winnie’s eyes grew wider and wider with shock, and fear, when he reached the part about going into the forest.
“No Milo, I don’t want to go in there,” she said, shaking her head wildly, to punctuate her reluctance.
“Win, calm down. You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“But I don’t want you to go in there either,” she continued, gripping his hand, “And Uncle Jem said that we mustn’t. He said we could get lost in there. And the book...”
“I’ve made up my mind,” Milo said, firmly, “I’m going in there, with or without you. But, even if you don’t want to come in, I need you to keep a look out for me. Old Bob already caught me looking around the edge of the trees once today, and warned me off. I’ve got to have a look around, to find a way in. Will you do that for me?” He looked at her pleadingly. Winnie shook her head.
“No, I don’t want you to.”
“Fine, don’t help me,” replied Milo, getting up, and walking off, toward the forest. “But I’m going anyway.” Winnie quickly got to her feet, and raced after him.
“Milo, no!” Winnie hissed at her brother, as he edged closer and closer to the edge of the forest. She herself held back, not wanting to go any closer, but not wanting to leave him. She just watched from a short distance away, as Milo poked around in the undergrowth, looking to see if there was any kind of path beneath it, shining his torch around.
“Ow!” he cried out, as a thorny creeper attached itself to his t-shirt, stabbing into his arm and shoulder in the process. Gingerly, he pulled it off, and continued looking, taking care to stay away from the prickly vines, which hung down from the trees.
“Milo, I don’t want to go in there,” Winnie stated, looking around, in case Old Bob was watching them.
“Well, neither of us will be going in there, unless we find another form of light,” Milo grumbled. “ This thing is useless! I can’t see a thing!” Winnie looked relieved at her brothers words. But Milo looked thoughtful. “I wonder if Old Bob has anything that we could use.”
The relieved expression, on Winnies face, was once more replaced by a worried one. Milo continued, oblivious to his sisters distress. “He might have something in his shed. I’m going to check it out.” He strode off across the garden. Winnie ran after him, and grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop.
“You’re just going to take it? Milo, he will be so angry if he catches you!”
“Well, I’ll have to make sure that he doesn’t catch me then, won’t I? I can hardly ask him for it!” He shook his arm free of his sister's grip, and continued on.
Winnie just stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do. She was tempted to go to Violet. She knew that Milo would be livid if she did. But then, neither of them knew what might be living inside the forest. She remembered the stories in the book of fairy tales, and shuddered at the thought of meeting the Grottbiler or the Veeka. If she told Violet, at least they would both be safe, even if her brother chose to never speak to her again. But that morning without him, had been almost unbearable.
She chewed her bottom lip, while she debated with herself, as to what to do. Then she made her decision, and rushed off, hoping that she was doing the right thing.
Milo reached the shed, and after a quick scout around, to see if Old Bob was anywhere nearby, he opened the door, with a slight creak, and went inside.
He expected the shed to be one big mess, considering the appearance of the old man himself. But the whole thing was surprisingly organised. Plant pots, garden tools, and other gardening apparatus, each had their own place.
Milo searched along the rows of wooden shelves, looking for something that would help him. There were other objects besides the things used in the garden. Milo picked up a strange amulet, from one of the shelves. It was a flat disc, about three inches in diameter, with a strange marking engraved into it. The marking looked strangely familiar, but Milo could not put his finger on it. He thought about taking it, but decided against it, imagining what Old Bob might do if he found out. A little voice, in the back of his mind, reminded him that the task at hand, would also get him into trouble, if he was caught. But he brushed it aside, determined to do as Tianna had asked him.
Finally, he found just what he was looking for. A large lantern hung from one of the beams. Milo grinned, at his discovery, and looked around for something to stand on, to reach it. But he could see nothing. He cursed under his breath, annoyed that he had found what he needed, and yet could not gain access to it. Then he noticed the shelves. They reached up, nearly to the ceiling.
‘If I climb up them,’ he thought to himself, “I might be able to reach it.” The little voice in his head screamed no, that it was a stupid idea, but, again, he ignored it. He placed his right foot onto the first shelf, and began to climb.
It was not easy. More than once, Milo felt like he was going to fall, but he regained his balance, and continued on. Eventually, he was level with the lantern. He gripped the edge of a shelf, as he reached out towards it. He couldn’t reach it. It was mere inches away from his finger tips.
Slowly and carefully, he leaned away from the shelf. He knew that he was pushing his luck, but he also knew that, if he was going to go into the forest, he needed the lantern. His arm outstretched, he inched towards it, until, finally, his fingers touched the smooth, plastic surface. He grabbed the handle, and unhooked it from the beam.
“I’ve got it!” he exclaimed under his breath, with a mixture of glee and disbelief. He hung his hard-gotten prize over his arm, and began to descend.
He was about half way down, when he heard the rattle of the door handle. He looked up, panicked. There was no way he could reach the ground in time. To his horror, the door began to open.
I'm on a roll! Here's the second part! I have just downed 5 vodka & tonics, so my judgement may not be brilliant at the moment. But I think it's okay,and I hope you like it! Hopefully have part 3 up tomorrow!
_________________
.... there is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham....
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, 1887
Last edited by Tikanni Corazon on Mon Mar 15, 2010 12:39 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Tikanni Corazon
Honored Citizen
Joined: 25 Oct 2009
Topics: 75
Posts: 1286
Location: Running through the plains of my mind, my wolf spirit at my side (but doing so in the UK!).
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18382 Fables
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| Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 11:31 am Post subject: |
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SparkleSteps – Chapter 4: Part 3
Winnie's face poked around the door. Milo visibly sagged with relief.
“God, Win! You scared me to death!”
“Sorry,” she apologised, with a slightly mischievous grin, playing around the corners of her mouth. She noticed the lantern. “Is that what you’re going to take in there with you?” Milo nodded. “Does it work?”
Milo reached the ground, and frowned.
“I don’t know,” he replied. He examined his hard gotten, and quite possibly useless prize. Then he gave a triumphant laugh, as he found the on/off switch, and the lantern beamed brightly. “Battery powered! Yes!” He slung it back over his arm, and gestured towards the door. “Come on, let’s get out of here, before Old Bob comes back, and catches us.”
“Oh, he’s too busy to worry about us,” Winnie said, smiling devilishly. Milo looked curious.
“Too busy, doing what?” But Winnie just tapped the side of her nose, another thing that she had learnt from their mother, meaning for him to keep his nose out. Milo smiled down at her. “Fine, let’s just go, you tease!”
Winnie giggled, as he steered her out of the shed door, and then they ran back down to the forest, still keeping an eye out for Violet or Old Bob, just in case.
Milo switched on the lantern, and parted a section of tree branches, shining the torch into the darkness. This, unlike his little hand torch, lit up the area beyond, showing only more branches and undergrowth. He tried another place, and another, and another, each time opening into more of the dense foliage. Finally he gave up trying to find an easy way in.
“Obviously, there is no path. Looks like I’m just going to have to go for it, and try to fight my way through.” He turned to Winnie, who looked anxious. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Just wait here, okay, and I’ll be back before you know it. I won’t go far, I promise.”
Winnie still looked uncertain, but she gave a small nod anyway. Milo smiled, then turned, selected a section of undergrowth, and entered the forest.
The thorny vines seemed to be everywhere, and they caught on Milo’s clothes and the exposed skin of his hands and face, sometimes leaving deep scratch marks. Tree branches and bushes whipped at him, as he tried to push his way through. He truly felt that he was fighting against the forest itself. It seemed as if it wished for him to leave, and would do anything they could to achieve this end. But Milo was determined, and he fought on.
It seemed like he had been battling the forest forever, when suddenly, he fell forward, into a dark clearing. The tree branches intertwined with each other, blocking out the sunlight. Shining the lantern around, Milo found that the clearing was almost a perfect circle, in shape, and empty of everything, except for the grass beneath his feet, and some strange plants, growing at the edge, near the trees. The plants were tall, towering over Milo, their leaves the size of dinner plates, and with flowers, shaped like huge upturned bells. They were coloured a vibrant, shimmering magenta, magnificent even in the dim light of the lantern.
As Milo moved closer, to get a better look, the light shone on them more intensely. His jaw dropped, as the flowers let out high-pitched shrieks, and visibly backed away from the light. He drew back, and the shrieking stopped.
“I guess they don’t like bright light,” he mumbled to himself.
He pondered a moment, on what he should do next. He had promised Winnie that he wouldn’t go far, but already, he had no idea how deep into the forest he had gone, and there was still no sign of this mysterious sister. He turned back to the direction in which he had come. He knew that if he went in deeper, he would most likely not be able to find his way back out again, unless he made contact with Tianna's sister. He had been determined to do as the elven warrior had asked, but now, as he stood contemplating his next move, he was not so sure.
‘Crack!’
Milo froze, as the noise of a branch or twig, snapping underfoot, vibrated through the clearing. It had come from somewhere to the left of him, beyond the edge of the clearing. He listened for more, but there was nothing. Yet he knew that there was something there watching him.
“Hello?” he called out, his eyes searching the surrounding black for any sign of movement. “Is anyone there? I was sent by Tianna, to find her sister. Is that..you?” He waited for a response, but there was only silence.
He was scared now. His mind was full of the images from the book, wondering which of the terrifying creatures, from within its pages, could be lurking nearby.
‘Why did I come here? Why?’ he berated himself, mentally, making up his mind, then and there, that he was turning back. He prepared to fight through the mass of foliage once again, but was stopped in his tracks, by a low growl, coming from behind him. Milo hardly dared to turn around, for fear of what he might find. But turn he did, and was instantly consumed by terror.
The creature before him, was unlike anything that Milo had seen before. It seemed a hodge-podge of different animals, all mixed together, to create something completely unlike any of them. A long muscular body, set upon four equally muscular legs, with a tail as long as the body again, set with a deadly looking barb at the end. The creatures face was both long and wide, like that of a frog, mixed with an alligator, the mouth stretched into a hideous, twisted grin, glinting with hundreds of needle-like teeth. And the whole thing was covered in thick fur of intense purple, with clashing cobalt stripes, zigzagging through it from the spine. The underside of the body was clad in reptilian scales, of the same vivid purple, like glinting armour.
The creature paced slowly, side to side, with cat like grace, its large golden eyes, gleaming maliciously, focused upon him.
Milo had never been so terrified, and he was trapped. There was no way that he could fight his way back through the forest, to the safety of home, before this creature caught up with him. He probably wouldn’t even make it out of the clearing.
The beast continued to pace, always watching, but never coming any closer. A thought suddenly occurred to Milo, as he remembered the effect that the light, from his lantern, had on the plants. This creature seemed to be staying at the borders of the light too, where it was more dim. Milo took a chance, and stepped towards it, the lantern held out in front of him. To his delight, the beast backed away, snarling at him. He let out a short laugh, of relieved disbelief.
‘Now,’ he thought, ‘I stand a chance of escape.’
He backed towards the edge of the forest, his eyes still focused on the creature, the lantern still pointed towards it. But the creature wasn’t giving up that easily, and Milo’s relief was short lived, when it began to follow.
“No! Go away!” He lunged at it with the light, and it hissed, swiping at him with one huge paw. He screamed, and jumped back to avoid it. But as he did so, his foot caught on a tree root, and he fell. The beast saw its chance, and made a dash at him. But Milo still had a hold of the lantern, and thrust it towards it. The creature cut off its attack, and shied away from the light, disappearing into the shadows.
Milo groaned. The fall had winded him, and his ankle hurt, from when he’d tripped. But he knew he couldn’t let either stop him from getting out of the forest. The beast was nowhere to be seen.
Milo got back to his feet, just as the creature reappeared, entering the clearing from a different place, near the pathway to home. It stood between him and his escape route. Milo brandished the lantern at the beast. It roared at him, but remained, defiantly, where it was. It grinned at him, viciously, a knowing look in its eyes. It knew that he would not go any closer, it could smell his fear.
Milo did not know what to do. Even if he had the skills to fight this beast, he had no weapon. He looked around, searching for a fallen tree branch, that he could use as some kind of protection. But there was nothing. He frowned, wracking his brains, trying to think of a plan.
Suddenly, Milo heard something that turned his blood cold, while the beast, pricked up its oversized ears, at this new noise.
“Milo!” Winnie’s voice pierced through the darkness, like a knife into flesh. At the sound of this new potential victim, the beast tasted the air, with a long, snake-like tongue. Then its lips curled into a snarl, producing it’s evil grin, once again. Then, it took off, seemingly at lightning speed, in the direction that Winnie's voice had come from.
“Win! Run! Go back!” Milo screamed, ignoring the pain in his ankle and chest, and running, as fast as he could, after the creature. He had lost his parents, he could not lose Winnie too.
“Milo, where are you?”
“It doesn’t matter! Run! It’s heading straight for you! Get back out into daylight! It’s afraid of the light!”
For a moment, Milo could hear nothing, but the sound of his own feet pounding on the forest floor, and the whipping of branches, as he rushed to help his sister. Then suddenly, he heard Winnie scream. He halted in his tracks, his face turning from worry to devastation.
“No...” he breathed. He waited. Nothing. “No...Win.....NOOO!” He screamed into the silence, tears erupting, from his eyes. His little sister was...
“Milo! Help!” Her voice reached out to him once again, and he knew that he had never heard anything more beautiful. He took off, racing towards her voice. He stopped again, not knowing how far he was from her, or even if he was heading in the right direction.
“Win, keep calling out to me! I don’t know where you are!” He waited, listening for her answer. For a heart stopping moment, there was nothing. Then he breathed a sigh of relief, as he heard her call out, much closer now than she had been before.
“I’m over here.”
He instantly headed in the direction of her voice, and listened, as she continued to speak.
“Please, hurry Milo! It’s...” She let out a small scream “...it’s jumping up at me!” Another squeal of terror.
“Win, do you have a torch, or anything like that with you?” Milo called out, panting as he ran. “If you do, shine it into its face. I told you, it doesn’t like light!” There was another pause.
“Yes!” he heard her call out, triumphantly, “It’s backing away!” Milo grinned, despite their still impending doom.
At that moment, he broke into a dark clearing, and the beast was there in front of him. He saw the torchlight, and looked up, to see Winnie sat up in one of the trees. The beast shied away from the light, beaming out of Old Bob's lantern, and growled threateningly at Milo, as it began to circle him. Milo caught flashes of the purple and cobalt of the creatures fur, as he followed it, making sure to keep the light between them. He backed up against the tree where Winnie still sat, watching anxiously.
“Come down, Win,” he said, motioning he towards him. “We’ve got to try and get out of here.” The request filled the little girl with fear, but she did as she was told. Soon they stood side by side, at the base of the tree, watching the creature, as it paced, just outside of the beams of light, that shone out from the lantern and the torch.
“Do you remember what direction you came from?” Milo said quietly.
Winnie shook her head, keeping her gaze focused on the beast, as it hunted them. Its eyes were narrowed into malicious slits, and it constantly watched them, waiting for a moment to strike. It’s long tail lashed viciously, the barb at the end glistening wetly, in the torchlight, as the poison seeped forth, prematurely. Muscles rippled, beneath its thick pelt, as it continued its constant motion, back and forth. This creature, whatever it was, was not going to let them get away, without putting up a fight, that was only too clear.
Milo looked around him, to see if there was anything to give away the direction of home. But every one of the dark trees, looked identical to its brother, and he soon gave up trying. But he made a decision, all the same.
“Win, we’ll try this way,” he said, softly, still watching the beast. It pricked up it’s ears, at the sound of his voice, as though listening to his words. Milo wondered, for a moment, if it could understand what he said. “Stay close to me, okay. And keep the torch pointed at it.” Winnie nodded that she understood, then they began to move away from the tree, and away from the creature.
As expected, it followed, prowling through the shadows, the clashing purple and cobalt catching the light every so often. It stalked them, patiently, a game of cat and mouse. The children kept an eye on it at all times, barely watching where they were going.
There was a squeal and a thud. Milo turned, to find Winnie sprawled on the ground. His eyes left the beast, for a second. But in that moment, it disappeared. Milo turned back, and it was gone. He searched for it, frantically, checking all around them. But it was nowhere to be seen. Winnie got to her feet, and did the same. Though they couldn’t see it, Milo knew it was there, still watching, still waiting for that perfect opportunity to strike.
“Where is it?” he whispered. Winnie had begun to cry, silently. The tears glistened in the lantern light, and Milo reached down and grasped her hand, to comfort himself as much as her. They backed, once again, against the nearest tree, and Milo tried to think of a course of action. And still, he could feel those eyes upon him.
“Milo, what are we going to do?” Winnie sobbed quietly, gripping her brother's arm.
“I’m thinking,” Milo answered, frowning with the effort of thought.
“Maybe it’s gone. Maybe we could just...make a run for it.” But Milo shook his head.
“It’s not gone, Win,” he answered, still scanning the darkness for a glimpse of the brightly coloured hide. “It’s still here somewhere. If we run, it will catch us.” He wracked his brains, trying to fathom out what to do.
Suddenly, there was a deep growl, close by, but not on the ground. Before Milo had a chance to turn around, the beast leaped down on top of him, out of the very tree, under which they sought safety. He lost his grip on the lantern, and it flew some distance away, too far for him to reach, but close enough so that he would witness his fate. Winnie screamed.
The beast, pinned him to the ground, its claws digging into the flesh of his shoulder. It eyed him triumphantly, bearing its teeth, in a hideous, depraved grin. Milo grimaced from both the pain in his shoulder, and the stench of the beast's breath, the very essence of death, of rancid, rotting flesh and blood. This creature had killed many, of that he was certain.
‘And now, it will kill me,’ Milo thought to himself, tears , pricking at the corners of his eyes. He was afraid. He did not want to die. Nearby, Winnie had collapsed to the floor, with uncontrollable sobbing.
The creature, raised its barbed tail, slowly, as if drawing out the moment, to torture it's victim before striking. Milo braced himself, for the inevitable. But that moment never came. A blurred shape, shot out of the darkness, and flung itself at the beast. The beast was stunned for a moment. Then it turned, roared, furiously, at its attacker, and charged. The battle was not within range of the light, aside from the barely distinguishable outlines of the battle-locked pair. Every now and then, when the fight forced them closer, the children would see a flash of purple fur, or golden skin.
Milo scrambled to his feet, and rushed over to Winnie, who had stopped crying from the shock of this newcomer to their cause. They crouched at the base of the tree, knowing that they should run, but not finding the will power to do so. Then a voice broke out of the darkness, and their saviour came partially into the light. They saw that it was a woman.
“That way! Run, now! There is a clearing, and daylight! Go...” The beast pounced on top of her, teeth bared, claws outstretched. They flinched, as the claws pierced her shoulder, drawing blood. It pinned her down, just as it had Milo, but this woman was stronger than its previous prey, and she fought against it, throwing it off her. She glared at them. “Go!”
Milo and Winnie did as they were told, and ran in the direction she had pointed, looking over their shoulders, every now and then, to see what was happening. The woman and the creature circled the lantern, each waiting for the next to make a move. They reached the edge of the clearing, then turned to watch.
The pair had stopped circling, and were now stationary, but tensed, each ready to strike. Then the woman suddenly turned, and ran towards them, the beast a second behind her. She motioned them into the clearing. Then she turned back. The creature leaped.
Milo and Winnie fell backwards into the clearing, and then could see nothing. They heard a scuffling noise, and the woman cried out. Then all went still, and quiet. The children strained to hear something, to indicate that their rescuer was still alive.
Suddenly, something came flying through the trees, thrown, and landing heavily on the grass. It was the beast, closely followed by the woman. At the touch of daylight, upon its body, the creature screamed with pain. The woman did not waste the moment. She drew a long dagger, from a scabbard at her waist, and drove it into the belly of the beast, slicing a gaping hole, releasing its steaming entrails. The beast gave another cry of pain, it’s paws scrabbling futilely at the ground. She withdrew the knife, and backed a short distance away. The creature continued to twitch, and moan. Then it gave a final shudder, and lay still.
The woman knelt, panting, on the grass. Her dark chestnut hair, streaked with gold, fell down to her waist in a wild tangle. From this mass of knotted coils, protruded two pointed ears. She wore a short skirt and a matching top, both in an earthy-brown, embellished with gold. A gold ring attached the top around her neck, and she wore no shoes.
The children noticed deep slashes on her right thigh, and the puncture marks on her shoulders, all bleeding profusely, though she did nothing to stop the flow of blood. She still gripped the dagger in her hand, and it suddenly occurred to the children, how dangerous this woman might be. What might she do to them? Why had she helped them, when she herself could so easily have been killed?
As if she could read their thoughts, the woman shifted her stance, and raised her head, looking directly at them. Milo gasped. She was beautiful, with high cheek bones, and full lips, but the thing that struck him, was her eyes. The perfect blue, surrounded by gold, and the thick, dark lashes. The eyes of Tianna, returned to his memory. This woman was of the same blood as the elven warrior.
‘She must be the sister that we were sent to find,’ thought Milo.
She looked at them with curious eyes, then a small smile touched the corners of her mouth. She lifted the blood covered dagger to her lips, examined it, then licked along the blade, tasting her victory. Milo and Winnie watched, eyes wide, and mouths gaping with horror. She turned her attention back to their aghast faces.
“Children of the Allington bloodline,” she said, gazing at them, intensely. “I have been waiting for you.”
So, what do they do now? They have found who they were looking for, but she's not quite what they expected! Lets hear your ideas! Thanks for reading!
P.S- I am putting a large version of the painting in my art post in the open forum.
_________________
.... there is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham....
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, 1887
Last edited by Tikanni Corazon on Mon Mar 15, 2010 12:40 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Chinaren
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| Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 7:42 pm Post subject: |
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Wow, that was a long read!
Very nice though Tikks, good writing.
Mmm, well my brain is still fevered, so I can only suggest they help tend her wounds and then sit down and grill her for more information.
Not very imaginative I know.
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Crunchyfrog
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| Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2010 2:28 am Post subject: |
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Yes, we need more information. If it were me in their situation I'd make sure she's who I think she is, but these are children - they might not think to check.
But something that Milo might do, is make it clear to the woman that if they go 'missing' from the garden for too long, they may be prevented from helping out, so one thing he'll think is very important is to know a quick way out of the forest if he needs to get back.
They're also cut and grazed from the thorns of the forest, and these need to be hidden from Violet and old Bob, too.
Another suggestion - the encounter with Rosie gives the impression of history repeating itself, so perhaps ask her if she knows Rosie.
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D-Lotus
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| Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 3:22 pm Post subject: |
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Good narrative. I can see that you enjoy creating weird creatures and combining animal features. I liked the scene in the forest, it was really vivid.
Good narrative, but bad storygame. The chapter was too long. Too many things happened without the reader having much of a choice about them, and now that that the decision point does happen, it's something in which there doesn't seem to be many options. Your fate is basically in this warrior's hands.
a. you could ask her what she requires of you
b. you could offer your assistance (although what exactly Milo and Winnie can do to help is difficult to fathom at the moment)
c. You could ask her what that monster was, or any other question pertaining to the fairy tale book
d. you could ask to be led back home
You seem to have a clear idea of where you want to go with this story, but if you're not willing to allow the reader to have a more meaningful say in the action, then perhaps you should just keep writing this as a linear story.
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Tatkret Sos
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| Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 4:35 pm Post subject: |
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Wow! Great fighting scene!
Some interesting characters introduced into this chapter I liked the character Rosie She seems quite mysterious
I don't completely agree with D-Lotus. There aren't many options but they have more choices than just to stay in the forest with this extremely scary woman. I know if it was me I'd probably run for the hills and I'm older than both of them.
Also, nobody has mentioned the fact that Winnie went off on her own for a while before they entered the forest and at the time she was worried about what could be in the forest. I might be being a bit farfetched but she could have aquired some sort of weapon. Perhaps, a kitchen knife and she could try threatening the woman with it so that they may escape.
So there is two more options 
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D-Lotus
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| Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 2:23 pm Post subject: |
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| It is true that Winnie managed to find her way to Milo. Maybe she can lead both of them back, since she seems to have an unusually keen sense of direction.
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Tatkret Sos
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| Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 3:58 pm Post subject: |
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If I didn't know any better, D-Lotus, I'd say that sounded a little like sarcasm.
Actually, your last comment is not accurate. Winnie didn't find her way to Milo. He followed her voice and found her. Also, my idea was more based on the fact that they, as children, would be frightened and would run away, not thinking whether they knew their way or not.
As an example, I thought of a child meeting a dog in a park. If they were frightened, they would run and the dog would chase them. A grown up would know, that if you ran away from a dog, it would chase you. But a child would not think of this. If a child is afraid of something, there is a good chance they will run.
As an addition to he weapon idea, Winnie could have got something else instead. Something to signal that they were in trouble and where they were. Perhaps a whistle or something like that. Then someone could hear them, like old Bob, and they wouldn't need to know their way out, as he would help them.
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D-Lotus
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| Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 6:14 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | If I didn't know any better, D-Lotus, I'd say that sounded a little like sarcasm. |
No sarcasm intended. I just thought Winnie may have some special power. You know, they've got to have something special... otherwise why would Tianna need their help?
Actually, that would be a good question to ask: What special powers do we have (if any)?
As you pointed out, Winnie didn't tecnically find Milo, but she did come awful close, and maybe would have found him eventually if it hadn't been for the predator creature. Also in one of the previous chapters when she crawled under the grass to advance more quickly than Milo-- that's pretty smart for a small girl. She might have a natural ability for it.
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Tikanni Corazon
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| Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 9:15 am Post subject: |
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There is indeed something special about the two of them, though what that is, I don't want to reveal yet.
That said, there is definately a possiblity of them having some kind of powers, certainly something like you suggested, D, about Winnies sense of direction, as it something that might not necessarily be noticed by others, and if it was, it wouldn't be put down to any kind of magic.
As I only have a loose idea for the story, it's not something that I have thought about before now, so I'll have a good think about it, and see what I can come up with. Great idea though!
Going back to your previous comment, D, I am going to try to keep the chapters shorter, though this time, it was necessary, as the character of Rosie needed to be introduced, before the children entered the forest, and as that was the result of the last DP, there wasn't much I could do about it. This is actually the cut-down version! If I had posted it up as I wrote it originally it would have been over 10,000 words!
And as for the DPs, I can promise to try and make them more adventurous. This is my first story game, so I guess I have been playing it safe with the DPs so far. But I'll see what I can do.
And to everyone who has commented so far, thankyou so much!
_________________
.... there is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham....
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, 1887
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Tikanni Corazon
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| Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 2:39 am Post subject: |
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Okay. I've had a good think about these 'powers' that the kids could have, and I think I could definately do something with it, sticking for now, though, with it just being minor ones, like heightened senses or abilities.
Looking back over previous chapters, there are things that could fit in with the idea, that I didn't really think about before.
I seem to have made Milo with the ability to sneak around without being detected, which could fit in with it. Possibly also his sense of balance when climbing the shelves, and leaning out, to gain access to the lantern. And, as Chinaren pointed out in chapter two, about Milos knowledge of the crystals being more than a child of that age would probably know. This could also fit in with it. As well as the suggestions already made by D.
Possibly, these could build up, as the story goes on, to being more powerful, and more like actual magic. But, for now, I'll stay with this:
Heightened mental and physical abilities, nothing that would be noticed by others as being abnormal, but making them mentally and physically stronger than other children of their age.
I don't know if this will help with the current DP, but I would be happy to hear any thoughts on it anyway. Thanks again, D, for the suggestion in the first place. I was very intrigued by the idea, and it has been fun to try and think up ways for it to be included into the story.
_________________
.... there is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham....
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, 1887
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D-Lotus
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| Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 5:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | Thanks again, D, for the suggestion in the first place. |
No problem. Now when are we going to see that poll?
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| Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 7:54 am Post subject: |
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Woo - caught up
First question has to be ... why have you been waiting for us?
Followed swiftly by 'what was that thing?'... with perhaps a belated thanks for saving them ;-)
Watch out for your plurals and apostrophe 's ... alot of times mainly in chapter 3, but in this one too, you have cases where you should have 's instead of just an s.
Things seem to be getting interesting now, I'm looking forward to the next chapter.
Happy Writing
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The path of my life is strewn with cowpats from the Devil's own Satanic Herd!
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Tikanni Corazon
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| Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 12:54 pm Post subject: |
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Thankyou so much, Smee, for your comment and suggestion!
And with that, the poll is up!
Thankyou everyone for reading, and for your imput. Vote away!
_________________
.... there is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham....
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, 1887
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| Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 11:59 pm Post subject: |
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| I wasn't satisfied with the way the poll was organized. Organizing polls is an important part of storygaming in itself which is frequently taken for granted but which actually must be carefully deliberated. I feel that grilling for information is simply too broad. It's almost a given that they will attempt that-- the question is what information is most pressing.
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Tikanni Corazon
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| Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2010 10:54 am Post subject: |
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Poll is now closed.
Will post up chapter five, hopefully, by the weekend.
Thanks for voting!
_________________
.... there is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham....
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, 1887
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Tikanni Corazon
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| Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 1:45 pm Post subject: |
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SparkleSteps - Chapter 5
The blue and gold, of her eyes, was mesmerising. The children felt drawn into their depths, and for a moment were unable to speak. They seemed to shine with inner light, as if each was an entity, all of it’s own. Her voice, eventually, brought them back into the moment.
“Are you just going to sit there? You are here to help me, yes?”
“You... you're the one who was in our room that night,” Milo said, not answering her questions. “We saw your eyes, shining in the dark. You left the book... on the floor.”
“Yes, yes,” she replied impatiently, “But there's no time to discuss that now. There is much to do, and little time to do it. I need you to help me, children of the Allington bloodline.”
“Help you how? What do you want with us?” Milo eyed the knife, which she still held in her hand. Images of he and Winnie being tied up, whilst this bloodthirsty warrior-maiden, made preparations to sacrifice them to her gods, in order to open a door to her own world, flashed through his mind.
She noticed him looking at the blade, and, after wiping it clean on the body of the beast, she returned it to it’s scabbard.
“I am not going to hurt you, child,” she said, in a more gentle, patient tone. “I just need your help, to find my... to find something, and then to get back home.” Her expression was proud, yet there was a desperation, in her eyes, that made them realise just how much she needed them. “Will you help me?”
“But what can we do?” replied Milo, “We’re just ki...” He remembered Tianna’s confused face when he had said the word ‘kids’ to her, and stopped. “... children.”
“But, you are not just any children,” she said, looking a little shocked. “You are of Allington blood. You need only look into the Allington history to see that you are not just normal children.” She noticed their puzzled faces. “You do know your family history?”
Both children shook their heads.
“What, nothing? None at all?”
Again, they shook their heads.
“Then how did you know I needed you? That you were the only ones who could help me?”
“Tianna told us,” replied Milo. The woman looked confused.
“Tianna, the warrior? But she has been gone from us for nearly two hundred years,” she said, “It is believed that she died, when she defeated the Veeka. How could she have told you? Are you saying that she still lives?”
“I... I don’t know,” replied Milo, “It was the book. She came out of the book.”
“What book? What are you talking about?” Impatience had returned to her voice, and both Milo and Winnie flinched slightly, at the abruptness of it.
“The book that we found in the tree,” Milo replied, “The one that you had left there.”
She shook her head.
“I left no book in a tree,” she replied, “Just the one in your room.”
“So... who did put it there?” Winnie spoke for the first time, as she eyed the stranger enquiringly. The woman looked thoughtful. But then, she waved the question aside, got to her feet, and turned towards the forest.
“I don’t know, but we don’t have time to sit here trying to work it out. Come, children of the...”
“We have names,” Milo piped up, bravely. “This is my sister Winnie, and I’m Milo.” His nerve left him, as the woman turned back, and fixed him with an intense glare. There was a long pause. Then she finally spoke.
“I am Chanah” Then she disappeared out of the clearing, back into the gloom of the trees. When they didn’t move, her head reappeared. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?” Milo ventured nervously, his courage still not fully returned. “We... we need to get back to the house soon. They will be wondering where we’ve got to.”
“Well, you’d best hurry up and follow me then, hadn’t you?” Chanah replied with a slightly smug look, “Because the only way you will get out of here, is if I lead you, and I refuse to do so, until I have shown you something.”
“Is it going to be... dangerous?” asked Milo, glancing at the body of the beast, and still not making any move to follow her, into the forest. Chanah looked at the creature, it’s powerful form, lying lifeless in a pool of it’s own blood and entrails.
“I will look after you. Don’t worry.” Then she disappeared again. This time, though hesitantly, the children followed her.
The instant that they were out of the clearing, they were swallowed, once again, by the shadows. The lantern was nowhere to be seen, and they could see and hear nothing. For a moment, they thought that Chanah had left them alone. But then she came between them, and took a hand, of each of them, in her own.
“Come with me. I will be your eyes.”
She led them, swiftly and surely, through the darkness. Both Milo and Winnie half expected to be falling over tree roots, and tripping in the undergrowth. But Chanah kept them on a clear path. After a while, Milo had had enough of the silence between them.
“What was that thing anyway?” He looked up, at the two tiny pinpricks of light, that were Chanah’s eyes. They did not look at him, as she answered, always keeping their gaze straight ahead, on their path.
“It is called a Harlimane,” she replied, in a low voice. “Now, be quiet. We’re nearly there, and though I am perfectly capable of taking on another, I would prefer not to. There are quite enough holes in my flesh for one day.” And at that, silence descended, once again.
Suddenly, light hit them full in the face, blinding them for a moment. The children stumbled, and fell down, upon soft, lush grass, as Chanah let go of their hands, and wandered towards the centre of this new clearing.
Milo was the first to regain his sight, and rubbing his eyes, he looked around. He was shocked to see that the treetops here, were just as dense as in the rest of the forest. The light came, not from the sun, but from a pool, situated dead in the centre of the clearing. Chanah knelt next to the pool, her hand submerged in the brilliantly clear water. She looked up, and saw Milo watching her.
“This is the door,” she said, quietly. “It is through here, that I can get back to my own world. But it is closed now, and will be until the next moon. Unless I find a key.”
What kind of key?” asked Milo, “What does it look like?”
“It is a stone,” she replied, “a stone of crystal clear light, but when you look into it’s depths, you can see all the colours of the rainbow.”
“Where can we find one?” asked Winnie, thinking back, trying to remember if any of the stones, in the jewellery, that she had found, matched the description.
Chanah reached inside a bag at her waist, and pulled out a chain, with a strange pendant dangling at the end. Milo’s first thought was of the planet Saturn. The pendant was made up of a spherical centre, surrounded by many rings.
Chanah held the pendant up before her, and the children gasped as the rings began to spin and rotate around the centre sphere, gaining in speed, until they were just a blur.
“This is a Keyfinder,” said Chanah, keeping her eyes focused on the object. “As it’s name would suggest, it is used to discover the location of a key-stone. They are rare nowadays, as there is no real use for them. There are no key-stones in our world, we have no need for them. But I... borrowed... this one from a friend of mine.”
A low hum, began to emanate from the Keyfinder, growing slowly louder. The children watched in awe, as a light burst forth, a long beam of pure white. It broke through a section of the trees opposite them, and beyond.
Then Chanah looked away from it, and the light, and the humming disappeared, and the Keyfinder became motionless once more. She slumped foward, panting, as though the object had sapped her energy. But after a moment, she sat up again.
“Unfortunately,” she said, “this is an old model, and will only show you the approximate area in which the key-stone can be found.” She sighed. “So all I know is, that there is a key-stone somewhere inside your home.”
“Inside the actual house?” said Milo. Chanah nodded. Milo looked thoughtful. “And is this what you want us to do? To find the key-stone, so that you can go home?” Again she nodded, talking seemingly a waste of her strength, while she recovered from using the Keyfinder.
“Well, if it’s in the house, maybe Uncle Jem will...” began Winnie, but Chanah cut her off.
“No, he must not know about this,” she said, firmly, “He may know the where abouts of the stone. But if he has it in his possession, you must take it from him secretly. Do not tell him anything.”
“What did he do, that was so bad?” asked Milo.
“That doesn’t matter,” she replied, “Just don’t tell him, and find the stone. The sooner you find it, the sooner I will be gone, and this whole thing over and done with.”
“Why do you need to get home so quickly?” asked Winnie, “Why don’t you just wait until the next moon?”
Worry suddenly filled the elven womans eyes.
“The reason that I came through the door in the first place, was to find my lover. He and his friend came through the door two moons ago, and they did not return.” Tears began to run down her cheeks. “The others gave up on them. Said that they were surely lost. But he calls to me. Sorren calls to me, in my dreams, pleading for me to help him.” A sob escaped her, but only one. She composed herself, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “He may be hurt, or dying, when I find him. I will need to get him back home.
The next moon is still many days away. By then it may be too late. I must find him, and I need you to find the stone.” Her eyes pleaded with them. “Say you will help me?”
Milo paused for a moment, then nodded, Winnie following suit. For the first time, Chanah smiled at them, lighting up her face.
“Thankyou, children of the...” She stopped, remembering their names. “Thankyou Milo and Winnie.” She got to her feet. “Well, I’d better get you back home.” She walked around to the other side of the pool, and held out her hands to them. They approached her and took one each. Winnie smiled up at the beautiful elven woman, her fear of her now gone. Chanah returned it with her own. Then they left the clearing, and entered the darkness again.
This time, they walked in a comfortable silence, the children knowing that Chanah needed to watch and listen for danger, and that noise might attract others like the Harlimane.
It seemed only a few short minutes had passed, when they found themselves outside the forest again. Chanah pushed them, gently, out of the cover of the trees, though she remained mostly inside, just her head and torso showing, as she crouched down in the undergrowth. The rose gardens lay before them. There was no sign of Old Bob still, or Violet. The children turned back to Chanah.
“When will we see you again?” asked Milo. Chanah reached into the bag at her waist again, answering as she did so.
“I need to look for Sorren. I can’t afford to keep coming back here needlessly.” She reached out, and placed an object in Milo’s palm. Looking down at it, he saw that it was a small, silver whistle. He looked back at Chanah, questioningly. “When you find the key-stone, blow this whistle. It will not make a sound, but I will hear it, and I will come to you.” She smiled and gave a short laugh, at his still puzzled face. “Just do as I say, okay?”
Milo nodded.
“Okay. I hope you find Sorren.”
“Thankyou, and goodluck. Farewell to you both.” With a final smile, Chanah disappeared into the gloom.
Milo and Winnie headed back up to the house, with the intention of beginning their search immediately. But as they entered the front door, they suddenly realised the magnitude of their task. The house was enormous, three floors, made up of countless rooms, plus the basement, the attic, and the east and west wings. They didn’t know where to begin.
DP is just that, where do they begin? Or should they try and gain some info from another? Or something else? Thankyou for reading!
_________________
.... there is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham....
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, 1887
Last edited by Tikanni Corazon on Wed Mar 24, 2010 3:39 pm; edited 2 times in total
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D-Lotus
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| Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 7:57 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | “You do know you family history?” |
Good chapter. The best one yet, even though it consisted mostly of dialogue. You managed the expectation that the children would be distrustful without letting it interrupt the direction of the story. The DP is interesting as well.
I'd say that if the key is anywhere in the house, the uncle must know about it. Most likely, he's keeping it hidden. I'd say spy on the uncle and search his office/room first. It may be the most dangerous, but they are after all just kids-- what's the worst that can happen if they get caught, they'll be punished without supper?
I also liked the chapter length, btw. Made it bearable to read without spending an hour in front of my screen.
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Mastermind
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| Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2010 2:02 am Post subject: |
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Well, they should search the basement, of course! Nothing bad ever happens there!
Or they could talk to Rosie, she doesn't seem as servile as Violet and Old Bob. Maybe she knows something about how Uncle Jem "failed" Tianna.
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Truly great madness cannot be achieved without significant intelligence.
Henrik Tikkanen
Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us.
Bill Watterson
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| Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2010 3:16 am Post subject: |
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Indeed a good chapter.
I like the idea of talking to Rosie, if anyone knows, she will. And the reaction Violet had to us talking to her before suggests that Rosie is likely to say more than she should.
Uncle is likely to be the one hiding it though. In some safe, or secret compartment of his desk.
Go talk with Rosie, learn what we can.
Happy Writing
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| Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2010 2:56 pm Post subject: |
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Nice chapter Tiks, and there's nothing wrong with a lot of dialogue, don't listen to D!
One thing you should just look out for though, IMHO, is contractions when people are speaking. Eg:
| Quote: | “You... you are the one who...”
“Yes, yes,” she replied impatiently, “But there is no time |
People don't tend to say there is or you are but rather: there's and you're*
Anyway, if her chum can't get back he's either trapped or captured. I suspect our good friend Bob. Maybe he has the creature locked up somehow.
Otherwise, yeah, the basement's the way to go, 'cos like it always is...
*Don't confuse this with your as many people do!
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Tikanni Corazon
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| Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2010 3:42 pm Post subject: |
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Thankyou D, Mastermind, Smee and C-Ren, for your comments and suggestions!
I'll look out for that C-Ren. I've made the changes to the words in the quote, but I'm knackered, so I haven't the strength to look for more at the moment. But I'll keep an eye out for it in future chapters.
Thanks again, guys!
_________________
.... there is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham....
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, 1887
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| Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2010 10:39 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | Nice chapter Tiks, and there's nothing wrong with a lot of dialogue, don't listen to D! |
Good dialogue is hard to come by. One risks writing too much about something routine. I suppose this can be said about anything, but it seems more prevalent with certain kinds of dialogue. The key is to accentuate something about the character or the situation rather than produce meaningless chatter. In your case, I only meant that despite consisting of a lot dialogue-- which can often be a bit of a drag if it isn't done carefully-- the chapter wasn't bogged down at all.
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Tikanni Corazon
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| Posted: Sat Apr 03, 2010 12:13 pm Post subject: |
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Poll is finally up guys! Sorry for the delay...
Thank you all, for your comments and suggestions. Vote away!
_________________
.... there is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham....
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, 1887
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Crunchyfrog
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| Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2010 10:21 am Post subject: |
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I almost missed this, somehow. But now voted, for what is seemingly the most popular option. 
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Tikanni Corazon
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| Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 8:07 am Post subject: |
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Poll is now closed...
Thanks for voting guys, and I will try and have chapter six up by Monday/Tuesday.
_________________
.... there is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham....
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, 1887
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Tikanni Corazon
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| Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 10:40 am Post subject: |
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... Okay, I somehow managed to get this finished much, much sooner than anticipated. Like the last chapter, this one consists of rather alot of dialogue, but I have tried to keep it on subject, and to the point. It may require a little... tweaking, possibly. So let me know what you think. Hope you like it!
SparkleSteps - Chapter 6
Milo looked around helplessly.
"How on earth are we going to find it?" he said, "This place is huge. It would take us weeks to search the whole thing."
He glanced down at Winnie, who looked thoughtful. "What are you thinking?" She looked up at him, paused a moment, then grabbed his hand.
"Come with me," she replied, firmly, "I know who can help us." Milo stopped, and pulled her back.
"How can anyone help us, Win? Nobody else knows about all of this." Winnie's face started to go red. "Win, what have you done?"
"Don't be angry, Milo. I was worried about you, and I didn't know what to do if Old Bob came over, asking questions. So I told..." Winnie stopped babbling at that moment, as the door to the kitchen opened, and Old Bob himself came sauntering out,frowning, and looking altogether very irritable. The frown deepened, as he noticed them, and strode over.
"What are you two doin'? Makin' more trouble, most likely. Why can't you just be'ave yerselves!" He made a point of shooting them a distainful glare, before marching out the front door, and into the garden.
The children stood stunned for a moment.
"What's put him in such a bad mood?" Milo murmered, quietly, "...Well, more of a bad mood than usual." He turned, when he felt Winnie tugging on his arm.
"Come on Milo, we have to go and speak to her."
"Who?"
"Rosie. She knows all about it, Milo. She says that she will help us." She grasped his hand, once again, and pulled him towards the kitchen. "We have to tell her what happened in the forest." She opened the door, and entered, still dragging a speechless Milo behind her.
"Rosie?" Winnie called out, looking around the room, for the old woman. "Rosie, are you here?" But there was no answer from the cook, nor anyone else. Winnie looked stricken. "Where is she? What has he done to her?"
Milo, having regained his use of speech, tried to calm her down.
"I'm sure he hasn't done anything to her, Win. You don't think she stays in the kitchen all the time, do you? Maybe he's taken her to her room."
He took another quick glance around the room, just to make sure that the old lady wasn't there, then he led Winnie back into the hall. He grasped her, gently, by both shoulders.
"We need to talk about this," he said, "We'll find somewhere, where we won't be interrupted, and you must tell me everything, okay?"
The thought of something having happened to Rosie, had made Winnie begin to cry, but now she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and nodded, that she understood.
Now it was Milo's turn to lead. Holding her hand, he slipped, silently, up the stairs, and across the long landing, to their room. He closed the door behind them, then looked around.
"In here," he said, walking towards his bedroom. Winnie followed, and, again, he closed the door behind them. He strode across the room, and into the bathroom, ushering Winnie inside.
"Right, no one will bother us here," he said, in a near whisper, locking the door. "But best talk quietly, all the same. Now, tell me about Rosie."
Winnie related to her brother, what had happened earlier that day, whilst he was busy 'borrowing' Old Bob's lantern, which was still lost somewhere in the forest.
She had decided that Milo would need something to protect himself with, just in case he met with any of the creatures that they had read about in the book of fairy tales. The only place that she could think of, where she could find such a thing, was the kitchen, so that was where she went.
Once there, she had snuck inside, as quietly as she could, knowing that Rosie would not be able to see her. But she had heard her all the same, and demanded to know why she was sneaking about. But before Winnie had been able to answer, the old woman had suddenly asked if it was anything to do with the forest.
At first, Winnie had not been sure of whether she should tell her or not, but Rosie had insisted that she knew all about the goings on at the estate, and wanted to help them. So, Winnie had decided to take the risk, and told all, about their mystery visitor, and what Milo had told her about the books and Tianna. Then finally, she revealed what Milo was about to do.
"As soon as I told her that, I was sure that she would tell Violet,"Winnie said, while Milo continued to listen, attentively, "But she didn't. She just said that we were doing the right thing. I asked her what we should do about Old Bob, and she said to send him to her, and she would keep him busy for a while. Then I asked her about a weapon, and she said not to worry about it, that we would be fine."
"Fine?" Milo blurted out, in annoyence, "That... thing, nearly killed us. How was that fine? If it hadn't been for Chanah..."
"We would have been killed, yes. But she protected us. So everything was... fine. So Rosie was right." Winnie looked down at the ground. "And it was a Harlimane."
"What?" Milo said. Winnie glanced up at him, a mischivious smile playing about the corners of her mouth.
"That 'thing' was called a Harlimane. Just thought you might like to be reminded of it, since you don't seem to remember."
"Maybe I have more important things on my mind," replied Milo, "like how we're going to find the Key-stone, and whether Rosie can help us." He frowned, as he thought about it for a moment. "Since she was willing to reveal all to you, which is more than anyone else has done around here, I'd say she's our best chance. Let's go and find her. She must be around here somewhere."
They got up, left their rooms, and stole back down the stairs, keeping an eye out for Violet, Jem and Old Bob.A quick inspection revealed that there was nobody about. Milo poked his head around the kitchen door, just in case Rosie had returned, while they had been upstairs. But she wasn't there.
"Where is Rosie's room?" asked Winnie. Milo shrugged.
"I have no idea," he replied, "I've never heard anyone mention it before."
At that moment, Violet came in, from outside, carrying another basketful of clean, dry washing. Evidently, it was laundry day. Feeling suddenly bold, Milo strode up to her.
"Violet, we wanted to go and see Rosie, but she's not in the kitchen. Do you know where she is?"
For a moment, Violet looked suspicious.
"What do you want to see Rosie for?" she asked, "You were talking to her, but an hour or two ago. Why do you need to see her again?"
"Well, we don't 'need' to see her, we'd just like to, that's all." Milo looked as innocent as he could. "She was just very nice to talk to."
Violet paused a moment longer, then sighed, and pointed outside.
"Bob took her outside for some fresh air. She's sat on the lawn, near the rose garden." She suddenly looked stern. "But don't go tiring her out, with all your questions. Rosie is a very old woman."
"Okay," Milo replied, then he and Winnie shot out the door, and made their way around to where Violet had said.
Rosie was sat on a wooden bench, in the middle of the lawn. The wind toyed with her white hair, making it shimmer in the sunlight. She heard them approaching, and turned towards them smiling.
"Hello again!" she exclaimed, "This is a nice surprise. Twice in one day. I hope I find you both well... and unscathed?"
"We're fine Rosie," Milo replied, deciding not to mention their near miss with the Harlimane. "How did you know it was us?"
Rosie smiled.
"I recognised the sound of your footsteps. Everybodys are different, you know. I take it your sister has told you certain things, that I spoke to her about earlier?" Rosie went on.
"Yes, she did," Milo replied, "That's what we're here about."
"What happened in the forest?" the old lady interrupted, "Did you find the elven girl?"
"Yes..." Milo replied.
"Tell me everything," Rosie demanded, gently, "Then you may ask your questions. But not before you tell me what happened."
Milo was about to argue that they didn't have time to delay. But Rosie's expression was stubborn, and knowing that there was no way around it, Milo did as she asked, and told her everything that had happened to them earlier, ending with their looming search for the Key-Stone.
"Chanah told us, it is in the house, but we have no idea where to begin. What do you know about the Key-Stone, Rosie?"
Rosie sighed deeply, before she spoke.
"That stone is connected to the fate of Tianna herself. I suppose I must tell you her story for you to understand better. I believe that there is a book of Fairy Tales in your room, yes?"
"Yes," they answered in unison. Rosie nodded.
"So, you will have read the story of Tianna and the Veeka. Now, the Veeka was once an Elven Mage, who betrayed his people, by turning against the Elven King, and trying to take the throne for himself. But he was prevented from doing so, by another Mage, who transformed him into a hideous beast, and locked him up, in a dungeon, beneath the royal city of Rho-ad, where he was used to 'dispose of' other prisoners.
But the Veeka, though he had lost most of his magic, retained his intelligence and cunning, and somehow, he managed to escape.He exited the Elven world, through the doorway, and came into this world. The three greatest of the Elven Warriors were sent to destroy him. But two of them were killed, and, the third, Tianna, though she managed to reduce him to near death, she herself was badly wounded, and needed to get back home.
She called upon the Allington bloodline, to help her to get to the portal. But the one who came to her aid, one Hotatio .C. Allington, decided that he was in love with her, and wanted her to stay. She told him that she could not, that she had a mate of her own, and wished to return to him. That made Horatio angry.
Now, back in those days, the Allingtons had regular dealings with the Elven people, and had aquired books of spells, and knowledge of the magical arts, in order to aid them when necessary. Horatio used one of these spells, along with the Key-Stone, to prevent her from ever returning home, until he, or another of his bloodline, released her from the spell.
"When the spell was cast, the stone was split into two perfect halves. Magic from the earth itself, was taken into the stone, grounding Tianna to this place, this world. Unable to get home, she assumed that all would believe that she had perished, at the hands of the monster.
At first, knowing that her people were safe, was enough to make Tianna happy, and made it possible to bear living in this world, away from her loved ones.But it did not last. Lonely for her own kind, she begged to be allowed to return to them. But Horatio, cold-hearted beast that he was, would not show mercy, knowing full well, that Tianna would never love him, but unwilling to allow her the chance to love another instead.
Slowly, Tianna's despair grew, and eventually, all of that divine beauty and courage, just died, and Tianna the Skylan warrior along with it." Rosie sighed, deeply. "It all happened so long ago, but I can still remember..." The last sentence drifted off, leaving Rosie, gazing thoughtfully, into the empty space before her.
"But, how?" Milo looked puzzled. His words broke Rosie from her thoughts, and she looked down, towards him, where he was lay on the grass.
"How what, child?" she replied.
"How can you remember? Chanah told us that all of that happened nearly two hundred years ago, so you couldn't have been there."
She paused for a moment, staring at him intensely, almost like she could see him, through the milky spheres. He began to feel a little uncomfortable. Then she spoke again.
"I wasn't there, " she replied, smiling down at him. "But my grandmother was, and she told the story to my mother, and my mother told it to me."
"But the way that you told it," Milo persisted, "The way that you described it all... it was like you really did see it."
"I suppose that, as a child, I had such a vivid picture in my head, of the faces and events, that it almost is real, to me." She began to look wistful again, so Milo decided to move the conversation towards the task at hand.
"Rosie, do you know where the Key-Stone is now?" The old lady shook her head.
"Horatio had the two halves for a long time, hidden away somewhere inside the house. When he died, I can only assume that it was passed down to his son, then to his son in turn, and then to Jem. But I've never saw it, before I lost my sight. Though, even if I had, I doubt I would have recognised it."
"Why not?" questioned Milo. "The way Chanah described it, I think I would have known it at once."
"When it drew in the earth magic, during the spell, it changed. It became unreconisable for what it was. Still beautiful, but nothing compared to it's former glory. And before you ask, no, I don't know what it looked like afterwards. Though, I think you will still know it, when you do find it. There will be something about it, something... unusual. If both halves are found, and resealed together as one, the stone will resume its former beauty, and will allow Chanah, and hopefully Sorren, to go back home."
"Can you think of anywhere that it could be?" Milo asked desperately, still not knowing where they should begin their search.
"No, but it will be well hidden, wherever it is," replied Rosie, once again looking thoughtful. "Maybe you should begin in Jem's study. If the stone was passed down to him, he would likely keep it close."
"Does Uncle Jem even know about all of this?" said Milo, "I mean, all of the stuff about Tianna?"
"Oh, he knows," Rosie answered, grimly. "And like his father, grandfather, and great grandfather before him, he chose to ignore..."
Again, she paused, massaging her temples.
"Search the study, is my advice to you" she finally answered, wearily. "I'm afraid I'm tired now, children. I need a good, rest, after all that reminising. Good luck with your search." With that, she closed her eyes, and they were dismissed.
~~~
They wandered off, through the rose garden, leaving Rosie to her nap.
"So... are we going to search Uncle Jem's study?" Winnie asked, looking up at her brother, as they strolled, amongst the fragrant flowers. Milo shrugged.
"I'm not sure... I don't see how we can, when we don't know who might walk in on us. In fact, Uncle Jem is probably in there anyway. We can't just go in, and tell him we're just going to poke around, looking for some magical stone. This whole thing is even more complicated than I originally thought."
He sat down on the grass, and pondered their options. Winnie sat down next to him, randomly plucking daisies from the grass, in front of her.
"We don't even know what we're looking for. Chanah's description of the stone is useless, if what Rosie says is true." Suddenly, he frowned, as if some previously buried memory had risen to the forefront of his mind. "I wonder..." He got to his feet, and took off in the direction of the house, Winnie not far behind him.
"Where are you going?" she called out. But he didn't answer. Ignoring Violets earlier instruction, of no running in the house, Milo sped through the hall, and up the stairs, taking two steps at a time. Winnie stopped running, and started up the steps, at a brisk trot.
When she caught up with Milo, she found him in her bedroom, searching through the top drawer, in her dressing table.
"What are you doing? These are my things... you have no right to come in here and take them!" But Milo didn't answer, and continued to scrabble around, inside the drawer, searching intently. Finally, he found what he was looking for.
"Aha!" he exclaimed, turning to a disgruntled looking Winnie. "Now, I could be wrong, and most likely I am, but it just occurred to me, if the earth magic changed the appearence of the stone, would it change to a colour of the earth. Two colours spring to mind, one being brown, and the other being..."
"Green!" exclaimed Winnie, as Milo opened his palm, and revealed an earring, set with a large grass green stone. The earring that they had found in the field the day before. The beautifully-polished, cabochan half-sphere gleamed in the centre of Milo's hand.
Winnie looked up at him, her eyes glittering with excitment. "I hope you're right Milo."
"So do I," he agreed, "And if this is one half of the Key-Stone, we need to find the other one."
"And if it isn't?"
"We're no worse off than we are now. At least we'll be looking for something specific."
"Maybe we could ask Rosie about it. She said there would be something unusual about it. Maybe she would know."
"How is she going to do that, when she can't even see it? I suppose we could ask Chanah, she might know more about the spell than Rosie, considering she is an Elf. But she is trying to find Sorren. We probably shouldn't bother her so soon."
"Well, if we are going to look for the other earring, we should probably start in the field then," said Winnie, "seeing as that is where we found this one."
Milo fiddled with the earring, as he answered.
"No, Chanah said that it was in the house," Milo replied. He nodded, as if to confirm the elven woman's words. "Yep, it's in here, hidden away somewhere. I can feel it." He let out a triumphant exclaimation, as the green stone came loose from it's silver fitting, and tumbled into his palm, where it lay, sunlight streaming through the window glinting upon the highly polished surface.
"So..." said Winnie, "What do we do now?"
DP is pretty much the same as the last one, though now you have far more information to go on. They have been advised to look in the study, but Jem is around somewhere, most likely in the study itself, and Violet and Old Bob will be on the look out too. So gaining access to it will not be easy. They also have a theory on the appearence of stone itself, but they may be wrong, and might possibly need a little more info before beginning their search. But they also have very little time. So... what should they do?
Hope the DP is okay, and hope you liked the chapter. Thanks for reading!
_________________
.... there is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham....
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, 1887
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D-Lotus
Venerable IFian
Joined: 21 Oct 2004
Topics: 103
Posts: 4123
Location: Hollywood, USA
Items
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10229 Fables
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| Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 3:37 pm Post subject: |
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| Well, that was a bit of an info dump, but it was told in the form of a story, so it was actually decent. Hmm, I can't think of anything extraordinary right now for the DP. Searching Jem's study still seems the most logical path. Perhaps Milo can distract Violet and then Winnie can sneak into her room to see if she can find the key to the study
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| What should Milo do to try and save Winnie? |
| Stay put, and trust Jem's judgement |
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| Go to the Veeka, and try to reason with him |
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| Make a plan, with Jem, for someone to distract the Veeka, while another tries to rescue Winnie |
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| Have Jem offer himself in Winnie's place |
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[ 2 ] |
| Go to Jem, and demand to know anything and everything of any relevance, to see if they can uncover something that will help them |
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| Look to the book, and see if it can give them any answers |
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| Total Votes : 4 |
| Who Voted: crazybookgal, Crunchyfrog, PopeAlessandrosXVIII, Thunderbird |
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