Outside, the sky was hidden by glowing blue clouds, but near the ground was perfectly lit with orange. There was nothing around but a wall of cloth, with an opening. No guards to keep me out, I pushed the cloth aside to let myself into a small village, which was lit by the orange light just outside, and the pool of dispersed moonlight above. There were many people walking around, all dark figures with my distance from them all. walked into the village. An accordion and a fiddle playing themselves kept my attention, until a face bumped into me.
"Jon!" It seemed to know who I was, "I can't stay here, I need your help," as the face talked, a body began to grow as if a dim light gradually revealed it to me. This face figure, with a body began to explain details of the situation, but my mind found itself reminding me of a friend rather than paying attention. Oh yeah, I thought, someone is here with me.
"Can you help?" the face asked, with a full body. I stood speechless, not knowing how to respond. It walked away. My attention instantly became re-fixed upon the instruments, who's player's were slowly becoming visible, starting with the limbs, as if my eyes were adjusting to the dark, although my eyes had been long adjusted.
"Here," a wooden mug was offered with a bump from my found friend, "It's water." A laugh came with directions to follow, so I did. A tent. A bright blue light. Men dressed as women. People filled the tent. I sat down, leaning against a chest of treasure. My friend soon came to sit next to me. I wanted to leave, so did she, but they wanted us to stay. Not entirely human, and not entirely spirits, they came one by one, begging us to stay, to never leave, and enjoy all the pleasures they have to offer us: music, drinks, cookies, and skin. The music got darker, the blue light quieter, we gave them no answer, and they offered us more.
"I can't move," one of the creatures of the tent was running a finger down the leg of my friend. She gave me a worried look and shook her head. I tried to get up and found my legs incapable of movement. Had a curse been placed upon us? The creature moved closer to my friend, I suddenly found myself capable of lifting my elbows behind my shoulders and using the treasure chest to get me to my feet. With my hand now available I lifted My friend to her feet and we walked out. We walked five minutes as fast as we could with our weakened legs through a now empty courtyard surrounded by closed shoppes.
"What happened back there?"
"I'm not sure."
"I'm thirsty."
"Lets go get a drink of water."
We walked less panicked, taking our time as we leaft the village for the river where we could get plenty of water.
"Do you remember where we live? I want to go home now"
"Yes."
I took a drink from the frozen river water we filled the mug with and passed it to her. We sat at the edge of a low bridge on the river with our feet dipped in. The current took our curse with it and we sat there using the reflection of the clouded moonlight in the river to try and spot the naiads popping their heads from the water to take a look at us.
"Where?"
"I'll show you."
We filled the mug, said our farewells to the river spirits, and thanked the river itself before leaving the bridge. Mist came with the trees, and it wasn't long before everything's backdrop was white. Voices came from the mist, from creatures made from the mist, but my friend was able to ward them off with her words. we kept going through trees until a clearing came. A tent. Three steps revealed three more. We walked and found that there were a great number of tents. A whole city. Suddenly I remembered; this is where I live. Tent city.
I curled up inside a sack, to keep warm.
I closed my eyes and rest with my back to the floor. Rawk. The word flashed through my brain. What did it mean? I considered the word one letter at a time. H. O. U. R. Hour? My chest grew warm. I thought about what the word could mean. Sixty minutes. Why did the word look so unfamiliar? somebody had opened the filing cabinet in my head and thrown everything, I was suddenly unable to think a single thought. My chest grew hotter and my mind more absent. Was my brain giving up? Was my body giving in? Fear swept over me as I felt death enter the tent. My breathing grew deeper, but it could not keep me calm. I sat up, breathing the air as fast a could, it was the only thing I knew would keep me alive.
A pair of arms wrapped themselves around me, shielding me from the dark presence ready to take my life. It's ok I heard a whisper in my ear everything is fine, go to sleep. I felt a sudden calmness as this new entity, this protector of life kept it's arms around me. I melted into a golden pond, and by morning had evaporated away into a cloud. I spent the rest of the day floating slowly by.
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/kvdl/2676743203/
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