The Essence of Magic

Saturday 24 September 2011

Where the Fendown residents start to take notice

Leo was the first of the group to feel the call of nature and his face fell even further when he realized they were to use an out house. An out house with no flushing capabilities.

"We so need to get out of here..." he muttered to himself as he decided to just use the facilities and deal with the consequences later.

Vie cooked the fish she had caught with a few choices of the local foliage to provide some kind of greens. She just hoped they weren't poisonous in any way as she did not recognise the plants. For the first time, she was glad her mother had insisted on showing her how to cook. she had been right that it was a skill she would need; although she was sure her mother had not intended fot it to be used in such a circumstance.

They sat in the rain and ate in the dark as they all tried to devise a plan of finding a way home the next day.

"Find Mr. Boddesdon and make him pay," seemed to be the best option offered.

Six of them slept fitfully in the hard and slightly scratchy beds provided.

While Hio took point and watched over the hut - as he had pointed out there were no burglar alarms and they could be attacked by anyone or anything in their sleep.

"Oh! Are you from the Southern Isles?" came a voice just after Dawn broke and Hio turned to see a blonde woman staring at him in surprise. "Master Boddesdon didn't mention that."

"Excuse me?" Hio asked, surprised but pleased that they could communicate.

"Your skin, I've ne'er seen it afore, but I heard the Southern Islanders have darker skin than we. M'names Enwy."

"I'm not from there but ... can I help you, Miss?" He asked, having never even heard of the Southern Islands. "My name is Ehioze but my friends call me Hio."

"Master asked me to bring you clothes, they're in the wagon over there. My price will be your odd clothing and your gold." Enwy said.

"I...okay..." Looking at the clothes and judging by their surroundings, this Master Boddesdon that Enwy seemed to know had to be the one they had met. Hio realized that meant he had either dumped them in some kind of wacky RenFair (unlikely) or he had somehow transported them. They needed to fit in if they were going to find any way home and so he agreed.

"I'll send Reddsen and Foss by later to help you settle in. Master Boddesdon asked me to show you how and I don't like upsetting Master." Enwy told him.

After a lot of complaining, Hio managed to get the others into their new clothing and the two boys appeared.

"M'names Reddsen. M'only here 'cause Enwy made me" said the first, scowling all the while.

Foss, Hio thought, was a far nicer fellow and was happy to show them the better way to tend their meagre crops.

Eunie set about clearing up the leaves that had fallen overnight and set them in a compost heap as Foss directed.

Everyone, excepting Denise and Tav, got the feeling that this was going to be a way of life for a while and so they pitched in, with the help of Foss and Reddsen.

Wednesday 24 August 2011

In which the group finds themselves somewhere unexpected...

Dennie had cried out and then the world had shimmered and gone dark...

When they awoke, they were all lined up neatly in a nearly bare garden. How had they all been moved so quietly and without waking anyone? Where were they - it certainly wasn't Rosethorn Forest.

There was a small wooden, thatched shack so Hio and Vie went inside to have a look around - and they only found seven beds, nothing else.

"This remind you of that cabin in the forest?" Vie asked, a little nervously.

Hio failed to respond, but then that was nothing new.

A cry from outside was heard and the two rushed back out to see what was happening. It seemed a rolled parchment had been discovered. Fletcher took the 'head of the household' seat as authoritatively as he could and read from the document.

"You now reside near the small village of Fendowns in the Kingdom of Rahlia. This is a two-part endeavour of mine. The first part being to see if your being here has an affect on the magic native to Rahlia and near-extinct on your 'Earth'. The second is because the few years I have spent in your Rahla-forsaken world has shown me that your young people are not accustomed to any of the virtues that govern life.

You will see, smell, encounter and devour many strange things to you, but work for them all you must. I have provided you with a small hut, candles enough for a sen'night and a chest of gold coins to get you started.

Feel free to try to find a way home, you will not find it, nor will it serve you well. First, you must learn to fish, grow crops and cook. You must learn to live and work in concert with one another and the peoples around you. You must, in short, learn the skills your 'modern' society does not teach you.

The longer you spend on trying to escape your new reality, the less time you have until winter sets in and you will all starve.

May Rahla smile upon your spirits.

Mr. Boddesdon."

"Then that must be the money and seeds over there," Eunie said, indicating the sacks behind her.

"I think I should be in charge of the money," Denise said and she made to stand up, before being shouted down by everyone else. Denise and money soon became Denise, no money and random stuff.

"We'd better start planting some seeds," Hio said quietly, but everyone went quiet to hear him speak.

"Load of rubbish if you ask me. Some nutters old bloke left us in the woods for a laugh. I bet it turns out we're on a hidden camera show," Tav said, resolutely. "I'm gonna turn in and then we can all go home tomorrow."

"Yeah. I'm with Tav," Denise decided.

"Then you sit about and be useless, I'm going to help out," Genevieve stated and she found a few fishing hooks. Much simpler than the one her dad used but it should work.

The industrious set to work, the non-believers decided chatting was a more worthwhile hobby than trying to catch fish. After all, what kind of crackpot wrote that note? Their friends were idiots for taking it seriously.

"Hey! I caught one! Go me."

In which the group meet a hermit...

Genevieve was in the foulest mood of her life. It was safe to say that the Great Summer Camping Trip had not quite gone according to plan.

She had not wanted to go, particularly, but Eunie had insisted they go as she wanted to see if she could make her newfound crush on Fletcher go anywhere. Genevieve had known that she couldn't let Eunie go off with only Dennie Ambourne for female company with a clear conscience.

Now, though, she was furious beyond the telling of it and her ire was directed in full force to that complete idiot Tav.

"What passes for a brain in that empty head of yours, Tav? What on Earth made you decide to fuck about with the bags? That had all our gear in it - the map, our clothes, everything and now it's gone downriver and sunk somewhere, leaving us completely and totally lost!" She screamed at the top of her voice and stamped her foot for emphasis but none of it seemed to phase Tav in the slightest.

"Lighten up, Vie, it's an adventure now!" he responded, which was definitely not what Genevieve wanted to hear, before turning his attention to her best friend.

"Hey Eunie, wanna go in the bushes and check out my rocket?"

At least her best friend could stand up for herself, Genevieve thought as Eun-hee ripped into Tav on her own. She was usually the protector but it was good to see that the girl could take care of herself when needed.

They set off through the seemingly endless undergrowth once more and about an hour later they came across a small log cabin in the middle of the forest. They decided that as the one to get them into this mess, Tav ought to be the one who knocked on the door, but to no one's surprise, he chickened out and Hio stepped up in his place.

Genevieve always had secretly thought that the more down-to-earth Hio was the best out of their group, both looks-wise and personality wise but she kept those feelings to herself. It was too embarrassing.

Hio spoke to a man that answered the door and Genevieve had a slightly unsettling feeling about him but she could not put her finger on why - until she saw his ears poking through his hair. She drew in a small, surprised breath but said nothing as it would be rude.

He introduced himself as 'Mr. Boddesdon' and told them that they were in luck as he had beds enough for them all. Without pausing to think, everyone bundled inside the cabin to find he was telling the truth, Genevieve following at a more sedate pace, still not sure she was happy with this turn of events.

It was true what he said as he showed off the bunk beds ready for them, they all had a place to sleep until morning. However, Genevieve could not help but notice that there was no bathroom, kitchen or anything other than the beds. The place struck her as spooky and she spoke up the moment Mr. Boddesdon had left the little cabin on 'an errand'.

"Anyone else finding it weird that some guy living in the forest has a cabin with four bunk beds in it but no toilet?"

"Anyone else caring right now?" Tav piped up, speaking through a yawn. "Just go to sleep, we'll worry about shit in the morning."

Sleep did not come easily to Genevieve but soon her tired body won out over her worries and she too, fell asleep.

Meanwhile, outside...

They all awoke the next morning with Dennie bemoaning the fact that she felt funny. They all stood and started to debate what their plan of action should be for getting home...