Chapter 1 - Discovery
Submitted August 23, 2006 Updated September 9, 2006 Status Incomplete | I haven't figured out a name for the story yet, so this default title shall do for now. :D Anyway, this is just a snipet of my web of thoughts surrounding a particular group of characters I created. Hmm, I've got this idea going, and I have a few chapters of it down, but I'm not sure if I'll go through with it. I trash a lot of ideas. So, don't be surprised if the next sample of writing I put up is totally different. And no, I do not have a title for this story. It will remain nameless until I find one. Any critique and comments are highly appreciated.
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Miscellaneous » Writing » Action/Adventure |
Chapter 1 - Discovery
Chapter 1 - Discovery
Chapter One: Discovery
“I feel… unhappy.”
The small individual next to the bleak woman gave a grin. “Death can have that sort of effect. Can’t be helped, really.” Judging from the movement of their shadow, the woman can see that a brisk wind was blowing through his - or her - long robes and hair. The problem was, she couldn’t feel anything. In fact, she couldn’t even see her companion, though the thought didn’t perplex her.
“It’s been… years since I’ve last talked to someone,” she murmured, staring into the chasm of blurred images. “It’s rather nice. I’ve forgotten how calming it was to have company.”
The stranger nodded, white teeth gleaming out of the darkness once more in a grin. “Judging from your elaborate linen and jewelry, I can see that you came from far away… Egypt, maybe,” he guessed, as the woman started to perceive the stranger as a male. “And, if that’s true, it means you’ve been here for awhile now.”
The woman sighed as if in agreement, brushing her golden black hair away. “I’ve lost count after a short time. That was when I started traveling. Egypt became too depressing for me.” Her companion couldn’t help but bellow in laughter.
“So you’ve been wandering this world for this long to escape depression?” cackled the small creature. He continued sarcastically, “Well, you did a good job of doing so. For a person of your position, I thought you’d have more sense than that.”
She gave a small snort. “As if anything makes sense in the after life, or whatever this place is.”
He stopped laughing, and from the outline of his figure, she could see that he was pondering the thought. “Good point,” he said after a moment, shrugging. “But, as you can see, it’s not normal for souls like you to linger this long, after life or not. Why do you think you’re unable to move on? Or, can you not remember?”
“I can’t say that I don’t remember,” she murmured, not giving the thought much concentration, “but, I can’t say that I never knew, either. After awhile, everything just turns into a blur.”
“That explains the scenery,” agreed the shadow, reaching out to take what seemed like a small sliver of the huge blur around them. As her companion twirled the blur through his fingers, he thought aloud curiously, “What would you say if I could take you back to the world you left behind?”
“I’d say you’re insane,” she answered without hesitation, “and that it would be impossible.”
“You don’t know for sure,” he grinned, “because, unlike me, you don’t know my position here. I can do lots of things, whether it goes by the rules or not. In fact, you are my responsibility now, due to your inability to leave this place.”
She shook her head and her now dull green eyes stared at the individual plainly. “No, I still wouldn’t do it. It just wouldn’t feel right; besides, how long has it been now? A hundred years, at least?”
“Actually, it’s been over thousands of years,” he corrected, rather smugly.
Again, the statement didn’t faze her. “All the more reason not to go with your plan. Things change over time, and I don’t think I can fit in to the world that is now.”
The stranger was obviously frustrated, as his figure planted itself into a considerable pout. It was quiet for awhile, and for a second the woman thought she was alone again. ‘Ah, well,’ she thought, staring once more towards the abyss, ‘good things don’t last long anyway.’
If she was alive, she would have been startled by the sudden remark he made. He spoke quite loudly, “Do you know why you’re stuck here?”
“You asked me this question before.”
“Just answer,” her companion snapped, his patience failing. When she gave a quick shake of her head, he continued briskly, “It’s because you’re not ready to leave, aren’t you?”
That was new. The woman blinked in surprise. “No, that’s not true. This is where I want to be, whether I’m happy in this place or not. I belong here.”
“You know that you don‘t believe that,” he said with a grin, pleased that he finally got through. “There’s someplace else you’d rather be, right? I can take you there, if you want me to. There is a small price however… But do you want it anyway?”
She was silent with thought, and soon came to realize that he was right. And she didn’t like that feeling. “I don’t know where I want to be, though. How can I--”
“It will come to you, don’t worry,” he said, nodding, “and when you finally find out what this place is, you’ll be able to move on.” The stranger flashed another glowing grin. “Of course, your death will be momentarily delayed during this period, but that doesn’t seem too much of a problem, does it.”
She stared at the huge blur around her. She’s been wandering for so long, she hadn’t realized how much she wanted to see what the world really was like nowadays. How much she wanted to see and feel the warmth of sunlight again. And, for some odd reason, she felt that there was still something for her to do.
It became clear to her quickly as to what her answer should be.
“I want… to start over,” she replied quietly.
“Maeve?”
She blinked and stared at the raven haired girl peering down at her, her blue eyes seeming to give out a sparkling beam.
“I’m sorry for waking you,” she apologized, sitting beside Maeve on the couch, “but I’m looking for my blue jacket. The one with the ribbons on it? I think you sown it up last time.”
She nodded and sat up on the cushions, rubbing her forehead gently. “Oh yes, that one. It’s right over there dear, on top of the drawer,” she said, pointing to the wooden cabinet a few feet away from the guest room. As the teenager stood up to receive it, the caretaker asked slowly, “Are you going out?”
The girl turned and gave a sweet smile. “Yes, Cian and I are going to the new art exhibit downtown. He offered to drive us there as well; in fact, he should be here any minute.” Suddenly, as if on cue, the bell rang a merry tune, signifying her friend’s presence.
Although she went on her way to retrieve the visitor, Maeve stood up and blocked her way, saying, “No no, dear. As a hostess, I must answer the door.” The girl laughed and waited in the hall. Dusting off her long violet skirt and sweater, Maeve adjusted her bifocals and opened the entryway. “Ah, good afternoon Mr. Earnan. How are you today?”
The teen with silver gray hair nodded to her and stared with a surprising amount of intimidation. She had always noticed how cold he seemed to others. “Is Aura--”
“Here I am,” Aura beamed over Maeve’s shoulder with a jump, laughing. Although nothing in his expression changed, the woman could easily tell that he was ultimately glad to see her. Besides, a man she once knew was like him as well.
“I’m so short Cian,” Aura sighed, moving out of the door and leaning against his shoulder, “I barely come up to your neck. Or are you just too tall?”
“Depends on your perspective,” he answered, with an air of declaring ‘and that is that.’ She didn’t notice, and easily followed him as he grasped her hand in a quick and arid movement, looking back to wave a cheerful goodbye to her caretaker.
Maeve waved back and frowned a little. That boy has no manners.
She sensed someone walking up behind her, and a much taller and muscular figure looked out the door and waved to Aura as well with a spatula. Maeve turned and stared at the dark brown [and rather bald] head of a 22 year old.
“Leaving already? She didn’t even try my new shrimp recipe yet,” he said with disappointment, as Maeve stared at the contents inside his frying pan. He took one piece and made a gesture to her, saying, “Want some?”
“I’ll try it later Adio,” she smiled, taking the cooked shrimp and popping it into his mouth instead. “Give some to Raziya, I’m sure she would adore it.”
He nodded as he chewed, as if saying, ‘Good idea,’ and stepped back into the manor. But before he completely disappeared, he called out, “Oh, by the way, Sadiki just called from the lake. He wants to see you.”
Maeve raised an eyebrow in speculation. “What for?”
Adio shrugged, as a shrimp fell to the floor and a small golden dog raced across to eat it. “Beats me. He says it’s important though.” Grinning at the dog, he said, “C’mon, Reggie,” and followed the canine into the kitchen.
She sighed as she took a jacket from the coat rack and opened the door once more. There was rarely an occasion when Sadiki needed to meet her that wasn’t important. “I wonder what he found out,” she thought aloud to herself.
With that as a final note, she stepped into the brisk wind, wrapped the coat even firmer around her, and closed the door.
“I feel… unhappy.”
The small individual next to the bleak woman gave a grin. “Death can have that sort of effect. Can’t be helped, really.” Judging from the movement of their shadow, the woman can see that a brisk wind was blowing through his - or her - long robes and hair. The problem was, she couldn’t feel anything. In fact, she couldn’t even see her companion, though the thought didn’t perplex her.
“It’s been… years since I’ve last talked to someone,” she murmured, staring into the chasm of blurred images. “It’s rather nice. I’ve forgotten how calming it was to have company.”
The stranger nodded, white teeth gleaming out of the darkness once more in a grin. “Judging from your elaborate linen and jewelry, I can see that you came from far away… Egypt, maybe,” he guessed, as the woman started to perceive the stranger as a male. “And, if that’s true, it means you’ve been here for awhile now.”
The woman sighed as if in agreement, brushing her golden black hair away. “I’ve lost count after a short time. That was when I started traveling. Egypt became too depressing for me.” Her companion couldn’t help but bellow in laughter.
“So you’ve been wandering this world for this long to escape depression?” cackled the small creature. He continued sarcastically, “Well, you did a good job of doing so. For a person of your position, I thought you’d have more sense than that.”
She gave a small snort. “As if anything makes sense in the after life, or whatever this place is.”
He stopped laughing, and from the outline of his figure, she could see that he was pondering the thought. “Good point,” he said after a moment, shrugging. “But, as you can see, it’s not normal for souls like you to linger this long, after life or not. Why do you think you’re unable to move on? Or, can you not remember?”
“I can’t say that I don’t remember,” she murmured, not giving the thought much concentration, “but, I can’t say that I never knew, either. After awhile, everything just turns into a blur.”
“That explains the scenery,” agreed the shadow, reaching out to take what seemed like a small sliver of the huge blur around them. As her companion twirled the blur through his fingers, he thought aloud curiously, “What would you say if I could take you back to the world you left behind?”
“I’d say you’re insane,” she answered without hesitation, “and that it would be impossible.”
“You don’t know for sure,” he grinned, “because, unlike me, you don’t know my position here. I can do lots of things, whether it goes by the rules or not. In fact, you are my responsibility now, due to your inability to leave this place.”
She shook her head and her now dull green eyes stared at the individual plainly. “No, I still wouldn’t do it. It just wouldn’t feel right; besides, how long has it been now? A hundred years, at least?”
“Actually, it’s been over thousands of years,” he corrected, rather smugly.
Again, the statement didn’t faze her. “All the more reason not to go with your plan. Things change over time, and I don’t think I can fit in to the world that is now.”
The stranger was obviously frustrated, as his figure planted itself into a considerable pout. It was quiet for awhile, and for a second the woman thought she was alone again. ‘Ah, well,’ she thought, staring once more towards the abyss, ‘good things don’t last long anyway.’
If she was alive, she would have been startled by the sudden remark he made. He spoke quite loudly, “Do you know why you’re stuck here?”
“You asked me this question before.”
“Just answer,” her companion snapped, his patience failing. When she gave a quick shake of her head, he continued briskly, “It’s because you’re not ready to leave, aren’t you?”
That was new. The woman blinked in surprise. “No, that’s not true. This is where I want to be, whether I’m happy in this place or not. I belong here.”
“You know that you don‘t believe that,” he said with a grin, pleased that he finally got through. “There’s someplace else you’d rather be, right? I can take you there, if you want me to. There is a small price however… But do you want it anyway?”
She was silent with thought, and soon came to realize that he was right. And she didn’t like that feeling. “I don’t know where I want to be, though. How can I--”
“It will come to you, don’t worry,” he said, nodding, “and when you finally find out what this place is, you’ll be able to move on.” The stranger flashed another glowing grin. “Of course, your death will be momentarily delayed during this period, but that doesn’t seem too much of a problem, does it.”
She stared at the huge blur around her. She’s been wandering for so long, she hadn’t realized how much she wanted to see what the world really was like nowadays. How much she wanted to see and feel the warmth of sunlight again. And, for some odd reason, she felt that there was still something for her to do.
It became clear to her quickly as to what her answer should be.
“I want… to start over,” she replied quietly.
~~~
“Maeve?”
She blinked and stared at the raven haired girl peering down at her, her blue eyes seeming to give out a sparkling beam.
“I’m sorry for waking you,” she apologized, sitting beside Maeve on the couch, “but I’m looking for my blue jacket. The one with the ribbons on it? I think you sown it up last time.”
She nodded and sat up on the cushions, rubbing her forehead gently. “Oh yes, that one. It’s right over there dear, on top of the drawer,” she said, pointing to the wooden cabinet a few feet away from the guest room. As the teenager stood up to receive it, the caretaker asked slowly, “Are you going out?”
The girl turned and gave a sweet smile. “Yes, Cian and I are going to the new art exhibit downtown. He offered to drive us there as well; in fact, he should be here any minute.” Suddenly, as if on cue, the bell rang a merry tune, signifying her friend’s presence.
Although she went on her way to retrieve the visitor, Maeve stood up and blocked her way, saying, “No no, dear. As a hostess, I must answer the door.” The girl laughed and waited in the hall. Dusting off her long violet skirt and sweater, Maeve adjusted her bifocals and opened the entryway. “Ah, good afternoon Mr. Earnan. How are you today?”
The teen with silver gray hair nodded to her and stared with a surprising amount of intimidation. She had always noticed how cold he seemed to others. “Is Aura--”
“Here I am,” Aura beamed over Maeve’s shoulder with a jump, laughing. Although nothing in his expression changed, the woman could easily tell that he was ultimately glad to see her. Besides, a man she once knew was like him as well.
“I’m so short Cian,” Aura sighed, moving out of the door and leaning against his shoulder, “I barely come up to your neck. Or are you just too tall?”
“Depends on your perspective,” he answered, with an air of declaring ‘and that is that.’ She didn’t notice, and easily followed him as he grasped her hand in a quick and arid movement, looking back to wave a cheerful goodbye to her caretaker.
Maeve waved back and frowned a little. That boy has no manners.
She sensed someone walking up behind her, and a much taller and muscular figure looked out the door and waved to Aura as well with a spatula. Maeve turned and stared at the dark brown [and rather bald] head of a 22 year old.
“Leaving already? She didn’t even try my new shrimp recipe yet,” he said with disappointment, as Maeve stared at the contents inside his frying pan. He took one piece and made a gesture to her, saying, “Want some?”
“I’ll try it later Adio,” she smiled, taking the cooked shrimp and popping it into his mouth instead. “Give some to Raziya, I’m sure she would adore it.”
He nodded as he chewed, as if saying, ‘Good idea,’ and stepped back into the manor. But before he completely disappeared, he called out, “Oh, by the way, Sadiki just called from the lake. He wants to see you.”
Maeve raised an eyebrow in speculation. “What for?”
Adio shrugged, as a shrimp fell to the floor and a small golden dog raced across to eat it. “Beats me. He says it’s important though.” Grinning at the dog, he said, “C’mon, Reggie,” and followed the canine into the kitchen.
She sighed as she took a jacket from the coat rack and opened the door once more. There was rarely an occasion when Sadiki needed to meet her that wasn’t important. “I wonder what he found out,” she thought aloud to herself.
With that as a final note, she stepped into the brisk wind, wrapped the coat even firmer around her, and closed the door.
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