Edwin woke up.
It was a strange, strange place but very familiar too. It was sickeningly beautiful like the mad world of a kaleidoscope. The grass was green and speckled with thousands of flowers which seemed to change color as they blew in the wind. The smell they gave was so crisp, not repugnant or oppressive as so many scents of this sort can be. There were three ancient spiraling great oaks standing guard in the middle of the field. To the east lay the virgin leaves of a vast forest, to the north lay sleeping hills, to the west a gossiping brook, and south the horizon married green and blue at infinity. The land was teeming with life. A myriad of insects clicked, buzzed, chirped without a care in the world. Meanwhile a bluebird in full bloom danced and sang in desperate strains for the mate he craved. How beautiful he was, so blue he made the sky retreat in envy. A true testament to his maker who so thoughtfully wrote his features, every hue with a purpose. Even the feel of the soft grass squealed of her maker's glory.
There he was, Edwin, sitting in the garden of Eden, or some such other primordial garden. He thought at first of how good it was to be alone in a place like this. Peacefully listening to the song of the lovesick bluebird. But he grew restless and like the little blue romantic, Edwin longed for company, for companionship. He sighed as he settled down against one of the three great sentinels. It was such a lazy morning, full of life. Edwin saw that there was a box of crayons and a pad of paper lying next to him. He picked them up and painted the landscape in a childish scribble. Then without so much thought, he added to it his longing imagination. The triangle for a dress seemed peculiarly adequate for the scene. She was green.
As Edwin put down the tools of his imagination he was surprised to see her running towards him through the flowers like a romantic. She had soft lavender skin which the wind timidly caressed. Her burning pink eyes twinkled beneath bangs of her beautiful flowing bright green hair. It fell like fine grass down to her waist and danced about her shoulders and hips enchantingly. Atop her head lay a dainty laurel of budding clover. Around her waist she wore a woven grass belt, just two shade darker than her dress which fell down about her ankles, revealing her bare feet brushing the grass sweetly as she ran. Finally she stopped a few yards away, smiled cocking her head slightly, and plopped down in the grass and shade, dress all proofed with the sudden drop.
Edwin realized that his mouth was wide open and he was staring, she was beautiful, and he was blushing brightly at this realization. After a quick mental slap in the face, he straightened up, smiled, and said hello. He would have said more, bumbling about as one does when forced to speak more than one's mind has room for, except she held one finger to her mouth and pointed up. Following her eyes Edwin observed that the bluebird had found a friend and they were dancing, haltingly as birds do. All of a sudden a warm hand takes his and he is whisked about in a flowery wonderland. Music begins, first distantly, then it grew stronger and the melody pranced about inviting all who heard to join in rapturous dance. And so they did, Edwin and this forest nymph. He knew not how or why he knew the steps, but their dance was flawless, invigorating, so full of life. After many twirls and elegant bows the fell in the grass, breathing heavily, they let the tender shoots support their fragile bodies. They lay there like that, hands clasped, her right in his left, for what seemed like an eternity.
When finally they did sit up, they just stared at each other. It seemed as though they were having a deep and penetrating conversation through their eyes. The meaning could be easily interpreted, but the words, inexpressible. Then a shadow was cast over the scene, the bluebirds fled in a flurry of feathers, then another character entered the scene. A faun strode up. He had thick brown fur from his waist to his cloven hoofed feet, a well defined athletic body, sharp beard defining his jawline, fiery brown eyes, mossy brown hair, and two crooked antlers on his head. The young buck stared Edwin up and down, sizing him up in disgust. No words were spoken, his carriage spoke for him. His furrowed brow said she was his and his crossed arms said he was ready to fight for her. Edwin hesitated at this confrontation, releasing the hand he had held to dear. As if this were the sign the faun had been waiting for, he strode forth to claim his prize.
He whisked her up into his arms and held her there. She would not return his stare, however, and looked away in disgust. Riled by this rejection he struck her across the cheek and sent her spiraling to the ground hurt and her beauty marred by dripping blood. Edwin watched at first in shock, then in anger. The giant's blood within him came rushing into his limbs setting fire to his heart. Edwin was a guardian in name, and in birth, now in life. All selfish reasons were lifted with that blow and pure violence surged forth. Edwin sprung up, and as he did so, struck his opponent with a sharp uppercut cracking his jaw. This blow did not deter the faun at all, only stunned and enraged him all the more. They fought for an eternity as she watched in horror, her screams muted by their exertions. The beast put up an admirable fight, but eventually the giant's son dealt the final blow. A right hook, filled with the tears and pent of feeling of a thousand generations long passed, shattered two ribs and ruptured the liver.
The faun fell to the ground, defeat in his eyes. He limped off glaring resentment at every wince. Edwin stood watching, panting, till the faun was lost in the distance. The scenery had changed. It was now sunset on a fine autumn day. Bright oranges, crimson, and deep burgundy. The sentinels stood balding, surrounded in their fading glory. And there amidst the leaves lay the fairy queen, faded, wilting like so many flowers starved of life. Edwin ran to her and fell beside her. He caressed her arm as he pulled her gently to him. There the sat for a moment. Then she looked up and stared deep in Edwin's walnut eyes. She understood him, or so he fancied, in that moment in time. For her expression softened and her eyes twinkled lovingly, appreciatively, pityingly, supportively. Edwin felt a well of emotion burst forth within him. As his heart quickened and his senses sharpened, she leaned in. Her eyes closed, he could feel her breath mixing with his. Then...
Edwin woke up.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Roadkill
Jump! Jump! The little brown amphibian plopped along the burning tar and broken stone. His soft stomach screamed at each landing on the searing black pavement. He pressed on with vigor though, for he knew sweet bliss was only a few more hops away. No mere puddle that would dry up, but a pond! He had only heard of these legendary havens in distant songs carried by nocturnal breeze. It was a place of peace and blissful solitude. Ah! He could smell it now. Only a few more hops, then to leap the concrete wall of the gutter and make it to sweet muddy ecstasy. Five more. Four more. Three more! Splat! He was in the eternal bliss, resting to never wake again, as he lay spread out on the ground.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
The Chronicles of Edwin, Ch. 6 "Teheehehehehe..."
Hi there! Name's Squiggers, pleasure to meet you I'm sure. Haha, what? You want to know what I am and why I'm here today? Well, I'm a Samr and I'm here to tell a story. Not much help, huh? All you need to know is, I'm what you might call a fairy or nymph and since the author is tired he left me in charge of telling the story of our fate bound hero, Edwin. So, without further ado, let's get started!
Well, there I was minding my own business, snacking on some flower petals, when out of no where WOOSH! Some kid rushes by running full gait and nearly flattening my poor soul. "What in the name of Alkie was that?" I exclaimed, then as if in response a huge man comes running yelling "Give that back!!!" Yeah, you guessed it, that man would turn out to be our lovable Edwin...but I'm getting ahead of myself. He thundered by panting like an old dog after a rabbit. I of course decided to follow him and see what had happened.
The scene that followed was almost pathetically comic. The speedy one seemed to be just a kid, early teens maybe? He was holding a book or journal of some sort, apparently the object of interest in this pursuit. He would slow down and let the large one catch up and nearly catch him, then put on an extra burst of speed. A couple times Edwin took flying dives at the boy but all he accomplished was to put more grass stains on his already soiled shirt.
"What on earth could be in that bit of bound parchment that makes them run so..." I wondered. Maybe it was a valuable book the kid had stolen. Oooh, or maybe it was Edwin's journal and he had many pages about a lover! Or maybe it's more dastardly and it's a spell book of some forbidden nature. Haha, I just HAD to find out!
Just my luck! The boy had managed to climb up a tree out of reach of the giant and it appeared the big guy wasn't keen on climbing up after him. The boy taunted Edwin with the book, then opened to start looking at his prize. Apparently he had the same or similar thoughts to mine. I peered over his shoulder at the pages as he flipped through them and with equal appointment we looked away. All that was in it were incomprehensible scribbles and mathematical formulae. He had pinched Edwin's magitec notes for one of the many classes he was taking.
The boy's mean streak seemed to reappear with this let down and he ripped the pages apart and threw the mess down in Edwin's face. I was shocked, but when I saw the face on the giant I was stunned. You could see in his eyes that some small part of him had just died. Briefly there flashed a rage so terrifying I could feel my soul trying to escape my body. This kid was dead for sure I thought, but as soon as it came it passed. Edwin leaned over and picked up the bits of his notes and straightened them up a bit.
I think the kid saw that same flash, for at some point he had leaped from the tree and was running off just as fast as his legs would take him.
The big guy slumped down onto the ground and leaned back against the tree, heaving a great sigh. I flew down and settled on his shoulder. He was looking through the pages putting it back together as best he could. He muttered to himself, "just great... exam next week and my notes are scrap." He sat there for a while continuing to rebuild his notebook, then he stared off into space. I'm not sure what came over me, but I wanted to know what was going through his mind. So I jumped down, scampered behind the tree, materialized, then cam back around.
The big guy looked down at me strangely... or rather, it was strange in that his expression never changed. He just gave a faint smile and turned his gaze back to the clouds. Something about his manner said, "you can sit on my shoulder if you like." So, of course I did. Then to assuage my curiosity I asked him, "what'cha thinkin 'bout, sir?"
He laughed at me, but such a cheery sort of laugh. "Oh, I don't know.... stuff." There must have been something of my disappointment on my face cause after glancing at me he continued. "Meh, I've got another exam at the university and my notes are torn.... but... well, I'm not even sure I want to be an apprenticed structural magitechnician. It's interesting, but there's nothing romantic about it. Oh to be a poet or musician, I'm actually not too bad as an artist, here..." He proceeded to rummage around in his pockets and pull out a little notebook. He flipped it open and showed me some interesting sketches. He really wasn't all that bad, bit of practice and he'd be positively amazing, he seemed to think so too for he sighed at that instant.
Daring to inquire further I asked him why he didn't change to some other venue of study. Edwin seemed hesitant to continue what must have been a familiar conversation, but continue he did. It was an intriguing tale of conflicting obligations. He never said it, but you could tell the first and main reason he chose the path he did was he wanted his parents to be proud of him. I wanted to tell him they would be proud no matter what, but I think he knew that too. There were other reasons though. He had always wanted to have a family one day, and the job of a magitechnician pays very well. He actually did like the material, the blend of natural sciences with mathematics used to create impossible feats of nature has a certain appeal to minds like Edwin's. Then there was the matter of the various patrons who were helping to pay for Edwin's education, it is hard to reject a thing when people give you money just so one can continue to study. All things considering, I was not sure why he wanted to get out anymore, seemed a good fit for him. He seemed to simply feel that something of it didn't quite click, but at the same time he had no idea what else he would or should pursue. He found it frustrating that the majority of his close friends were of the romantic mindset to some degree or another, and so many were driven passionately into a career, like they were made to do only that with no talent elsewhere.
He continued to talk for a while, I was so absorbed in learning about this gentle giant that I lost track of time. I wasn't sure what it was but I felt an unconscious bond forming and after a time, when he was getting ready to leave, I blurted out, "may I become your familiar?" I was so embarrassed! This was so improper, I wanted to die, but Edwin just sort of looked at me and asked, "are you sure you want to?" I blushed and nodded, still not quite sure what had become of me to act this way. We then proceeded with the pact and I was practically giddy when the symbol of the pact appeared on his arm. It was a large glowing flower quite unlike any I've ever seen (it looked delicious). I went briefly over how our pact worked and a few of the new powers he would have. He was, somewhat surprisingly, very familiar with contracting spirits. I might add too, I'm a powerful one if handled well, hehehe. Anyway, he took off home and I flew off to a nice patch of flowers I had spotted moments ago.
Mhmmm, that was a good story, right? I am can't wait to show up more in this story, haha! Oh, I am probably breaking so many rules talking to you, the reader... Hehehe, is there a fourth wall in prose? Well, us Samr are just special like that, muahahahahahahahahahahahahaha... EEP! Gotta run, author's back!!! BYE ALL.
~Ariel "Squiggers" Nocturn III
Well, there I was minding my own business, snacking on some flower petals, when out of no where WOOSH! Some kid rushes by running full gait and nearly flattening my poor soul. "What in the name of Alkie was that?" I exclaimed, then as if in response a huge man comes running yelling "Give that back!!!" Yeah, you guessed it, that man would turn out to be our lovable Edwin...but I'm getting ahead of myself. He thundered by panting like an old dog after a rabbit. I of course decided to follow him and see what had happened.
The scene that followed was almost pathetically comic. The speedy one seemed to be just a kid, early teens maybe? He was holding a book or journal of some sort, apparently the object of interest in this pursuit. He would slow down and let the large one catch up and nearly catch him, then put on an extra burst of speed. A couple times Edwin took flying dives at the boy but all he accomplished was to put more grass stains on his already soiled shirt.
"What on earth could be in that bit of bound parchment that makes them run so..." I wondered. Maybe it was a valuable book the kid had stolen. Oooh, or maybe it was Edwin's journal and he had many pages about a lover! Or maybe it's more dastardly and it's a spell book of some forbidden nature. Haha, I just HAD to find out!
Just my luck! The boy had managed to climb up a tree out of reach of the giant and it appeared the big guy wasn't keen on climbing up after him. The boy taunted Edwin with the book, then opened to start looking at his prize. Apparently he had the same or similar thoughts to mine. I peered over his shoulder at the pages as he flipped through them and with equal appointment we looked away. All that was in it were incomprehensible scribbles and mathematical formulae. He had pinched Edwin's magitec notes for one of the many classes he was taking.
The boy's mean streak seemed to reappear with this let down and he ripped the pages apart and threw the mess down in Edwin's face. I was shocked, but when I saw the face on the giant I was stunned. You could see in his eyes that some small part of him had just died. Briefly there flashed a rage so terrifying I could feel my soul trying to escape my body. This kid was dead for sure I thought, but as soon as it came it passed. Edwin leaned over and picked up the bits of his notes and straightened them up a bit.
I think the kid saw that same flash, for at some point he had leaped from the tree and was running off just as fast as his legs would take him.
The big guy slumped down onto the ground and leaned back against the tree, heaving a great sigh. I flew down and settled on his shoulder. He was looking through the pages putting it back together as best he could. He muttered to himself, "just great... exam next week and my notes are scrap." He sat there for a while continuing to rebuild his notebook, then he stared off into space. I'm not sure what came over me, but I wanted to know what was going through his mind. So I jumped down, scampered behind the tree, materialized, then cam back around.
The big guy looked down at me strangely... or rather, it was strange in that his expression never changed. He just gave a faint smile and turned his gaze back to the clouds. Something about his manner said, "you can sit on my shoulder if you like." So, of course I did. Then to assuage my curiosity I asked him, "what'cha thinkin 'bout, sir?"
He laughed at me, but such a cheery sort of laugh. "Oh, I don't know.... stuff." There must have been something of my disappointment on my face cause after glancing at me he continued. "Meh, I've got another exam at the university and my notes are torn.... but... well, I'm not even sure I want to be an apprenticed structural magitechnician. It's interesting, but there's nothing romantic about it. Oh to be a poet or musician, I'm actually not too bad as an artist, here..." He proceeded to rummage around in his pockets and pull out a little notebook. He flipped it open and showed me some interesting sketches. He really wasn't all that bad, bit of practice and he'd be positively amazing, he seemed to think so too for he sighed at that instant.
Daring to inquire further I asked him why he didn't change to some other venue of study. Edwin seemed hesitant to continue what must have been a familiar conversation, but continue he did. It was an intriguing tale of conflicting obligations. He never said it, but you could tell the first and main reason he chose the path he did was he wanted his parents to be proud of him. I wanted to tell him they would be proud no matter what, but I think he knew that too. There were other reasons though. He had always wanted to have a family one day, and the job of a magitechnician pays very well. He actually did like the material, the blend of natural sciences with mathematics used to create impossible feats of nature has a certain appeal to minds like Edwin's. Then there was the matter of the various patrons who were helping to pay for Edwin's education, it is hard to reject a thing when people give you money just so one can continue to study. All things considering, I was not sure why he wanted to get out anymore, seemed a good fit for him. He seemed to simply feel that something of it didn't quite click, but at the same time he had no idea what else he would or should pursue. He found it frustrating that the majority of his close friends were of the romantic mindset to some degree or another, and so many were driven passionately into a career, like they were made to do only that with no talent elsewhere.
He continued to talk for a while, I was so absorbed in learning about this gentle giant that I lost track of time. I wasn't sure what it was but I felt an unconscious bond forming and after a time, when he was getting ready to leave, I blurted out, "may I become your familiar?" I was so embarrassed! This was so improper, I wanted to die, but Edwin just sort of looked at me and asked, "are you sure you want to?" I blushed and nodded, still not quite sure what had become of me to act this way. We then proceeded with the pact and I was practically giddy when the symbol of the pact appeared on his arm. It was a large glowing flower quite unlike any I've ever seen (it looked delicious). I went briefly over how our pact worked and a few of the new powers he would have. He was, somewhat surprisingly, very familiar with contracting spirits. I might add too, I'm a powerful one if handled well, hehehe. Anyway, he took off home and I flew off to a nice patch of flowers I had spotted moments ago.
Mhmmm, that was a good story, right? I am can't wait to show up more in this story, haha! Oh, I am probably breaking so many rules talking to you, the reader... Hehehe, is there a fourth wall in prose? Well, us Samr are just special like that, muahahahahahahahahahahahahaha... EEP! Gotta run, author's back!!! BYE ALL.
~Ariel "Squiggers" Nocturn III
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