setting off ...

[This is an ongoing chapter a week story that began with the first Words for Wednesday for 2025 on 1 January. I'm hoping to continue it through 31 December, the last Wednesday of the year. To start from the beginning, click on the Words for Wednesday 2025 label to the right and it will pull up all of the weekly posts, beginning with the most recent. To start from the beginning, continue to click "Older Posts" at the bottom of the page until you get to 1 January 2025, then click "Newer Posts" to read the next date. You can thank Blogger for the inability to list them by chronological order under the labels.]

  Elder Elowin handed her the purple satchel with the books and jellies to Lyri.  "You will need to carry this, my dear, because I sense in you a spirit for healing.  I have also included some additional salves and herbs that you will need.  You will know when and how to use them.  Trust your instincts.  I've also included a blank journal for your writing pleasure so that you can record your journey."  Lyri took the satchel gratefully, wondering if there would be a time when someone would find the journal if they didn't succeed.

  Kael licked his lips nervously and sauntered over to where Elowin stood as the others continued to gather their items.  Elowin took his hand and looked into his eyes.  "You need not be afraid, child.  You have a strength within you that has not yet been fully seen.  The trials you recently faced in your journey from the stone house were only the first of many, but you will be successful in all that you do."

  He nodded, unsure of whether to believe her or not, but trusting that the others would have his back when the time came.

  Eldrin returned to the group again, this time without his loud armor, but carrying a satchel full of berries and apples.  "I thought it might be a good idea to gather some things to eat along the way since we haven't supped yet.  It would save us some time when we stop for a rest."

  The four of them now turned to look at Elder Elowin, realizing that there was nothing more to do except to start their long journey.  She looked at them and nodded, and the four bowed slightly out of respect before disappearing into the darkness of the forest.  There was nothing more to be said, and any further delay would let doubt enter their minds and hearts.  

  They silently walked through the woods for several hours, thinking only of what they might face in their journey.  The path was lighted only by fireflies they had caught in jars.  Finally, Eldrin caught up with Thal and elbowed him.  "I think this might be a good time to stop and rest.  The sun should be up soon, and we have passed the edge of our own forest.  I'm ready to put a fork into some berries as well."  Thal nodded, and the four gathered some wood and moss to build lean-tos that would shelter them from the sun during the heat of the day, and from eyes that might have been sent to spy on them.

  Lyri dispensed equal measures of the food Eldrin had brought with him, and using a small knife sliced one of the apples so that each could have a piece.  She saved the other apples for later, knowing that they were less likely to find an apple tree on their journey, but that berries could be plentiful.

  Looking over at Thal, she said softly in the silence before the birds began to announce the rising sun, "Perhaps this would be a good time for you to tell us of your dreams?"

This week's Words for Wednesday prompts can be found here.

disappearing into the forest ...

[This is an ongoing chapter a week story that began with the first Words for Wednesday for 2025 on 1 January. I'm hoping to continue it through 31 December, the last Wednesday of the year. To start from the beginning, click on the Words for Wednesday 2025 label to the right and it will pull up all of the weekly posts, beginning with the most recent. To start from the beginning, continue to click "Older Posts" at the bottom of the page until you get to 1 January 2025, then click "Newer Posts" to read the next date. You can thank Blogger for the inability to list them by chronological order under the labels.]

  Elder Elowin looked at the four young wood elves and nodded.  "You will need to leave tonight, carrying as little as possible with you.  There should be no revealing of your journey, or your quest, to anyone else in the village for it will cause a panic that we need to avoid."

  Eldrin sighed dramatically, "What?  No going away party for us?"

  "No.  There is a chance that there are those among us who would take note of the direction you go, and we cannot risk that information being passed along to those who do not want Thalion to succeed in sitting upon the throne of Queen Legodia."

  Thal looked at her quizzically, "Do we even know if the throne still exists?"

  "It does, and the heir will guide you to it."

  El now looked at Thal with a questioning rise of his eyebrows, "I'm sorry, but I thought you were the heir?"

  Thal sighed and looked at Elowin, who nodded.  "I am now, however, the heir who should have taken the throne when the Queen died speaks to me and has been guiding me for the past several weeks."

  El, Lyri, and Kael now looked at him with wide eyes.  Thal continued, "I hear his voice in my head at times, and he was also guiding me in sort of a trance state to write the protective sigils around the village.  I can't control when I hear from him, it's not like I'm able to turn it on and off like a water faucet.  But it was him who has been reaching out to both Elder Elowin and me about the coming danger and the black Grimma."

  Turning to look at Elowin, Lyri asked, "So, this idea of yours to go on this quest is not just random fairy magic, but it is based on the history of our ancestors, Thal's ancestor, and the forest?"

  "Yes, child, it is.  We have no more time to waste because you must get started before daylight.  You must be to the edge of these woods by dawn.  Quickly gather some things and be started.  You can rest during the early morning hours after dawn, but each day will need to travel in the afternoons and evening hours.  Follow the direction of the setting sun.  Go now and pack some food and clothing."

  The four scattered in the direction of each one's home after agreeing to meet back at Elder Elowin's cottage in a few minutes.  Elowin in the meantime, gathered some healing jelly she had made into a small leather satchel.  She added one of her books on plant roots that can be eaten for strength and nourishment.

  When the four began to gather again at her house, she gave the satchel to Lyri.  "This will help you along the way.  The jelly will heal any wounds, and the book will tell you what will be safe to eat along the way."

  Much to everyone's amusement, Eldrin arrived wearing battle armor which clanged loudly announcing his arrival.

  Elowin shook her head, "Child, the point of leaving at night is to go under the cover of darkness so that no one will be able to follow you.  You cannot wear that outfit.  Not to mention, it will become heavy and painful to walk in for the distance you must travel."

  "Begging your pardon, Elder Elowin, but if we must go to battle against gnolls and other forest evil, I'd like to be prepared."

  "Being prepared is one thing, young Eldrin, however, announcing your arrival is another.  You cannot wear it, and I can assure you that there will be those in the forest who will help you on your quest for they have a vested interest in your success."

This week's Words for Wednesday prompts can be found here.

perspective ...

I took these during the David decade when I felt like less.

Less of a person.

Less worthy of happiness.

Less worthy of everything... including life.

It's amazing how much a person can change in five years.

a map of the past ...

[This is an ongoing chapter a week story that began with the first Words for Wednesday for 2025 on 1 January. I'm hoping to continue it through 31 December, the last Wednesday of the year. To start from the beginning, click on the Words for Wednesday 2025 label to the right and it will pull up all of the weekly posts, beginning with the most recent.  To start from the beginning, continue to click "Older Posts" at the bottom of the page until you get to 1 January 2025, then click "Newer Posts" to read the next date.  You can thank Blogger for the inability to list them by chronological order under the labels.]

  Elder Elowin told the four to wait by the fire while she went into her cottage to find something which would help them on their quest.

  It was Kael who spoke first after she had gone.  "I owe each of you an apology for my past behavior.  I never knew what I must have looked and acted like until I was confronted with it at the stone house.  I'm sorry for how I've treated each of you.  Very sorry.  Since I've been back, you've been nothing but kind to me, and I know I did nothing to deserve that from you."  He blushed deeply, and a tear fell from his eye.

  Lyri reached over and put a hand on his arm.  "Apology accepted.  By me at least," she looked at Thal and Eldrin, "and I'm certain they also accept it."  Both boys nodded in agreement, and she continued speaking. "We've sort of come to see you in a different light the last several days, without all the pollution of what was clouding our vision before.  And we all have occasionally followed a crooked path once in a while and have learned the hard way how to get back onto a straight and narrow."

  Elowin returned to the four young elves with a rolled-up parchment under her arm, and a basket filled with jars and herbs.  She motioned to them to gather near her by the fire as she unrolled the parchment onto the ground.  "You'll be wanting to memorize this map, as it will be too risky to take with you.  If it falls into the wrong hands, it could be the end of all of us."

  Pointing to an area of the map with the end of her pipe, "This is where we are now.  And around here are all of the woods and sigils that you marked, Thal.  They will hold for a while, but once you leave these woods they will begin to weaken until you return.  So, it is imperative that you not dilly dally when you go."

  Lyri, Eldrin, and Kael looked at Thal questioningly, and he shook his head slightly and mouthed "later."  They could talk about the voices in his head when they were away from all of this, right now he needed to focus on what Elder Elowin was telling them.

  Pointing to a purple section of the map, Elowin continued, "This is where I think Kael was being held.  It is all human industry now, but at one time it was King Oom's land.  You won't want to go in that direction."  Kael nodded enthusiastically at that.

  "This is where you need to be," Elowin indicated the farthest point away from where they were on the map.

  Eldrin sighed.  "Of course, it had to be there."

  "Do you know that area?" Elowin asked.

  "Unfortunately, yes.  I've had the pleasure.  I got quite the education there once.  Wood nymphs, and hermits, witches, and trolls, tree-beards of every size and color.  It was enlightening, but not dangerous.  There are just so many courtesies one must abide by to avoid offending one or the other.  I suppose it is too late for me to withdraw from this adventure?"

  Lyri slugged him in the arm.  "You cannot back out now!  Since you know so much about those woods, you will have to coach us on how to behave around each of them!"

  Rubbing his arm where Lyri hit him, Eldrin laughed, "I was just kidding!  The only thing we really have to watch out for is going to be BellowCat who runs the ferry across the river to enter those woods.  We will need to be prepared to answer his questions in writing, and they can be very difficult."

This week's Words for Wednesday prompts can be found here.

the weekend ...

 ... in no particular order.

Volunteered this past weekend at one of the local art galleries.
Successfully (barely) resisted the temptation to buy one of everything.

I finally finished (at 230a) the first cabinet door for my neighbor.
Four more to go, and this was the smallest.

Found Orange Jewelweed growing in the backyard.
It is a member of the Impatiens family.

Calliope and ... (drumroll...) Oliver!

  

Slightly out of focus because he does NOT slow down when he is awake!
They broke themselves out of quarantine after a week by climbing the fence.
Gracie and Lucy still hiss but are getting used to them.
The babies just ignore them and now ignore Charlie also.
He is curious but no longer growls.
Oliver loves cuddles and kisses.
Calliope is starting to like the idea of cuddles.

sunday morning ...

cicadas buzzing

solar fountain in the bird bath bubbling

siren in the distance

somewhere around the alley bend, geese are honking

a car engine revs and a man yells

blue jays

cardinals

bees buzzing

yesterday's reheated coffee has gone lukewarm

a slight breeze blows the porch curtains

the groundhog perches on his rock silently watching charlie

there are chores to do, but for now i sit

away from news and social media, and the anxiety it propagates

my stomach growls reminding me i need to eat

and move back into the coolness of the house

i give in to its need reluctantly and begin the day

a quest for peace begins ...

 [This is an ongoing chapter a week story that began with the first Words for Wednesday for 2025 on 1 January. I'm hoping to continue it through 31 December, the last Wednesday of the year. To start from the beginning, click on the Words for Wednesday 2025 label to the right and it will pull up all of the weekly posts.]

  Thal sat quietly, considering all that Elder Elowin had told him.  "If sitting on the throne will stop The Grimma, will it also stop the gnolls and the human that Kael told us about?"

  "If the kingdom of Queen Legodia rises again, it will unite all of the kingdoms together, and that will defeat the gnolls, and protect us from the human."

  "Then what must I do?  Where must I go?"

  "You must take a ferry across the great river to ...." A rustling noise in the underbrush behind Thal and Elowin stopped her from finishing her sentence.  "Who is there?" she called.

  El, Lyri, and Kael slowly revealed themselves and came forward.  Lyri spoke determinedly for all of them, "Forgive us for eavesdropping, Elder Elowin, but Thal is our friend, and this involves all of us.  Wherever he goes, we go with him."

  Elowin nodded approvingly and waved the three of them to come closer.  "Child, I knew you were there all along.  I was waiting to see what kind of friends you truly were."

~*~*~

  Alexander took a box filled with small gold bars from where he had hidden it behind a loose brick in the fireplace hearth.  He knew the gnolls could care less about the gold, but it would help him convey to them the seriousness of his intention to find the wood elf and others of his kind.

  His appearance had taken on a pastey purple shade as his anger and blood pressure continued to rise the longer it took the gnolls to find the elf.  His heart worked overtime trying to keep up with the demand, growing larger and thicker with each passing day.  But he hadn't noticed.  Finding the elves was all he thought about.  Finding and destroying them.  He barely ate now, and his body had begun to show bones he hadn't seen since he was a much younger and healthier man.  Sleep evaded him, and when his mind was able to rest somewhat, he dreamed of Kael and what he would do with him first when he found him.

*~*~*

  Elder Elowin continued to speak.  "What will be required of each of you, will be to accept the fact that in spite of past differences, you are all connected.  You are not simply friends.  You are, and always have been, family.  All elves are uniquely related.  Not simply by blood, but by a connection to the forest, to the animals, birds and trees.  You are an extension of the earth by birth."

  Kael raised his eyebrows in astonishment but said nothing.  His childhood, or rather lack of one, had shaped much of his adulthood.  His parents had set the example for his own bad behavior of lying and obtaining things by taking advantage of others.  He'd never felt as though he belonged to the wood elf community because of it.  Overhearing what others said about his parents, he did all that he could at first to avoid becoming like them.  But their reputation was passed onto him undeservedly, and he soon fell into their patterns of talk and actions.

  Eldrin looked at the four of them, "Excellent!  When can we start on this magnificent adventure?!?!?"

This week's Words for Wednesday prompts can be found here.