Post by Forever_Gone. on Dec 6, 2003 22:44:27 GMT -5
Rules: Please only submit a few selected chapters from your story. (Do not go over 2 pages!) Once we have 3 entrees we will begin.
Title: Enchanted Wish
Author: Chelsey
Beyond the Forest of Layer, smoke wafted out of a small house's chimney.
The smoke swirled gently upward until it was no longer visible in the intensely blue sky. Yellow and white flowers blossomed on the trees and bushes that filled the air with a sweet scent that only the flowers there, in Gly Valley, had. Birds fluttered gracefully around the branches, chirping as the sunrise was nearly through.
Inside of the log house was a girl named Accia Everstwood. She slept soundlessly on her wooden framed bed. The carving on the headboard was of a mysterious bird, flying directly at the person who looked at it. The bird was what people called a verneelian.
Verneelians were unusually large birds with shocking colors of red, yellow, orange, and blue. The blue covered only the very tips of the feathers. There were very few verneelian’s that had more blue; to find one would be even more uncommon.
Accia stirred, and then sat up, looking out the window where the sun was blinding her. She groaned as she slowly untangled herself from the stiff sheets of her bed to put the shade down. She had recently had a sickness that swept through the whole valley. Many to get the sickness also got sore muscles and dizziness afterwards.
She wobbled on her feeble legs then toppled backwards, hitting her head on the soft mattress. Her feet flew up, knocking a mug and book off of her nightstand. Accia moaned as she struggled to stand up again, but found that her legs would not obey.
“Accia, are you alright? I thought I heard a crash,” Accia’s mother peaked in through a gap in the door.
“Please help,” Accia whimpered.
Accia noticed a chuckle from her mother as she walked over to where she lay.
“I see your legs haven’t found their strength yet,” she smiled at her daughter as she bent over to help her up, “No matter, we won’t be visiting Taswa until next week.”
Taswa was the “Great City.” It held the palace where the King, Queen, and their two princesses and one prince lived. It was also the most magical city in the kingdom. People could learn if they had magic or not, and how to use it on almost every street corner. The best tutoring for magic was the palace itself. With the most experienced teachers, scholars at the palace were some of the finest sorcerers in the kingdom.
The reason for Accia and her mother’s visit was not of magic though. Magic had not existed in their family for centuries, so they wasted no time looking at what could have been. They were going to visit some family members who lived there, and fill up their empty cabinets with needed supplies.
Accia walked with the aid of her mother around the room for a little exercise. She had been out of her bed very little for the last few weeks. The sickness had taken its toll.
“Now go back to sleep. As much as you may feel better, I sense that you are still unwell.” She helped Accia return to her bed, then shut the shade so only a small crack of light shined on the wood floor.
In her dreams, a man stepped forward into an all white surrounding. His hair was cut short, and he smiled pleasantly at her.
“Hello,” he said very calm like.
“Who are you?”
“I am Tahir, a sorcerer from Adara.”
“I have never heard of such a place.”
“You shouldn’t have.”
Accia was very confused as to why she could actually think and have an understanding of what was happening in her dream.
She looked at the man closer and came to realize that he was not a man at all, only a boy of about fifteen. His eyes stood out more than anything else on his face. They were a bright green that seemed to sparkle with the magic he held. His plain brown hair complimented his tan skin, creating a very handsome face.
“You’re so young. How can you be a sorcerer?” Accia asked.
“Well…I’m not a sorcerer in the way you think I am. I’m only a student sorcerer.”
Tahir stepped closer.
“Come with me. I need to show you something.”
Now that he stood nearer, she noticed he was not much taller than she. He held out his hand for her to grasp. Accia looked at it and noticed a ruby ring around his middle finger. She set her hand in his and felt a tingle of magic through her whole body as the surroundings changed.
“Welcome to Adara.”
Accia looked around, unsure of what had happened. A spectacular white castle stood at the end of the hill they stood on. Surrounding it were rainforests with stunning birds flying about. Gems were all she could see for stones. There were very few dull grays, browns, or blacks anywhere. Waterfalls plummeted into the ocean beyond, while streams trickled out from the many rivers, coming to an end at more rivers that sparkled with the colorful pebbles.
“Everything is so…”
She stopped, speechless.
“Magical? That’s understandable. It is beautiful here…takes your breath away at times.”
Tahir finished speaking then stepped aside to fill a canteen that he suddenly held. Accia stopped gawking to ask where he got it, only to remember he had magic she could scarcely understand.
He handed her the water and she received it gratefully. She looked at took a sip and then drank half. It was cool, sweet and had the same shimmer of magic as she had felt before.
“Thank you.”
He gave a small bow then began to talk again, “I have a feeling you will like staying here for the next few days. For other reasons besides…” He gestured to the scenes around them.
“What do you mean next few days?”
“If you were at home right now, you would be ill, correct?”
“Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?”
“Well, we added a little warmth to your body to make it seem as if you had a fever. It’s very common for a sickness to come back when it seems as if it’s ending. Your mother won’t think it odd that way when you sleep through the next few days. When you do wake up, you will be perfectly healthy and ready for your trip to Taswa.”
Accia gave him a suspicious look.
“How do you know about our going there?”
“We have the ‘seeing’ here as well.”
By “seeing” he meant that people were able to look into a person (through their eyes, palms, or [If they were highly gifted] through the mind) and then see their past, present, and future.
“Then what do you want with me?”
“And you don’t know by now? Truthfully, I thought you would because it’s quite obvious. Think upon where you are, and what I am.”
He paused to let her reflect for a moment.
“Ready?”
He led Accia down the hill with her thoughts in disarray.
*****
Accia opened her eyes to her shadowed bedroom. She pulled back her covers and ran to the misted window. Outside a star shot across the sky, but she did not see it because of the object that flew past her window.
“A verneelian?” she gasped.
*****
Accia stood on a small stool over her horse, Sierra, brushing her from head to tail. Sierra was an auburn colored mare. She had glossy hair and spurts of black going through her also auburn colored mane. She had unusual markings on her legs. This was the mount Accia was to ride to Taswa.
Outside of the stall she stood in, her baggage lay clustered in a pile. Her mother continued to come in to lay her own bags next to it. The horse she was taking was Sierra’s mother, Vern.
“When you’re done with Sierra, I need you to run in the house and get me my velvet purse. It should be sitting on my vanity.” She said.
Accia gave her mother a puzzled look. The velvet purse held all of her mother’s prized jewelry.
“You never know when I may need what it contains.” Her mother winked at her and went to Vern’s stall.
After all luggage and gear were brought to the pile and the horses were saddled, they put the supplies on their back and led them out of the stable.
“Ready to go Accia? You’re positive you have everything?”
Accia glimpsed at the bags hooked on to the saddle and sighed. She was afraid the horses wouldn’t be able to handle the large load.
“Ready.” she said.
Riding on the broken in dirt path, was very tranquil. The birds were singing their frivolous songs and with the small breeze, everything seemed like a lullaby. Accia leaned back in her saddle and began to doze off.
“Better not fall asleep on me young one…” Her mother said.
Accia swiftly sat up. She didn’t realize that she was nodding off. She turned her head around to see how far they had gone. The gradual drop-off from their house was no longer visible.
“How far do you think we’ve gone?” Accia asked.
Her mother was staring ahead of them and waited for them to pass an unusually tall tree, which looked familiar to Accia, before she spoke.
“Two miles.” She said casually.
Accia giggled at her mother. She had ways of doing things that amused her.
When the sun was overhead, they decided to stop for a quick meal and to explore the countryside. There had been rumors that a herd of unicorns had moved into this area. It was the perfect setting for the pearl horses. The land was rugged, and held mysterious hiding places and many caves. The unicorns were told to be living in the caverns nearest to Lake Obnisonagua. As much as Accia was tempted to seek out the gentle creatures, she continued to eat her bread that her mother baked the day before.
When night replaced the business of day, the two stopped for rest. With the full moon to guide them, they searched for fire wood and arranged their camp.
The air was crisp and made them long for the warmth of the day gone by. Accia sleepily got under her blanket and let the fire warm her. She watched the stars twinkling brightly in the night sky. From her right, a bright star appeared and winked at her. Accia blinked her eyes, unsure if what she saw was real. The same star shot across the open sky until it dissolved into tiny speckles and vanished.
-------------------------------------------------------
Title: Enchanted Wish
Author: Chelsey
Beyond the Forest of Layer, smoke wafted out of a small house's chimney.
The smoke swirled gently upward until it was no longer visible in the intensely blue sky. Yellow and white flowers blossomed on the trees and bushes that filled the air with a sweet scent that only the flowers there, in Gly Valley, had. Birds fluttered gracefully around the branches, chirping as the sunrise was nearly through.
Inside of the log house was a girl named Accia Everstwood. She slept soundlessly on her wooden framed bed. The carving on the headboard was of a mysterious bird, flying directly at the person who looked at it. The bird was what people called a verneelian.
Verneelians were unusually large birds with shocking colors of red, yellow, orange, and blue. The blue covered only the very tips of the feathers. There were very few verneelian’s that had more blue; to find one would be even more uncommon.
Accia stirred, and then sat up, looking out the window where the sun was blinding her. She groaned as she slowly untangled herself from the stiff sheets of her bed to put the shade down. She had recently had a sickness that swept through the whole valley. Many to get the sickness also got sore muscles and dizziness afterwards.
She wobbled on her feeble legs then toppled backwards, hitting her head on the soft mattress. Her feet flew up, knocking a mug and book off of her nightstand. Accia moaned as she struggled to stand up again, but found that her legs would not obey.
“Accia, are you alright? I thought I heard a crash,” Accia’s mother peaked in through a gap in the door.
“Please help,” Accia whimpered.
Accia noticed a chuckle from her mother as she walked over to where she lay.
“I see your legs haven’t found their strength yet,” she smiled at her daughter as she bent over to help her up, “No matter, we won’t be visiting Taswa until next week.”
Taswa was the “Great City.” It held the palace where the King, Queen, and their two princesses and one prince lived. It was also the most magical city in the kingdom. People could learn if they had magic or not, and how to use it on almost every street corner. The best tutoring for magic was the palace itself. With the most experienced teachers, scholars at the palace were some of the finest sorcerers in the kingdom.
The reason for Accia and her mother’s visit was not of magic though. Magic had not existed in their family for centuries, so they wasted no time looking at what could have been. They were going to visit some family members who lived there, and fill up their empty cabinets with needed supplies.
Accia walked with the aid of her mother around the room for a little exercise. She had been out of her bed very little for the last few weeks. The sickness had taken its toll.
“Now go back to sleep. As much as you may feel better, I sense that you are still unwell.” She helped Accia return to her bed, then shut the shade so only a small crack of light shined on the wood floor.
In her dreams, a man stepped forward into an all white surrounding. His hair was cut short, and he smiled pleasantly at her.
“Hello,” he said very calm like.
“Who are you?”
“I am Tahir, a sorcerer from Adara.”
“I have never heard of such a place.”
“You shouldn’t have.”
Accia was very confused as to why she could actually think and have an understanding of what was happening in her dream.
She looked at the man closer and came to realize that he was not a man at all, only a boy of about fifteen. His eyes stood out more than anything else on his face. They were a bright green that seemed to sparkle with the magic he held. His plain brown hair complimented his tan skin, creating a very handsome face.
“You’re so young. How can you be a sorcerer?” Accia asked.
“Well…I’m not a sorcerer in the way you think I am. I’m only a student sorcerer.”
Tahir stepped closer.
“Come with me. I need to show you something.”
Now that he stood nearer, she noticed he was not much taller than she. He held out his hand for her to grasp. Accia looked at it and noticed a ruby ring around his middle finger. She set her hand in his and felt a tingle of magic through her whole body as the surroundings changed.
“Welcome to Adara.”
Accia looked around, unsure of what had happened. A spectacular white castle stood at the end of the hill they stood on. Surrounding it were rainforests with stunning birds flying about. Gems were all she could see for stones. There were very few dull grays, browns, or blacks anywhere. Waterfalls plummeted into the ocean beyond, while streams trickled out from the many rivers, coming to an end at more rivers that sparkled with the colorful pebbles.
“Everything is so…”
She stopped, speechless.
“Magical? That’s understandable. It is beautiful here…takes your breath away at times.”
Tahir finished speaking then stepped aside to fill a canteen that he suddenly held. Accia stopped gawking to ask where he got it, only to remember he had magic she could scarcely understand.
He handed her the water and she received it gratefully. She looked at took a sip and then drank half. It was cool, sweet and had the same shimmer of magic as she had felt before.
“Thank you.”
He gave a small bow then began to talk again, “I have a feeling you will like staying here for the next few days. For other reasons besides…” He gestured to the scenes around them.
“What do you mean next few days?”
“If you were at home right now, you would be ill, correct?”
“Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?”
“Well, we added a little warmth to your body to make it seem as if you had a fever. It’s very common for a sickness to come back when it seems as if it’s ending. Your mother won’t think it odd that way when you sleep through the next few days. When you do wake up, you will be perfectly healthy and ready for your trip to Taswa.”
Accia gave him a suspicious look.
“How do you know about our going there?”
“We have the ‘seeing’ here as well.”
By “seeing” he meant that people were able to look into a person (through their eyes, palms, or [If they were highly gifted] through the mind) and then see their past, present, and future.
“Then what do you want with me?”
“And you don’t know by now? Truthfully, I thought you would because it’s quite obvious. Think upon where you are, and what I am.”
He paused to let her reflect for a moment.
“Ready?”
He led Accia down the hill with her thoughts in disarray.
*****
Accia opened her eyes to her shadowed bedroom. She pulled back her covers and ran to the misted window. Outside a star shot across the sky, but she did not see it because of the object that flew past her window.
“A verneelian?” she gasped.
*****
Accia stood on a small stool over her horse, Sierra, brushing her from head to tail. Sierra was an auburn colored mare. She had glossy hair and spurts of black going through her also auburn colored mane. She had unusual markings on her legs. This was the mount Accia was to ride to Taswa.
Outside of the stall she stood in, her baggage lay clustered in a pile. Her mother continued to come in to lay her own bags next to it. The horse she was taking was Sierra’s mother, Vern.
“When you’re done with Sierra, I need you to run in the house and get me my velvet purse. It should be sitting on my vanity.” She said.
Accia gave her mother a puzzled look. The velvet purse held all of her mother’s prized jewelry.
“You never know when I may need what it contains.” Her mother winked at her and went to Vern’s stall.
After all luggage and gear were brought to the pile and the horses were saddled, they put the supplies on their back and led them out of the stable.
“Ready to go Accia? You’re positive you have everything?”
Accia glimpsed at the bags hooked on to the saddle and sighed. She was afraid the horses wouldn’t be able to handle the large load.
“Ready.” she said.
Riding on the broken in dirt path, was very tranquil. The birds were singing their frivolous songs and with the small breeze, everything seemed like a lullaby. Accia leaned back in her saddle and began to doze off.
“Better not fall asleep on me young one…” Her mother said.
Accia swiftly sat up. She didn’t realize that she was nodding off. She turned her head around to see how far they had gone. The gradual drop-off from their house was no longer visible.
“How far do you think we’ve gone?” Accia asked.
Her mother was staring ahead of them and waited for them to pass an unusually tall tree, which looked familiar to Accia, before she spoke.
“Two miles.” She said casually.
Accia giggled at her mother. She had ways of doing things that amused her.
When the sun was overhead, they decided to stop for a quick meal and to explore the countryside. There had been rumors that a herd of unicorns had moved into this area. It was the perfect setting for the pearl horses. The land was rugged, and held mysterious hiding places and many caves. The unicorns were told to be living in the caverns nearest to Lake Obnisonagua. As much as Accia was tempted to seek out the gentle creatures, she continued to eat her bread that her mother baked the day before.
When night replaced the business of day, the two stopped for rest. With the full moon to guide them, they searched for fire wood and arranged their camp.
The air was crisp and made them long for the warmth of the day gone by. Accia sleepily got under her blanket and let the fire warm her. She watched the stars twinkling brightly in the night sky. From her right, a bright star appeared and winked at her. Accia blinked her eyes, unsure if what she saw was real. The same star shot across the open sky until it dissolved into tiny speckles and vanished.