Post by Lursa the Orc on Nov 2, 2004 18:11:14 GMT -5
Now I must not be much of a gardener…even with lumberjacking skill nearly at the grandmaster level all I ever managed to grow was weeds. My former garden plot now has an ostard as its newest resident…*sigh*. All the same, when friend, and mayor of Cove, Ginblossom Hyrona stopped by for a little chat, I jumped at a chance to go find a seed box. I am still not sure what I am going to use it for as I continue to have bad luck at gardening…it sits in the corner of my study, under the stuffed dragonhead…a momento of a lovely afternoon.
I was meditating in the temple, enjoying the cool breeze that blows over Helike from the west, when a familiar face appeared over the top of the steps up to the temple…Ginblossom. We stood there on the temple steps chatting for awhile about the events of the past week. When we had finished Gossiping…er…catching up on the news…she asked me if I would like to be shown where to find a seed box.
“Sure! I replied, and we headed off to the Helike moongate at the East End of Town.
We stepped through the glowing oval and soon found ourselves in the midst of a beautiful grove. We walked on for while and from behind a bush a horn popped up…there in the midst of the grove, graceful, strong, and blue as the sky…was one of the most enchanting sights I had ever seen…
A unicorn looked up, glanced at us, and when back to lazily munching at the grass. A small pond shimmered in the center of the glade. The air was filled with the tinkling of tiny bells as small lights flitted to and froe about the sides of the water. I looked around me and the woods appeared as if it where filled with a million fireflies…I would have stood there, staring, transfixed by the beauty of the scene, had not a voice from behind me interrupted my reverie…
“This way…”
“What?” I said, startled out of my daydream.
“This way,” Ginblossom called as her horse trotted merrily down a lane of trees to the west.
The sound of tinkling bells faded away to the sound of the wind whistling through the branches overhead. Leaves rustled and the only sound that broke the peace was the thumping of our horses hooves. I had been to the little clearing before…all the same…it never ceased to enchant me. It is one of the most beautiful places in all of Ilshenar…or so I thought…
We walked on enjoying the afternoon breeze. An occasional bird accompanied us on our journey through the woods. Suddenly Ginblossom drew her horse to a halt.
“There it is!” She whispered excitedly.
“There what is? I asked puzzled.
“Right there…your looking at it…the entrance to the cave.”
I stared at the side of the mountain. It was like seeing one of those objects in the middle of the pictures full of dots…you know its there but you just can’t see it…Ginblossom walked her horse up to the side of the mountain…and through it! I walked up to where she had just disappeared and was amazed to find one of the most cleverly concealed cave entrances I had ever seen. Cautiously I followed her inside.
Once inside, amazed was no longer good enough, I was forced to resort to astonishment!
There in the dim light thousands of multicolored lights filled the cave. The tinkle of bells and feint singing echoed off the cave walls. As my eyes adjusted to the dim light I found myself in the midst of what appeared to be a city of fairies!
“This isn’t the half of it,” Gin said, “come look at this…”
She walked on ahead and there at the back of the cave on a throne that appeared to be a living part of the cave was none other than Lord Oakes Himself! After the proper introductions Lord Oakes gave me a memento of the occasion…a green chest that seemed to glow in the light of the cave…A seed box!
I thanked Lord Oakes and Gin led me off to another part of the cave.
“You have got to see this!” She cried.
We walked on through fields of tiny lights flitting past us on whatever business carried them to another part of the cave. We stepped through an archway and there in the midst of the cave, lit as if by moonlight was a waterfall! The sound of the water flowing over the rocks seemed to join the tinkle of the bells from behind us to form a mystical symphony! We stood there for the longest time…as if the beauty of it all was too much for us to take in…
I shall long remember this afternoon with my friend Ginblossom…who introduced me to what truly IS the most beautiful place in all the lands!