“When did you rename --- or should I
ask what’s this Perhluna you’re dreaming about sleepy head?” a
deep voice behind her chuckled.
Ember’s eyes flew open and she almost
toppled from her chair, sending Nym, Nuet and her keyboard flying.
“Wyndel!” she exclaimed launching herself into his surprised
arms.
“Is it really you? I thought I’d
never see you again! Especially after the Water Tart had you…and
then there was the cheese and the dragon and the”
“Whoa there, little sis. Slow down.
Wow, that must have been some dream.”
“Are you going to sleep all day?”
Misty calls from the hall. Ember lets go of Wyndel long enough to
grab Misty and pull her into the hug. “Alrighty then, nice to see
you, too, sis.”
“Well, what am I chopped liver?
Where’s my hug?” Fossylia teases as she enters the room.
“I’m back! You’re all here! Oh,
where’s Elspeth? You’re never going to believe where I’ve been.
I thought I’d be stuck… and gosh, I missed you all, but it was
exciting, sorta scary at times, but…wait what day is it? How long…”
“Em, breathe. You were just dreaming.
Aunt Ellie said you’ve been up here on the computer since dinner
yesterday. You must have fallen asleep. You really need to stop these
all night computer sessions and get outside more. You’re lucky to
have a job that lets you work from here, but there is a whole world
out there you are missing. We worry about you always being cooped up
in here with your computer.” Fossylia admonishes.
“Yeah, you need to hit the town with
us tonight. My firm is in charge of the opening of a new gallery in
Epirotes Falls and I want to show off my beautiful sisters. Well,
we’ll have to comb that hair of yours and see if Aunt Elspeth can
do some real magic and make Fossy presentable, but….owww!” All
three women playfully punch, Wyndel before he can continue. “I’m
just saying. But first, I think I smell some of Ellie’s fine
cooking downstairs. Race you…” The four take off for the
staircase, playfully dodging and pushing each other; looking more
like children than the adults they are.
“You sound like a pack of wild
animals, “ Elspeth chides, shaking her head and chuckling. She
removes a pie from the oven and sets it on the counter to cool, only
to be grabbed from behind by Ember.
“Oh, Aunt Ellie, how I’ve missed
you!” Ember gushes, as she presses herself against the woman who
raised her. “And I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I
smelled your roasted chicken… squash casserole and… is that your
soda bread?”
“Well everybody sit down and let’s
eat while it’s still hot, “ Elspeth says as she extracts herself
from Ember’s embrace. “Ember, why don’t you tell us all about
that adventure story you’ve been working on, “ she adds with a
wink.
Ember’s jaw drops, but Elspeth just
pushes her chin up to close her mouth, then pats her shoulder and
gives her a knowing look.
“Is that what you were babbling about
upstairs?” “Story? What story?” Fossy and Wyndel say at the
same time.
Clearing her throat first, Ember begins
to tell them of the adventure her “character” is experiencing.
They all begin passing dishes, filling their plates and eating as
they listen to her story, occasionally interrupting with comments and
questions. As the meal wore on, Ember took a moment to really see her
family, while they enjoyed a new animated side of their shy sister,
Ember was about to tell them about the Druid Derrick, when suddenly
she was jolted awake by Perhluna’s chattering.
“NO!!” she cried, “No, no, no! I
can’t have been dreaming!”
Perhluna disappears from his perch on
the windowsill and reappears in Ember’s lap. “Dream? Is that what
you human’s call that motor sound you were making when you sleep?”
“I do not snore! And no… dreaming
is…. Oh, Perhluna, I was home. I was with my family. We were eating
dinner and I was telling them about you and this place. It was so
real! I can still smell the peach pie…. No, no, no! It’s not
fair…”
“Well, this world must not be through
with you yet.” Perhluna said with a shrug as he popped back to the
window, then added, “Derrick is up to something strange in those
woods.There are strange sounds and lights coming from them when he
goes in… look he’s about to enter them again. Come see!”
Perhluna continued chattering as Ember
crossed to the window, just in time to see Derrick turn and look
behind himself before he disappeared in the trees.
“We should follow him…” Perhluna
encouraged.
“I don’t know. You saw how upset he
got when I was wondering around before.”
“Hmm. What do you call it…hmm… oh
yes… CHICKEN!”
“What!?! Fine, but if he gets mad,
I’m telling him it was yooouuuuur iiiidddeeeaaa!” As Ember opens
the bedroom door everything goes black and she has the sensation of
falling….
~~~~~~~~~~
Back in Tennessee, just outside
Epirotes Falls city limits, Ember’s family is gathering around the
breakfast table.
Yawning, Misty says, “man, I had the
strangest dream about Ember…”
“ I had a dream about Ember. We were
all eating dinner…” Fossy adds before Wyndel finishes her
thought, “and she was telling us a story about a woman who gets
drawn into the internet world.”
Fossy and Misty simultaneously exclaim,
“Yes!”
Aunt Elspeth chuckles, “Well
it seems we all had the same dream. Maybe Ember is trying to speak to
us from where ever she has gone….”
(Originally posted 7/22/10 on CC-Chronicles.blogspot.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment