Dec 3, 2003
CHAPTER (currently) 4
Finder was allready awake. My eyes opened, and total awarness of my surroundings dropped into my body like a stone into a pond. It wasn't a pleasant sensation. I groaned, and rolled over, away from Saryn. She was almost snoring, and I could feel the orange light wafting from her eyes. I remembered my father baking cinnamon rolls, and their sweet aroma seemed to drift around me. I stretched, and got up into the cold morning air.
"Sleep well?" Finder asked.
I grinned. "Actually, I did. No nightmares I can remember, no waking up with premonitions of death, just good sleep."
Finder got up from where he was cooking and started to come towards me. He stopped. He wanted to ask why I had let the fire burn all night. He didn't.
Finder looked at me, and raised an eyebrow. "IS it my imagination, or can I smell cinnamon rolls?"
I was about to put a kettle of water for some coffee over the fire, but I stopped.
"Sorry," I said calmly. "That was me again." I felt anything but calm inside. Somewhere the mouse in my head started scratching again.
Finder threw up his hands in a what-can-you-do expression. "Even smells? what will it be next, sound effects?"
I thought of the shattered shrug from the night before. "Yeah, probably. I've started to expect anything. I have no idea what is going on."
Finder plopped down in a plastic camp chair with "Low prices, always." scrawled across the back of it. He pulled another one out of his backpack, and handed it to me. I unfolded it and sat down. Beside me, Finder was silent in his own thoughts. he was planning out our next move, examining some mental map that made no sense to me. I got some of the oatmeal out of the pot hanging above the fire, and I waited for the coffee.
Finder put the tent, 3 sleeping bags, and both the pots back in his bag. I looked at him, and he grinned. I was glad that things could amuse him so easily. He did his cigarette trick again. "For someone who can see so much, you sure are curious of one little backpack."
"How much can you carry in that thing?"
HE grimaced. "It's governed by weight. As long as I can carry it, I'm fine. don't ask me how it works, I don't know. A shaman gave it to me, a long time ago."
I picked up Saryn. she was still sleeping normally. Well, as normally as one could sleep for not being awakened at being thrown over my shoulder.
We had been walking some distance, I just let one foot fall before the other in the wake stirred up by a seemingly never tired Finder. I stumbled towards a tree, throwing my right hand out to catch myself on its bark as old as the forest, It remembered times before the rocks tore themselves from the ground, before the people had come and built their cities Finder grabbed me, holding me steady. I was breathing hard.
"You okay?" Finder asked.
"I'll be fine, the forest was moving, that's all."
Finder let go. I stood on my own, breathing, letting the forest support me. I could almost feel the trees adding their support to my own.
"We're about 20 miles from a city," he said. "I don't know which one, I don't even exactly know where we are. But we're close. it'll be another day, with the time we are making. I'm surprised you walked for as long as you did."
I could feel the failing light almost accelerate around me, the constant gray of the sky getting darker.
We'll set up camp here, Finder said. "unless you can think of a better place."
I couldn't. I shook my head, setting Saryn down. I remembered my vision, the fire swirling around me. Her hair looked more orange, but I couldn't tell. I knew that the girl in the vision and the woman I was looking at where the same. "It was an accident!" she cried. I pulled her gently to her feet, not letting go of her arm. "I know, it wasn't your fault," I said, trying again for that calming effect. The girl stopped. "Where are you taking me?" she asked. She sounded a little afraid.
I stopped, as well. "Where would you like to go?"
She looked up at me. "Anywhere but here!" The words jerked out, forcefully, like little dogs pulling at their leashes.
"Allright. I think I know somewhere where you will be safe," I said. I started walking.
"What's your name? My name is Saryn, but you can call me Ser!" she started to skip, her hand in mine forgotten.
"I- I don't remember," I said. "I don't know if I ever had one."
"That's sad. everyone should have a name! I'll give you one."
She skipped for awhile longer, and then stopped. she looked up at me, her yellow orange eyes burning away into the night. "I'll call you Spiech, after all of the shadows dancing around you." she said.
I stopped. "You can see shadows dancing around me?" I asked.
She looked at me seriously. "Yes," she said. "I can see lots of things."
Finder was holding onto my shoulder. I could see him in a big house as a child, his father pulling into the driveway in a big truck, stepping out drunk. His mom hustled the children out the back door. Finder's dad started to yell.
I pushed his hand away. He looked disgruntled. "You kinda froze there for a second, that's all." He felt rejected; he was only trying to help.
I sighed. "Finder, when you touched me, I could see your childhood. It's pretty disconcerting to be caught up in memories you never lived."
He wanted to ask what I'd seen. He didn't want to know.
"My name is Spiech," I mused.
Finder said nothing, he started the fire as I set up the tent. Beside me Saryn slept softly.
Finder was allready awake. My eyes opened, and total awarness of my surroundings dropped into my body like a stone into a pond. It wasn't a pleasant sensation. I groaned, and rolled over, away from Saryn. She was almost snoring, and I could feel the orange light wafting from her eyes. I remembered my father baking cinnamon rolls, and their sweet aroma seemed to drift around me. I stretched, and got up into the cold morning air.
"Sleep well?" Finder asked.
I grinned. "Actually, I did. No nightmares I can remember, no waking up with premonitions of death, just good sleep."
Finder got up from where he was cooking and started to come towards me. He stopped. He wanted to ask why I had let the fire burn all night. He didn't.
Finder looked at me, and raised an eyebrow. "IS it my imagination, or can I smell cinnamon rolls?"
I was about to put a kettle of water for some coffee over the fire, but I stopped.
"Sorry," I said calmly. "That was me again." I felt anything but calm inside. Somewhere the mouse in my head started scratching again.
Finder threw up his hands in a what-can-you-do expression. "Even smells? what will it be next, sound effects?"
I thought of the shattered shrug from the night before. "Yeah, probably. I've started to expect anything. I have no idea what is going on."
Finder plopped down in a plastic camp chair with "Low prices, always." scrawled across the back of it. He pulled another one out of his backpack, and handed it to me. I unfolded it and sat down. Beside me, Finder was silent in his own thoughts. he was planning out our next move, examining some mental map that made no sense to me. I got some of the oatmeal out of the pot hanging above the fire, and I waited for the coffee.
Finder put the tent, 3 sleeping bags, and both the pots back in his bag. I looked at him, and he grinned. I was glad that things could amuse him so easily. He did his cigarette trick again. "For someone who can see so much, you sure are curious of one little backpack."
"How much can you carry in that thing?"
HE grimaced. "It's governed by weight. As long as I can carry it, I'm fine. don't ask me how it works, I don't know. A shaman gave it to me, a long time ago."
I picked up Saryn. she was still sleeping normally. Well, as normally as one could sleep for not being awakened at being thrown over my shoulder.
We had been walking some distance, I just let one foot fall before the other in the wake stirred up by a seemingly never tired Finder. I stumbled towards a tree, throwing my right hand out to catch myself on its bark as old as the forest, It remembered times before the rocks tore themselves from the ground, before the people had come and built their cities Finder grabbed me, holding me steady. I was breathing hard.
"You okay?" Finder asked.
"I'll be fine, the forest was moving, that's all."
Finder let go. I stood on my own, breathing, letting the forest support me. I could almost feel the trees adding their support to my own.
"We're about 20 miles from a city," he said. "I don't know which one, I don't even exactly know where we are. But we're close. it'll be another day, with the time we are making. I'm surprised you walked for as long as you did."
I could feel the failing light almost accelerate around me, the constant gray of the sky getting darker.
We'll set up camp here, Finder said. "unless you can think of a better place."
I couldn't. I shook my head, setting Saryn down. I remembered my vision, the fire swirling around me. Her hair looked more orange, but I couldn't tell. I knew that the girl in the vision and the woman I was looking at where the same. "It was an accident!" she cried. I pulled her gently to her feet, not letting go of her arm. "I know, it wasn't your fault," I said, trying again for that calming effect. The girl stopped. "Where are you taking me?" she asked. She sounded a little afraid.
I stopped, as well. "Where would you like to go?"
She looked up at me. "Anywhere but here!" The words jerked out, forcefully, like little dogs pulling at their leashes.
"Allright. I think I know somewhere where you will be safe," I said. I started walking.
"What's your name? My name is Saryn, but you can call me Ser!" she started to skip, her hand in mine forgotten.
"I- I don't remember," I said. "I don't know if I ever had one."
"That's sad. everyone should have a name! I'll give you one."
She skipped for awhile longer, and then stopped. she looked up at me, her yellow orange eyes burning away into the night. "I'll call you Spiech, after all of the shadows dancing around you." she said.
I stopped. "You can see shadows dancing around me?" I asked.
She looked at me seriously. "Yes," she said. "I can see lots of things."
Finder was holding onto my shoulder. I could see him in a big house as a child, his father pulling into the driveway in a big truck, stepping out drunk. His mom hustled the children out the back door. Finder's dad started to yell.
I pushed his hand away. He looked disgruntled. "You kinda froze there for a second, that's all." He felt rejected; he was only trying to help.
I sighed. "Finder, when you touched me, I could see your childhood. It's pretty disconcerting to be caught up in memories you never lived."
He wanted to ask what I'd seen. He didn't want to know.
"My name is Spiech," I mused.
Finder said nothing, he started the fire as I set up the tent. Beside me Saryn slept softly.
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