1st Spring 496AV
The little girl was looking for the Ocean. Somewhere, she could hear the waves slapping against the shore and shells crackled and split under her tiny, naked feet. The beach, however, seemed to go on forever - white sand, like a fine, pale powder that billowed around each step she took so that a clear mark was left. Adelaide looked down and noticed that the footprints were a lot larger than her actual feet, and shaped like the paws of an animal, all as she floated along. The whole world was beautiful and newly washed in the illusion - Adelaide half expected to see a washing line hanging across the beach, pastel-coloured clothes blowing in the wind. She was wearing a nightgown, a red nightgown with black lace around the collar and cuffs; just like the one that Father had told her she could not have because it was inappropriate for little girls. It would make her look like a baby tart, whatever Father meant by that. Adelaide liked tarts. Strawberry, blackberry or, her favourite, Gooseberry... and she liked licking the juice from the perfectly cooked fruit off her fingers. That said, she didn't really wish to look like a tart. Well, either way, now she had the nightgown and she was free to go wherever and do whatever she wanted with it. As she took further steps, the sun got larger and larger in the sky. It was still yellow in a blue sky, but it was no more the little white orb in the pale blue sky, as if the heavens had been newly washed and hung out on a line - to dry.
The child continued walking further forward, over the dunes of the beach. At one point, the sand was damp and it stuck to her feet, but it went back to dry and still there was no sign of the sea. How did she know it was a beach? She knew it intrinsically, even if it did appear to merely be a desert.
"Run!"
The voice, female and echoing, came out of nowhere. Adelaide looked around her at the sand. There was nothing anywhere near her. Just the sand. The sand that told of the beach and the sea. Except... this was a dream? Maybe there was no Ocean. But, then, why could she smell the salt in the air? The little girl stuck her nose in the air.
"Mackerel." she murmured, not knowing how she knew it was mackerel when she had never eaten that type of fish before. Even if she had, she would not have been able to recognise it by sight, let alone by smell.
"Run!" The voice came again and, this time, it was low and masculine. Adelaide stopped walking. Thus doing exactly the opposite to what it was asking of her.
"Run!" a child's voice, this time. A little boy.
She had started running without even intending to. Her legs carried themselves and, as she ran, she started leaving the ground, running towards the sun that was still getting bigger while the sky turned redder. Unlike in the real world, Adelaide did not get out of breath. She appeared to be moving thousands of leagues at a time, far above the beach. In the distance, she now believed that she could perceive the Ocean. Somewhere below her was a beach parasol, typical with its white pole and red and white pattern.
"I'm coming!"
Maybe the voices had something to do with mother? It was as Ade was thinking this that she noticed that she was being followed at a distance by a scarecrow which would jump along the sand, stopping whenever she turned around to look at it. Adelaide knew to keep running, but could not, as she saw her body, beyond her control, walking over to the scarecrow.
"There's no need of you here, on the beach," she said, before realising that she was, in fact, singing the words rather than speaking them, "There's no reason to scare the birds away for there aren't any crops."
The child continued walking further forward, over the dunes of the beach. At one point, the sand was damp and it stuck to her feet, but it went back to dry and still there was no sign of the sea. How did she know it was a beach? She knew it intrinsically, even if it did appear to merely be a desert.
"Run!"
The voice, female and echoing, came out of nowhere. Adelaide looked around her at the sand. There was nothing anywhere near her. Just the sand. The sand that told of the beach and the sea. Except... this was a dream? Maybe there was no Ocean. But, then, why could she smell the salt in the air? The little girl stuck her nose in the air.
"Mackerel." she murmured, not knowing how she knew it was mackerel when she had never eaten that type of fish before. Even if she had, she would not have been able to recognise it by sight, let alone by smell.
"Run!" The voice came again and, this time, it was low and masculine. Adelaide stopped walking. Thus doing exactly the opposite to what it was asking of her.
"Run!" a child's voice, this time. A little boy.
She had started running without even intending to. Her legs carried themselves and, as she ran, she started leaving the ground, running towards the sun that was still getting bigger while the sky turned redder. Unlike in the real world, Adelaide did not get out of breath. She appeared to be moving thousands of leagues at a time, far above the beach. In the distance, she now believed that she could perceive the Ocean. Somewhere below her was a beach parasol, typical with its white pole and red and white pattern.
"I'm coming!"
Maybe the voices had something to do with mother? It was as Ade was thinking this that she noticed that she was being followed at a distance by a scarecrow which would jump along the sand, stopping whenever she turned around to look at it. Adelaide knew to keep running, but could not, as she saw her body, beyond her control, walking over to the scarecrow.
"There's no need of you here, on the beach," she said, before realising that she was, in fact, singing the words rather than speaking them, "There's no reason to scare the birds away for there aren't any crops."
