17th Fall 497AV
Adelaide looked around her with a start. She was on the beach again, the beach where she knew never to go. Around her, there was nothing for miles around, and then she heard a low scream. Immediately, she put her hands over her ears to block it out, but it didn't work. Where was the scarecrow?
"Run!" came a voice, a child's voice, "Run!"
"No!" Adelaide shook her head violently.
"Run!"
"No!"
Then, the voice changed. It became softer, feminine, musical and Adelaide was struck by a deep longing, "Adelaide. Please do as I say. I love you. Run!"
"Mother?"
"Run!"
Adelaide had lost all free will and was suddenly aware of her feet carrying her across the plains of the never-ending beach, desperate to see the person behind the voice. The sun was high in the sky and she felt hot, her feet dragging as she stumbled through the sand. Where was the scarecrow? It was his job to look after her in her dreams, that's what he had said.
"I'm coming!" she called, running furiously as the sky above her turned a dark shade of red.
It was then that the young girl tripped over a rope which was lying across the ground. She had not seen it, running up to it, and it had appeared as though by magic or as though she were in a dream. She stood up, brushing the sand off herself and noticed she had got changed. Instead of her usual red nightgown, she was wearing a long black robe branded with a white Sitai crest. What had just happened? She remembered that dreams on the beach, in the corridor between dream dimensions, were feral - at least, that's what the Scarecrow had told her, and there was definitely something that put her ill at ease.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" she heard a long, warbling scream coming from behind her and jumped. But, when she turned around, there was nothing there. For a moment, she looked around, biting her lip then, deciding that it was just a trick by one of those feral dreams, she turned back around to where she had been heading.
She immediately found herself looking at somebody's back - a man's back. He was paying absolutely no attention to her.
"Excuse me?" she murmured timidly, but he didn't turn around, "Excuse me. I'm looking for my Mother."
The man turned around. He was young and had dark hair.
"I haven't seen her."
"Oh."
"But keep looking. I can't help. I'm busy."
"What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to find my son."
"Where did you lose him?"
"I didn't lose him. He's hiding."
"Oh."
"Run!" came a voice, a child's voice, "Run!"
"No!" Adelaide shook her head violently.
"Run!"
"No!"
Then, the voice changed. It became softer, feminine, musical and Adelaide was struck by a deep longing, "Adelaide. Please do as I say. I love you. Run!"
"Mother?"
"Run!"
Adelaide had lost all free will and was suddenly aware of her feet carrying her across the plains of the never-ending beach, desperate to see the person behind the voice. The sun was high in the sky and she felt hot, her feet dragging as she stumbled through the sand. Where was the scarecrow? It was his job to look after her in her dreams, that's what he had said.
"I'm coming!" she called, running furiously as the sky above her turned a dark shade of red.
It was then that the young girl tripped over a rope which was lying across the ground. She had not seen it, running up to it, and it had appeared as though by magic or as though she were in a dream. She stood up, brushing the sand off herself and noticed she had got changed. Instead of her usual red nightgown, she was wearing a long black robe branded with a white Sitai crest. What had just happened? She remembered that dreams on the beach, in the corridor between dream dimensions, were feral - at least, that's what the Scarecrow had told her, and there was definitely something that put her ill at ease.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" she heard a long, warbling scream coming from behind her and jumped. But, when she turned around, there was nothing there. For a moment, she looked around, biting her lip then, deciding that it was just a trick by one of those feral dreams, she turned back around to where she had been heading.
She immediately found herself looking at somebody's back - a man's back. He was paying absolutely no attention to her.
"Excuse me?" she murmured timidly, but he didn't turn around, "Excuse me. I'm looking for my Mother."
The man turned around. He was young and had dark hair.
"I haven't seen her."
"Oh."
"But keep looking. I can't help. I'm busy."
"What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to find my son."
"Where did you lose him?"
"I didn't lose him. He's hiding."
"Oh."
