but he was more concerned about what was happening with Lauren. As for the elves, that completely corrupted any logical explanation he could think of.
As Ryan got dressed, Mirtza asked Zack if he would like some help, but Zack declined, as he did not want anybody to see the hairy growths that were spreading over his body. As they had been riding along in the wagon, he had continued to pick at the plastic, and the last of it had all fallen off the day before. Zack slipped away into the forest when nobody was looking, and found a private spot to remove his clothes. While the open wounds had scabbed over, furs covered almost his entire abdomen now, and the feathers on his back were a real, well a real pain in the back. He tried to pull them out again, but they would not let go of their grip. As he washed the furs, feathers, and snake-skin on his shoulder, he hoped the water was truly ‘magic,’ and that he would soon be able to pick the strange skins off, as easily as he had picked off the melted plastic. And as he drank the water, he hoped it would drown the strange dreams he was now experiencing.
Alron came over after they were done their meal, and advised they would stand guard, so the six found a spot to sleep, and went to bed, as Lauren was already fast asleep.
* * * * * * *
Morning came and both camps prepared and consumed a meal in quiet. Alron came over to them, “Henceforth, mine men shalt take front guard, and two will follow behind as rear guard. Thou shalt travel with us to our home, five days from here.” Throughout the days travel each one would cast a glance at Lauren, hoping she would acknowledge them, tell them what she knew. But the entire trip Lauren just stared into the forest, never once looking at her traveling companions. The silence was driving the six of them crazy, but between Lauren and the elves, silence seemed to be the best course.
That night, Logan once again gathered the firewood. His forearms had been sore all day, and gathering the wood gave him purpose. Once again, everyone was preoccupied when Logan was stacking the wood, and nobody realized that as he turned his back, that the embers where smoldering, quickly igniting into a blazing fire.
John stayed up late that night, his mind racing with all of the assorted puzzle pieces: the strange forest, magic, the healing, elves, Lauren’s peculiar behavior, and there did not seem to be any logical connection between them. It was as if somebody had put an assortment of puzzle pieces into one box, and had given it to him. As he tried to link the fragments, he gazed at the stars above, seeing a large, bright half-moon in the dark overhead skies. As he watched it, he was surprised to see a meteorite was orbiting it, actually three. Over the hour as he glanced at it, he saw three large, elongated asteroids leave the dark shadow, and traverse across the reflected light from the three suns, and as it got later, a display similar to the Earth’s Northern Lights began to put on a show. It grew in intensity and brightness, greatly exceeding anything he had watched on his computer at home, and eventually, his eyes closed and sleep calmed his racing mind.
* * * * * * *
The next three days were the same. Breakfast, travel, lunch, more travel, supper, sleep. By the fourth night, everybody had fallen into the same routine, except tonight, Mirtza saw Logan place the last of the wood above the kindling, but before Logan stood up, Mirtza saw the freshly kindled flames start to lick the dry sticks above it. He was just about to approach Logan, to find out where he had gathered the wood, thinking it had some sort of magical property, when Lauren tapped him on the shoulder.
“Mirtza, I owe you an apology. I have not been myself lately, and if it were not for your help, we would surely be dead by now. You have been a great assistance to us, and I would like to thank you for all that you have done. I really don’t know what is happening, but I have a
As Ryan got dressed, Mirtza asked Zack if he would like some help, but Zack declined, as he did not want anybody to see the hairy growths that were spreading over his body. As they had been riding along in the wagon, he had continued to pick at the plastic, and the last of it had all fallen off the day before. Zack slipped away into the forest when nobody was looking, and found a private spot to remove his clothes. While the open wounds had scabbed over, furs covered almost his entire abdomen now, and the feathers on his back were a real, well a real pain in the back. He tried to pull them out again, but they would not let go of their grip. As he washed the furs, feathers, and snake-skin on his shoulder, he hoped the water was truly ‘magic,’ and that he would soon be able to pick the strange skins off, as easily as he had picked off the melted plastic. And as he drank the water, he hoped it would drown the strange dreams he was now experiencing.
Alron came over after they were done their meal, and advised they would stand guard, so the six found a spot to sleep, and went to bed, as Lauren was already fast asleep.
* * * * * * *
Morning came and both camps prepared and consumed a meal in quiet. Alron came over to them, “Henceforth, mine men shalt take front guard, and two will follow behind as rear guard. Thou shalt travel with us to our home, five days from here.” Throughout the days travel each one would cast a glance at Lauren, hoping she would acknowledge them, tell them what she knew. But the entire trip Lauren just stared into the forest, never once looking at her traveling companions. The silence was driving the six of them crazy, but between Lauren and the elves, silence seemed to be the best course.
That night, Logan once again gathered the firewood. His forearms had been sore all day, and gathering the wood gave him purpose. Once again, everyone was preoccupied when Logan was stacking the wood, and nobody realized that as he turned his back, that the embers where smoldering, quickly igniting into a blazing fire.
John stayed up late that night, his mind racing with all of the assorted puzzle pieces: the strange forest, magic, the healing, elves, Lauren’s peculiar behavior, and there did not seem to be any logical connection between them. It was as if somebody had put an assortment of puzzle pieces into one box, and had given it to him. As he tried to link the fragments, he gazed at the stars above, seeing a large, bright half-moon in the dark overhead skies. As he watched it, he was surprised to see a meteorite was orbiting it, actually three. Over the hour as he glanced at it, he saw three large, elongated asteroids leave the dark shadow, and traverse across the reflected light from the three suns, and as it got later, a display similar to the Earth’s Northern Lights began to put on a show. It grew in intensity and brightness, greatly exceeding anything he had watched on his computer at home, and eventually, his eyes closed and sleep calmed his racing mind.
* * * * * * *
The next three days were the same. Breakfast, travel, lunch, more travel, supper, sleep. By the fourth night, everybody had fallen into the same routine, except tonight, Mirtza saw Logan place the last of the wood above the kindling, but before Logan stood up, Mirtza saw the freshly kindled flames start to lick the dry sticks above it. He was just about to approach Logan, to find out where he had gathered the wood, thinking it had some sort of magical property, when Lauren tapped him on the shoulder.
“Mirtza, I owe you an apology. I have not been myself lately, and if it were not for your help, we would surely be dead by now. You have been a great assistance to us, and I would like to thank you for all that you have done. I really don’t know what is happening, but I have a
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