torsdag den 18. februar 2021

Words for Wednesday - Winter at Unicorn Farm 3

In February the prompts are provided by Alex J. Cavanaugh, but published at Elephant's Child's blog. Today he has given us two times five words.

Firefly
Mystery
Science
Theater
Star
     And/or
Trek
Eureka
Psych
Jokers
Gate


  As I wrote on EC's blog, these prompts spelt trouble for me, as they made me realize I messed up the timeline in my Unicorn Farm. Seriously even.
  Now I publish what I have written. It was supposed to be a prequel to this chapter.   But at the same time it is a sequel to this one, which happens earlier. Urgh.
  I only used 3 of the words this time. They did not fit into the storyline.


As soon as they had eaten, Susan dressed in winter attire and went in search of Jon. She was insecure, and needed reassurance. She found him in the cellar room, packing away the old puppet theatre.
"Jon," she said. "Can I really go everywhere, I want?"
"Yes you can," Jon answered in an earnest voice. "Only take good care not to be seen coming or going. Where are you thinking of going?"
"I have to go to my Grandma. She lives near by, and she phoned this morning. She has been snowed in. And I promised to come and help her."
"The snow is helping," Jon said, again in a very serious voice. "Nobody is around watching you or your grandma's house. And if you know the place, you can go there."
"Really? Everywhere?" Could I go to Germany and visit Ella's grandmother?"
"Yes and no," as with cleaning and many other things, it would be, well not easier, but better using mundane means. You would expend loads of energy going that far, and would be sleeping for days after arriving. It gets easier with practise, but never easy. This is the reason behind our portals network; they do not demand the massive output of energy to use.  But if your Grandma lives close to here, you're in no trouble. Get going." Jon smiled an encouraging smile and turned to the dolls theatre again.  
Susan thanked Jon and thought of the smelly outhouse. Better to appear somewhere unseen. In the very last second she stopped. If the house was buried in snow, the outhouse would be a trap.
"Jon," she said, and he turned towards her. "Can I appear in the air above somewhere? Nobody ever thought of teleporting in this much snow. I don't like the idea of appearing in her living room."
Jon smiled broadly. "Of course you can, Susan. Just think of the place.And get going already."
His confidence in her ability did more than his words accounted for. Susan imagined the garden seen from above, there the outhouse, here some apple trees and behind her and a little to the right the white gate leading to the brook. She said the words, swished her wand and suddenly the biting cold of the outdoors was around her. She used the snow magic and floated slowly down to stand gingerly in the surface of the snow. Everything was almost buried in snow, only the very top of the house with chimney and the top of the roof was visible over the snow banks. Keeping the spell at a minimum she walked over the drifts. She followed Grandmas instructions and went around the house. In the end of the house pointing away from the water and the winds, a hatch could be seen. And tracks in the snow leading in and out showed Susan that Grandma had used this hatch as a door. She opened it and went in. She had been in the attic before, when helping thatch the roof, the hatch leading down to the kitchen was easily found even in the semi darkness. She climbed through and stood in Grandma's cosy kitchen.
"oh, there you are," grandma said her beady eyes shining warmly. "Do you need a cup of coffee now, or would you like to go shopping first?"
"Let me get the shopping over with first" Susan answered. "The roads are getting worse all the time."
"Maybe you could pop in and ask Auntie G if she needs anything. I think she should not try and brave the roads either. She fell and almost broke an arm on her way home."
"I will," Susan said, climbing the steep, rickety ladder to the attic.
"I'll tie some rope to the beams up there while you're away," Granny said. "That way you can raise and lower the loot without having to climb through hatches and down breakneck ladders."
"Smart," Susan said. "I'll leave the hatch open then."
"Please do! With all that snow insulating the house here won't be cold. Everything has a silver lining."
Auntie G gave her a shopping list, a sturdy basket and some more money along with some admonitions.
As soon as Susan was well away from the house, she cast the snow magic and danced through the half blizzard up to the mini-market. She did not trust her teleporting powers, as the mini-market was not a place she went that often.
The shop was not crammed, but it held more customers than Susan had ever seen. Then again normally she trekked up there with the cousins to buy ice-cream on hot summer's days, not for shopping. She found all the items on both lists and nicely put the items in the right baskets.
The lady behind the counter recognized Susan, a tribute to her fabled memory, and scolded Grandma and Auntie G for sending her out in the inclement weather. "No," Susan said, "I'll be alright. Grandma is not getting any younger, and auntie G slipped and sprained a wrist arriving home. I volunteered. It's really not that far, and I love snow!"
Teleporting back again was the obvious solution, but Susan had told the truth about loving snow. She once again activated the snow magic, and warm and cosy she danced home, now with the winds mostly in her back.
Over a cup of coffee and bread with home-made jam, Susan told some of what had happened at the Christmas party at the Farm. She told about the exotic dresses and the fabulous food from all over the world.
Then Susan noticed the time: "I got to get back," she said. It will soon be dark, and the snowstorm seems not to be wanting to stop any time soon."
"How will you get home,Susan?" Auntie G asked solicitously.
"The same way as I got here. It's not really that far, and I love snow."
"Susan will manage, don't you worry," Grandma said winking at Susan.
Susan dressed in all her winter things and once again climbed the rickety ladder. Auntie G rose and held on to it.
"Thanks!" Susan said, "those swaying motions make me dizzy. What a luck the ladder is not that tall." Susan could almost touch the roof in Grandmas kitchen with her head, Auntie G laughed: "No it really is not."
Susan walked as far as the white gate before teleporting back to the cellar of the Unicorn Farm.
As she arrived, she saw Torben leaving the cellar via the far off staircase, and a shredded letter was smouldering in the fireplace: "Slökkvið!" Susan said instinctively and pulled the burnt and torn pieces out of the fire.

8 kommentarer:

  1. I am so glad that you joined us again and was, as usual, fascinated. A very minor quibble (which I wouldn't make except that you have asked for them): mini-marked or mini-market?
    I liked the final paragraph too. Susan has had a good and productive day, helping people she loves but the evil in Torben does not rest. I look forward to more.

    SvarSlet
  2. Thank you for your kind words and for catching my errors. Spell checker did not protest ... naughty thing ;) 'marked' is the Danish version of the word.
    More will come. I hope to sort out the timeline in the coming days.

    SvarSlet
  3. I don't think you have upset any timelines, travelling via portals can sometimes involve time travel, so this can fit nicely. I like it.

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. Thank you, but my portals are strictly spatial, not temporal. No time-travel here ;)
      This chapter is staying. I 'just' have to fit it in and iron out all the wrinkles in time I found while writing it.

      Slet
  4. A lovely chapter, and yes, you will find ways to fit everything.

    SvarSlet
  5. Your story must be quite long by now so it's not surprising to make a mistake in the time line.

    I'm not certain but is Auntie G is living in a separate house from Grandma? We're in Grandma's attic and then suddenly Auntie G is giving a list to Susan. I guess I needed some reference that Susan moved? I don't know.

    I really like how calm Grandma/Granny is being snowed in like that. She's not trapped but her house is buried in the snow which I think it's a pretty dangerous thing since the roof might cave in, unless of course someone keeps shoving snow off her roof or is she doing it herself? I can't remember is this the Grandma with the magic? If so, then, disregard this little bit.

    As always I enjoy reading about Susan and her magical adventures.

    Have a lovely day.

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. Auntie G lives on the same piece of land as Grandma, but in a separate house. If you stood on the road, you'd have to walk past Auntie G's house to get to Grandma's house. And this is the Grandma with magic. But I never heard of a house caving in from the snow, not even in that gigantic snowstorm 1978/79 - yes it's a real one ;) Photos here: Snow!

      Slet
    2. Okay then. I don't have enough experience with great storms but I'm glad roof caving in is not something that happens.

      Slet

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