LateNightHacking Louis My Writing

Auth

8-15-96

It had been a log day, successful but tiring. I had gotten up early this evening, before sundown. Today was collecting day, the day to gather supplies. Just as a healer needs her herbs, a mage needs his materials as well. I need things to attach my spells to, and, well, rocks work really well.

OK, so it's not that glamorous, but they're pretty hard to destroy and pretty easy to come by. Nobody's going to miss a pebble or two no matter where you pick them up. Every wizard worth his salt has at least a few enchanted gemstones, and a gem is just a rock polished up "real purty loike". Lots of rocks besides diamond and corundum have special properties. In my travels, I have seen rocks that stick together for no apparent reason. I have seen rocks that give off fire when struck together. I have even seen rocks that can float on water! A ruby will do none of these things.

I was going to Mt. Oroboro, an extinct volcano north of where I live. It is a great place to collect rocks. They have only recently risen from beneath the surface and still have fond memories of their former powers. On most mountains, all you find are pieces of decaying granite, stubborn and stoic. On a volcano, you can find the rocks that were the earth shakers, the ones their blasted their way past all resistance, the ones that soared through the air on fiery wings! As you might guess, these rocks are more agreeable to taking on magic spells, to being rocks of importance one again.

The trip to Mt. Oroboro is practically a two day drip, though I can do it in one. That is why I started so early in the evening. I did not reach the peak until a little past midnight. I had collected many nice pieces of basalt, a good workhorse material. My best find, though, was a chunk of obsidian bigger than my fist. My piece of volcanic glass was jet black, approximately round in shape, with only a few round nicks to mar the shiny surface. The edges were translucent, rendering the world behind it in a dusky gray. This was a prize. Although obsidian was not too rare on the extinct volcano, a piece of this quality definitely was.

After carefully storing my treasures in my pack, I began my trek home. At first, the going was easy despite the added weight. Everything is down hill, a LONG way down in some places. I could glide far with every leap, and I made good progress.

Unfortunately, the forest flattened out. I was only half way home when the Sun's afterglow began to brighten the sky. I coiled up my hind legs and gave a tremendous leap out into empty air. Reaching as far as I could, I descended as slowly as possible despite my rocks pushing me downward. With a twist and a scrabble, I landed on a low branch. I walked to the trunk and climbed up paw over paw until I was near the top. Then I walked out to the end of the branch, coiled, and leapt again. And again. And again. Every time I jumped, the rocks got a bit heavier.

I climbed to another branch and crouched again. Ignoring the burning in my tired legs, I leaped. Airborne, I had a few seconds to relax. I glided silently, letting gravity and wind do the work for a while. I carefully watched the limb I had chosen to land on as I got closer and closer. A shift of the tail and a flick of the wrist and ... Aaaah! I was blinded by a brilliant flash of light! I clenched my eyes shut, but it was too late. Purple blotches danced across my vision as I tried to land on where I hoped the branch was. Claws scraped along bark as I tried to stop, and I bumped into something soft. My pack pulled me sideways and I slid over the edge. I finally came to a halt, hanging underneath the pine bow, digging four sets of claws into the soft bark. I opened my eyes and blinked, but the purple splotch was still there no matter where I looked. My pack was hanging by the strap around my neck, choking me and making it difficult to breath or swallow.

"Nice landing, night eyes," said a dulcet voice from above me.

"Wha? Who?" I managed to gasp out. All I could see was the rumpled brown bark of the branch I was holding on to and those damn purple spots.

"That was one of the most amusing tumbles I've seen in a long time," the female voice giggled.

I tried to climb back on top of the branch, but every time I moved a paw I slipped a little further off the branch.

"Oh, here. Let me help you before you fall all the way off," she said, somewhat exasperated.

I saw a tail stick over the edge of the branch as a counter balance, and I felt her paw grab mine on the other side. With her assistance, I managed to scramble around until I was laying on top of the branch. My backpack had seemed to be trying to make me fall, shifting downward at all the wrong moments. I laid there panting from my efforts until I got my breath back. I looked up. Crouching in front of me was the most beautiful lady gray squirrel I had ever lain eyes on...

"Are you all right?" she said with mild concern.

...Her voice was musical. She had a lustrous gray coat, a beautiful bushy tail, and elegant whiskers. Her cute brown nose wiggled when she spoke, and her ebony eyes were enchanting...

She had asked me a question! Quick, what was it? Oh yes. "Um, I think so." Way to go. Great answer.

I rubbed my neck where the strap had cut in. The purple blotches were changing to red and black, but I could still see them. I looked into her eyes again and was mesmerized...

"A night squirrel like you should know better than to fly into bright sunlight like that."

"Umhm..."

"You practically knocked me off the branch! If I hadn't been watching, we'd both be laying in the dirt right now! Are you even listening to me?

"Umhm..."

"Wipe that silly grin off your face. I think you owe me an apology!"

"Umhm..."

"Hmph!" She stamped her foot.

...Such beautiful legs. Her face was cute even when she was pouting. Her body was lithe and perfectly proportioned, with beautiful curving lines from her shoulders to her hips to the arch of her tail...

With a sniff she turned and scampered up the trunk of the tree.

What? Oh no! "Wait! I'm sorry! I apologize! Come back!"

She jumped into another tree, ignoring my pleas.

What had I done? I hid my muzzle in my paws. That was so embarrassing! I had carelessly let myself be blinded by the sun when it rose over the eastern mountains. I had crashed clumsily into the squirrel of my dreams and then foolishly made her angry at me! I couldn't believe it. How stupid could I be?!? I sighed.

I turned to the trunk and began the climb again. I had to fly lower now, or risk being blinded again. This made my progress home even slower. Still, my mind was on her. I didn't even know her name! I had to see her again. I leaped. But how? I landed. She was a day squirrel. How could I finder her when I couldn't even see? Would she even speak to me again? I leaped. I didn't know, but I had to try. I landed. I wonder what she thought of me? Well, she probably thought I was a fool, but could I change her opinion? I leaped. Would she ever believe I was anything but a foolish oaf? I landed. How could I show her when I couldn't even talk to her without either being blinded by the sun or hiding in the shadows like a coward? There had to be a way. If the moon could intrude on the sun's domain, so could I! I leaped. But how? I landed. Sunglasses! I could protect my sensitive eyes and look good while doing it. I had to grin at that thought. But what could I make them out of? I leaped. The obsidian! I landed. I was home.

I had a good idea, but it would have to wait. I crawled through the hole into my home an quickly walked to the bedroom. Dropping my pack to the floor, I unceremoniously collapsed into my bed. I was asleep before you could say "tired squirrel", dreaming of Lady Gray.

* *

I awoke the next morning.

That's as far as I wrote. Here are the notes I had for this introduction. You can see how much I covered and how much I still had to go. I gave up. The Story is interesting but not suitable for a writer's brawl. :)

notes:

• At volcano collecting rocks, finds obsidian
• flies home, blinded by glare of sun
• crashes at feet of pretty gray squirrel, is embarrassed
• flies home. Next morning, decides to make sunglasses
• goes to lab. tries to slice obsidian nugget
• Explosion, thrown against wall, hit head hard.
• unconscious - would have seen a black vapor, basso profundo voice FREE AT LAST
• Wakes up. Two hollow halves of obsidian
• Hated of obsidian chunk (mess, explode etc.)
• - hits it with hammer but doesn't shatter
• keeps hitting it till it flies off and bounces under a bench
• storms off. Broods over lunch burns himself.
• angry. goes to visit Louis, but is rebuffed - busy in finals
• Hash words - storms off. mopes around home Tired of taking this crap
• I'll show them all. I'll take over the world.
• Hellfire and damnation, I'll take over ALL the worlds!
• goes to lab, brushes all to the floor begins to plan