The
Parchment.
Everything Changes.
chapter 1
GAA/c
Today
the rain is pouring down, but just moving my rocking chair along the porch a
little way I could stay dry. I am a person who could sit for many a long hour
just watching and listening to the rain. Being hypnotised and drawn into
another world. Just like I am about to do for you, draw you into a story, a
prompt and I hope that you enjoy.
It
happen one day many moons ago, while walking the forest path to my usual haunt,
a large bridge and picnic area. But it was an Autumn day, the foliage on trees
and moor land were changing colour, and the visions were out of this
world. I often walked to this place with my guitar slung over my back,
sit on the riverbank and give nature a free concert. I found it frees the mind
and the animals, rabbits, deer and squirrels enjoyed themselves. Some even
started to bring friends. Each time I played more and more turned up to listen
and maybe dance. This one particular day while walking the small gravel
path, I could an elderly couple walking in front of me, approximately 100 paces
ahead. The speed they were walking I knew I would be up with them
shortly. I decided to slow a little, not sure why, but did so all the
same. As the bend was turned that brought the bridge into view, the female
seemed to drop something, a paper by the way it floated to the ground. They
disappeared around the bend, I came to and picked up the paper. An old looking
piece of paper, maybe a parchment. Unfolding it I read the words that were
written on it. Written in old English, and slightly browned with age, but
the words were readable. Deciding that this was valuable and meaningful to the
couple I made an effort to catch them and hand it back. Not being a healthy
person I just upped my walking pace, knowing there was nowhere these people
could go. They were and elderly stooping couple, the man with a walking stick,
so how hard could it be.
As
I turned the bend, expecting to see them, imagine my shock when they were not
visible. There was nowhere for them to hide. If I forget the fact that they
were elderly and not being able to run or fly or whatever other way, could they
vanish. The moor was flat, with a few distant bushes and small crab apple
trees, the path I was on led straight to the bridge, which I could now see.
Turning round and round, tripping as I did so, they could not be seen. Checking behind a few gorse
bushes along side the path, but all in vain. I was confusing myself now trying
to work out what had happened. I continued to the bridge, and found what I
expected on my setting out this morning, I was alone.
After
an hour or two looking around for the elderly couple, not finding them, I
decided to give up. I sat down on the river bank, dangling my legs over the
bank and brushing my feet along the waters surface. Playing my guitar,
and within a short while all my usual audience appeared. Rabbits on the far
bank, birds in the trees, and some ducks paddling near my feet. Squirrels came
bobbing tails, and nervous movements, eventually sitting at a safe
distance. I continued playing, fully engrossed, absorbed within my music,
the sounds travelling out and enveloping all that was nearby. The more I played
the deeper in thought I went. The magic of the sounds, echoing and bouncing off
the trees and returning with the sound of nature. What seemed like hours, and
my fingers beginning to burn I looked up and stopped playing. The animals and
birds were everywhere, deer and horses side by side, birds on every branch in
the trees surrounding me. Rabbits and squirrels, badgers and hares on both
river banks, all hypnotised with the sounds that were still echoing through the
woodland. I pulled out the parchment and re-read it. "I pray your music will
be heard by the floating dream reaching the seeker. Bringing them and the
seeker together in harmony. For the creatures of the earth will listen and
unite. They will, seek the music, and enrich the chosen life, YOU."
Follow
their Smell
Chapter 2.
The
parchment, I read several times, and still did not really understand it. Yes
there were a large amount of creatures surrounding me and listening to my
music. But how was this working and why? After an hour of continuous play I had
decided to take a break, my fingers were aching and I was entrancing myself
along with the creatures. As soon as I stopped, the animals and birds
slowly moved away into the forest and disappeared. With in a few minutes I was
alone. I needed to quench my thirst, I walked to the shingle bank,
bent down and scooped a cupped handful of water. Lovely clear fresh sweet
tasting water. As I sipped my second handful a vision caught my eye, I quickly
jumped back, startled, the glowing small white deer standing on the opposite
bank watching me. Not moving, statue like, with a light glow surrounding him.
I stood quickly, surprised at what I was looking at, staring back at him,
both hypnotized with each other. I had not noticed him before, was he a magical
creature of the forest, hardly ever seen but the stories are rife.
Breaking
the entrancing stare I turned and headed back to my guitar and my small part of
the river bank. I sat down and looked again, he was still there looking and not
moving. Now accepting the deer and the sight I decided to rethink about how I
was to find the elderly couple. For some unknown reason I got up and
wandered about the area. I passed the bridge, and walked over the track to
other side, nothing apart from a few ducks in the water and the noise of
the flowing current. The plush green grassy bank, some blackberry bushes and
gorse, further back the beech trees with gorse and fern around their base.
Still nothing, I wandered into the wood and weaved between the trees and
avoided the prickly gorse, turning to walk parallel to the river and came out
just up the bank from where my guitar was laying. Starting to walk back, two
foxes appeared and stood next to the guitar. I approached slowly, not sure if
it was because I did not want to scare them, or because I was the one that was
scared. Closer, they stood their ground, almost able to touch them and
still they remained. All the time their eyes were fixed on me.
“If
you want to find the Lord and Lady of the Forest then
follow us. We have their smell, their aroma, and they have gone this way. They
will be at the Forest Village Forest , so
keep close.”
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