Episode 12 - Ember's Adventure Continues...

In her sleep, Ember absently swatted at the bushy tale that swished back and forth across her nose. Groggily, she moaned, “Perhluna, stop that.”


“When did you rename --- or should I ask what’s this Perhluna you’re dreaming about sleepy head?” a deep voice behind her chuckled.

Ember’s eyes flew open and she almost toppled from her chair, sending Nym, Nuet and her keyboard flying. “Wyndel!” she exclaimed launching herself into his surprised arms.

“Is it really you? I thought I’d never see you again! Especially after the Water Tart had you…and then there was the cheese and the dragon and the”

“Whoa there, little sis. Slow down. Wow, that must have been some dream.”

“Are you going to sleep all day?” Misty calls from the hall. Ember lets go of Wyndel long enough to grab Misty and pull her into the hug. “Alrighty then, nice to see you, too, sis.”

“Well, what am I chopped liver? Where’s my hug?” Fossylia teases as she enters the room.

“I’m back! You’re all here! Oh, where’s Elspeth? You’re never going to believe where I’ve been. I thought I’d be stuck… and gosh, I missed you all, but it was exciting, sorta scary at times, but…wait what day is it? How long…”

“Em, breathe. You were just dreaming. Aunt Ellie said you’ve been up here on the computer since dinner yesterday. You must have fallen asleep. You really need to stop these all night computer sessions and get outside more. You’re lucky to have a job that lets you work from here, but there is a whole world out there you are missing. We worry about you always being cooped up in here with your computer.” Fossylia admonishes.

“Yeah, you need to hit the town with us tonight. My firm is in charge of the opening of a new gallery in Epirotes Falls and I want to show off my beautiful sisters. Well, we’ll have to comb that hair of yours and see if Aunt Elspeth can do some real magic and make Fossy presentable, but….owww!” All three women playfully punch, Wyndel before he can continue. “I’m just saying. But first, I think I smell some of Ellie’s fine cooking downstairs. Race you…” The four take off for the staircase, playfully dodging and pushing each other; looking more like children than the adults they are.

“You sound like a pack of wild animals, “ Elspeth chides, shaking her head and chuckling. She removes a pie from the oven and sets it on the counter to cool, only to be grabbed from behind by Ember.

“Oh, Aunt Ellie, how I’ve missed you!” Ember gushes, as she presses herself against the woman who raised her. “And I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I smelled your roasted chicken… squash casserole and… is that your soda bread?”

“Well everybody sit down and let’s eat while it’s still hot, “ Elspeth says as she extracts herself from Ember’s embrace. “Ember, why don’t you tell us all about that adventure story you’ve been working on, “ she adds with a wink.

Ember’s jaw drops, but Elspeth just pushes her chin up to close her mouth, then pats her shoulder and gives her a knowing look.

“Is that what you were babbling about upstairs?” “Story? What story?” Fossy and Wyndel say at the same time.

Clearing her throat first, Ember begins to tell them of the adventure her “character” is experiencing. They all begin passing dishes, filling their plates and eating as they listen to her story, occasionally interrupting with comments and questions. As the meal wore on, Ember took a moment to really see her family, while they enjoyed a new animated side of their shy sister, Ember was about to tell them about the Druid Derrick, when suddenly she was jolted awake by Perhluna’s chattering.

“NO!!” she cried, “No, no, no! I can’t have been dreaming!”

Perhluna disappears from his perch on the windowsill and reappears in Ember’s lap. “Dream? Is that what you human’s call that motor sound you were making when you sleep?”

“I do not snore! And no… dreaming is…. Oh, Perhluna, I was home. I was with my family. We were eating dinner and I was telling them about you and this place. It was so real! I can still smell the peach pie…. No, no, no! It’s not fair…”

“Well, this world must not be through with you yet.” Perhluna said with a shrug as he popped back to the window, then added, “Derrick is up to something strange in those woods.There are strange sounds and lights coming from them when he goes in… look he’s about to enter them again. Come see!”

Perhluna continued chattering as Ember crossed to the window, just in time to see Derrick turn and look behind himself before he disappeared in the trees.

“We should follow him…” Perhluna encouraged.

“I don’t know. You saw how upset he got when I was wondering around before.”

“Hmm. What do you call it…hmm… oh yes… CHICKEN!”

“What!?! Fine, but if he gets mad, I’m telling him it was yooouuuuur iiiidddeeeaaa!” As Ember opens the bedroom door everything goes black and she has the sensation of falling….

~~~~~~~~~~

Back in Tennessee, just outside Epirotes Falls city limits, Ember’s family is gathering around the breakfast table.

Yawning, Misty says, “man, I had the strangest dream about Ember…”

“ I had a dream about Ember. We were all eating dinner…” Fossy adds before Wyndel finishes her thought, “and she was telling us a story about a woman who gets drawn into the internet world.”

Fossy and Misty simultaneously exclaim, “Yes!”

Aunt Elspeth chuckles, “Well it seems we all had the same dream. Maybe Ember is trying to speak to us from where ever she has gone….”

The Latest on Ember....

For Episode 11 go to Anna's Obsession

and for a behind the scenes look at what transpired in the faerie realm while Ember and The Kind One were in the forest and Arial & The Kind One's Reunion go to The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry Be sure to check out the comments, also!

Stay tuned for the next episode in Ember's adventure and some art work......

Ember in Wrilogonzia, Episode 10

In a moment of panic, Ember struggled against the vines until one of the leaves whispered into her ear, “Be calm or the Shahinian will hear you.”

“Ember, What are we doing hanging by our feet up in the tree tops!? Oh, I think I'm getting a headache!” Ember glanced over at Tami and realized that she had heard the voice in her head, because Tami’s mouth was covered as well.

At first she tried to speak aloud and then realized her own mouth was still covered. “I think the… trees are trying to help us from something called the Shahinian” she thought to Tami. She heard Tami gasp in her mind as she heard scuffling below them.

“Those are the shifters the Queen and Arial warned me about. They are below us.”

“Why are these tree thingies hiding us from them and how can we hear each other’s thoughts and where is Perhluna?”

“Whoa, slow down. One questions at a time,” Tami thought to her. “Perhluna vanished into thin air right after he woke me by shoving a berry in my mouth. Did you eat the berries? I think that is why we can hear each other’s thoughts. You have to be careful what you eat in faerie realm. I’m not really sure what the Shahinian are exactly. Arial referred to them as shape-shifters and said they are dangerous to our kind.”

“That sounds like Perh. First sign of trouble and he does his disappearing act. I did eat the berries. They were delicious and I think it’s a good thing we ate them since we can’t speak out loud. What do we do now we can’t stay like this forever.”

Below them on the forest floor the dark shuffling forms were beginning to take shape. They seemed to grow right out of the ground and underbrush. They had a humanoid form that was stooped. Their mucky brownish skin appeared to be covered with a mixture of hair, leaves, mud and debris. Almost like a walking bird’s nest with a face. The faces were very flat and dark making their eyes seem enormous. Looking at them made Ember blink and that is when she realized they didn’t seem to have eyelids but above their eyes where eyebrows should have been they had what looked like small trees growing out of their foreheads. Their ears reminded her of a bat and seemed to move in direction of sound. Because of the darkness on the forest floor it was hard to tell how many were below them. Ember had a hard time seeing them as dangerous because they looked so sad.

Suddenly the leaves got denser and blocked the creatures from view. Tami & Ember looked at each other but before they could say anything the leaves around them began chattering. If they weren’t in the midst of all the leaves it might have sounded like wind rustling them, but this close, they could make out distinct faint voices. One of the leaves close to them began to speak to them directly.

“You must remain silent, the Shahinian must not know you are here. It will be very bad if they catch you.”

“What are they? What do they want with us?” Ember asked.

“ The Shahinian are cursed. They have lost souls and are unable to feel. They live in the swamps of the dark forest and only venture out to steal the souls of other so they can experience what it is like to feel again. You are human, therefore the most prized to them. Your life force is like a beacon that draws them out. If they catch you they will steal your souls and you will become one of them and be trapped here forever. Only the Dryad races are immune to them, which is why we are hiding you.”

Another leaf face added, “but you will not be safe here for long. We must get you out of the out of the forest.”

“How can we get out of the forest?” Tami and Ember said in unison.

“Shhhhhh. You humans are so loud. You must trust us we will move you through the tops of our limbs until you are safely away. But you must not make any sounds.” With that Ember and Tami found themselves being lifted higher and passed from vine to vine, limb to limb over the top of the forest. As they went, they would occasionally catch bits of conversations among the Dryads. Ember kept her eyes closed, never liking heights and tried not to think about being whisked through the air so quickly.

After what seemed like only a few minutes, Ember felt a change in their direction and her eyes flew open as she instinctively braced herself for the fall she sensed. She realized they were at the edge of a clearing. Stretched out before her was a kaleidoscope field of flowers. As her feet touched the ground she saw Tami running ahead of her towards a swirling cloud in the center of the field.

“Tami, wait!” Fearing for her new friend she ran after her, but as they got closer she realized what had looked like a cloud were hundreds of faeries.

“That’s Arial and the fae.” Perhluna said in her ear as he appeared on her shoulder when she came to a stop.

“Perhluna! Where did you go?”

“I was around. You know here and there.”

Ember walked slowly up to Tami and the faeries flitting around her. “Ember, come meet Arial and my friends.”

“Welcome Fiery One. We are indebted to you for saving the Kind One and bringing her safely here,” Arial said as she hovered in front of Ember’s face.

Ember giggled at being called the Fiery One. “It was the Dryads that saved us really.”

Before anyone else could say anything the wind seemed to pick up tossing the faeries about and a dark shadow crossed over them.

As she landed next to them, Illustratia called, “Ember, it’s time to go. The Druid Derrick sent me to bring you to him. Hurry, we must not make him wait!”

“But…”

“Hurry, we must go. Say your goodbyes.” Illustratia puffed at her.

Ember turned to Tami, “I guess this means goodbye…”

“For now. We will see each other again, friend. I am sure of it. Any message I can pass on back in our world? Tami said as she embraced her. “And thanks for saving my life back there.”

Fighting back tears, “we will. If you happen to run into Aunt Elspeth, tell her I’m okay and I miss her. She speaks to faeries too.”

Through a swirling pool at the edge of a lake in another realm, a darkly cloaked figure watched Illustratia take flight with Ember & Perhluna on her back…..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grant Bartoldus also watched the trio fly off from his computer screen. Having watched this latest adventure unfold, Illustratia’s creator had an idea and began typing code to see if he could send Ember a message…

Ember in Wrilogonzia - Episode 9

....Continued from The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry...

Ember had never been so happy to see another normal person. Okay maybe not entirely normal, she did believe in faeries, she thought, then chuckled, well why shouldn’t believing in faeries be normal, Aunt Elspeth does too and would love this lady. The thought of Elspeth made her wistful yet sad. She missed her family and furries.

Tami watched the emotions playing across Ember’s face and wondered what she was thinking. Ember reminded her of a dragonfly - body of strength yet whose delicate wings hint at frailty.

“Penny for your thoughts.”

Ember smiled, “A penny? Well, for all the thoughts spinning through my head right now, that would be a bargain.” They both laughed softly. Ember began to tell her new friend of her adventures so far.

Her new friend had introduced herself as Tami, and now she explained that in the faerie realm, the fae don’t use the names of the mundane world.

“So what do they call you here? And what’s the mundane world?” Ember asked

“Here, I am known as ‘The Kind One’” laughing, she continued, “sometimes the fae refer to humans as mundanes, because we tend to get ourselves in a rut and don’t always experience life to its fullest like they do. We forget to have fun and appreciate the little things, the magick.” She then told Ember all about Arial, the faerie realm, its courts and how she came to be part of it. When she was done, Ember said, ‘So, you are the one I was told was lost.”

“Who told you I was lost? Was it Arial?”

“It said it was from Arial.”

At Tami/The Kind One’s confused look, Ember pulled a beautiful purple rose from her pocket. As the petals began to open, a soft lilting voice said, “"Hi Ember! Arial here...please, you must come help! The Kind One ran off into the forest to save her family when she found out that the portal in the ivy hedge had been breached. The whole of the faerie realm is trying to find her. Orlaith is afraid that the shape shifters will find her first... oh the humanities!"

“If I wasn’t hopelessly lost in this dark forest, I would take you through the ivy hedge and you could get home to your family, too. When Arial finds me, I’m sure she will help.”

What neither of them knew, was that the mysterious force that had pulled Ember into Wrilogonzia also kept the Kind One hidden from Arial, the Emerald Guard and the fae that were trying to rescue her. They were on their own as long as Ember stayed with her new found friend.

As their conversation abated and the night seemed to drag on endlessly, Ember felt her eyelids growing heavier. She was afraid if she fell asleep she would wake up somewhere new, and she wasn’t ready to leave her new companion just yet. Just when she thought she couldn’t resist sleeps temptation any longer, a small berry splat on her nose. Jumping, she glanced up in time to have another berry bounce off her forehead and she saw Perhluna hanging upside down from a limb above her head.

Looking over at her friend, and seeing her asleep against the tree trunk, she looked up to address Perhluna, right before he threw another berry at her. “Perrrhhhh! Stop, before I pull you out of that tree and we wake up Tami.”

“Must not fall asleep. Things are lurking and waiting for you to do just that.” Perhluna chided, wagging his finger at her.

“Well, I’m definitely awake now. Hey are those berries edible? I’m suddenly really hungry.”

Perhluna plopped down in her lap and produced a handful of berries out of his pouch. She plucked about half of the berries, “Thank you, these are yummy. Save the rest for Tami, when she wakes up. ” After she had eaten the berries, she began to notice an odd sensation. She felt like she was being watched and could hear what sounded like rustling little voices. She looked over at her new friend, who was still asleep. She slowly stood and looked around, trying to locate the sound. The rustling voices seemed to be all around her and when she squinted she thought she saw faces on the leaves and the trunk of the tree. The whispering increased as she got closer.

“Oh my, Perhluna, where did you get those berries? I’m seeing faces where there shouldn’t be any and …..” as she had moved closer studying the leaves, she failed to noticed the branches snaking around her and her companions, until leaves clamped over her mouth and the branches lifted all three high above the forest floor……..

Ember in Wrilogonzia.... Episode 7

“Duck!”


“Wha---?” Ember ducks at Perhluna’s warning, barely be missed by a stream of glowing letters, symbols and numbers flying past her head. She spins around watching other similar streams zip around them.

“Perhluna, what is this place? Where are we? Why is it so dark? What are those?” she asks, pointing to the glowing strands of digits that offer the only source of light.

Unwrapping himself from around Ember’s neck, Perhluna settles on her shoulder with his long tail encircling her neck like a fur scarf. “I would think that is obvious.”

“Obvious? Perh, I am not in the mood for your riddles. Just tell me.” Perhluna grins at her mischievously, but says nothing. “Fine, we are in some sort of black hole, dodging …. whatever those, those strands are. I feel like I’m in the twilight zone version of Sesame Street and any minute Bert, Ernie and the count are going to pop up. Seriously, what is this place?”

Perhluna sighs, “well, you can certainly stand in for Oscar, the Grouch.” Ember crosses her arms and begins tapping her foot in annoyance, which elicits a chuckle from Perhluna. “Alright, I’ll tell you where we are. Although why you can’t figure it out yourself is beyond me. Must be a human thing.” Ember glares at him, but in the dimness, it makes her look like she is squinting and fails to intimidate. “We are in cyberspace, more specifically, this is where all the HTML code is written. Call it the brain of the internet.”

“Oh” was all Ember managed as she looked around her, quickly ducking under another stream of code and then moving Perhluna’s hands away from her eyes, as he struggled to hang on. “How did we end up here?”

“That’s easy, we aren’t published.”

“We aren’t published?..... oh, you mean on someone’s site.”

“Exactly. This is where all the random things on the internet stay until someone sends or publishes.”

“So there is just a bunch of code swimming around in he….what is that?” Ember points to a multicolored glowing spot that seems to be coming towards them and growing in size.

“ I believe that would be a dragon and you might want to start running because she is headed straight for us. RUNNNNNN!”

Gasping as the dragon begins to come into focus in the darkened space, Ember begins running. Looking over her shoulder, she sees the dragon gaining on them. It’s huge wings sending ripples of air against her back. Suddenly she realizes the ground below her has given way and they are falling through the blackness; the dragon in pursuit and quickly gaining on them. Ember screams as she feels the dragon’s claws close around her arms.

“Please dear, stop that ghastly noise. You act as if I’m going to eat you.” The dragon’s voice is soft and lyrical with a slight accent Ember can’t quite place. The gentleness of it’s tone and it’s melodic chuckle, makes her go instantly silent as she gazes up at the neck and chin of this mystical creature. “This can not be happening,” Ember thinks as she is mesmerized by the iridescent scales that seem to swirl with all the colors of the rainbow under a silvery shell.

“Of course it can! Anything can happen in Wrilogonzia. The only limits are the limits of ones imagination. Oh my goodness, where are my manners? My name is Illustratia. Where can I drop you off?”

Feeling a bit overwhelmed by the surrealism of the situation, Ember decides her best bet is to introduce herself and see if Illustratia knows how to get her back to her own computer. “I’m Ember and I have somehow gotten trapped inside this…place…and I really need to get back to my own computer so I can go home. Can you take me there?”

“Dear me, I would love to be able to do that, only I don’t know where your computer is. You see, cyberspace is full of these portals and worm holes, you just have to know the right path. Can you give me directions? “

“That’s just it, I don’t know how I got to this place so I don’t know which path will take me back. And how can you find anything in this blackness. “

“Well, you have gotten yourself in a jam, but I see you have a guide. Although his type IS notorious for being a trickster.”

“Hey, I haven’t tricked her, yet.” Perhluna grumbles.

“Well Perh, you haven’t helped that much either. Illustratia, how did you get in this place?”

“I was born in the mind of an adventurous young man with a talent for drawing. One day he must have gotten tired of me flitting about his head, so he drew me. Then he scanned me into his computer. Oh my curiosity got the better of me and I flew off to explore. Now, humans are forever trying to trap me on their blogs, websites and screens, but I am too quick to be caught. Wrilogonzia is a fascinating place and I love exploring and meeting all the interesting creatures, like yourself.” Unbeknownst to this odd party the artistic programmer is watching them with growing fascination for the girl with the hair of fire.

Ember laughs, “I’ve never been referred to as a creature before. Don’t you ever want to go home to your creator?”

Sighing, “Of course, but I have forgotten the way. I know one day he will find me and show me the way home. He is quite bright, that one. Since you don’t know your way home either, where would you like to go?”

“Wow, I have no idea. Are there any normal places?”

“Hahahaha, who wants normal when you can experience anything you’ve ever dreamed of? You need a little adventure! I know just the place to set you down.” With that, Illustratia, dives through a worm hole of code, dropping Ember and Perhluna in a hedge of lush ivy, just outside a giant tree with a small door at it’s base, before flying off.

“But wait……. where are you going…..where are we?” Ember calls after her. She hears Illustratia call back, “ you’re in the Misty World, look for Arial Hollyberry. She will show you around. I will be back later……”

Suddenly, Ember is blinded by millions of lights raining down on them………….

TO BE CONTINUED……………

What is this thing.... Ember in Wrilogonzia - A Blog Opera

What is a blog opera?

First, let me start by explaining what a "Blog Opera" is. A blog opera is an ongoing story with many writers that travels from blog to blog as the story unfolds around a few set characters with other characters coming and going as the story progresses. I am going to start the story of "Ember in Wrilogonzia" on my blog and then hopefully other bloggers will pick up the story where I stop and continue it. I will follow the story as it unfolds and continually update here with the new links and the next installment of Ember's adventure.


Now here is where the guidelines come in. To keep multiple arcs from going at the same time, if you decide to pick up the story, comment that you will have the next installment and provide the link to your page. Then post your part of the story within 48-72 hours. If you want to write an installment but see that there is already a comment claiming that honor, then follow the story to the next blog and claim the next portion from there. When you post your installment, please make sure to provide a link back to the previous blogger and to this post where our readers can follow the story from the beginning. There is no set length a person has to write; you can write a few sentences, a few paragraphs or a few pages. It’s entirely up to the writer. The goal behind our blog opera is to connect with other bloggers and to lead our readers on a journey through many fabulous blogs.

Now before we begin Ember's journey, let me give you a little background information. This story is like an Alice in Wonderland meets Tron. Our main character is Ember Innocenzi and she is about to become trapped in Wrilogonzia (the blog/internet realm). Her story progresses as she moves from one blog to another, the “wonderland” aspect is that she can change on different blogs: get older, younger, switch genders, race, species, become paranormal, etc. That’s where all the fun comes in. If someone chooses to take on a segment of her story they can put her on their blog or on any blog or site. The story doesn’t have to take place on their own blog just because they are writing the next chapter; if they have a blog or site they love they can throw her in that one. The post will still appear on their site, but Ember can be anywhere they want her to be.


Let’s find out who Ember is. Ember Innocenzi is a 28 year old customer service representative that works from her home and rarely goes out. She shares her home with her reclusive and eccentric aunt, Elspeth, and their two cats, Nuet and Nym. Her parents were killed when she was six and her aunt has raised her along with her three other siblings. They are all three years apart in age, the oldest being her sister Fossylia and the youngest, her sister, Misty. Ember also has an older brother, Wyndel. She remembers little of her parents, only what her aunt, Fossylia and her brother, Wyndel have told her. Most of the stories involve the characters' love of nature, hence the elemental names their parents chose for their children. Except for Ember, they all possess traits of the names they were given. Fossylia is a social worker/child advocate. She is the rock of the family and those around her. Wyndle is a publicist and is always jetting around the globe for his clients. He flies through life like the wind or at times like a tornado. Misty, following her connection with water, is a marine biologist. Ember has always been the one to defy her name. She is shy and timid. She likes to stay home where she feels safe and comfortable. While close to her siblings, around others she has always been quiet and a loner. She married her college boyfriend but they divorced a year later. Physically, Ember is very average. She is 5’ 7”, 160lbs, a curvy figure. She is in great shape due to her love of martial arts and archery. Her eyes are a warm light brown and her hair has strands of many natural colors but has a strong reddish cast, when sunlight hits it just right it resembles liquid fire. Other random facts: her favorite color is orange, her favorite season is fall, she finds thunderstorms soothing and her favorite comfort food is hotdogs. Until now, Ember has simply been 'smoldering' through life. We are about to ignite her inner spark as she enters into a world where anything is possible! 

Our other main character is a creature that inhabits Wrilogonzia. It is genderless and will have the ability to pop in and out of the stories to act as a guide and companion on occasion. This creature is a Komosny, a species only found in the blog/internet realm. In appearance it looks like the aye-aye pictured below. Our Komosny is named Perhluna.

 And now, let the journey begin….

 

Ember in Wrilogonzia

“I do not need to go out and meet people. I have plenty of friends, thank you very much.” Ember told her brother Wyndel, irritably..

“Those people you talk to online, aren’t real. Ember, you need to get out of the house have interaction with flesh and blood people,” Wyndel chided through the phone.

“Wyn, you just don’t understand. I go out ….. occasionally, I’m just not comfortable around a lot of people. I like my solitude. And I have interaction with real people. Aunt Elspeth has people over all the time and I hang out with you and Fossylia and the kids.. Oh and remember just last summer I went to the coast with Misty for a whole month. Besides, my online friends are real. They understand me in a way nobody else does. I can be myself with them.”

“Ok, Ember, make your excuses. But when I get to town next week, we are going out. And you will enjoy it! “ Ember hears a muffled voice through the phone. “hey, Em I have to run. I love you. Give Ellie a hug for me. See you next week!”

“Lo….ve…you too, “ Ember says into the now dead air. “Online people aren’t real. You need to get out more. You should go on a date, be more social….yadda, yadda, yadda…. Well, you think I’m social enough, don’t you Nym?” Ember picks up the fuzzy tortoiseshell cat curled up on her keyboard. Nuzzling the long soft hair as a loud rumbling begins to emit from Nym. “Yes, you love me just the way I am. And speaking of my ‘unreal’ online friends, hmph, I need to catch up on some blogs.” Turning the computer on, Ember lays Nym in her lap as she begins typing in her email password.

After a few hours of reading and commenting, Ember’s head begins to nod as she is reading another of her favorite bloggers. Soon she is sound asleep; her head resting on her arms.

“What the…” Ember exclaims as she finds herself in a heap under a small bridge.

“Hey are you okay?”

Ember looks around, trying to orientate herself and locate where the voice is coming from. “I have to be dreaming.” She pinches herself. “Ow. Ok that was stupid. Why do they always do that in movies. Of course I can feel it. It’s my dream, duh…”

“ Do you always talk to yourself like this, or did your tumble rattle a few marbles loose?”

There’s that delicious voice again. Ember looks to her right and sees a man in a wheelchair rolling to the end of the small bridge. All around them are trees and flowering shrubs lining a path with stone benches. I must be in some sort of park, she thinks to herself. As she stands up and steps closer to the man she recognizes him, “Oh my God, you’re Jude Law!”
 
“Excuse me? You must have me mistaken for someone else. I’m Jerome. Jerome Morrow.” Jerome says in that wonderful lilting voice as he extends his hand.” And you are?”

“But…you…look…..I’m sorry, I’m Ember.. Innocenzi.” Ember shakes his hand as she mutters, “and this is one weird dream,” under her breath. 
 
Jerome chuckles. “Well, I admit I haven’t been called a dream in quite some time, so thank you.” He slowly runs his eyes over her invitingly curvy frame, taking in her black tank top, star covered flannel pants and bright purple plaid socks. But it his disheveled mass of long hair that captivates him with it's deep red color and hints of copper, honey and gold.

“Oh, I didn’t mean you… well, not that you’re not a dream, but…. I’ll just be quiet now,” Ember stammers, chiding herself. She feels the color rising in her cheeks as she follows his glance and realizes she is still wearing what she must have fallen asleep in.

"It’s alright, I understand. Really. Before the accident, I suppose I was a dream. Now the chair is a bit off putting, isn’t it?”

“Noooo! It’s not that. It’s just this isn’t real. I mean it can’t be. I must be dreaming, it’s just…..” Embers voice trails off as she again focuses on her surroundings. The lamp post lining the past cast a warm light on the path, leaving the surrounding woods and grassy areas in shadows. On one tree she sees an odd looking creature watching her. It’s huge eyes seeming to burst from it’s head as it’s floppy ears make it appear to be winking at her when they fall across it’s gaze. It’s finger like hands grip the trunk as it climbs forward for a better look. Then it does the strangest thing. It smiles at her before it disappears. Ember shakes her head and looks again. No way, she thinks to herself.. She turns to Jude… Jerome, “did you see that?”

“Sorry?” Oh, he is handsome when he turns his head that way and looks at me….focus!

“Over there on that tree, there was an animal and then it just went poof and was gone.”

“Are you sure you didn’t hit your head when you fell? There’s nothing there.” He says with a look of concern.

Before she can respond a beautiful blonde woman, who looks a lot like Uma Thurman runs up to them. “Jerome, what are you doing out here? If they catch you they’ll lock you away. Where’s Vincent?”

“Haven’t seen him tonight love. I’m sure he can handle himself. No need to worry about me. Know one is out here except this lovely young lady. Cassini, Ember. Ember,Cassini. And why are you running?”

“ We must hurry, Gattaca Security is not far behind me. We have to leave now.” Cassini anxiously says as she grabs the back of the wheel chair and begins pushing Jerome across the bridge as he protest. She pauses to say to Ember, “Sorry, we must go. You don’t look like you belong here. Do you have your papers?” At Ember’s puzzled look, Cassini continues, “then you better come with us. Hurry, if they catch you without papers they’ll make you disappear.”

Ember begins to follow, but as she reaches the other side of the bridge her vision blurs……

.


For the 2nd installment go to Crystal Clear Proofing.
For the 3rd installment go to A Writing Obsession
For the 4th installment go to Confessions of a Watery Tart
For the 5th installment go to Princess of Procrastination
For the 6th installment go to The Quiddity of Delusion

Check out the interview Ember's Aunt Elspeth did with the Ghost of Grace Street.