Abstract
Seer of the unseen
I have quite a lot of different ideas for stories buzzing through me most of the time. But here's one that has been with me for a long while. I have usually shown my work on other sites, but let's see what you people make of it. It is not a true story, nor is it about me. It's just one of those stories that you think about when you are a child, and then in later life you feel that it is time to properly express them.
I've lived in this neighbourhood for a few months now, and as the days go on and on my mind broadens to what this place is really all about. I am familiar with those close-knit families that establish themselves here, but each day I become more and more intrigued about those that some would consider less important; the children. Or any adult's next-of-kin for that matter, because as long as I stare onto the pavement from this dingy bedroom of mine, only the tired adults ever seem to pass me by. It is one of those busy Saturday mornings, but I'm the only one who isn't part of the rushing crowd. I just sit on the window seat, and see how everybody else is doing something at least vaguely more interesting than I am. I stare at the sky for a moment, and take a sip of the ever-scalding tea. Now, I say to myself, now I really am bored.
Something must be done. It is only midday, and it would be stupid to just let it waste away like this. I, Jane Varmont, will make it my mission to find something to do. If, that is, I find anyone to do something with...I put on my boots as a statement of this, and go to tell the breakfast-hungry parents downstairs my intention. There isn't, as ever, any objection; just the old 'be carefull' from mum and I'm away. Soon, I am travelling down to the park, which conveniently situates itself on the opposite side of the opening to the little cul-de-sac road, and therefore in turn, to my home. The park is far from unfarmiliar- there has been many an occasion that in the heat of this summer sun, I would wander down and enjoy the weather over drawing, or painting- sometimes just bringing a book, and always feeling content. Today, as I entered the park the feeling of general wellbeing did not ensue, as it so often had done in the past. I passed the gargoyles at the gates, and felt something like a warning inside me that today, the park was not as comforting or peaceful as it should be.
But I walked on inside, regardless of my inner fear. There was no change in the continuity of the summer sun, nor the families of mothers and young toddlers and babies out and about for the day. Still no-one my age or thereabout, but as always the odd failfull dog too, ran wildly here and there to the constant excitement of a tennis ball. I turned to a nearby bench that was people free, and began to pull out a pad of paper, and what was becoming a very short pencil, proceeding to draw certain scenes that posed before me, and also inventing creatures, both great and small, out of a sudden surge in imagination. It was as I moved on to sketching part of the knarled forest of oak trees further into the distance, that something odd caught my eye.
Poking out from behind a massive tree trunk, was the distinctive shape of someone around the age of ten, just like myself. He or she seemed to stare at the masses of parents with young families, from left to right- like a lion stalk it's prey before the impact, and final blow. As my eyes adjusted to looking closer at this individual, I saw then that he wore a mask of some animal that soon my mind identified to be that of some sort of long nosed dog- or maybe the grayish muzzle, of a wolf. Suddenly, even from such a distance away, it's eyes stared directly into my own. For a few seconds it watched me through the slits of it's wolf-like mask, and then dissapeared again, back into the trees.
I was intrigued. That, was definately a child- and one that was likely to live around here. But in my few months here, I had never seen any other children my age accept at school, which was a distance away from where I lived. I started to pack up my things, and made ready to leave, when just as I rose to go, a noise like no other swelled all the surrounding park, with a bloodcurdling howl from the far woods I had just stared at. So loud was it, that the dogs stopped in their playful tracks, and the chatting of families died away in an instant, all to find the source of their disturbance. The joint singing of howls now, from that wooded place, sung in unison, but soon stopped as suddenly as they had begun. The families and dogs soon shook off their fear, and got back to what they had been doing previously. But I knew where it had come from, and there was now going to be an ongoing urge inside of me to find out more.
To be continued.
I've lived in this neighbourhood for a few months now, and as the days go on and on my mind broadens to what this place is really all about. I am familiar with those close-knit families that establish themselves here, but each day I become more and more intrigued about those that some would consider less important; the children. Or any adult's next-of-kin for that matter, because as long as I stare onto the pavement from this dingy bedroom of mine, only the tired adults ever seem to pass me by. It is one of those busy Saturday mornings, but I'm the only one who isn't part of the rushing crowd. I just sit on the window seat, and see how everybody else is doing something at least vaguely more interesting than I am. I stare at the sky for a moment, and take a sip of the ever-scalding tea. Now, I say to myself, now I really am bored.
Something must be done. It is only midday, and it would be stupid to just let it waste away like this. I, Jane Varmont, will make it my mission to find something to do. If, that is, I find anyone to do something with...I put on my boots as a statement of this, and go to tell the breakfast-hungry parents downstairs my intention. There isn't, as ever, any objection; just the old 'be carefull' from mum and I'm away. Soon, I am travelling down to the park, which conveniently situates itself on the opposite side of the opening to the little cul-de-sac road, and therefore in turn, to my home. The park is far from unfarmiliar- there has been many an occasion that in the heat of this summer sun, I would wander down and enjoy the weather over drawing, or painting- sometimes just bringing a book, and always feeling content. Today, as I entered the park the feeling of general wellbeing did not ensue, as it so often had done in the past. I passed the gargoyles at the gates, and felt something like a warning inside me that today, the park was not as comforting or peaceful as it should be.
But I walked on inside, regardless of my inner fear. There was no change in the continuity of the summer sun, nor the families of mothers and young toddlers and babies out and about for the day. Still no-one my age or thereabout, but as always the odd failfull dog too, ran wildly here and there to the constant excitement of a tennis ball. I turned to a nearby bench that was people free, and began to pull out a pad of paper, and what was becoming a very short pencil, proceeding to draw certain scenes that posed before me, and also inventing creatures, both great and small, out of a sudden surge in imagination. It was as I moved on to sketching part of the knarled forest of oak trees further into the distance, that something odd caught my eye.
Poking out from behind a massive tree trunk, was the distinctive shape of someone around the age of ten, just like myself. He or she seemed to stare at the masses of parents with young families, from left to right- like a lion stalk it's prey before the impact, and final blow. As my eyes adjusted to looking closer at this individual, I saw then that he wore a mask of some animal that soon my mind identified to be that of some sort of long nosed dog- or maybe the grayish muzzle, of a wolf. Suddenly, even from such a distance away, it's eyes stared directly into my own. For a few seconds it watched me through the slits of it's wolf-like mask, and then dissapeared again, back into the trees.
I was intrigued. That, was definately a child- and one that was likely to live around here. But in my few months here, I had never seen any other children my age accept at school, which was a distance away from where I lived. I started to pack up my things, and made ready to leave, when just as I rose to go, a noise like no other swelled all the surrounding park, with a bloodcurdling howl from the far woods I had just stared at. So loud was it, that the dogs stopped in their playful tracks, and the chatting of families died away in an instant, all to find the source of their disturbance. The joint singing of howls now, from that wooded place, sung in unison, but soon stopped as suddenly as they had begun. The families and dogs soon shook off their fear, and got back to what they had been doing previously. But I knew where it had come from, and there was now going to be an ongoing urge inside of me to find out more.
To be continued.
