Ramblings of a Disorientated Mind

Elisa glanced at the sky and tried to snuggle back into the alcove she had found in a Beech. Unfortunately it wasn’t a very big alcove and her wings kept getting in the way. She pulled one over her shoulder, trying to arrange herself, but was caught looking at it. Her wings were fuchsia, like her hair, and transparent. She had very pretty wings, everybody said so. In fact, everyone said she was a very pretty fay, altogether. Her skin was duck-egg blue, and her antennae where a darker blue. Some people said she would look prettier if she pierced her sharply pointed ears, but Elisa didn’t think she would.

She looked again at the sky, but it did not look good, not good at all. The clouds were a deep blue colour, like a big bruise, and the light was more of an odd golden haze. She pulled anxiously at her green beaded necklace. The air was wrong too; smelt wrong, and felt so still and oppressive.

Abruptly Elisa realised she was tugging at her necklace, and stopped. She mustn’t do that, it might break, and she liked it very much. She had been given it at the mid-summer dance, by a nice boy-fay. Elisa smiled at the memory. She liked him very much too.

But her smile faded as she heard the first rumble of thunder. This was the first time she wouldn’t be at home for a storm, and she was very scared. If only she had listened to the elders, and not gone out. She huddled deeper into the alcove and tried to pull her mismatched autumnal coloured dress further around herself. There was no wind yet, but it felt suddenly colder and the sky had darkened quite substantially. Elisa shut her eyes, and tried to think happy thoughts.

A time later Elisa risked another peak at the sky. It was much darker, and a wind had sprung up, cold and biting. The clouds had thickened and were being pushed boiling, ahead of the wind. She heard yet another rumble of thunder, seemingly closer and CKEICKEEE! The sky lit up with a sudden and violent electric blue light, and the storm was on top of her. It was as though the lightning has been some celestial trigger; the wind accelerated to shake the trees, the clouds began to drop their load in big splattering drops of rain and the sky had darkened to a murky blackness.

A huge gust of wind rocked her beech and knocked Elisa from her alcove. She cried out as she tumbled along the branch. If the silence of before had been oppressive, the sound of the wind and rain and thunder was deafening now. On hands and knees, Elisa tried to crawl back to her alcove, but a huge raindrop crashed down on her, knocking her off balance, and nearly knocking her from the branch. Elisa clung on, desperately trying to haul herself back, but another gust of wind caught her now outspread wings and tore her from the branch. She screamed as it pulled her along hither and thither, like an autumn leaf. She cried out again, and again as loose twigs and other flying debris caught her wings and limbs. She tried to fly, to right herself, but the wind mercilessly continued to batter her, until, THUNK! Elisa slammed into a tree and was finally knocked unconscious.

She woke again, but this time in dew filled grass and blinded by the sun. Elisa tried to move, but her whole body ached and screamed from a thousand cuts. Carefully and painfully she crawled to a pool of water. As she stared into the pool, she hardly recognised the fay that stared back. Her clothes were ripped and torn, but not as much as her wings; they were almost non-existent. Elsia had no idea where she was, and no idea what to do. All she could do was sit and sob with hopelessness, for her situation and for her marred visage.

☮&♥

My mobile phone is ringing. I don’t know where it is. My room is dark, and I’m too tired to think about putting the light on. I find my ‘phone. It tells me its 0330h. I answer the ‘phone with a surly “Yes?” in the hope that it will tell whoever is calling me that I was a sleep, and would like to continue, thank you very much.
Just like in the movies, the voice doesn’t bother to tell me who it is. But I know it’s male. It sounds vaguely like Ian…
“Listen carefully to me,” it says. “There’s not much time. You have to get out of you room now. There’s a taxi coming for you in 10. Get dressed, get the essentials, get the hard drives, and any paper lying around. Hide the rest. Be waiting by the entrance sign.”
“Hu? What? What’s going on? Who-” I start, but they hang up on me. I mumble slightly to myself, and head for my bed, thinking it’s just someone’s idea of a joke. But just as I start to get back in, my mobile’ goes again. Swearing, I answer it.
“Don’t go back to bed, I’m not kidding.” It’s Ian. I’m sure it is. But now I’m awake.
“What’s going on?” I ask forcefully
“I’m sorry, I’ll explain later, once you’re with us.” He sounds agitated, and in my mind I can see him restlessly moving around, glancing back over his shoulder. “Just don’t go back to bed,” he continues, “Please, get out here ASAP.” He sounds frightened, but hangs up again. His tone scares me enough to make me get dressed, and shove the hard drives, paper and my essentials into a black holdall. I lock my window and door on the way out. As an afterthought, I go in to the kitchen and grab a pack of biscuits and shove them in the holdall as well.
Outside it’s cold and wet. Its still autumn, but the air is defiantly taking a wintry chill to it. As I stand by the sign, a light drizzle begins. Like Scotch mist, the damp cold seems to pervade my very bones. It’s a miserable night to be out, and I wonder why I’m stood here, not tucked up in my nice warm bed. Then I remember Ian’s voice telling me to get out, and I wish they where here already.
Very suddenly, from around the corner comes the sound of a car, and twin light beams shoot out of the darkness. Is it them? I wonder. What if its not? Out here, on the road, there’s nowhere to hide. I try to shrink back into the shadows, hoping I won’t bee seen, hoping the black coat will help some. The sound of the car comes closer, and from around the corner I see that it’s not a car, but a van. It shoots past me, and carries on further up the road, stopping slightly up from me. As I press back farther into the shadows, I hear the door of the van slide open, and the sounds of people piling out. From behind me comes the purr of a finely tuned engine on low revs. I can hear the people from the van hammering on a door, and yelling. It seems that they are hammering the door to my floor. The noise from the second car is closer now, and there seems to be no lights from it. I risk a peek out, hoping I wont be seen. The second car stops a short distance from me. I can hear muffled voices from inside. After a while I see someone get out. The street lights glint of the person. He has short blond hair.
It’s Ian.
I want to cry out and run to him, for him to hold my sobbing form in his arms, but he is being so cautious I don’t want to give them away. I watch him glance around and listen to the sounds coming from my block, then duck his head back into the car. He seems to have a short conversation with the others, and is about to get back in. I panic; they don’t think I’m here. They think I didn’t get out in time. They’re going to go away and leave me here with no place to go. I can’t help myself, I call out as loudly as I dare and run from my hiding place. He turns, and I run full tilt into him. Tears are streaming down my face. I’m shaking. I can hear the sound of voices and the shattering of glass. Somehow I know that it’s my window they’ve broken. Ian looks at me with a panicked expression, grabs my bag and pushes me roughly into the car. I hear the boot open, and my bag shoved in, I’m glad I wrapped the drives in my clothes now. The boot shuts and Ian climbs in, just as shouts from outside begin to get closer. I can tell by the distinctive aroma, that it’s Theo who is sat next to me. He swears, and says something to the driver in another language. Immediately we take off, no softly purring engine this time, but a full-throated roar, carrying me away from my home, my life. I softly surrender to the tears.

☮&♥

If you didn’t know it was here, you’d miss it: there are few clues on the outside of this house as to what lies beyond the threshold. I open the gate and walk up the path, pausing to sniff the purple roses. Maybe you would notice the delicate shade of blue the house is. Maybe you would wonder at the planet motif on the house number plaque. I put my key in the lock and turn it, grinning slightly at the fleur-de-lis shaped knocker.

I enter, pausing on the threshold. From beneath my feet I feel reverberating base, around the house I hear screams of laughter and play, the various melodies of many instruments being practiced, and I feel the thoughtful silence of the attic way above. I breath in deeply and smell the warm scent of fresh baked goodies, new mown grass, many perfumes and incenses, warm bodies, and the tang of ammonium nitrate and Kerosene.

This is my house, these are my people. This is my Spacefemily.

Dropping my coat and kicking off my shoes in the hallway rack, I stick my head round the door of the lounge.
“Hey kids!”
“Momma!” Jevva squeals, dropping her video game controller and leaping up from the TV to hug me until I cry out, whist Jen wins the game, then she heads over to hug me as well.
“How are you Momma? Have you been having fun?” Jen asks me.
“Did you bring us anything?” Jevva chimes in. Silver and Yaad’s ears prick up from where they have been gossiping in a corner and they drift over.
“I have something for everyone.” I say grinning, and moving on the kitchen.

“MommaDru!” Wiccy smiles at me as I enter. She has a tray of little green cakes in her hands. I look from them to her.
“I’m almost afraid to ask.” I grin at her.
“Green tea fairy cakes. And no, you mayn’t have one until they are cooler.” She says, proceeding to tip them on a cooling rack. I move over and put a variety of bags on the kitchen table then grimace at a whiff of ammonium nitrate. “Wiccy, has Pyro been making bombs again?” Wiccy shuffled her feet.
“She said she needed to cook something.” I sigh
“Fine. I’m sure the smell will go away on its own.” I start pulling things from bags and the others crowd around me.
“My corset!” squeals Wiccy, racing off to try it on, “Thanks Momma!” over her shoulder.
“Tehe! It makes such a funny noise! This is so cool!” – Jevva playing with the Jibber Jabber
“Ooh thanks Momma! Its so pretty.” Thats Jen with a new note book/ journal.
A new necklace for Yaad and some sweets for Silver, and more hugs for me. Makes me feel loved for a while as they run off to play again. I put the kettle on for a cup of tea and move through the house leaving gifts on beds; a tube of scale moisturiser for Draak, books for many, new clothes for some, Jasc Animation for Dolphy and finally, “Lady S are you in?” I call thought the door of her attic apartment.
“Ess, mumbin” I open the door to see The Queen of Everything trying to chew quickly through something. I hold up a sack as she swallows.
“Bird seed.” I tell her and she grins as she takes it from me.
“Thanks Dru, you’re a star.” I grin back, and then head back down the house, to MFS’ basement to give him his slide.
It’s cool down here, and for once relativity quiet; Everyone must be outside in the sun. I gaze at the collection of instruments here, from MFS’ guitars to Osin’s Sax, as I wander over to a chest of draws and leave the slide.
I decide to test my theory and out of the back door into a garden, and I was right: Cries of ‘Momma!’ and ‘Dru!’ ring out as lots of hugs and licked foreheads come my way. Looking around I can see so many familiar faces; DWH, Zecorder, Zorpy, SaberSlash, Ama, RD, Tweek, Kissthefluffycloudbunny, MFS, Amore to name but a very few. Someone has put trestle tables up, bulging with food of all kinds and to the taste of even the most picky among us. Music and chatter issue from all around, and laughter from where Squeaky and Z are fooling around. I gather up some food and wander to have a natter with Draak, now in her dragon form for the garden is big enough.
The whole day is wonderful, the sun shines, and when it does shower, no one goes inside. I sniff the air, fragrant with summer and flowers, before being pulled away into a game with SBC and PnkPanther.
As the sun dips below the horizon and the stars come out, we light a fire and those who can play and sing until the wee ones drop off and are carried to bed. Then slowly, one by one, we retire until I am left in the solitude of the night with Darkliquid in my arms.
“Today was nice.” I tell him.
“Yes.” He agrees, then kisses me softly before we leave and head up the house to bed ourselves.

☮&♥