An Outing

[StingyParrot 1595]

He left behind the lively, cozy village that he was - presently - calling home, bringing little else other than his scholar's pouch and his metal bō. Everything else could be summoned at a moment's notice, so why not pack light? Stopping at the gate, such as it was, he paused to readjust his hat before wandering off down the stone path, the occasional clink sounding out as his staff tapped against the slate. After perhaps fifty metres or so, he turned abruptly and stepped off of the path, grass flattening beneath his boots as he wound his way through the gargantuan trees and fungi, sunset-orange foliage rustling high, high above. How old these trees must be. He wandered in silence, his hand drifting across the age-worn bark of the closest arboreal giant.

 

"What have they seen?"

 

After a time, he found himself at a wide, open space, a plane of rustling green dotted with greyish boulders. Swaths of blue flowers cut across the low, rolling hills, joined occasionally by the odd copse of trees. Far, far away, farther than he could see, he knew that a river city flourished, but it wasn't what he'd gone out for. He sat, laying his staff beside him as a gust of wind flattened the grass nearby. He peered out towards the distant forest, tall trees of birch over tricking streams and a winding stone path, recalling the last time he had passed under those leaves. Not on foot, but mounted, and rather than a black coat he wore a stiff gambeson, the sounds of nature overshadowed by war cries and the whistling screams of arrows. He shook his head, casting aside memories of war, and focused on what was, or what was to be. There. He decides. White stone, paying homage to the pale-barked forest. Perhaps a roof of green tiles, mimicking the foliage.

 

"A tower here. Yes, that'll do."

 

A great arch carved - or eroded? - into an imposing range of stone, worn banners hanging down into the pass. He hadn't been here for a long time, that was for sure. A steady stream of travellers, merchants and nobility alike formed a multicolour river treading the slate-grey path. The faint babble of talk reached his ears even from where he was, sat against the bole of a stout oak. He stood, making his way down to and across the road, soon finding himself on a steep incline on the banks of a river. Slowly, with his bō providing a handy stabiliser, he moved down to the bank, crouching to contemplate the rushing waters, then standing. A mineshaft made itself visible to him, on the opposite bank, so he Blinked over the river, half climbing, half stumbling his way up to the rotting wood that framed the entryway. It was disappointingly shallow, the only thing of note a small cave-in. 

 

It had been a month now, he reckoned, so he left that dusty tunnel, tapping the canes growing along the river with the point of his staff. Perhaps he'd return home. So he did, his presence on that riverbank marked only by a once-glowing circle of crystalline dust. He felt a distinct, familiar nausea as he was rearranged next to a pillar of green stone, under a gazebo. He paused to check up on his quaint little stall, then wandered back to his front door. He traced his finger along the smooth wood, before grasping the silver knob, inserting a key, and re-entering his home. It'd been dusted recently, likely by one of his clockwork servants. Laying his staff against the wall and placing his bag on a hook by the front door, he removed his boots and stepped out onto the honey-gold flooring. How far he had gone, what places he had seen. But now he was home, and he had supper to make.

 

OOC:

Spoiler

Just a small, hopefully peaceful piece. I'd find some music to go along with it if I weren't woefully inept at judging this sort of thing. 

Go outside! Enjoy what you can of nature. Perhaps even stand, and shake out your arms and legs. Refresh, and restart.

 

Spoiler

yes i wrote this at school i got inspired ok we got forced to do some mindfulness exercise

 

 

Edited November 21, 2024 by StingyParrot