You’ve just arrived in a swampy, dim town. As you look around, your gaze is met with shacks and cabins. It smells of rotted wood and wet moss. You duck and step into a tattered tent, illuminated by a series of candles suspended in the air. At the back of the tent, an old hag raises her head, “What brings you to this dingy town? she begins, then pauses to study your face—”Ah, it’s you. I’ve been expecting you. Sit,” she gestures at a cushion, “Tell me your story.” ((How do you respond?)) Example:
As I settle onto the cushion, I feel a mix of apprehension and curiosity swirling within me. The old hag's piercing gaze seems to draw out the words I've long kept buried within my heart.
"I come from a village not far from here," I begin, my voice trembling slightly. "It's a place shrouded in sorrow, where the specter of war and poverty hangs heavy in the air."
I recount the struggles of my childhood—the days spent scavenging for food among the ruins, the nights haunted by the distant echoes of battle. I speak of my parents, weary souls worn down by the burdens of survival, and the toll that hardship has taken on our family.
"But amidst the despair," I continue, "there was always a glimmer of hope within me—a yearning for a life beyond the confines of poverty and strife."
I speak of my dreams, of the distant lands I long to explore and the adventures I hope to undertake. And as I share my story with the old hag, I feel a sense of release, as if the weight of my sorrows has been lifted from my shoulders.
When I finish speaking, the old hag nods solemnly, her eyes twinkling with a wisdom that seems to transcend time itself.
"Your journey has only just begun, young one," she says, her voice a whisper in the stillness of the tent. "But fear not, for the road ahead may be dark and treacherous, but it is also filled with wonder and possibility."
With those words echoing in my mind, I rise from the cushion, my heart filled with a newfound sense of purpose. As I step out into the dimly lit streets of the swampy town, I can't help but wonder what adventures await me on the path ahead.
