Post by Croco and Speedwing on Mar 12, 2006 22:59:03 GMT -5
Wish You Were Here
A songstory by Croco Chilton
(All characters and storylines, including those based on RP’s, artwork and other stories are © of their respected owners.)
(“Wish You Were Here” is © of Blackmore’s Night - Lyrics: Candice Night)
“Wish you were here...
Me, oh, my country man,
Wish you were here...
I wish you were here...
Don't you know, the snow is getting colder,
And I miss you like hell,
And I'm feeling blue...”
A songstory by Croco Chilton
(All characters and storylines, including those based on RP’s, artwork and other stories are © of their respected owners.)
(“Wish You Were Here” is © of Blackmore’s Night - Lyrics: Candice Night)
“Wish you were here...
Me, oh, my country man,
Wish you were here...
I wish you were here...
Don't you know, the snow is getting colder,
And I miss you like hell,
And I'm feeling blue...”
The sun began to peek over the Forbidden Mountains to announce the start of a new day in the alpine city of Thermala, the crisp late-winter air serving as note that the season of bloom was still some time off in the distance. As the sun crested the snowy crags that offered a backdrop to the rather large settlement, scores of Thermalans were already wide awake as the alluring scent of sweetbread filled the avenues along with the sounds of various mammals and saurians that could withstand the nipping cold. A married couple on the city’s western reaches prepare to start the day by taking an invigorating bath in one of the many hot springs dotting the city and surrounding areas. Dinotopians from far and wide flock to Thermala to enjoy the springs as a way to relax or to soak away disease, as popular belief tells of several springs tended by Tibetans that have healing powers not known elsewhere.
As the couple heads out, both in traditional overcoats made from the skins of mammoths who had volunteered their pelts for use in coats and blankets, a young girl follows several minutes later. She appeared to be about fifteen summers and especially tall for her age, standing close to six feet tall. Her hip-length hair was the same color as a bitter midnight sky in the peak of winter while her eyes appeared to be an odd mix of blue and green with a bit more blue visible. She had enough paunch on her to keep her warm while accentuating wide hips that would one day bring new life forth...not to mention the distraction it gave the young men as they passed her by on the promenade.
But there was one young man that was in her heart and her dreams as she passed the door that led to the spring her parents were in. A short time later, she was greeted by a Palaeoloxodon named Ensialku, who gruffed a greeting to her as she took to his side with a smile.
“Living up to your name, are you, Ensi?” said the girl, who was of Finnish descent, “I’m sure even if you didn’t have to, you would still beat the sun up.” Ensialku waved his trunk and bellowed softly as they made their way to a nearby bakery to get the breakfast bread. It would take them about a half-hour to get to the bakery, but the girl knew it was worth the wait as she hung the fur-coated pack on a hook that was attached to a harness that Ensialku wore to perform his main duty of dragging timber from the nearby forests up and down the slopes that surrounded the city, which was already active with people performing various tasks.
They got to the bakery, which was nothing extraordinary for a Thermalan bakery. Several tables and chairs were scattered about, appropriately scaled for the larger customers that the bakery catered to. Further back, there was a counter, in which beneath it was a tray for potential customers to scour the various breads and cakes that have been prepared, while to the opposite side was a small sampling area where visitors can try the latest teas brought up from the coastal lowlands. The centerpiece of the bakery was a large brick oven where the bakers leave their creations to heat while surrounding the oven were tables being tended to by human, saurian and mammalian bakers, the tops as well as a good portion of the floor in front of them were a light tan from discarded quinoa flour that had fallen or been brushed off.
A set of three wooden blinds were opened to let in the morning sun as the girl left Ensialku outside to converse with a Brontotherium that was passing by. The head baker, an elderly woman of European heritage, smiled as she moved to man the counter.
“Breathe deep, Emmi,” said the baker. The girl looked over at her and nodded once.
“Seek peace...how are you this morning, Fran?”
“Oh, I couldn’t be any better than I am. I’ve had the ovens going since before the sun was up and everyone’s been eager to make the best sweetbread in the western quarter of the city.” A soft trumpeting was heard outside the door, which caused Fran to step back. “I see Ensi’s joined you this morning.”
Emmi glanced out the window, then nodded again. “Yes...he’s always the first one awake and ready to start the day. I suppose that’s why Mother named him Ensialku...” But Fran could notice something amiss with the girl, namely the tone of voice she was using. Even at this early hour, she was vibrant and full of energy, always laughing and smiling...but the way she mumbled her words and only put half of an effort in her smile left the old baker worried.
“Is something the matter, Emmi?” Fran asked. There was no answer, only the sounds of the bakers working to get another batch of bread into and out of the oven as she addressed a customer while Emmi stared blankly up at the ceiling. When she was done, she noticed her stare and raised a finger. “I know...you’ve been thinking about that handsome flier again. The one that you saw and visited with before the Thaw?”
The tall, normally steadfast girl smiled widely for a brief moment, then turned her gaze to the ground as she gave a name. “Vesa...” she said, “Yes...every night before I go to sleep, I lie awake and think about what it would mean to be in his arms again. Then when I do close my eyes, I often hear myself murmuring his name over and over again...Vesa...Vesa...Vesa.”
Fran laughed heartily, though not out of insincerity. “Oh, I know a young girl’s heart like the back of my hand ” she chortled before catching her breath and bringing her tone down to a more serious level. “But you have to understand that he’s a flier, Emmi. He and his skybax are constantly on the move and chances are that it may be a while before he comes back to Thermala. Especially with what the weather readers have been predicting...have you seen the skies to the northwest?”
“I have, Fran...Mom and Dad think it’s going to be bad, but I don’t think it will be as bad as the storm that passed earlier in the winter.” Both women turned when the door opened and Ensialku walked in, the ancient pachyderm sighing as he was concerned for his partner. Fran turned and told a younger man to front the counter while she stepped into the serving area and invited Emmi to take a seat at one of the tables.
“Emmi...I have known your family for close to one hundred years,” she said, “and I know you’re all a hardy lot. I know you’ll weather the storm and come out strong. You’ve got a strong will and a heart as pure as the snow at the top of the mountains.”
But even those words of encouragement did little to change Emmi’s spirits as Ensialku wrapped his trunk around her shoulders. “I love him and I miss him...and without him, I don’t feel I can carry on. I don’t know if I can go on without him,” she told her in a dejected tone. Fran reached around to hug her as well, then got up and reached up to pull the pack off Ensialku’s harness.
“I know what’ll brighten up your day,” the quick-thinking baker said as she stepped away for a few minutes. When she came back, she was struggling to heft the pack onto his harness again, forcing Emmi to give her a hand. “I put in a couple extra loaves for you...they were just pulled out of the oven and should still be warm by the time you and Ensi get home.” She then asked Emmi if they had enough juices and tea, to which the girl said they did. They embraced one final time that morning before Ensialku crouched down to let Emmi mount him, then he lumbered off and out of the bakery, the crisp morning air greeting them once again.
“I've got feelings for you,
Do you still feel the same?
From the first time I laid my eyes on you,
I felt joy of living,
I saw heaven in your eyes...
In your eyes...”
Do you still feel the same?
From the first time I laid my eyes on you,
I felt joy of living,
I saw heaven in your eyes...
In your eyes...”
When Emmi and Ensialku returned home, they were greeted warmly by her mother and father as she removed the pack with the still-warm bread from Ensialku’s harness. Emmi’s father, a tall man with slightly dark skin and broad, powerful shoulders named Jukka was the first to greet and embrace Emmi. He was soon followed by Kaarina, his wife, and their two younger sons, Kari and Teppo. The women took the bread and set it on the table as Jukka prepared the breakfast tea along with Kari, the eldest of his two sons. Teppo and Ensialku went outside to frolic in the snow before their meal, which would be the bread along with assorted greens that have been stored over the winter. There had to be plenty of them considering that Ensialku was roughly the size of a bus, though he was also fond of the bamboo shoots that grew and were harvested in the western wetlands.
After everyone had eaten their fill and cleared the table, everyone prepared to depart into the nearby forests to select, then cut down and prepare one of the local conifers that grew on the mountainside. All had gathered and were ready to descend down the slope when Emmi turned the opposite direction toward the city.
“Emmi?” asked Jukka, “Where are you going?” He could see that she had a small scroll and a backpack filled with her writing utensils. “If you’re going to the library, could you see if that scroll I asked about has been returned?”
A smile came across Emmi’s face as she turned skyward. “I will make sure to stop by on my way back, Father...my destination is the Cloud Tower.” In the middle of the town square in Thermala was a large tower that reached nearly five hundred feet into the air known as Cloud Tower. People would ascend the steps of the cylindrical tower to the very top, where eight windows corresponding to the compass rose were left open so visitors could think and be close in spirit to those dearest to them on all corners of Dinotopia...or to dream about expanding their boundaries. Jukka nodded and embraced his only daughter.
“Be safe, my Emmi...and try to come home by sunset,” he said, “I don’t know when the storm will come, but I can see it on the horizon.” Emmi kissed her father before she left him and the rest of her family to their tasks.
The walk took Emmi about an hour and a half, and that was just to get to the foot of the tower, so she decided to have a brief rest to get her wind back. Once she got her breath, she started the arduous climb to the top of the tower, a trip only a few made at a time because it was so high up. Each step she took, Emmi’s thoughts were consumed by the hope of seeing Vesa again, which drove her up the massive tower until at last, she set foot on the top floor. She was promptly greeted by a Sherpa, who gave her a cup of hot tea and a place next to him to catch her breath.
“What brings you to the domain of the clouds, child?” the wise old man asked.
Emmi took a breath before she closed her eyes. “I wish to be with the boy that has stolen my heart ever since the first time he looked at me...he’s got the most beautiful golden eyes ever known to man. I would give my very way of life just to be with him as he’s a skybax rider in Canyon City...that is what I would do for him.” The Sherpa sighed softly and closed his eyes, his head turning to look at the ground.
“You feel strongly for him, yes? Then go sit at the northeast window and see yourself seeing him...if you can do that, then place your head out of it and call his name once. You don’t have to shout and make it known to everyone.” Emmi smiled and thanked him before doing as he instructed, finding a seat over by the window marked ‘Northeast’; each window was clearly marked with the direction it led out toward. She pulled out the scroll and her writing quill, setting it beside her as she took a deep breath before closing her eyes briefly. When they reopened, Emmi picked up her quill and started her letter.
Dear Vesa,
It has been four full moons since the day you crossed my path for the first time, and each day after that has been consumed by thoughts of you. I have been wishing for the day to come where you return to Thermala to be with me again...the time we had and the things we did while you were here will be treasures I shall keep for the rest of my days. Even if I live to my two-hundredth year, I cannot deny the feelings that came over me for those five wonderful days and nights. Though the time has been great, my family still has a positive goodwill toward you, even to the point where Teppo has been wanting to take Skybax training. You are the pillar of strength that I rely on each day to get me through my tasks at home and I continue to long for you. I hope you get this before the storm that is supposed to pass through the mountains...I would love to get a reply. I know you are busy with your tasks, so hurry back because I miss your beautiful golden eyes and your smile that sparkles like the stars above us on a clear night.
Avulla lempiä, minun armas...(1)
Emmi
Making sure the letter was just right before rolling the scroll back up, Emmi checked over every last detail before sealing it. Remembering what the Sherpa said, she got up and made her way to the window and leaned her head out over the side, the sharp wind blowing over her face as she closed her eyes.
“Vesa...” she said out loud, blowing a kiss out the window before stepping back, giving one last look at the letter to make sure the parting note was right. Six mothers Finnish, Emmi had been taught the native language by a teacher that was also of Finnish ancestry and she, along with the rest of her family, use it frequently at home as well as the native Dinotopian language. She thanked the Sherpa tower hand before packing her things and making the long descent down to street level.
“Wish you were here...
Me, oh, my country man,
Wish you were here...
I wish you were here...
Don't you know, the snow is getting colder,
And I miss you like hell,
And I'm feeling blue...”
Me, oh, my country man,
Wish you were here...
I wish you were here...
Don't you know, the snow is getting colder,
And I miss you like hell,
And I'm feeling blue...”
Once back onto the street, Emmi’s next stop was the Skybax facility, which was several necks away from Cloud Tower and easily identified as it was fifteen stories tall and had a large clearing where they could take off and get airborne without worry of running into a building. She proceeded inside, where she was greeted by a short man who wore the uniform of a Thermalan mail carrier, which consisted of a blue shirt which said “MAIL” on each of the shoulders and above the left breast.
“Good day, m’lady,” he said, “I see you have something...do you wish to send it away?”
“Yes,” replied Emmi, “A letter for my love in Canyon City...he’s a skybax rider and...” That was all he needed to hear as a wide grin broke out on his face.
“Oh, you’ve fallen for a flier? I pity and envy you at the same time...though you miss him dearly, I know that if you bear his young, they will be blessed with his courage and daring.” There was a pause as he noticed Emmi starting to blush. “And what would his name be?”
“Vesa.”
“Oh, him...I know precisely who you’re talking about. He’s one of the better fliers from Master Denison’s group of third-year cadets...the last time I saw he and Kalissi was just before the Thaw.”
Emmi put her hand up and stopped the mail carrier in his tracks. “That’s exactly the time I met him!” she said excitedly before lowering her head again. “I miss him terribly...I just went to the top of the Cloud Tower to write the letter I have in my hand.” She handed the scroll to him and smiled. “Do you know when the next flier is supposed to leave for Canyon City?” The mail carrier looked out toward the sky, then left Emmi’s side.
“If I’m not mistaken, a senior flier is on the platform as we speak...I don’t think they’ve gotten far in his preparations yet. There should be plenty of time to get this up to him before he and his steed are to take flight.”
“Great!” squeaked Emmi in a manner unbefitting of her size and stature, “Please do so!” The man laughed and proceeded to scale the steps leading up to the platform while Emmi made her way out of the building to continue on with her day.
[center]“I miss your laugh, I miss your smile,
I miss everything about you...
Every second's like a minute,
Every minute's like a day
When you're far away...”[/center]
Emmi was able to make it back to her home, even with a stop at the Thermala library to check for the scroll her father wanted; it was still out so she decided to make haste. And it was good for her because the predicted storm started to make its presence known in the Thermala area just as darkness set in. After a hearty dinner and hours of singing, music and storytelling, Emmi and her family were ready to turn in for the night while being serenaded by the howling winds outside. It was nothing they weren’t used to as many a winter storm had blown over, so they were used to it.
But it was a different matter for Emmi as she couldn’t sleep for long before waking up, shivering all over and sitting up before laying back down. About five minutes later she would do the exact same thing, and it was after the tenth time that she couldn’t take it any more. She swiftly, yet quietly slipped her clothes back on, then the thick overcoat she was wearing earlier in the day. She had to take extra care as she knew Ensialku was a light sleeper as well as her brothers while she snuck downstairs from her second-story bedroom.
She made it to the ground floor and was about to put her hand on the doorknob when a voice halted her right where she stood.
“Emmi! What are you doing?” It was Teppo.
“Go back to sleep, Teppo!” she sharply whispered, “I don’t want Father to know I’m out!”
Teppo was puzzled...why would anyone go outside in a storm like this, he thought as he made his way over to where his sister was. “Where are you going? You have to be out of your mind to go out in that!”
“Nowhere...just for a walk,” Emmi responded, “I can’t get to sleep so I thought a little fresh air would help...even in the middle of a storm.” This left Teppo confused as he went back up the staris, still clutching the stuffed mammoth toy he had since he was an infant. Finally able to evade everyone, Emmi slowly opened the door and stepped into the blistering wind, which nearly bowled her over. She knew her destination...Cloud Tower...she knew why she was going up there, and there was nothing that was about to stand in her way as she made an emphatic trek eastward.
“The snow is getting colder, baby,
I wish you were here...
A battlefield of love and fear,
And I wish you were here...”
I wish you were here...
A battlefield of love and fear,
And I wish you were here...”
Braving the winds and blinding snow barrage, Emmi made her way back into the heart of Thermala, determined to get to the central square as lights flickered on in her trail. Most of those that turned on their lights were amazed to see someone on the barren promenade while the wind howled even harder and changed direction, coming from the east and right into Emmi’s face. Determined, Emmi continued to press on until at long last, she could see Cloud Tower in front of her. Knowing that it was always open to those in need of time to clear their mind, she raced up the stairs as fast as her legs could take her.
Desperation began to set in as Emmi continued upward, every step beginning to feel like a mile as the top of the tower began to feel like it was constantly rising to deny her safe haven. But that wouldn’t stop her as she tirelessly trudged up the steps until at long last, she reached the top floor to find the windows closed and latched. Feeling around blindly in the dark, Emmi took her time in finding the correct window to open; fortunately for her the latches were easy to open as she threw open the northeast window.
The tears were flowing down Emmi’s cheek as she leaned as far out of the window as she could without falling to her death. She looked out into the stormy night, the pain and lonliness eating away at her...but it would get to her no more as she took in the deepest breath of her young life.
“Vesa!” she screamed, her voice echoing off the walls of the tower, “Vesa! Vesa...VESA!” Emmi continued to scream the name of her champion for at least fifteen minutes before pulling back in and letting herself fall to the floor, weeping and sobbing uncontrollably, the torment and anguish of not having her lover at her side through the storm evident as she wept.
It wasn’t until some time later that an illumination could be seen coming from the stairway, then the head of a concerned woman who heard Emmi’s wailing as the torch she was holding provided light.
“Hello?” she said, “Are you okay?” No answer , so she tried again. “I am here to help if you need it...hello? Um...aari te hyvä?”(2) The sobbing Emmi lifted her head when she heard the older woman ask if she was okay in the old tongue. Another person came up as she set the torch in the appropriate holder before going over to console her. “Aww...what bothers you, my child?”
Emmi wiped a tear away from her eyes as she continued to openly cry. “Vesa...?”
“Vesa...” repeated the older woman, “Vesa...what about this...Vesa?” Emmi opened her mouth to say something, then tried again a few more times before giving up.
“I’m scared!” she sobbed loudly, which drew the woman to her side in order to embrace her, “I wish Vesa was here!” The woman began to coo softly in Emmi’s ear as she buried her head into her shoulder, her cries now muffled by a thick fur coat.
“There’s no need to be afraid,” the woman whispered, “If I’m not mistaken, you’re Jukka and Kaarina’s daughter...” Emmi lifted her head and nodded weakly, which brought a smile to her face, “You must’ve had a lot of courage to make your way to the tower in a storm like this to begin with. Be strong, Emmi...be strong...” Now Emmi could put a name to the face and arms that were comforting her...it was an old family friend named Vappu, who was the wife of a craftsman that made saddles and harnesses for the various mammals that lived in the highlands.
“Vappu, I love him...I need him,” Emmi protested meekly while she got up to close the window, “I am afraid that if I don’t get the chance to tell him and show him how I truly feel...” But Vappu put her hand over the girl’s mouth to silence her.”
“Oh, nonsense...when he comes calling for you, it’ll serve as the culmination of all your thoughts about him, and everything you’ve wished and dreamed for will become a reality.” She lifted her head to see several more curious onlookers gathered before giving Emmi, one final hug. “When you feel you are ready to come down, I will be at ground level waiting...if not, I will hopefully see you and Ensialku at Fran’s bakery.” She leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek before rising again. “Hengittää paksu, Emmi...”(3)
Emmi forced a smile onto her face as she reached up with a hand to press against Vappu’s as she used the other to wipe a tear from her eye as she responded. “Haeskella rauha, Vappu.”(4) She smiled and the elder Vappu turned to make her way down the stairs, leaving Emmi to regain herself again.