story/reading for Skydancer
Gantor, who was little and small, felt parituclarly unimportant today. Usually, this little creature who swims every day back and forth in the Great Deep, wasn’t very nice to the "people" he met. On this particular day however, he felt so upset, lost in his thoughts, that he didn’t even feel like pestering the people around him, not that many bothered to be close to him, b/c as soon as he came close, they swam away, fast, avoiding him. So he was just swimming along. He cried and moaned on, but everyone just avoided him. He is an object of gossip, and he could hear them whispering behind his back. Muttering to himself “what wretched people they were, wretched I tell you, just wretched”. But then, one day, this day... he realizes that something is not quite right in his watery world ... and he goes to investigate ... he sees a small shining light. It wasn’t a coin, no, he was familiar with what those looks like, he has a collection of them afterall, one of the few things that brings him almost a sense of happiness when he holds one. But no, this is something else, it’s moving, but brilliant, what could be so brilliant? This brilliance of a thing brought him out of his own miserable torturing thoughts and closer to his curiousity, much like a child. Who should he find but a brilliant lite up faery, flying about. “What does she think she’s doing here, on my territory, I’m going to give her a piece of my mind”. He floats over to this new person in his land and yells out “just what do you think you’re doing here, you can’t just fly around lighting up this world, don’t you know where you are?”
The faery giggles and flutters as a bit of dust sprinkles on the ground, and where it lands, it lights up, like small specks of dull light. “You’re cute, and just the person I needed to speak with, you have to be Gantor, are you not?”
Very puzzled by this, I mean honestly, who would need me, who would come here and search for me, how has anyone ever heard of me. The wretched people I bet, talking about me behind my back, who knows who they’ve talked to. But this is rather intriquing. He looks at her with a strange stare, his eyes are endless depths, and can suck you into his own sad thoughts if you stare too long. Finally he replies…”yes, I’m Gantor, why, how have you heard of me, who wants to know, why have you come here anyways?”
“hehehe, I’m Sylvia, and I come on a quest to find the Gantor of the seas, the counsel told me where I could find you. They would love to speak with you personally”.
Why he’s never heard such nonsense, a counsel, what counsel, where, who are these people, and who does she think she is, she can’t just come here, and speak nonsense about a counsel. He slumps, and sits down, thinking hard about this. If he goes, he’ll miss his home, and his coins, if he stays, he’ll just be gloomy, and tired. He’s heard of adventures before, but has never truly been on one. Afterall, someone wants to speak with him, that alone is very different. He’s never had anyone who wanted to find him, much less speak to him. What would they talk about, what would they say, what would he say? All these things circling around and around in his thoughts, and she floated, fluttered, and flew around in circles much like his thoughts, her dust sprinkling around him, as a few pieces of dust hit his skin, he felt more at ease, better, each dust seeming to make a bit more sadness go away. Finally he came to the conclusion. “Alright Sylvia, you got a deal, I’ll go with you, and meet with this counsel, I do trust that you know the way, I don’t want to get lost somewhere where I don’t know, and I’ll have to bring some things with me. I don’t like to travel” and on he went about all the troubles that this trip may cause him while they made their way to his home so he may gather his things for the trip.
Gantor took with him a change of clothes, a few coins, a few bubbles, but mostly, his thoughts. They set out, made their way to land and traveled quite a ways into the nearby forest. As they traveled he talked about his life, how his parents never were happy, and how he’s miserable now. That people don’t like him, but he never stops pointing out everyone’s faults regardless. Finally she spoke, “well, here we are Gantor, the counsel, their waiting for you right inside there” she pointed to a glen, where all different types of goblins waited. Boldly he stepped through to join them.
Almost at once, they all started speaking..”finally he came, the one we’ve been waiting for”…”what’s your name”…”where did she find you”…”do you like your home”…”we have some plans for you”…”do you know where you are”…”let him be, let him find his seat”…”don’t tell us what to do you’re not the boss here”…”neither are you”…and they started squabbling about themselves. They made so much noise, that he couldn’t even understand what they were all saying anymore, too many of them talking at once.
He closed his eyes and thought back to a time long ago when he was still a youngyen…he remembered an old dwarf man, how made his home on the edge of the sea and frequently went out to the forests. Once, he followed him, curious to know what he was doing. This old man sat in the forest and watched something. His eyes moved slightly, but only his eyes, it was as if he didn’t even breathe. He almost looked like stone. He was as quite as a mouse, and creeping closer and closer, but keeping himself hidden. Finally the old man got up and spoke softly. “I know your there, your name is Gantor, you don’t have to be afraid, the mice told me you where here, watching me”. He thought to himself, the mice? How can mice talk? That’s ridiculous. None the less, this old man knew he was there, so he came out of his hiding spot. The old man spoke to him “aww, there you are young Gantor, come, let’s go have some maple juice with a twist of honeysuckle”.
Young Gantor followed the old man to his hobble on the side of the hill near the sea. They sat and talked for a while. Finally the old man told him, “young Gantor, you will grow old, like me, and you will have not gone anywhere in your life, and you will be sour. In this time, you will be needed by others, b/c you’ll have a good insite about the bad things in other people. Others won’t want to hear this, but one day, this ability of yours will be needed, and it will transform you, making you into a butterfly”. After being convinced that the old man was indeed crazy, I mean, he did say he talked to mice right? Young Gantor got up and thanked the old man for the maple juice but said that his parents are probably worried about him, that he must go. Myk replied “ahh, when you get home, you’ll find out that no time has passed, b/c you see, the movement of mice is slow, and they slow down everything else”. Young Gantor made his way home, and sure enough, only 5 mins have passed, but surely he was gone for some time, a few hrs at least…so how could that be. The next day he set out to find the old Dwarf, but he found nothing…just an empty hole on the side of a hill near the sea.
“I wonder if the old man was right, after all these years” he mutters to himself. Someone else in the counsel heard him speak and quickly said “hush you numb brain, I think I just heard him speak”, and after that came a series of shhh’s and shush’s, as they all starred at him, leaning in closer, anticipating what he was going to say next. Gantor said nothing at all though, for the first time, but instead, looked at the counsel. “this counsel never gets anywhere does it? You all talk too much, and no one listens to anyone, do you guys even hear what your saying to each other, or are you deaf now from all the noise you cause?” Expecting the usual outcome of his ranting, of everyone getting up and leaving, but the counsel, they all nodded their heads, agreeing that he has a point. A few of them even admitted that they have a hard time hearing anymore, and never knew why. One of them spoke “He’s the one, I don’t think he knows who he is, but he’s the one”. Gantor looks at them strangely, realizing that the old man, so many years ago was right. Something was going to happen, and he could feel it, some kind of transformation. Their eyes lit up as they starred at him, what were they all starring at? He looked back at them with, going from one to the next, but it was almost impossible as there were so many of them. He looked down at his feet and took out one of his bubbles for his thoughts. When he looked down, his feet has changed, he looked at his hands and they have changed too, in fact, he didn’t seem to have any form at all, but it was constantly changing, even colors, to shapes, to energy, to emptiness, to a hand again. It felt strangely comfortable to him. Another counsel member spoke and said, “it’s time for you to go, time for you to go into the world, not as Gantor, but as the shape shifter. Pointing out the problems that others have, what their masks are that they wear inside, the ugliness that they possess, and show them with yourself the mirror of who they should be. How to remove the masks, and to be the person they want to be”. Gantor, or known now as the shape shifter, Shi for short, nodded his head and slowly walked away. He had no desire to go home. Everything has transformed him, and he wondered how an adventure, even as little as this one has been, can transform someone so much. Where once he couldn’t be around others, now he can shape shift into any form necessary in order to help others understand their negative images, and show them how to transform the negative into a positive person. He loved this idea. But first, he should need some more help before he begins his true work.
Shi, previously known as Gantor, travels further into the forest, enjoying his new ability to become anything he wanted, it only took his thought into doing so. He found another wise man. His throat was lit up brilliantly, and he lived so peacefully amongst the forest. Amazed at how beautifully this man lived along side nature, he came to talk with him, wondering if he had anything to teach him. The wise man was quick to introduce himself to Shi. “Greetings, I take it you’ve been to the counsel, you must be Shi, previously known as Gantor of the sea, correct? By all means, correct my words, if my words are wrong, or if I use the wrong word, in which you see a better way to describe who you are. My name is Arval, or Arval is what I was named” with a soft smile, he shook his hand. He was so eloquent with his words, that Shi has never seen anything like this before. He was intriqued, truly and deeply. “please to meet you Arval, and yes, you are correct, I am shi, previously known as Gantor of the sea. I have been to the counsel indeed”. The two newly met friends sat and talked for a while. Shi learned how using careful words can mean a lot, he can use this way of speaking to gently expose others faults, and realized why so many took so much offense to the Gantor that he previously was. All the wiser, at least with words, after meeting Arval and spending some time with him in his home, he decided it was time to move on. With a departure, but a promise to return, Shi left a coin and a bubble with Arval, and walked deeper into the woods.
Shi came across a small child faery. She was so brilliant, and happy, he’s never seen anyone happy like she was. Just happy. Surely there is nothing wrong with that, in fact, isn’t that what he is trying to inspire others to be? Find their happiness? But so young is she, that surely she has no wisdom of experience. She fluttered close to him, and started playing a game with some stones. She invited him to play with her, and delighted in this, he changed his from to that of another child, and learned what it was to truly play. Now, I don’t mean to just join in playing with her, but he learned to play from the heart. He found that true happiness comes from inside, and that everyone has the ability to access this, I mean, after all, if he can, anyone can! Alas, he got thirsty, and asked her if she knew where they could get a drink. “Oh I know the most wonderful place in all the land to drink, come with me” and taking Shi’s hand, she led him to a small pond. Sitting upon a flat rock was a shining Chalice. “One drink from the pond in this cup is enough to revive anyone, in all things in life, go on, have a drink, try it”. Trusting this little faery, he took the chalice and scooped some water from the pond inside it. Taking long drawls from the chalice, gulping it down, it tasted like strawberry maple jucie, it was his favorite. But when he finished the drink, he new that it had changed him too. He could feel it, swirling inside, almost like vibrating inside, it was changing him, completely and utterly changing him. Removing any last bit of what was left of Gantor, shedding that internal skin of a lifetime of being someone, and this drink, completely shedding every last fabric being, every bad thought, every bad dream, every sorrow ever felt, it was now gone. She was right, this drink was a miracle drink, it was the cup, the chalice. He set it down on the same stone, and the small girl smiled approvingly up at him, and off she went, skipping and playing, realizing that she was the wisest he'd ever seen. He smiled as she skipped, changing form, more just energy then anything personal. Once she was out of site, he looked at all the different ways he could go from here, thinking about all the wonderous opportunities. He felt down deep into his gut about which direction he should go. He looked in this direction, and saw something shining on the ground. Floating towards it, he saw that it was an acorn, with a few sprinkles of faery dust upon it. He picked it up, looked above into the tree, and saw Sylvia, now pregnant, smiling down at him. Shi smiled back to her, and he knew for sure, this is the direction that he needs to go. He placed a coin where the acorn once laid, and set out, allowing Sylvia's brilliant light, once again, guide his way.
Everywhere you see a coin laying abandoned on the street, know that Shi the pook as has been there, leaving it for you to pick up the coin, and the bubble of thought of who you truly are, and who you wish to become. The coin is to make a wish upon, and toss into the water, where once was his home, so you can make yourself and his old home brighter.
The charcters are :
1 The Hero/ine – Gloominous Doom (Gantor)
2 The Conflict/Challenge – Taitin the sylph (Sylvia)
3 An Ally – The Topsie Turvets (the counsel)
4 Past Influences – Myk the Myomancer (Myk)
5 The Future – The Pook (Shape Shifter, Shi for short)
6 The Resolution – a. Arval the Parrot (Arval)
b. The Singer of the Chalice
c. The Maiden
D. Faeries of the future
Wow that was so much fun to write. Most of the faeries just fell out of the deck as I was shuffling, including the last four who all wanted to be apart of the resolution. When I first looked at the cards, I was thinking “wow, how am I going to make a story out of this”, but then I just started typing it, and out it came. I hope you enjoyed it, I don’t know if this is applicable to a real life situation to you or not, but I see the moral of it being, someone who was once very upset in life, met with a good friend, who introduced her to something or someone else, and later, completely transformed and is all the better because of it. Not only that, but now knowing how to help others, and has a true sense of knowing what needs to be done, how to tell people what they need to hear, but gently, how to still have fun, and continue be young. Not knowing where this will all lead, but knowing in your “gut” this is definitely the right path to take. (in a nut shell, lol).
Sagitarian
