Little Curiosities

Words appear and disappear as my eyes flit across the yellowing pages, quickly picking out anything of importance from the jumble of sentences that litter the world I’ve become immersed in. The sound of many feet descending the timber staircase into Undecroft escapes my notice. All sense and feeling are lost to the wonders I absorb, closed to the commotion rising around me; Sidhe Village is a haven, I have no reason for high alert here. The fragile old pages are almost delicate snowflakes beneath the soft caress of my fingers and I turn another, and then another, until the voice of a stranger pulls me sharply back to life. My head, long auburn hair running down its back, part braided, dreadlocked and free, jerks up to find tender moss-green eyes set upon a young face, staring down. I have not seen them before, nor do I realise that the cunning of the War Chief lurks behind. “Uh…” My voice hesitates, thoughts still strung uncomfortably between the realities of old and new, and my lashes flutter as I reconcile beneath a shy smile. “I’m reading about the gods. Mort.” I tell her earnestly, though withhold the reasons for my research. Unable to resist, for the topic I find fascinating, I share with the stranger a little of what I’ve learned. “The Abandoned were called the Acquired a long time ago and they challenged our gods for power over the world…” Drawing further reference from the weathered leaves before me, I flip the paper backwards once and point a gentle finger towards the middle. “It says they very nearly won!” Slumped shoulders shrug slightly and I draw a pensive breath. “A world controlled by humans. No Mort to carry us to the afterlife either... It would've been like a nightmare we couldn't escape.”