Hi everyone, this is just for fun, I am going to start a story, please join in and follow on, one line only at a time……..but can keep adding to the story as many times as you wish……….lets see what adventures we can have on the way……..
This evening I took my dog for a walk into the woods, I had an uneasy feeling that I was being watched………
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Darting behind a tree, I put shushed Whiskey, and peered around the trunk, ears straining for the sound of dry leaves crackling underfoot. . .
What fun!
Turning on his tail Whiskey made a dash deeper into the woods his ears pricked , what had he seen, what had he heard……..I was now alone……
But was I really alone? What is that hear? A stick cracked, something was coming my way….
As I drew breath to shout for help, a rather old, tatty badger wandered past me and off into the bushes
I breathed a sigh of relief, was it just the Badger that had been lurking…….but where was Whiskey my dog…….would a dog have been frightened off by a Badger ?..
The wind shifted, and the hairs on the back of my neck rose -the scent of tobacco drifted closer, and this time, I heard muffled footsteps slithering across the ground. . .
Whiskey! where are you? You are supposed to be the leader of the pack, my guard, my protector! I hold my breath, do not panic …
In the distance, I can hear the muffled sound of a dog whimpering, Whiskey, Whiskey, is that you?
The smell of tobacco became stronger, a kind of Moroccan, sickly spicy smell…. I needed to find Whisky, but my feet were rooted to the ground……..
Now a very tall slender shadow appeared accompanying the tobacco smell. For some reason I felt some comfort. Could it be?…..could it possibly be?
An entourage of slim shapes danced into the moonlight, with the Fairy Queen leading a singing man by the hand, his words drifting through the air … At the end of seven years, She pays a tithe to Hell, and I so fair and full of flesh …I fear it be myself.
What on Earth is happening, am I dreaming….is this a Witches coven…….I feel a hand on my shoulder……. a voice whispers……I need your help…….
I backed into a hollow tree, even as he was yanked by faerie hands, their beautiful laughter striking fear in my heart, “Should I follow?” . . . one puffed a cigar…another tripped by with a man’s top hat on her curls. . .and I, watched while the tall white Faerie Queen led the way.
I followed the man and quickly gripped his hand pulling him into the woods, my instinct told me to trust him……we ran fast towards the whimpering sound, which I hoped was Whiskey
Never had screaming had such a musical, fiendish quality, speeding our feet onwards, alternately pulling each other as we stumbled, . . . at last spying Whiskey, my unknown partner scooped him as we ran, the baying of enraged faerie folk and lightening striking the ground around us.
Run faster was all I could think of as lightening struck the ground. I was so glad that my unknown partner had scooped up Whiskey – I don’t know what I would have done without him. Then a sudden thought crossed my mind – was this a friend or foe.
Friend or foe, I just know that at this minute we needed each others help…..I couldn’t have run carrying Whiskey, he was lame and bleeding from a wound, there would be time for questions later………
Grasping my hand , my mysterious benefactor took Whiskey from me and together we began to run through the forest , desperate to leave our persuers behind us. Gradually the sounds of our attackers faded and we paused to draw breath —-
I used to do this ’round robin’ year’s ago with a group of penpals. This was before email , we used to write our contributions in a letter and pass them on . Great fun.
…..pausing to regain our breath again, it was quiet and peaceful….then, coming from the distance we heard the sound of beautiful music streaming from a violin. It was a magical sound. Should we follow this sound or run the other way?
Don’t listen, screamed the man, yanking me in the opposite direction, until we practically flew towards the sound of trickling water, and pieces of faerie lore revived in my memory, starting with the faerie can’t cross streams and hate iron.
How could something evil produce such a heavenly sound? Now I became suspicious of my tall friend. I’m in the middle of something here, I can see that. Now a flute is playing magically with the violin. What to do? What to do? What decision must be made here?
The music was hypnotising and we had to resist very hard not to be drawn towards it……..Whiskeys leg was bathed in the stream, the dark Moroccan looking stranger plucked a leaf from the vegetation, he wrapped into around the wound and miraculously the bleeding stopped and no evidence of the wound remained……..who was this stranger….?
My instincts tell me that only a kind person would take care of Whiskey the way he did…..and even more than kind the way it healed. But why doesn’t he make a single sound? Not even in his own language? I must speak to him and thank him for his help. I wonder if he’ll respond in some way. This almost feels like a dream but I know it isn’t. Will I ever find my way back? Follow the music?
Rapidly, we splashed across the stream, his words made sense, uttered just as quickly … the Unseelie lure with tricks and beauty, something I learned too late, but now I know to resist their lures.
What strange weird events are engulfing me, who is this stranger, what is his intent …….
I had no time to ponder on this as suddenly, seemingly from nowhere, a dark cloud descended around us. What had we run into? What was going to happen to us?
Eventually the man spoke, in a calm reassuring manner he told me his name was Ahmed, meaning most worthy, most commendable, he specialised in natural healing methods and had travelled to England to pass on his knowledge but had met with violent opposition from certain sources…
the drug companies????
The legal drug companies are opposing the natural methods Ahmed told me, they like to keep the revenue coming in no matter at what cost to the patient……
Do I trust Ahmed is the question. I have been fooled to many times to just believe he is who he says he is. Time will tell. I will see what he does next…..
The dark cloud engulfed us. There simply was no time to question Ahmed or to figure out his motives; so, when he suddenly grabbed my hand and said, “hurry,” I followed the handsome dark Moroccan. Where was leading me?
As we hurried forward Whiskey was becoming heavy in my arms, he was quiet but alert, this settled my worries, if whiskey was trusting this stranger we should be safe. The dampness swirled around us, surely we should soon be out of this ……
I glanced at my watch, I had only left home an hour ago but it seemed like a eternity, I lived alone and wasn’t expecting any phone calls or visitors, I wouldn’t be missed…….there would be no concern about my absence…….
We hurried down a dark path but finally we saw light. Ahmed took Whiskey from my weary arms and carried him into a lighted village that I had never before seen. It was beautiful. All lovely homes and shops lighted brilliantly. Why had I never known of this village? “Come,” Ahmed said, “there is a man, a doctor, he will tend to Whiskey.” We hurried up the main street and then down a dark alley. Ahmed knocked on door. We waited. He knocked again and again before a sleepy white haired man answered the door.
The man’s voice kindly offered, “come in, come in” and we did. We entered the quaint but lovely little cottage and he told us to sit while he went back in the kitchen to fetch us some hot tea and bring some water for Whiskey. As my eyes peered all around the room I got such a warm happy feeling inside. For some reason I felt a very familiar feeling as if I had been here before, perhaps at some time back in my childhood? It was overwhelming.
Sat in front of the crackling open fire my eyes became heavy with sleep, I didn’t realise how tired I had become, why would i feel safe and warm in the company of two strangers, i just knew I did …….. I should have been looking to make tracks back home but instead i lay my head on the big plump cushion and drifted into a deep sleep……
Drawing a fur robe more closely about my shoulders, I opened my eyes, and stared into the strangely tilted eyes of a man and woman or, Queen and King, I’d say, fo never had I seen such magnificent clothes, so heavy with gold and jewels that they lit the room . . .where I beheld Ahmed and the doctor bowing, and tiny faeries dancing in and out of the doorway, singing, “Welcome to the Seelie world, mortal woman, we are the brightness and laughter of the fey.
No! No! I shake my head, enough of this fairy tale fantasy, what has happened to me, my poor Whiskey, that strange tobacco smell that still lingers, I hear Ahmed and the doctor murmur in low voices, “Do do think she will suit”. Suddenly the door burst open, a man is propelled into the room ………..
And I could smell that strange tobacco as he was thrown to the floor. For some unknown reason this man looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite fathom why.
By the fire, a fairy blew a smoke ring, the strange tobacco scent filling the air, and hugged Whiskey, “Silly mortal, give me wine, and I will lead you and the father you lost long ago to your boring world,”
Drawing an indignant breath, memories of my ordinary village life bought tears to my eyes, even as Whiskey leapt from the fairy’s arms and into mine, Ahmed handed her a crystal goblet of wine, and the man crawled to my side, clutching a medallion . .”I stole this from their treasury, say the words and speed us home.”
What was happening, was I in the middle of a dream, the man who had been propelled into the room looked at me in a odd way, as if I looked familiar to him too…….I thought it was time I introduced myself to everyone………Rosemary is my name, pleased to meet you all but now I really must be heading for home……Ahmed looks toward the Doctor and then back at me………I’m sorry Rosemary but that just isn’t possible….
Ahmed beckoned me to sit down, its time I gave you an explanation Rosemary,
we never were in danger, the fairies were a figment of my imagination that I telepathically sent to your mind to make you feel fear, if I had not done this you would never have come willingly with me, the Fairies will be no more, they do not exist…….I have brought you here because your help is needed so that we may continue our studies into homeopathic medicine………its frowned on by many, and there are those who wish to stop us……
The third man in the room introduced himself as Henry……..I asked if I knew him from somewhere because he seemed vaguely familiar, he replied that it was many years since he had seen me as a child, he had been a regular visitor to the family home to work with my father in the development of the use of natural remedies………apparently this was where my help was needed………I was intrigued….
“The faerie king and queen require a baker, for their love of sweets is as deep as an ocean,” as he spoke, the tiny fey surrounded me, tugging at my jeans and sweater, “since you’ve honored the fey by leaving treats on your doorstep every night, they’ve decided that you must stay for one thousand years or more,” a statement that sank my spirits and caused me to weep into Whiskey’s fur.
My late farther once told me of an incident when he was a boy living on a little farm on the edge of a wood before the war. He had a little jack russell he loved very much called Whiskey who was quite an intelligent dog. one day while at home in the farm he got a strong urgent feeling whiskey need help. My dad ran down into the wood calling for whiskey finally found him caught in a gintrap which had him by the leg. My farther was pretty sure whiskey could have been badly hurt or worse if he hadn’t called for dad. After dad passed away we spread his ashes in the little wood as requested by him.
That’s a nice little story Tommy……..kind of mirrors the story we have running here……dogs are friends for life……loyal, faithful, funny , good company…….more than a lot of humans give……..
Yes I have 4 small dogs 3 were rescued by us from some awful people xx.
Is Whiskey dead or was that just a dream? Surely that can’t be! We must continue our study! We were making giant steps into something wonderful.
Whiskey had made a miraculous recovery from his injured leg, the cut had healed instantly from the leaf that Ahmed had applied to it, what more proof did I need that the natural healing methods that were being spoken about should be developed and used more widely……….I felt it was my duty to help in anyway I could to benefit mankind, although in what way I had no idea…….
An hour later and having been filled in on the coming and goings of Ahmed, Henry, the Doc and my father I was somewhat wiser……….many years before my father and Henry had become interested in natural healing methods, they researched and studied……….they discovered that there was many useful herbs and spices being used in Morocco with great success………their other friend the Doc had a contact address for a Moroccan man who maybe able to help and advise them in their quest, the man was Ahmed……..so where did I fit in ?
O my, what an experiment, and successful too!
I would love to emulate maybe. I know to my experience of having published some and posted many short stories at a renowned story site that stories are to be written with a pre- decided climax..
I could not have imagined that at times for a change too many cooks may turn out a sumptuous broth.
Though all wrote well, I found that [other than the initiator Starlette] Ms K.,
lo 123
and Grandmaj wrote brilliantly.
Ms K. impressed me most indeed.
Maybe she should write more of fiction.
Please feel free to continue with the story Abhilaaj……..see where it goes……
Abhilaaj, thanks for your appreciation. Being both a reader and a writer, I love a good story with twists and turns. Anything can happen in a story!
well said–I often think- He is a master story teller.
Oh God- I would love to maybe tomorrow morning when I am a bit fresh- Congrats
for such an original endeavor.
Interesting how the story was evolving, some wanted more mystery, some into fairies, some serious – some follow the thread directly, others branch off on different ideas
true dear friend- it is a new concept. Well done ALL.
Thanks for the blog, Star. I know I’m not a brilliant writer but I had fun. Hope we can do something like that again sometime.
Hi Rose, was hoping we could continue till the story reached some conclusion, but alas not, seems I have no more followers…… so alas I will cease typing…lol so it didn’t really go further then the Woods…….
Sorry it fizzled out ‘star, was hoping more mystery would evolve but not in the fairy vein, I am too realistic for that angle, did try to steer it away perhaps I should have typed more lines? Great idea and fun, thanks for starting it
Ty mint, the Fairy theme and quotes were well written but I couldn’t take them anywhere…… I am only knowledgeable about the Fairies and Leprechauns in Ireland……lol……I tried to keep it pretty simple so more could follow……was hoping the next part would have found Rosemary in Morocco…..was not to be…..
Great idea this and I have only stumbled across it today.Ms K made the story so amusing and exciting for me. I love factual, science fiction, fantasy and more. So I loved how everyone tried to keep moving back to reality only for Ms. k to teleport us all back to the land of the fairies. The dream concept was the best to keep it in reality. But I think everyone did an amazing job and nice to see a community input here. I enjoyed the read. Spike.
Ty Spike….. I guess we all had different images in our heads, but ty to all who contributed….
It was great fun! Thanks, Star. I, too, could not follow the fairy theme as I have no knowledge of them or of healing herbs, but I did like reading about them, just couldn’t expand on them. However, I think, Ahmed, and the heroine (did we give her a name?)and Whiskey, were magically transported to Morocco, where they married, Ahmed and “She,” that is and opened a healing herb dispensary, cured cancer and many other diseases, and lived happily ever after! The end. hahahahaha
wow, Magician Lo 1234 haha loved your installment.
Nice ending Lo…it could have gone that way…who knows…..we would have had to just roll with it………..the stranger could have been given a different name by anyone in the beginning, and he could have been from anywhere, Timbuktu……lol
Looks like we may end up with a Novel Starlette
Will you edit the script and give it the shape of a story at the end of it all?
Hi Abhliaaj………I wont continue, the original idea was for whoever wished to add and follow on…….but I guess we could call it a short story…lol
Starlette , it was a brilliant idea and all contributors did a wonderful job. I am impressed. Where will it end? It ended where it ended. LOL
It was a great idea Star, maybe do another??? And if people could refrain from making comments other than continuing on with the story line would make it less confusing??? I enjoyed reading it, thanks Star
Yes indeed Ma….it can be confusing, but rude not to reply I suppose…..
E tu’, Gmaj?
I sincerely hope Star or someone starts another storyline. It’s fun to write a “whisper down the lane”. I’d recommend establishing the setting and main character from the beginning.
If it’s going to be a dog, then be the dog. Otherwise, the dog is an accessory, like a piece of jewelry.
Also, pick a genre like mystery or children’s.
I’ll bow out and see where you take it. 🙂
I would– if some of you are keen– throw in a story which could end in different ways. Each of you -limited to 3 members only- would be invited to complete it..within a given number of words?Interested?
I would love Ms K., Starlette, lo, 1234 to do the completion for the 1st installments, if they agreed aas an experiment?
🙂 I’m in. Bring the story on!
Go for it Abhilaaj…..good luck….
Thanks many Starlette, I will put it up soon,
Abhilaaj, after thinking about your offer, I guess I can’t participate. I love adding to an ongoing storyline like this one, but as a professional writer, it’s not fair to compete.
Oh Ms. K, we all were babies once. It’s going to be fun, come on..Say Yes please. Buck up..
Oh, Abhilaaj, I can’t. It does sound like a lot of fun. I’m under a contract with a publisher. I have a deadline with them that has to be honored. I really can’t participate. But, if you do the story, I’ll be following it eagerly.