Zandi had warned
her to be careful of most kachina dolls. He believed
they possessed magical powers. She reached in her black
bag and pulled out the little doll that she'd found in
Eder Gira to examine it again.
Owl Kachina
She knew that Owl
symbolized intelligence and wisdom. For that reason,
she'd kept the little doll with her at all times. But
lately she didn't seem in possession of much
intelligence or wisdom. She set the doll down and
consulted her Kachina Dictionary. This time she finished
reading the paragraph.
"Owl is much loved by
farmers because of his habit of destroying
rodents."
She grabbed the doll, ran outside and
hurled it over the edge of her
Relto.
________________ There's no place
like home. Where am I?
After the 14th attempt, Veronica finally
made the jump. She was unkempt, exhausted and very
hungry, but extremely proud of herself for her success.
So proud, in fact, she took a picture using her KI
feature. However, since she never bothered with those
instructions either, the picture did not quite capture
the moment.
Deciding she had had enough for one day, she
linked back to her Relto and from there to the
Institution. Shuffling along as her legs felt like
bricks, she ignored the cry for help from the balcony as
she only had one thing on her mind now. Yelling from the
bridge down to Grizz who is standing just outside the
store, "What's for dinner? I'm starving!"
She
then belatedly remembered that she forgot to look at the
page she had been trying to reach in the first
place.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I'm no longer
a danger to
society. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elkae eventually
arrived at the Grand Canyon not knowing where to begin.
She wandered around for several days looking for the
specific rock formation shown in the image on the Linkin
Log. When at last she recognized the spot, she let out a
"Yeeeeeeeeehaw!" Phase One, complete. Now what?? She sat
down to scrape the bottom of her shoes and noticed the
edge of a small artifact peeking out of the Canyon
floor.
"Hmmm." It was a small ladle with an unusual
design on the handle. She slipped it into her black bag
and proceeded to scuff the rocks around beneath her feet
looking for other traces of civilization. The next piece
she ran across was very peculiar.
"Awwww. This must have been a child's toy. I
wonder what those knobs on it's head are for?" She made
a mental note to look into that later.
Kestryll links into the Institution
Hood to check on the Eggroom supplies. He pauses and
realizes he's got a really good view. Then he looks down
and immediately falls as he realizes gravity has finally
normalized. He lands on someone who was lying on the
Eggroom roof. He bounces up and helps the fallen man
to his feet. He checks to make sure there's nothing
broken, stranger has mild concussion, hopefully from his
own fall and not from Kestryll's. Then he pulls a rope
ladder out of his pack and proceeds to climb
down.
Sorry, can't stay and do proper
introductions. Places to go, things to do. I'll leave
the ladder here for you. Good day.
He rushes
down and into the Eggroom to freshen the supplies from
the things in his pack then links out on his next
errand.
Almech awakes with a groan. He felt like
he had fallen several stories then had someone else land
on him. He climbs down the rope ladder and lays down on
the wall next to it.
"Where is everybody?" He
asked aloud. He smells food in the egg room and dashes
inside and begins to greedily eat all of the food
Kestryll had prepared.
It was nothing less than a Kodak
Moment when Elkae equated the shape of the ladle handle
with something she'd seen in Ae'gura.
"This proves there's a connection!" Feeling
quite proud of herself, she frantically continued her
mission to rearrange the Canyon floor. She was getting
close. She just knew it! Rocks flew this way and that.
She was certain she was literally on top of the entrance
to the Sipapu!!
For some reason, Falling Burro
didn't seem equally excited about this possibility. But
that was only because he well understood the
implications of such a find. He cursed the day he was
born (in Donkese) but, with a resigned lope, moved
closer to the woman in purple. It was then that Elkae
unwittingly removed the very stone placed there by
Coyote so many years ago. It was also the very stone
that held the side of the Canyon in place.
Down,
down, down into the darkness tumbled the unlikely duo.
When the dust settled and it was determined both were
unharmed, Elkae reached into her black bag and pulled
out the fire marbles Kestryll had so thoughtfully sent.
Just ahead was a dark passage. "Come on, FB, let's see
where this leads." Behind them there was no
escape.
________________ There's no place
like home. Where am I?
Grizz, in the store, hearing Veronica
call, looked up in surprise.
"What's for
dinner?" he mumbled. He walked out into the alley and
looked up at Veronica. He put one finger against his
lips, turned, and walked back into the store.
"Mumble...grump...dagnab it...and I suppose she speaks
French
too!"
_______________________________ Prop.
D'ni Internal Supply Co. "If we don't have it, you
don't need it!"
Thietris Professor Thietris Squirrel, CEO,
President and Managing Director, Institution of Advanced Exploration
of Myst Worlds
posted
It was turning into a strange day for
the professor. First he returns to his office to find
that a little door has been made in the, er, door. The
next moment a rope ladder is thrown from the egg room
roof, someone descends and disappears. Then a second
person descends and lies down by the
wall.
Are you alright? You look as though you
could do with some acorn mead. Don't go
away.
Veronica slowly and carefully made her
way down first one set of steps and then the other that
led past Heek Inc. She could not remember ever feeling
so sore.
Walking into the store, she smiled
weakly at Grizz. "On second thought, I'm just too tired
to eat. Do you mind if I stay in here again?" Grizz nods
his head briskly. "Thank you, Grizz." She goes into the
storeroom and shuts the door, falling onto the cot, she
is asleep almost
instantly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I'm no
longer a danger to
society. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After a bit, Grizz raps quietly at the
door. There is no answer, so he opens the door a crack
and looks in. Veronica is asleep. He crosses the room
and taking a blanket from the foot of the cot, covers
her with it, smiling as he does. Then he goes out and
softly shuts the
door.
_______________________________ Prop.
D'ni Internal Supply Co. "If we don't have it, you
don't need it!"
Thietris Professor Thietris Squirrel, CEO,
President and Managing Director, Institution of Advanced Exploration
of Myst Worlds
posted
Linking stones. Yes, I noticed. One
moment, Almech. There's something I have to deal
with.
Professor T looks again at the little
door within a door. He stabs at the glowing blue button
and stomps into his office. He swivels round as the door
closes and glares again at that little
door.
Who could have the impertinence - the
audacity - to put that, that thing in my door! If I
catch whoever it was, I'll, I'll ... I'll have his nuts
for marbles!
Bizzy, hard at work behind one of the podiums in the
Professor's office, is suddenly distracted by the sound
of an angry squirrel. Not a sound he enjoyed hearing, to
be sure. He had a decision to make. He could either stay
hidden and make a retreat later ... or he could face the
music now. Decisions, decisions. Nuts for
marbles.
"I'm sorry. Am I disturbing you?" said
the little gnome in his most cheerful voice as he popped
his head out from behind the podium.
"Well, er, I had some biziness to attend to. I hope you
don't mind. Do you like the new door? It ought to make
access easier for you."
Bizzy prepares to make a
hasty getaway; he maneuvers the wheelbarrow out into the
open and attempts to head for the door. Somehow he
doesn't think he'll get off that easily. The Professor
isn't going to buy his presence inside the office after
the door was completed. He braced himself
...
"Oh yes, Professor. I'm
aware of your outstanding jumping capabilities. I just
thought it would be easier. For when you had your hands
full. It would be easier for Grassie,too." Of course it
would also be easier for Bizzy, but he was not about to
point that out. He inched closer to the door and just as
he was about to make his escape came a chunk, rattle,
rattle, clunk. Bizzy whirls around to see the door
fall off of the secret compartment.
"Well, I
declare. Would you look at that. Books!" said
Bizzy.
The Professor's eyes widened and he
started to get out of his chair but Bizzy stopped him.
"No sir, don't. Let me explain." Bizzy reached inside
the secret compartment, pulled out a few of the books
and carried them over to the Professor's desk. Then he
himself climbed up.
"Would you like the long version or the Reader's
Digest version?"
[This message was edited by
Elkae on Sat April 10 2004 at 03:04 PM.]
Experimental Program
1
Bizzy, hard at work behind one of the podiums in the
Professor's office, is suddenly distracted by the sound
of an angry squirrel. Not a sound he enjoyed hearing, to
be sure. He had a decision to make. He could either stay
hidden and make a retreat later ... or he could face the
music now. Decisions, decisions. Nuts for
marbles.
