I Got Tagged!

By Willow, at In the Words of Willow. Thank you so much, Willow!

1. If the main villain of your favorite book/movie/TV series showed up on your front doorstep, what would you do? (Explain who it is first...)

Well, right now my current favorite book is The Hidden Hand, by E.D.E.N. Southworth. The villain is a dastardly man who kills his brother to inherit his estate--and then tries to kill his niece, who eventually outwits him. (Gotta love her!)

 

So Colonel Gabriel Le Noir has just arrived on my doorstep. YIKES! I would probably lock the door and keep an eye on him through the curtains.

 

 

2. Now supposing the heroes opposite this villain showed up just after your exchange. What would you do then?


Yay! Capitola's here! (She's the heroine, a spunky, witty girl who always outwits the bad guys. =D )
So we completely befuddle Colonel Le Noir with our witty talk, and he ends up tied in a stable somewhere.

 

 

 3. So...moving on, the heroes defeat the villain (with some help from you, of course-whatever it may be. ;) But the next day, you're just walking along, minding your own business, when you suddenly come across the same villain...who is now lying in the dust severely wounded and unconscious. What do you do?  

 
Oh dear. I really don't like him, but I would probably make sure he wasn't dead, then like tell someone who could help him, but I wouldn't take care of him myself, no way!

 

4. Now his minions show up and kidnap both you and him and take you to their universe (or version of your universe, whatever it happens to be.) Your reaction? 
 

 Eeek! Now I'm stuck in the Hidden House, in pre-civil-war Virginia. Actually, it's neat that I'm in pre-civil-war Virginia, but the Hidden House is creepy!

 

5. Your fantastic heroes have arrived to rescue you-but now you're faced with a choice. The villain, out of gratitude for your earlier help, (assuming you actually did help him when he was wounded) has offered you a chance to travel back to your own universe. However, the heroes warn you not to trust him. The only other way for you to get back home is to travel with the heroes on a long and dangerous journey... and there's no guarantee that you'll survive.
What. Do. You. Do. 

Um. I think I will go with Capitola. It's a hard choice, though!

Thanks again, Willow!
And....


I will tag....


Anyone who wants to take this tag, go ahead!

Logically.....correct?

I just wanted to say Thank you so much to Anna, who designed my blog. isn't it lovely?

So a  random person walks up to you and this conversation happens.

Person: You should never step on a crack in the sidewalk. EVER.

You: Umm....why not? And who are you?

Person: Never mind who I am. Once I stepped on a crack on the sidewalk, and the next thing that happened was that a car ran into me.

You: But that doesn't tell me why not to step on a crack in the sidewalk. And who are you?

Person: Just ask any one of these people going by. They will all tell you that it is bad to step on a crack in the sidewalk.

You: Why?

Person: Because it is. the random person dashes off down the sidewalk.

Now was the random person making a logical argument? Comment and tell me what you think, and i'll tell the answer in another post.

So long!

 

Music in My Ears

 

Music. Swirling, flowing, laughing. Sobbing, wailing, flying. It's all in there. And you can use music to change your feelings.

 

For instance, take this girl. Imagine it's a scene, from a movie you have never seen before. I am going to describe the music to you.

 

The flute takes up the melody first: a soft, gentle melody in a minor key. The strings come next, adding a lower, melancholy undertone. The violin gains strength, adding a sobbing quality to the music....

 

 

What did I just describe to you? It wasn't happy, was it? It gave a sense of loneliness and

abandonment to this picture. Now let me describe a different melody, to the same picture.

 

 

The strings come first, playing quick, exciting notes in short bursts. There is a little trill on the flute and piccolo every now and again. The music builds, leading up to a grand climax, when the music is fulfilled. All of the instruments are now playing a melody with a sense of wonder. Chimes join in, adding a magical feel to the mix.....

 

 

Now that sounded more like the girl was discovering something...an enchanted grove maybe... or something like that. It was a happy feel, exciting, wondrous. Just let me describe one more melody now for you.

 

 

The cellos and the double basses begin this, with low, quick repeated notes in a minor key. There is a thunderous roll of the kettle drums every so often. The music gains speed, and the violins join in, playing a tense, quick, melody. Low, chanting voices add to the mix, adding a sense of foreboding....

 

 

This melody felt like she was walking into danger, didn't it? Think about this, and tell me any other examples you can think of!

 

So long!

 

 



I'm BAAAAACK! And This Week's Memory Verse

Hi everyone! And I am back! I took a long break over the summer, I'm sorry for neglecting you guys. =P But I will try to consistently post now. =D

Psalm 78: 5-8

He declared statutes for Jacob
 and established the law in Israel,
which He commanded our forefathers to teach their children,
 so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
 and they in turn would tell their children.
     Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget His deeds
but would keep His commands.
     They would not be like their forefathers--
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
     whose hearts were not loyal to God,
whose spirits were not faithful to Him.

Psalm 78: 5-8
 

~The Elven-names~ Messenger of Doom

Miss the beginning of this story? Read the rest of it here.


We stood in silence for a while, the Keeper and I. At last I looked up at him. "After the mist rises, couldn't we just find the Mormir and drive them back out?"

He shook his head slowly. "It is extremely difficult to find them after they are entrenched. The Mormir are masters of disguise and cloaking techniques.

I frowned at the unfamiliar term. "Cloaking?"

"It's a way of making it appear that there is no one in a certain area, while in actuality, there may be several people there," replied the Keeper. "Some people think it's magic, but it's really just advanced camouflage and hiding carefully." The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. "We Elven-named are ourselves not to bad at cloaking." He sighed. "But it is still hard to locate them once they are in place."

A dark sense of foreboding settled over me like a gloomy cloud. I bid the Keeper of the Legacy farewell and went back to my room.

*   *   *

 

The fog did not lift Saturday or Sunday. Living in the fog is a depressing thing. It was dark and gloomy in the Forest Palace despite its beauty. The trees the Palace was made of were soggy; occasionally a drop would fall from one of the branches to the floor. And you could never see anything at any distance properly--everything was obscured by the twisting clouds.

 

It was with great relief, therefore, that I awoke on Monday to the sun streaming in through the window. I got up and laughed at my worries, for the sun seemed to wipe away the dark forebodings of the day before like it had the fog. Nothing could be very wrong, it seemed, when the world was so beautiful.

 

This mood continued even after I went to school that morning. I felt nothing could harm me and I was as carefree as I had been before this whole thing started. And at first everything went wonderfully. The classes were a breeze, and Heather was friendly but not overly chatty.

 

At lunchtime I waved to Matt and Fred and sat down at an empty table with my food. I was totally surprised when Morwenna sat down beside me.

 

After an awkward silence, I finally couldn't resist my curiosity, and I asked her, "You know, I still don't understand what you meant when you said you knew all about me..."

 

She whirled on me with great vehemence. "Oh, I see your game. You're trying to make me make a fool of myself. Well, I'm not going to fall for it!"

 

I was aghast--I hadn't meant to do anything, I just wanted to learn more. "Oh, no, no," I cried softly. "That isn't it at all!"

 

Morwenna sniffed. "I don't even know why I'm bothering with you. You're just a poor, weak, little Elven-named girl, and I am a member of the M-- of a group whose destiny is to rule." Contempt was dripping from her voice, but I caught a slight hesitation. Had she been going to say she was a member of the Mormir? She went on. "And your destiny is to fail. And your downfall will come in no less than five days." Her voice was low and ominous.

 

I tried to act nonchalant. "Five days? Are you sure it will be our downfall?"

 

Her eyes narrowed. "It will come in five. days. and you will see it, and you will see the ruin of your plans." She tossed her head and walked off.

Summer..............

I do believe it is almost summer! And in my family, do you know what that means? Watermelon time! (And, if possible, the seeded kind. it tastes SOOOOO much better than the seedless)

What is your favorite summer food?

And (just a informal poll) do you like seeded watermelon or seedless better, and why?

~The Elven-names~ Mists of Confusion

I was sitting on the my bed, hugging my knees, and looking out the window when Weneithel came to summon me to breakfast. A thick, soupy, grey mist swirled through the trees both outside and inside the Forest Palace.

"It's foggy," I stated as Wen came in. "I've always liked foggy days, but this seems sinister, somehow. Anyone out in it must surely be lost."

Raising her eyebrows, Weneithel smiled slightly. "Ah, but the sun will pierce the mist and reveal the way to the one who is lost." I had the surreal sense that we weren't talking about the weather at all. Wen continued, "And perhaps the mist will clear sooner than the wanderer thinks." She smiled.

I turned back to the window. The fog didn't seem to be clearing any. "Weneithel," I asked without turning my head, "what did my dad do?"

There was a long silence from behind me. I turned my head to see why. On Wen's face I could see the some disapproval and smoldering anger that I had noticed when Dad went down the shooting field. Finally she pressed her lips together and spoke carefully, with deliberate evenness.

"Your father became very bitter after your mother's death. He believed she would not have died if she had not been so involved with the elven-named. So he renounced all connections with  our people and vowed he would never have anything to do with us again. In carrying this out, he made some poor choices that affected us all." She paused and studied me gravely. "But it is not mine to tell you what those choices were. That is for your father or the Keeper of the Legacy to reveal." The look on her face made it clear the conversation was over. "It is time for breakfast, my lady."

I was bending down to put on my sandals when what she had called me hit me. I looked up at her, astonished. "My lady? I'm not a lady. I'm just a kid."

Wen smiled strangely. "Mirluin, you are quickly growing into your role as Keeper of the Lore, and as such, you are our Lady. When you first came here you were not as discerning and did not see the tension. But you are learning to read thoughts. You are becoming truly the Keeper of the Lore."

I didn't know what to say. I had to think about this. It was still hard to believe that I was the Keeper of the Lore, and now it seemed that I must get used to deference on the part of the Elven-named. But it would be different at school. I sighed.

"It's not going to be much fun to go to school today."

Wen smiled and shook her head. "You must have lost track of time, Mirluin. It's Saturday today."

"Oh," I stated dumbly. Deciding it would be best not to say anything further, I followed Wen down the hall to the dining chamber.

 

 

*   *   *

 

On Saturday I didn't have to practice with the bow, and I didn't want to go outside in the mist, so I just wandered around inside the Forest Palace. It had a completely different feel with the fog swirling through the corridors and creating ghostly shapes in the hallways. It was a delightful, shivery feel, like I was in a mystery. But I knew that if I went outside it would feel so much more terrifying and horrible.

 

I came to one of the windows and looked out. I couldn't see much, but I closed my eyes and breathed in the forest smell, which was so much more distinct in the moisture. Suddenly I heard a step near me, and I looked behind me with a start--straight into the eyes of the Keeper of the Legacy.

 

"Oh, you startled me!" I exclaimed. "I-I hope I'm not bothering you--"

 

The Keeper gave a kind smile. "No, my child, you are not bothering me." He stood next to me, looking out the window also.

 

"It's so foggy, but it's still so glorious at the same time," he mused after a short silence. "But it is a strange and dark mist. It bodes no good for the Elven-named."

 

I looked up at him. "You think it isn't just an ordinary fog?"

 

He looked down thoughtfully. "I do not know. I did not think that the Mormir had power over the weather. But this fog is giving them a chance to rally their forces around Middlecester, while we cannot stop them." He sighed.

 

As I looked up at him, I realized that something was weighing heavily on his mind. All of a sudden I remembered what he had said--a long time ago, it seemed. He had said something about having no heir, because the one he had chosen had rejected his calling.

 

I finally decided to ask him about it. "Keeper, you know how you told me you had no successor because the one you chose rejected his calling?" I waited until he nodded, then plunged on before I lost my courage. "How come you didn't appoint another successor?"

 

The Keeper smiled sadly. "There are few Eldarhin men in Middlecester left. I did not know of one who would be a good Keeper of the Legacy."

 

I frowned thoughtfully. "Isn't Thoron one of the Eldarhin?"

 

The Keeper tilted his head slightly. "Yes, but he is not old enough. Fourteen is the age of responsibility with the Elven-named. That is why you were not informed of your calling until just lately. You were not old enough."

 

I nodded. "I see. And there isn't anyone else?"

 

Gravely the Keeper shook his head. "No. There are only two other Eldar-hin men besides your brother in Middlecester."

 

I sighed, crestfallen. Now I could see why the Elven-named needed help so badly.

 

Miss the first parts of the story? Read it all Here.