Lark (Timi) (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
reachforthesky) wrote2011-07-24 02:52 pm
reachforthesky) wrote2011-07-24 02:52 pm
[MEMORY # 11]
* The smell of new bread. "Good afternoon, Dragon." (significant neutral, shareable)
After a long time she bumped into something that was even harder than a tree. She fell over backwards and was too tired to get up.
It was the smell that woke her, a smell that was warm, delicious, and quite new. Timi lifted her head and opened one eye. The snow had stopped and in front of her was a small house with a tall chimney sticking up over its roof. She opened her other eye. She was still staring at the chimney when a voice behind her said, "Good afternoon, Dragon," and she was scooped up and carried into the house.
She fought furiously; she kicked and scratched and lashed out with her tail, but she was so tired she suddenly dropped asleep again before she had time to see who held her. She slept for seventeen hours.
When Timi woke she was alone, lying on a pile of flour sacks in front of a wood fire. Beside her was a bowl of milk. She tasted it carefully and then finished it in one gulp.
"Good morning, Dragon," said a voice behind her. Timi jumped. The door had opened and a plump, merry-looking little man was smiling at her. He put down two big baskets and stamped the snow off his boots.
"I've been delivering the bread to the village. You've slept well, Dragon. And it's a beautiful morning. Are you hungry?"
"I'm not a D-D-Dragon--I'm a G-G-Griffin," stammered Timi. She always stammered when she was more frightened than usual.
"Ah," said the man. "Forgive me. I've never seen a Griffin before. Nor, for that matter, have I ever seen a Dragon. I thought they'd all flown away years ago."
"The G-Griffins live high up in the f-forest. N-nobody k-knows they're there," said Timi. "They g-go south when the w-winter comes. But I c-couldn't learn to fly. I was afraid."
"Well, one gets along quite well on the ground," said the man cheerfully. "My name's Jonathan, but the village children call me 'Jon Dumpling.' I bake most of the bread for the village and I live up here because I like trees. What do Drag--Griffins eat?"
"G-grass and m-moss."
"I'm afraid all the grass and moss is buried under the snow."
"Yesterday," said Timi, "I smelt a n-new smell. I d-don't know what it was but--"
"It must have been the apple pie. I make and bake one every week for the Queen. The Head Cook, at the Old Palace, can build ships of marzipan and make butterflies of spun sugar but his pastry is hard as the rocks in the forest--or as his black heart. There was a little pastry left over yesterday. Can you eat an apple dumpling?"
Timi nodded. She had no idea what an apple dumpling was but she was so hungry she was willing to try anything. The dumpling vanished in three mouthfuls. Timi looked at her empty plate and then glanced hopefully up at Jonathan. He laughed.
"There are no more dumplings. But I can offer you some of the best bread in the country and a russet apple."
+ Pretty mixed! On the one hand, a new memory of Jonathan's kindness is good for reinforcing her; on the other, she now knows why she was abandoned--her fear of flying--and that kind of ties in to her uselessness issues.
+ What with the team thing going on right now, she may well binge her three untaken memories all at once, flee the cabin, and then hole up in/near the library for a couple of days. Too many sads!!
After a long time she bumped into something that was even harder than a tree. She fell over backwards and was too tired to get up.
It was the smell that woke her, a smell that was warm, delicious, and quite new. Timi lifted her head and opened one eye. The snow had stopped and in front of her was a small house with a tall chimney sticking up over its roof. She opened her other eye. She was still staring at the chimney when a voice behind her said, "Good afternoon, Dragon," and she was scooped up and carried into the house.
She fought furiously; she kicked and scratched and lashed out with her tail, but she was so tired she suddenly dropped asleep again before she had time to see who held her. She slept for seventeen hours.
When Timi woke she was alone, lying on a pile of flour sacks in front of a wood fire. Beside her was a bowl of milk. She tasted it carefully and then finished it in one gulp.
"Good morning, Dragon," said a voice behind her. Timi jumped. The door had opened and a plump, merry-looking little man was smiling at her. He put down two big baskets and stamped the snow off his boots.
"I've been delivering the bread to the village. You've slept well, Dragon. And it's a beautiful morning. Are you hungry?"
"I'm not a D-D-Dragon--I'm a G-G-Griffin," stammered Timi. She always stammered when she was more frightened than usual.
"Ah," said the man. "Forgive me. I've never seen a Griffin before. Nor, for that matter, have I ever seen a Dragon. I thought they'd all flown away years ago."
"The G-Griffins live high up in the f-forest. N-nobody k-knows they're there," said Timi. "They g-go south when the w-winter comes. But I c-couldn't learn to fly. I was afraid."
"Well, one gets along quite well on the ground," said the man cheerfully. "My name's Jonathan, but the village children call me 'Jon Dumpling.' I bake most of the bread for the village and I live up here because I like trees. What do Drag--Griffins eat?"
"G-grass and m-moss."
"I'm afraid all the grass and moss is buried under the snow."
"Yesterday," said Timi, "I smelt a n-new smell. I d-don't know what it was but--"
"It must have been the apple pie. I make and bake one every week for the Queen. The Head Cook, at the Old Palace, can build ships of marzipan and make butterflies of spun sugar but his pastry is hard as the rocks in the forest--or as his black heart. There was a little pastry left over yesterday. Can you eat an apple dumpling?"
Timi nodded. She had no idea what an apple dumpling was but she was so hungry she was willing to try anything. The dumpling vanished in three mouthfuls. Timi looked at her empty plate and then glanced hopefully up at Jonathan. He laughed.
"There are no more dumplings. But I can offer you some of the best bread in the country and a russet apple."
+ Pretty mixed! On the one hand, a new memory of Jonathan's kindness is good for reinforcing her; on the other, she now knows why she was abandoned--her fear of flying--and that kind of ties in to her uselessness issues.
+ What with the team thing going on right now, she may well binge her three untaken memories all at once, flee the cabin, and then hole up in/near the library for a couple of days. Too many sads!!
no subject
Team will come find you for hugs. :(