This is where I shall be posting my diary entries of my journey.

Day 1 of my travels.

I left this morning with only a potato in my cloak pocket. I sojourned in the home of my mother and eldest brother and sister, Clairgustance and Clairalience (neither is married yet and mother complained quite a bit about that, she never stops complaining), in Franklin Point. It was very nice to see them again, but I was glad to have left. There are obvious reasons why neither of them married. Clairalience never stops gossiping with the other ladies, and Clairgustance constantly talks of religious superstitions and his fear of being bamboozled by hocus-pocus. I swear, there are times I wonder how it's possible that they are even related to me, let alone my elder siblings! And don't even get me started on my mother's annoying nit-picking everything about my life.
Believe, I was relieved when this morning finally arrived and I was able to set out on my mission for a new life. My heart is broken, but I don't want to stop living. After the conflagration...

...My train arrived suddenly and had to depart quickly. I was unable to finish my last sentence of the earlier part of this entry, and now that I've come back to the page I can't seem to remember what it was that I had planned to write. I will do my best not to end so abruptly so I don't loose my train of thought...

...I'm sitting in the little sanctuary at the train station now. The train has been delayed, and could take days to fix. There was a bit of an uproar on board when there was a sudden screeching beneath the wheels. I'm not an alarmist, I did jump up and call out “What was that noise?”.
I can hear the other passengers talking now. Something happened on the tracks, I guess. Not sure exactly what... but I think it might be connected to the farms we passed. Something must have gone under the wheels and damaged the train; a group of men were working on trying to pull something out from underneath the wheels as we were escorted off. I heard some odd exclamation from one teenager as we passed , and if I heard him correctly it was: “O. M. G! Is that a llama?” I dare say, farmers need to take better care of their livestock... and teenagers need to learn how to properly speak. Honestly, what does O. M. G even mean? Is it short for something?...

...So, there was a bit of an upsetting experience at the train station. I've decided that I will continue on my way to Menewsha Town on foot. The travel on foot will do me well. It will clear my head.
You see, as I sat in the train station sanctuary, an old friend of mine came up to me. She was so excited to see me and was bubbly as ever. I'm afraid I was far from energetic in greeting her. She prattled on and on about her life and how things had been for her. I couldn't stand it any longer after a few minutes that I harshly interrupted, telling her blatantly that I didn't care about her life. As I walked away, I heard her whisper to someone “I wonder what happened to her husband”. That was the final straw for me. I asked the conductor for directions to the nearest main road, and he graciously gave me a map. I offered to pay for it, feeling bad for taking the map. “Oh well,” he said, “I've got another one.”...

...I'm in a tree now, safe in a large nook for the night. I feel like a child again, pretending to be a spy. I have fresh spring water and found ripe sha-sha berries to eat with my potato. Beneath me, I've tied a small trap; hopefully I can get one of the small squirrels I scared out of the nook to have a bit of meat for breakfast. As I fall asleep tonight, I will not be thinking of my journey... I will be thinking of my Slade.

[[I really hope this works-- I made only brief references to some of the things that are required, such as "find food in the wild" I made up sha-sha berries, and mentioned how she scared squirrels (encounter a wild animal). Mr. Mayor: Can you please tell me if this is acceptable? :( ]]

That's absolutely fine, Clair *smiles* I shall be checking all entries thoroughly later on anyway.

Day 2 of my journey.

So far this morning has been dreadful... and I'm afraid to record the events, as I've done something terrible. Forgive me, whoever may read this, for what I'm about to write. I awoke this morning to rain; I was drenched, shivering and cold (I am still cold and wet). My trap has been ruined, and there was nothing to eat. I made a sorry excuse of a camp fire, when the rain had stopped, but because of my new fear of flames and the damp wood, it did not live very long.

I wandered through the woods a while longer, hoping to come across a town or village or perhaps a small home where I could dry off and perhaps get a bite to eat...but when I did find a house, I did not meet anyone pleasant.
I discovered a small shack, swarming with children. I don't believe I've ever seen so many children look so much alike in my entire life. I had a hard time telling them apart.
One boy stumbled close to where I stood hidden and fell into a small hole in the yard. He was such a silly boy. I rushed to see if he were alright. I hoisted him up and brushed the caked dirt from his face. When he opened his wide, bright eyes he smiled at me, then looked down at the hole into which he'd fallen. “Where did that hole come from!” He laughed and ran off to continue his playing.
As I watched the children play, I smelled the unmistakable scent of freshly cooked custard and looked towards the small hut to see a bowl of steaming custard on the sill of a window. I could not help myself... I stole from those children in my desperation to get a meal. I slurped it down and licked the bowl clean. Afraid that one of the children might be blamed if I left the clean bowl there, I stuck it into my small pack and rushed off into the woods again. I heard their mother cry: “It was here a moment ago, I know it was!”...

...Glowing like a beacon in the sun, I found a beautiful mansion on a dirt road; the property was overgrown with rose bushes. The mansion seemed to have fallen into disrepair; it looked like no one had lived there for many years. The garden was like a jungle, and I was drawn in by the sweet aromas. There was a small wishing well, so picturesque and sad standing alone. I leaned over the edge to see how far it went down and nearly slipped in. WOAH! That was close! For a whole ten minutes, my heart didn't stop pounding. Tears burned my eyes as I thought of myself falling to my death; my step-sisters, Selly and Tawny, and my beloved Slade would have never known what had happened to me. They are waiting for me in Menewsha Town.

Once I had calmed down, I wandered down the rest of the garden. From one of the large bushes, I found a large feather and put it behind my ear in an arbitrary way...

...Before leaving the garden, I discovered another person. She was covered in rags which hung loose from her thin, bony figure. Her neck was angled in an odd elongated way, like a giraffe's! She stumbled and darted around the garden in a sporadic way, like she wasn't sure where she was. I tried to stay hidden, frightened by her, but when she saw me she cried out happily. “OH! It's YOU!” the old woman cried. She rushed and gave me a hug, like we were old friends. As she pulled away she said: “Excuse me, could you tell me where I could find a pig, please?” Her eyes went blank and cold, like she couldn't see. “Hmm, I appear to have gone blind...” the old crone said as she stumbled away and disappeared into the thicket. Poor old dear...

…It is night now, and my arms, hands and my face are burning an itching. I never realized before, but I am allergic to feathers. I learned something new about myself. I took a porous leaf I found in the woods and flushed out the burning hives out with the spring water. It brought some relief, but not much. It hurts to write so I am ending my entry here.


[[ Mr. Mayor: I just want to make sure I'm doing everything right for this contest. :hug: May I have your permission to mention you in a one of the entries? ]]

I would be honored to get a mention, Clair!

Day 3 of my journey.

Oh, I wish the fire had never happened! I wish I did not have to travel alone through this damned island to Menewsha Town. I don't care if the Mayor there is kind and gracious (as my sisters have wrote fondly in their letters to me). I wish my dearest was with me... A husband and wife should be together, travel together... I wish I wasn't alone...

…Sometime in the night there was a horrible thunder and lightning storm. I dare say, the weather has been awful on this journey. And as I was trying to find shelter under a great oak, a bolt of lightening, a brilliant blue shade, struck the tree and it burst into the flames. I screamed, louder than I ever have before, and dove just in time, out of the way of a falling, flaming branch. And just as quickly as that mighty oak had gone up in flames, so did many of the neighboring tears. I rushed as fast as I could, searching desperately for a way out of the smoke and flames.
As I ran, I heard a strange roar over the crackling of the flames: a rushing river. As I reached the water's edge I grit my teeth and threw myself into it, desperate to escape.
It was peaceful under the water's surface, silent as catacombs. I came up to get a breath of air, just in time to see the waterfall...

...When I awoke, I lay on my back on the shore of a large pond. I did not remember how I got there, but I was dry and my pack was with me, also dry. I must have been out for quite a few hours, the sun was high in the sky, nearing mid-day.
As I sat up, I realized I wasn't alone. A young woman with the longest, prettiest black hair I've ever seen sat a few yards inshore at a small campfire. In her lap, there was something the size of a blown up balloon, but looked as soft and as bright as dyed yarn. It took a few minutes for me to realize that it was a small animal.
“I pulled you,” she said, not looking up from the little creature, “and this guy from the water. Thought you'd died.”
“Oh,” was all I could say, “well, thank you very much!”
“My name is Ash. What's yours?” she asked.
“Clairvoyant.”...

...“I'm so sorry!” Ash had exclaimed while we walked together. I couldn't believe it, I had made a friend in the middle of nowhere. It was strange, but I suddenly found myself telling her everything about what had happened to me. I told her of the fire, of Slade, of my step-sisters and the new home I was heading to. I told her of all the things that had happened, and she had listened. I never knew this before, but I feel better now. Talking about all of those things made my heart feel lighter. I guessing opening up really helps me...

...Neither of us is sure what the small, yarn-balloon looking creature is. It has tiny, stumpy legs and hooves and a small snout; it somewhat reminds me of a pig. But it can leap and jump and skitter and slither like a snake. I've never seen an animal capable of so much movement. It reminds me of a silly child, rushing around and getting into mischief. It approaches everything curiously, and it's eyes seem to say "I wonder what will happen if I poke this."
At one point, I heard Ash cry out: “How did that get up there!?”. Somehow, the sliver-pig (which is what we've taken to calling it) had jumped up into a tree...

...Slither-pig brought me a mushroom-- and writing this, I realize now it was being friendly-- but I realized it was very poisonous and yelled at the her. “Get that thing away from me!” I leapt back, swiping the mushroom away from it's snout. It made the oddest sound I've ever heard an animal utter. It sounded like a child crying...

...We stopped for the night and set up camp. Ash is asleep on her cloak a few feet away, and I'm laying at the base of a tree. While we were setting camp, I discovered a small carving in the trunk. A tiny heart with “S + C” carved inside it. I took my knife and carved that piece of the bark out of the tree. Now, I'm laying with the carved piece of wood pressed against my chest...

[[I combined being affected by the weather with having a scare. :sweat:]]

Day 4 of my journey.

Ash and I are traveling together to Menewsha Town. And since I've met her, things seem light and airy, where there was only a darkness before. My footfalls don't seem to echo as much... as if a hollow space has been filled...

...Ash likes to sing, and she does quite beautifully. I've always been self conscious about my voice, but she encouraged me to sing along with her. We sang as many songs as we knew; at one point, I stopped myself abruptly realizing she wasn't singing with me. My face flushed red, but Ash insisted my voice was lovely. She said I had a talent for it...

...We came to an obstacle. As we neared a grassy field and climbed to a hilltop, we accidentally stumbled into a band of thieves marauding. Tucked into the hillside was a small goat farm. There were at least five men in total, and neither Ash nor I felt we could easily fend them off. We chose to round back the way we came and look for a way around.
Unfortunately, Ash and I found that our way was blocked by a large, rushing stream. She headed towards the West and I traveled toward the East, looking for a bridge to cross over, but didn't find one. The closest to a bridge we found was a large tree that leaned-- dangerously close to toppling over completely-- over the water. However, it only stretched over part of the stream. The last couple yards we'd have to jump.
Ash looked to me and grinned. “Challenge accepted.” I wasn't so sure it was a challenge I wanted to accept.
We crawled over the trunk, one at a time, and were able to stand on top of the branches to leap. Ash made the jump first, and landed gracefully on her feet. Me, however, half-toppled, half-flung myself towards the other shore. I somehow managed to put a rip in my leggings, leaving a nasty little cut in my calf, landing knee deep in the water. Ash graciously helped pull me up to my feet, laughing kindheartedly. “Close enough. Not bad.”
Everything went better than expected. Ash gave me a needle and thread to repair the rip while we took a midday rest. I didn't mind that I'd hurt my leg, though. And the rip barely bothered me....

...Slither-pig took to sitting atop my head like she's my hat. No matther how much I try to move her, she stays firmly in place. I fought and pleaded with the silly creature to move, although I doubt she understands a single human word, and finally had enough. With Ash's help, I pried Slither-pig from my head and placed her on the ground. “You will walk from now on,” I said firmly. I used a leather thong to create a leash and collar for Slither-pig, and now everyone is happy. Problem resolved. Now that I write this, I wonder if Slither-pig was looking to be accepted as belonging to us. She's such a silly creature...

...Again, it is raining. Again, there is thunder. This storm is worse than the last. We've been forced to take shelter inside an abandoned hut in the woods. The hut was so run down we had to worm in through a small hole in the floor. Outside the thunder cracks are explosive. I'm not afraid anymore, though. I used to be terrified of the storms. After the fire, a fire caused by an awful storm, took everything we had and nearly took my Slade, I was terrified. But, it's not scary anymore. Ash makes it fun. She keeps crying out things like “aww yeaa!” when there is a large crack of thunder or bright lightening. It's almost... fun...

...We're not leaving the hut tonight. I'm laying on my cloak, holding the piece of bark I stole from the tree to my heart again. It makes me feel safe, imagining a new life. S + C forever...

Day 5 of my journey.

It's night now, but I awoke from a horrible nightmare. I dreamt that I arrived too late in Menewsha Town. I ran into my sisters' home, calling for them and when I walked into the parlor, I found my beloved laying in a coffin. When I awoke, I could not find the carving of “S+C” in bark. I fear I've lost him for real. It feels as if my heart is shattering like glass...

...The rainstorm hasn't stopped. I'm definitely not enjoying the weather. No, that's not right; I'm hating it, actually. I've never hated the rain so much in my life. Rain used to be a welcomed part of my life. When the summer was too hot, it brought coolness to the world. And it was always a better thing to have than snow in the colder months of the year. Oh, how I wish I had some coffee to warm myself.

Ash and I shared a small meat pie-- it's the last one Ash brought, we'll have to find more food soon-- and an onion for breakfast. I think she's good at reading people, because she knew without me saying anything, that something had upset me. But, I just couldn't bring myself to tell her.
“What's wrong, Clairvoyant?” she asked me.
I paused a moment before answering, untruthfully. “The weather is just getting me down...” I had to hide what I was really dreading, what I really feeling; hide that I feared my journey would be in vain and that my love was already dead. But I know she knows that I lied...

...My heart is beating just as it did the day of the fire. I can feel it pounding in my throat. It's so loud, I fear that my heart will alert the man and his wolf to as where we are hiding. He, the hunter, came out of nowhere as we walked this morning. And he's mad. He saw us, and immediately opened fire. He set his dog, which I'm convinced is really a wolf it's so huge, after us.
I'm not even sure where Ash is, or Slither-pig. I'm scared that this will be the end. Or one of us will be hurt. What will happen then? …

...I'm under a dwarf-sized bridge that crosses over a dried up stream, trying to catch my breath. I still have not found Ash or Slither-pig, and I fear I won't before the moon shines tonight. I almost fell, the cut in my leg from yesterday has made me a bit sore and wobbly on my feet, but I caught myself on the edge of stones on the bridge, just in time to see the hunter coming into the clearing a few hundred yards away. I knew from where I was, he couldn't see me. I scooted around one of the stone pillars on the bridge, hidden from his sight. I was glad to be standing down wind of him, in case his wolf was with him.
As I backed away from the bridge, inching towards the woods and away from the hunter, my felt boot snagged on something it the dried riverbed. I knelled to inspect what it was and discovered a large, rusted hunting knife. It was still sharp, jagged from the years of erosion and it was mine now. I grinned. I had a weapon to protect myself with...

...Back in the woods, I saw the wolf sniffling around in the under brush, just a few yards away. I was concerned when it did not react to me approaching, but then I soon realized that its senses weren't very acute. It began to inch towards me but did not realize I was there. Just a little bit more..., was all I could thing. Just come a little closer.
When it stood just a foot away, I flung myself out, flailing the rusted hunting knife. But my damn weak leg gave out and I tumbled, unable to catch myself from falling again. The wolf, finally seeing me, snarled. In a flash, I thought I was gone. It grabbed a hold of my foot, and began dragging me by my boot. I screamed and a gun shot rang out and the wolf collapsed, dead.
Ash stood a few yards away, Slither-pig sitting bravely on her shoulder, holding the hunter's gun. I gaped at her. She merely laughed at me. “I hope this doesn't blow up!” and she smacked the butt of the gun...

...Curse the weather. It feels like a swamp now, humid and heavy. But I'm happy. I found the carving, stuck in my cloak; I was so silly. The carving wasn't Slade, losing it didn't mean I lost him. Ash found me a herb in the woods that is supposed to help my leg heal from the scratch. Ow, that stings! It feels like it's burning, but she says it's good for the healing. I'm feeling very sleepy.

Day 6 of my journey.

We reached the coast today. The waves shone as bright as crystal in the burning sun. It was so beautiful, but powerful. I had never seen the ocean such as I saw it today. For some reason, when I laid my eyes on it, I felt a frightening sense of frailness and weakness; the ocean is so huge and mighty, and I am nothing in comparison to it's size. I was reminded of my mortality. And suddenly, I felt a boiling anger. An anger I had never felt before. I rushed to the edge of the cliff and screamed. I screamed the worst of curses, and gibberish. I screamed at the ocean for making me feel weaker. I screamed as if I were speaking to Slade, angry with him for allowing himself to be so injured; I screamed as if I were talking to our old farm, angry with it for collapsing in the fire...

...When I finally had finished screaming, and my throat felt as if it were bleeding, I turned to see Ash sitting on a small rock, smiling kindly to me. She simply nodded her head reassuringly.
“I'm sorry... for that outburst”
“It's part of your grief; it's a good sign. You've needed healing from all that's happened. The loss of your home, the injuries your husband suffered and the fact that you can't be with him while he is healing. You needed to let it out.”
“I hadn't thought of that,” I said with a smile. ...

...What a strange village. Ash and I could see it from the coastal cliffs, tucked in the sides of the cliffs beside a tiny inlet. From where we stood, we could make out some buildings standing on stilts, against the rocky cliff walls, houses stacked on top of each other, and others seeming to disappear into the cliff itself. There was no direct route to the village from the cliff we stood atop, so we backtracked through the woods, searching for a road that would lead us there...

… It wasn't long before we found a road. “Damn, it's burned!” We heard a voice call out. A man with a cart overfilled with a load of what appeared to be dung, but it was a strange murky purplish color. It smelled like it had just been set on fire and then drenched in sea water, and of egg. I covered my nose and we approached the man.
One wheel on the cart had been burnt to a crisp, and as I looked closer, one whole side of the cart was blackened with soot. The farmer sighed, took off his hat, revealing a full mane, like a lion, of hair.
“What is that?” Ash asked, pointing to the awful smelling stuff in the cart.
“Dragon dung,” the man said, confirming my initial guess, standing and placing the hat atop his head again. “I use it for my crops. I'm a farmer, see, and this stuff makes the ground fertile and always brings a good crop in... but the dragons are a bit temperamental. Didn't like me getting so close to their nest.”
“Do you live in the village?” I asked. He nodded.
“Then we'll help you bring your cart back to the village, in exchange for some food?” Ash offered. The farmer smiled and agreed. He moved around the cart, but stopped suddenly, looking to Slither-pig startled. “That's the oddest thing I ever saw!” he laughed...

...I broke a spade, trying to dig a turnip out of the ground. I can't believe it's been so long since the farm was destroyed that I can't even dig crops from the ground properly. I began tearing at the ground with my fingers, making my nails bleed, as tried to free the turnip. Ash grabbed my shoulder as I finally unearthed the pesky root. “Please don't do that. Just take a break, Clairvoyant.” I sighed and smiled at her.
“You've had an exhausting day,” she said. “Why don't you go rest?”...

...I'm in the the farmer's house now; he and his wife have given us a place to stay for the night while we wait for the train tomorrow. We're almost done the journey. I'm sitting in the door, my feet dangling over the edge-- it's one of those houses that's built into the cliff wall-- and watching the sun set. I'll be in Menewsha Town soon. With my Slade, and my sisters. And with new friends and a story we shared. I'm not mad with the ocean any longer.

Day 7 of my Journey- Finally there!

I could not contain my excitement as we boarded the train. The train ride was only an hour and a half, but I still felt as if it took forever. Ash laughed. She said I reminded her of a small child at Christmas. I was more excited than Slither-pig I didn't care! The sky was blue, and the sun shone bright; the train should have moved a little faster...

...I planned to surprise my love, but he surprised me. As the train came into the station, I saw him. I stomach did a flip, and tears immediately came to my eyes. I struggled from the train as fast as I could and into his arms. He was standing! He was strong, healthy and he was standing! We embraced like we hadn't be apart.. I'm sorry to say, I didn't see where Ash and Slither-pig went to...

...Slade took me to the beach, and we walked a while, hand in hand. He told me of how he'd struggled a lot with a fever for his few weeks in Menewsha Town-- the doctors said it was infections in the lungs from inhaling so much smoke!-- but now he was feeling healthier than ever. He told me there were still scars-- he's wearing gloves to hide the worst ones on his hands--, but I didn't care.

...I found a small stand selling bread and sausage and cheeses at the pier; I had no money but I traded the hunting knife I'd found in the river bed days before for a slice of warm bread and a sausage. At first, I didn't think the vendor would accept the deal. “What do you take me for!?” he had yelled, but then he noticed some carving on the handle, and became very interested in it. I didn't ask any questions; I didn't care for the damn thing...

… “Finally! I'm starving,” Slade said as we shared our bread and sausage. While we ate, we followed a funny turtle, black as coal. It was so silly, craning its neck up at us and snapping its jaws as if trying to grab the food in our hands. We gave it a small piece of our sausage and watched it go on its way...

...I showed Slade the carving I'd found and told him how frightened I'd been when I'd lost it. He smiled and tears shone in his eyes as I told him of my journey. He took a small piece of sea glass, and began widling away at the top of the wood.
“Be careful with that,” I told him, although, I didn't feel I need to. When there was a tiny hole, he took a leather strand from his boot and strung the carving on it. With the ends tied together, he put it around his neck. “It's my turn to carry you.”...

...At my sisters' home, we had a joyous reunion. Somehow, Ash and Slither-Pig had found their way to their home. Ash and Selly took turns playing the piano; Ash insisted that I sing a short song for the group. Everyone appraised me...

...That night, after everyone was asleep, Slade and I sat up in bed together. “I don't want to stay here,” he told me seriously. “I'm better now, I'm healthy. I don't want to depend on Selly and Tawny to take care of us.” He held my hands tightly; I was afraid and he knew it.
“We can do this, Clairvoyant,” Slade told me. “You're strong, you can take care of yourself. And I am strong, too. Just because of a few scars... Please, Clair'?”
I began to weep, but I hugged him. He rocked me to comfort me, and just as I fell asleep, I recall saying “Yeah, sure...”

...The edifice that was the train station seemed to be an omen of our doom, but when Slade gave my shoulders a comforting squeeze, I didn't feel so alone. The townswoman working at the ticket booth smiled sweetly to us. “Aren't you two so sweet!” she exclaimed. “Where are you two lovebirds headed?”
“Home,” Slade and I said together. We purchased tickets-- Tawny and Selly graciously gave us money to buy them-- for the next train leaving back to Franklin Point. Ash and Slither-pig have decided to join us; Tawny and Selly are already discussing a move, too. We're all together and that's how it seems we'll stay. I'm not afraid anymore, having everyone with me.

-Clairvoyant.