scistarz
April 29, 2009, 04:09 PM
A girl lay on the roof of a cottage, watching the clouds go by. She wasn’t thinking of anything in particular, just trying to make shapes out of the clouds in her mind. Of course, that could be taken different ways. She is either playing one of those childish games, seeing shapes in the clouds, or she is troubled about something. In this case, the girl is troubled. For she lives in Tralina. Tralina is a strange country, with strange rules. The leaders, the powerful, the rich, were all married. For only with marriage did a person have any status at all. Whether you were a man or woman didn’t matter. Not only that, parents only had power over the children of the same sex as them. Thus, mothers could do whatever they wanted with their daughters while fathers could do whatever they wanted with their sons. The girl, who was lying on the roof of a cottage, was troubled because her mother wanted her to get married. Most girls would be happy for the chance to have status, but this girl was different. This girl had ma’gikc.
Well, actually, the fact that she had ma’gikc wasn’t particularly strange; most people in Tralina had some kind of ma’gikc. Everyone was even named for his or her talent. However, this girl’s ma’gikc was…. unusual, to say the least. She had what most people would call “sun” ma’gikc. She couldn’t actually control the sun, the sun’s energy etc. she could however control it’s effects. She could grab a beam of sunlight and hold it in her hand, hold it and change it. She herself was a bit translucent: light practically shown through her. And sometimes, if she willed it hard enough, she could become as invisible as sunlight. There, but not noticed.
She had to figure out some way to flee Tralina. There were legends that Oldens told about far away lands where people didn’t have to get married. Most people didn’t particularly like these stories because the idea that marriage is status had been bred into the bones of the people of Tralina. Not getting married was almost blasphemy to them. Maybe she could make her way there. Sunny M’a Longe was going to escape.
But how?
Well, that was the question wasn’t it? How to do something that nobody in recorded Tralina history had done or even attempted to do. Obviously, her powers would have to be used. Using the ma’gikc in her blood had always been like breathing to her, but what if the lands far from Tralina had so completely alien rules that she couldn’t survive? Sunny shook her head determinedly and started to plan. The escape would have to be during Fes’twal, as most people would be watching the marriages. Supplies would be an issue, and just where to go. The first thing she would have to do, Sunny decided, was find out all she could about the lands beyond Tralina. She didn’t even know where Tralina’s borders were!
“Sunnnnyyyy, where are you?” The voice of Sunny’s youngest sibling (only siblings of the same sex called each other brother/sister) Statual floated up through the crystalline air to her ears. Statual, as his name suggested, could, as long as he remained still, turn himself into (or at least give the appearance of) of any inanimate object. As he was still young, he could only be an object of equal size, but once his ma’gikc started to “grow up” he would be an asset in any marriage.
“I’m up here Statual,” Sunny called back.
“You lazy girl, what are you doing up there? Mamam says to come down and do chores,” Statual said, trying to look and sound more important than he actually was.
“Fine, I’m coming right down. Hey Statual, you been to the Library lately?” Sunny asked as she climbed down.
“The Library is for children, Sunny. Only children believe those tales about there being other places in the world. I out grew of that fantasy a long time ago,” Statual said indignantly.
“A long time ago? Don’t you mean last season?” Sunny retorted, while inwardly she was jumping with joy, for here was her chance to get some information! The Library; why hadn’t she thought of it before?
“Statual P’a Longe, why are still out there talking to your sibling? I thought Papan asked you to go to the forest for some seffvilin came the voice of Statual and Sunny’s mother from inside the cottage.
“I was just heading out, Mamam,” Statual said, while glaring at Sunny. He stalked off into the forest with anger radiating from him in almost tangible waves.
“And you, Sunny, what have you been doing up their? Daydreaming while there are chores to be done I’ll bet. Well, come on down and start working. You can’t start your lessons until you’re done with everything you need to do.”
“All right Mamam,” Sunny said resignedly. She hoped she would be able to find time to go to the Library. She would just have to work hard at her chores and lessons to get them done faster and make open time come quicker. Maybe she’d be lucky and Statual wouldn’t get done at the same time as her. He would definitely tell on her if he saw her sneaking away.
“Um, Head Librarian, sir. Can I ask you a question? Sunny tentatively peered into the huge office that housed the most celebrated Librarian in the history of Tralina. The old, old man peered at her over the rims of his glasses as he studied a paper behind a massive, oak desk.
“Yes, what can I do for you, miss?” the Head Librarian said kindly.
“Well,” she took a deep breath of air for courage, “It’s just, sir, that I would like to know if there are other places in the world besides Tralina and how to get there if they do exist.”
“Aaah,” he said as he leaned back in his chair, “there are not other places in this world, but there are other worlds that are above and underneath this plane of reality. As for getting there… I know of no one who has tried in the past 500 years.”
“Sir, might you know how to get there? I would really like to know of even the slimmest possibility you see.” Sunny tried to stay calm as a small flame of hope lit in her heart. She would do anything to leave Tralina. Anything!
“Well, I do recall that one of our oldest documents mentions two possibilities to get to another plane of existence. To get to the one below, a world of machines and… things I don’t understand, one only has to turn one’s power within so that you burn up and extinguish any power you have and thus fall to that world without your power to hold you in this world. The other way you keep your powers, but in order to rise to the one above you must…,” and here he stopped, seemingly reluctant to go on.
“Yes, Head Librarian, what must you do?” Sunny asked desperately.
“You must die before your time, die violently. But why do you need to know, my dear?” he said peering once again at her.
“Um… thank you for your time,” Sunny ran outside as fast as she could, convinced that she would have to do something now. Turn her powers on herself? Never to be able to hold the sun’s light in her hand again? Unthinkable! Sunny smiled grimly to herself as she climbed atop the roof of her family’s cottage, after all, there were other ways of making people into ghosts.
Well, actually, the fact that she had ma’gikc wasn’t particularly strange; most people in Tralina had some kind of ma’gikc. Everyone was even named for his or her talent. However, this girl’s ma’gikc was…. unusual, to say the least. She had what most people would call “sun” ma’gikc. She couldn’t actually control the sun, the sun’s energy etc. she could however control it’s effects. She could grab a beam of sunlight and hold it in her hand, hold it and change it. She herself was a bit translucent: light practically shown through her. And sometimes, if she willed it hard enough, she could become as invisible as sunlight. There, but not noticed.
She had to figure out some way to flee Tralina. There were legends that Oldens told about far away lands where people didn’t have to get married. Most people didn’t particularly like these stories because the idea that marriage is status had been bred into the bones of the people of Tralina. Not getting married was almost blasphemy to them. Maybe she could make her way there. Sunny M’a Longe was going to escape.
But how?
Well, that was the question wasn’t it? How to do something that nobody in recorded Tralina history had done or even attempted to do. Obviously, her powers would have to be used. Using the ma’gikc in her blood had always been like breathing to her, but what if the lands far from Tralina had so completely alien rules that she couldn’t survive? Sunny shook her head determinedly and started to plan. The escape would have to be during Fes’twal, as most people would be watching the marriages. Supplies would be an issue, and just where to go. The first thing she would have to do, Sunny decided, was find out all she could about the lands beyond Tralina. She didn’t even know where Tralina’s borders were!
“Sunnnnyyyy, where are you?” The voice of Sunny’s youngest sibling (only siblings of the same sex called each other brother/sister) Statual floated up through the crystalline air to her ears. Statual, as his name suggested, could, as long as he remained still, turn himself into (or at least give the appearance of) of any inanimate object. As he was still young, he could only be an object of equal size, but once his ma’gikc started to “grow up” he would be an asset in any marriage.
“I’m up here Statual,” Sunny called back.
“You lazy girl, what are you doing up there? Mamam says to come down and do chores,” Statual said, trying to look and sound more important than he actually was.
“Fine, I’m coming right down. Hey Statual, you been to the Library lately?” Sunny asked as she climbed down.
“The Library is for children, Sunny. Only children believe those tales about there being other places in the world. I out grew of that fantasy a long time ago,” Statual said indignantly.
“A long time ago? Don’t you mean last season?” Sunny retorted, while inwardly she was jumping with joy, for here was her chance to get some information! The Library; why hadn’t she thought of it before?
“Statual P’a Longe, why are still out there talking to your sibling? I thought Papan asked you to go to the forest for some seffvilin came the voice of Statual and Sunny’s mother from inside the cottage.
“I was just heading out, Mamam,” Statual said, while glaring at Sunny. He stalked off into the forest with anger radiating from him in almost tangible waves.
“And you, Sunny, what have you been doing up their? Daydreaming while there are chores to be done I’ll bet. Well, come on down and start working. You can’t start your lessons until you’re done with everything you need to do.”
“All right Mamam,” Sunny said resignedly. She hoped she would be able to find time to go to the Library. She would just have to work hard at her chores and lessons to get them done faster and make open time come quicker. Maybe she’d be lucky and Statual wouldn’t get done at the same time as her. He would definitely tell on her if he saw her sneaking away.
“Um, Head Librarian, sir. Can I ask you a question? Sunny tentatively peered into the huge office that housed the most celebrated Librarian in the history of Tralina. The old, old man peered at her over the rims of his glasses as he studied a paper behind a massive, oak desk.
“Yes, what can I do for you, miss?” the Head Librarian said kindly.
“Well,” she took a deep breath of air for courage, “It’s just, sir, that I would like to know if there are other places in the world besides Tralina and how to get there if they do exist.”
“Aaah,” he said as he leaned back in his chair, “there are not other places in this world, but there are other worlds that are above and underneath this plane of reality. As for getting there… I know of no one who has tried in the past 500 years.”
“Sir, might you know how to get there? I would really like to know of even the slimmest possibility you see.” Sunny tried to stay calm as a small flame of hope lit in her heart. She would do anything to leave Tralina. Anything!
“Well, I do recall that one of our oldest documents mentions two possibilities to get to another plane of existence. To get to the one below, a world of machines and… things I don’t understand, one only has to turn one’s power within so that you burn up and extinguish any power you have and thus fall to that world without your power to hold you in this world. The other way you keep your powers, but in order to rise to the one above you must…,” and here he stopped, seemingly reluctant to go on.
“Yes, Head Librarian, what must you do?” Sunny asked desperately.
“You must die before your time, die violently. But why do you need to know, my dear?” he said peering once again at her.
“Um… thank you for your time,” Sunny ran outside as fast as she could, convinced that she would have to do something now. Turn her powers on herself? Never to be able to hold the sun’s light in her hand again? Unthinkable! Sunny smiled grimly to herself as she climbed atop the roof of her family’s cottage, after all, there were other ways of making people into ghosts.