My Best Friend PART II

I waited for her in the living room. I saw that the living room was very well organized with books in one corner, a grand piano in another corner with the fireplace right next to it. It was a very cozy room indeed and I felt right at home.

Soon Tiffany came down. She was wearing a red frock with black laces, her hair was tied up in a red ribbon and her cheeks were pale yet rosy.

“Now you two have fun, and don’t wander too far. Remember how easily you catch cold Tiffany, do be careful.”

The rest of the afternoon we just sat by the ol’ tree near the chapel. I told Tiffany all about the town and about the guys. I also apologized about what happened that night. She said it was ok, she hadn’t wanted to come but her mom had asked her to. We had a lovely talk and soon I walked her back to her house and went home for tea.

However, you cannot always hold all the marbles in your hand and not drop any. Some of my friends had seen me with her, and they had secretly spied over me, even recording what we had said. The next day they started poking fun at me, accusing me of liking her and such stuff, and I got so angry that I gave Freddy a box on his ear. After that he and three other guys started attacking me. Just as it was raining fists on my face, ol’ Moe suddenly showed up and chased my friends away.

My nose was bleeding badly, so Moe took me to his house. It was the first time that I had been inside his house and I admit, I was a little scared.

“So, why was your friends beating you to a pulp, huh?”

I told Moe all that happened and he broke out into a loud laugh. Rubbing the blood off my face he proceeded to tell me this story about himself:

“Aye, there was this strange girl I met a good many years back. I was young then, about your age. She was very silent and she fascinated me. I wanted to go make friends with her but never had the courage. Once I saw her being teased by the town bullies and she was crying. I ran to her and helped her out. From that day me and her were slowly becoming good friends.

Years passed we were still good friends but I started realizing that people started making fun of me as she was just the daughter of an old man who lived outside town buying and selling junk and my father was the head of this here post-office, so I started avoiding her and last I heard of her, she ran away, it’s rumored she eloped with someone or something I heard, am not sure though. Rumors are hardly true but anyways she did disappear. But I don’t mean to bore ya son, just telling you a little part of my history. Anyways my advice to you be don’t a start drinkin like me, hehehe, I was once wealthy man but look at me now.”

I thanked Moe for everything and soon left for home. I grew so restless that night, what was happening to me, why couldn’t I stop thinking about little Tiffany. In my heart I started hating her. She was the reason why I fought with my good friends. I decided never to see her again but I couldn’t stop thinking about her though.

Christmas and New Year celebrations were over and it was time again for school. That year of school flew by. Mrs. Winters turned out to be a great teacher and all of us, even lil’ Stu came out with flying colors. However the only student who didn’t do well was Tiffany which surprised us as she was the teacher’s daughter and we expected her to top the class, but she came dead last. But I told myself I wasn’t gonna bother myself with her, my friends were more important.

Many a time, Mrs. Winters came to me and asked me to come over to their house for tea but I always had one excuse or another and so I always managed to escape going there.

It had been a whole year since I had last spoken to Tiffany and I was starting to forget all about her and life was slowly getting back to normal. One day I went for a walk to the lake. It was unbelievably cold that day, it snowed for the first time in many years and I just wanted to see the frozen lake. I reached the lake in half an hour and sat in silence.

Suddenly I saw a small squirrel, a thin, tiny one, walking around in the snow. I fixed my eyes on it. There was a group of other healthier looking squirrels near it and they were feasting on some nuts. The small squirrel tried to join them but they kept on chasing it away. Soon it gave up and hobbled away. I was angry at the other bullies for not sharing with him and was about to chase them off when I heard a sobbing sound.

I followed the sound and soon I saw a person sitting by himself in the snow bank weeping. I was about to go down and ask why he was crying when suddenly I noticed it wasn’t a boy, it was Tiffany!

I just stood there and watched her. After ten or so minutes I could no longer bear it, so I went down and called her name. She looked at me in surprise.

“What are you doing here, Tiffany? Does your mother know you are here? Hey, you might get sick, come, I’ll take you home.”

She stopped crying and stared at me.

“You mean, you’ll really walk me home?”

“Yes, I will… I’m sorry I’ve ignored you like this. I’m sorry…..”

“Thank you, Billy…I thought that no one in this world really cared for me. I know my mom loves me but I often hear her crying alone and I know it’s because she wished I was never born. When you came and asked me out last year, it was on this exact date, the 15th of December, I felt so happy, Billy, coz I believed I found a friend at last. But I heard you got beaten up because of me, that was why you stayed away, but I understand Billy, and thank you… you’re my best friend.”

With that she came and hugged me and gave me a peck on the cheek. My whole being felt warm and nice but I didn’t know what to say. I just smiled at her. From that moment I didn’t care what happened to me anymore. Tiffany was now my friend, and I was proud of it. I walked her home, her mom had been worried sick about her and when she saw her she came running and hugged her and kissed her and she kept on thanking me.

“Tiffany, where have you been? Don’t you know how much I’ve been looking for you? Don’t ever scare me like this again, you’re all I have in this world, please realize that, you’re my everything,” sobbed Mrs. Winters in between her tears.

I was invited in for tea and we had a wonderful conversation. I found out that Mrs. Winters was as a good as person as she was as a teacher and now I was proud that I could call her and Tiffany my friends. So what if Megan and the others mocked me, I had new friends and a new circle now and I was filled with joy. I even gave Tiffany my prized shell necklace. I had found the shell when my family and I had gone to the ocean-side for a vacation. I had had it with me ever since. Tiffany squealed with delight when I gave her that necklace.

The next day I was very eager to go visit Tiffany but since it was snowing heavily it was impossible to go anywhere so I stayed indoors all day. I had heard that she was also a bit sick from the previous day’s outing which made me even keener to go and visit her. But the steady downfall of whiteness kept on getting thicker and thicker and so I had to shelve my plans.

The next morning right after breakfast, I packed a few loaves of bread, courtesy of my mom and headed out towards Tiffany’s home full of joy. I was very eager to see her and I knew that she too was eagerly waiting for me.

I arrived at the house at 9 o’clock and knocked on the door. Mrs. Winters opened the door with tear strained eyes.

“Come in, Billy. Tiffany’s been expecting you. In fact she told me not to let anyone see her before you do.”

I followed Mrs. Winters into Tiffany’s room and when I entered the room my whole being was left in a state of shock and my jaw just dropped open. It was Tiffany lying on the bed, pale as a white spring flower and still as the silence of the night. She was dead! I looked closely and found that my necklace was held tightly in her right hand and pressed against her now still heart. I didn’t know what to say or do; I just stood and stared at her. But even though she was gone, she looked so peaceful and there was even a semblance of a peaceful smile on her face.

Mrs. Winters hugged me and tears just poured forth from her eyes and soul, but I still didn’t know what to do. After she had dried her eyes she said this to me:

“She passed away at exactly half past eight this morning. I couldn’t call a doctor because I couldn’t leave her alone. She kept on saying: ‘Don’t worry mom, Billy will soon be here and everything will be all right. Until he comes I won’t let anyone touch me or see me. He’s given me so much happiness mom. He’s the one person besides you who cares for me and he has also helped me to see how much you really care and love me too mom. He’s my best friend.’ She breathed her last shortly after saying those words.

But at least she died happy. You see, she was conceived here many years ago and since I couldn’t tell anyone, I ran away and even changed my name. But I simply had to come back , this is my home and now at least I should be glad that this place which is a home and yet a source of so much pain to me should be the place where my daughter finds true happiness-a happiness that will stay with her forever and for always. And I have you to thank for that, Billy, thank you, you were and will always be Tiffany’s Best Friend."

Below is a song called "Love Is" by Yuko Ohigashi, the inspiration behind the story.

My Best Friend PART I

A story inspired by Yuko Ohigashi's "Love Is"

The evening sun was slowly setting. I was out on the porch sitting and chatting with Megan, Ralf and little Stuart. This was the kind of life any thirteen year-old could possibly want. Schools were over, winter was setting in and all that was left to do was to have fun and frolic in the winter sun all day long and then this, waiting for evening tea in the company of good friends. This was it; I couldn’t have asked for more.

“Golly gee, that was a whopper of a salmon you caught today”, said little Stu, his eyes gleaming with wonder.

I looked at little Stu. His eyes were filled with admiration for me. Although I only have one sister, I always considered little Stu to be my little brother. True we were of the same age but a big advantage in size justified this feeling of seniority I had.

I smiled at him and replied, “Don’t worry Stu, you’re still new at fishing. Once you’ve gone with me for a couple more rounds you’ll soon get big uns of your own.’

Megan sneered, “It’s the onset of winter, Billy Crimple. How in the world do you think you’ll keep on fishing, you wanna kill little Stu out there in the lake, do you? Have some sense and don’t let your pride kill Stu, kill yourself maybe, but spare Stu.”

“Who says you can’t go fishing in winter? I’ve caught many a big un in the middle of December. Don’t you dare say it’s not possible.”

“Humph! You’ll soon kill yourself of fever and cold, you will and when you do, don’t expect me to mourn then.”

“Fine then. I won’t,” I shot back.

Then I heard the magic words of my mom in the background calling me for tea.

“Gotta go guys. Tea time.”

And with that I dashed home and happily sat down for tea. It was starting to get dark outside and I knew that I would be out in the streets again very soon, giggling and playing with my friends, telling each other of stories of the Bog man out in the swamps and all other scary stories till all of us screamed our little lungs out. Why we screamed I never understood. For me it wasn’t out of fear, I knew that I was safe within the town and no Bog man would come after me. But screaming was fun anyway and that’s what I always did, and I was always the loudest.

Soon we gathered round ol’ Moe’s doorstep and we met him as he was just getting ready to leave for the pub. We all hid when we saw him, but he saw us anyway and shouted, “Aye, you little rascals better be gone when I come a home, I’m a warnin y’us little mongrels, better clear off when I come back ya hear?”

We all giggled. We knew that he would probably pass out at the pub and we didn’t have to worry about him coming back. It was usually dawn by the time he came back staggering all the way to his house.

I noticed a new face in the crowd tonight with Megan.

“Hey Megan, who’s the new girl?” I asked.

Megan looked at all of us with an air of authority. She never failed to let us remember who was the oldest among us, and all the guys hated her for acting so mature and bossy with us. But none of us really spoke out as we were all afraid of being called a sissy for fighting with her.

Finally Megan spoke up. “This is Tiffany. She and her mother just arrived from the city today. She is going to be with us here from now on. Her mother will be working in the school from next year.”

“And where’s her father?” shouted the loudmouthed Jonnie Brooks, loud as ever.

I noticed that Tiffany trembled a little when she heard this question. “I…I…I…I never knew my father,” she stuttered. I noticed tears in her eyes as she said this.

There was a strange silence after that. Everybody stared at Tiffany. After a minute or so of silence she burst into tears and ran off. Everybody started laughing at this and started to call her names.

Even Megan started snorting out her arrogant laugh. “You guys should have left her alone,” I said breaking the grand effusion of laughter in the air.

“Billy’s right for once,” said Megan.

But we soon forgot all about the episode and we were all lost in the stories we told one another, the ones we had heard many times over, and as expected it ended with all of us screaming and running towards our own homes. On my way home, I started thinking about what had happened that night. As I was walking, I noticed the little wooden shacks by the side of the roads with drawn curtains and shadows of flickering candles visible through them. It wasn’t much but this was our little town of Staunton and I couldn’t dream of living anywhere else.

I knew the town well, if it could be called a town at all. It was surrounded on the north and the east by a thick forest. To the south there was the swamp, or the Bog man’s home as we called it. It wasn’t really much of a swamp, just an old lake overgrown with vegetation. To the west was my favorite place, the lake. There I had caught many a huge salmon and I was famous in town for my prized catches which helped my mom and dad feed the mouth of me and my sister.

The town itself had a population of just around 100 houses. Everything was quite and orderly- this was home. I took a left just past the ol’ blacksmith’s forge and there stood a little house made of pine wood, slightly elevated from the ground with poles from all sides, with inviting little steps leading up to the porch and front door.

Home at last.

It was around nine o’clock and time for supper. I could smell the inviting scent of stew and warm bread even from outside and my tummy rumbled inside me. I soon forgot all that had happened that night and was in the house in no time. I noticed my dad wasn’t in the kitchen. Mom was there and my sister had yet to return from the trip to the city to my aunt’s.

I went into the living room and there I saw dad sitting with a woman. The woman was wearing a brown dress and her brown hair was tied up in a bun. She had small looking glasses on and she was very sickly and pale. There was a girl of around my age sitting at the woman’s feet. I was shocked, it was Tiffany and the woman was undoubtedly her mother. She would have no doubt complained about our behavior towards her earlier to her mom and now they were here, talking to my dad about it. I was about to run out of the room when my dad caught sight of me.

“Ah! Billy, just in time. Cm’ere boy.”

I prayed a silent prayer and I hung my head as if I was carrying the weight of the world on it. I could not dare look up, I was feeling so bad.

“Look sharp, my man. Meet Mrs. Winters, she just arrived from the city today and she will be your new schoolteacher next year. And this is her daughter Tiffany. Both of them have been dying to meet you. They shall have dinner with us tonight.”

I was stunned. I remembered saying something that sounded like “hello” when I shook their hands, but I wasn’t sure.

How the rest of the evening went, I am not sure. I hardly saw anything but my shoes, not daring to look up. I don’t even remember if I ate well or not but judging from the rumbling tummy I had in the middle of the night, I guess I didn’t eat very much.

Next morning I woke up fresh and confident. Tiffany hadn’t told anything about our mean behavior to her mother after all. I smiled and went down to breakfast happily. There my mom told me about her and her mom. Her mother had been raped by a man, but she chose to have the baby anyway since she felt it was wrong to go for an abortion. She had been raising Tiffany up this way, finding work in different places as a school teacher and now she was finally here. I felt sorry for Tiffany and wondered what it would be like to grow up without a father. I certainly could not imagine my life without good ol’ dad by my side and I was full of sympathy for her.

After breakfast, I asked mom if we could go pay them a visit. My mom thought it to be a lovely idea so we went to their house. I didn’t say much during our stay there, Tiffany said even less. I just smiled at her to show her that I came in peace and she too gave me one or two smiles, nothing more. The rest of the day I couldn’t stop thinking about her, her tears the previous night, her painful expression and now that sweet smile stuck in my head like the pleasing scent of the fresh summer flowers that lingers on in one’s senses.

I wasn’t myself the rest of the day. The guys thought that I was sick and Megan gave me a mouthful claiming it was because of my fishing and triumphantly sneered, “I told you so, dummy.”

But I couldn’t tell them what had happened to me, no, they would make fun of me and accuse me of liking her which I certainly didn’t. But I couldn’t help it, I asked the guys to excuse me and I sneaked off to the Winters’ residence. I knocked at the door and Mrs. Winters answered.

“Young master Crimple, how good to see you here, come in, come in. Would you like some tea?”

“I came to ask Tiffany if she would like to play.”

“Oh! How sweet of you. Come in. This is the first time that someone is asking her out to play. She will be so happy.”

Yesterday, Now and Tomorrow

T' is often said that distance makes the heart grow fonder and tonight I can testify the truth of this saying. The todays we face right now often seem to pale in comparison with the glorious yesterdays and yesteryears. Of late, I too have fallen prey to this trap of glorifying events passed, to the extent that the present moment seems bleak and dark, and that joy and happiness seem to diminish with every "Happy New Year" that we greet each other with.

It however has taken a bit of magic in the form of a piece(Flying through the clouds)(in video below) by my favorite pianist Yuko Ohigashi to set in motion the cob-webbed, long ignored voice of reason in my head which got me thinking "Were the yesteryears really so happy and trouble-free as compared to the situation that we find ourselves in today?" The answer was a resounding NO! They are however better than the now because we managed to get through whatever hardships were present then.

Then it hit me, these todays are the yesterdays I'm going to cherish in the near and distant future. Instead of lamenting and pining away for things passed, I realize now that I am better off trying to make NOW into a wonderful and heart-warming past, with the knowledge and satisfaction that I did all I could to make it so and at the same continue to adore and cherish all that had gone on in my life. :)


Spirit of affairs long past,
You have found me deep in thought
And your spell on me have you cast;
In melancholy is my mind fraught.
Thoughts of things past and gone,
Far away from this very moment,
Of scenes in my heart long drawn;
O'er these I cry and lament.
Unwilling in my heart lo let go
T' is dragging my spirits low
Yet t'is beyond my every power
To return to that happy hour
Of the things that have been
But now are no more.
But t' is clear now, I have seen
Shut now is that door.

So, sad spirit leave me be,
T 'is better, can't you see,
To leave things as they are?
I will now look to things far,
But will be forwards, and not back
Onwards will I slash and hack,
Through every pain and sorrow I face
I will change this unhappy place,
To one with joy and smiles galore
Like the ones that I so adore,
While loving and cherishing even more,
All that had come and been before.

Below is a song called "Flying through the clouds" by Yuko Ohigashi mentioned above

Revised Sayings

Since we're now a decade into a new millennium, I have taken it upon myself for the welfare of Ogres, Men, Werewolves and all other inhabitants of this miserable little planet to revise the age old sayings of the past into more suitable versions for our times. And here we go (any additions are eagerly accepted and awaited):

1. Early to bed and early to rise makes man an early man

2. Too err is human, to forgive not so, so why bother

3. A stitch in time is for sissies

4. If at first you don't succeed, try again and if you still don't succeed, google for instructions

5. A penny saved is for bus fare

6. A fool and his money are excellent friends

7. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a trip to the servicing center

8. Cheats sometimes prosper

9. He who laughs last gets the joke the slowest

10. When the going gets tough ask for help

"Women"

Women-the greatest mystery in the whole world. I had always been convinced that men and women function differently, though some people satt-ly errr sadly disagree. And a certain incident that happened today triggered a chain reaction of thoughts in this whacked-up brain of mine, but before I go into that let me first tell you all what happened.

It was around noon and I was jobless and so bored to the extent that I actually started watching the Australia-West Indies test match, commentaries included when I got a call from my sister to get ready as she wanted me to take her, or rather she wanted to take me shopping. Having nothing better to do and being promised a treat at the shopping center, I agreed and got ready. She told me she'd be there in 15 minutes. 35 minutes later she appeared and then we set off and finally reached the Aizawl woman's paradise - The Second Hand Lane. After stopping for a cup of tea and some food, she started, Oh boy did she start!!! Three hours and several plastic bags in my hand later, she said we could go, BUT not before she bought me a jacket as a reward for which we took another 30 minutes. Finally after close to four hours walking around, we reached the car and 30 minutes later home...at last.

Then it hit me, this was the same sister who in May this year had struggled to take a 15 minute walk to the grocers with me coz I was feeling too lazy to drive!!! HOLY COW!!!

I then realized that WITH the proper motivation, women would be able to do ANYTHING. No more hunger, no more wars, no more AIDS, no more economic problems, a colony on the moon, you name it...a whole new wonderful world free of all problems thanks to a special group of women assembled to make our world a better place, a motivated group for whom nothing is impossible, and the cost of all this - a free four hour shopping spree at any second hand lane in the world!!!

An Alternate Universe

Having recently watched an alternate universe of FRIENDS for the umpteenth time, these are some of the conclusions I have made, IF I were in an alternate universe:

1. I would have been Jim Carrey

2. Satty would have been Rosie O' Donnell

3. Mythili would have been caretaker of an orphanage who worked part-time as a cab driver (with a husband who worked part-time at poker tables in Las Vegas)

4. Beni would have been Madonna

5. Babie would have been a professional wrestler

6. Bishock would have been President of the U.S.A

7. Ajith would have been a gay porn star, oh wait I think he is one in this world too

8. Maha would have been my dream girl

9. Kvulo would have been Hugh Hefner

10. Ruki would have been in the army

11. Joseph (my nephew) would have been a rock star

12. Bikram would have been a hired assasin (who loves playing crosswords in his free time)

13. Ferdy would have been Don Williams

14. Jimmy would have been a police dog

15. Ruth would have been captain of the Indian Women Football team

16. Seni would have been an R&B singer

17. Among would have been Vijay Mallya

18. Pu Lailunga would have been Napoleon

19. Oren would have been V.C of EFLU

20. Temsu would have been Osama Bin Laden

21. Apuii would have been Britney Spears

22. Alyssa would have been Hilary Clinton

23. Sammy would have been Michael Jackson

24. Rahul would have been Godzilla (with hair)

25. Geets would have been my Mom

26. Eli would have been Paris Hilton

27. Sagar would have been Bill Gates

28. Hewasa would have been Dakota Fanning

29. Nchum would have been Nick Carter

30. Wati would have been Jack Johnson's publicist
...and that's about it! Other takes are welcome!!!

My Journey to True Love II - Castle Fairydust to Care Island

Having left Lady Francine, I cautiously proceeded along Airy Path, the only way to Castle Fairydust. One has to be careful here, you can see the world of reality clearly from here and if you don't proceed with care it is here that the little imps of worry and concern will make sure you never make it to the castle. That night though my spirits were high and the peace in my heart helped me to cross Airy Path without any difficulty.

I had walked around a quarter of an hour when before me, I could see a beautiful shining castle - Castle Fairydust at last. No sooner than it came into my view I started hearing a voice - it was so calm, so soothing it had to be Lady Francine, but it wasn't! It was singing a sad sad song in a language I had never heard in my life and for no apparent reason I started weeping my soul out. Just then I heard footsteps and before me stood a being, it had the shape and body of a man but i saw that his head was shaped like a star. His whole body too glowed like one.

"And pray tell why are you weeping,young sir, yes!" said he.

"I don't know sir, this song in the air just makes me cry, can't you hear it?"

"And what do I hear save for your incessant weeping, young sir, yes?"

"That voice...that song, you don't hear it?"

"And so it seems, hmmmm, voices eh? And would you be the one sent by Lady Francine yes?"

"That I am, sir", I replied.

"And so it would be, yes, strange lot you who are called by Her. And very well follow me then, She has left some things for you in the Castle Vault, yes She has. And if you will follow me yes?"

I followed this strange being to the castle and he took me down to the vaults where he opened a strange locker, in fact the locker opened itself when we arrived there.

"And yes, you would be the one yes, were it not for you it never would have opened itself, yes? Here you go, yes? And if you would follow me please, someone would have a word with you, yes she would, yes!" he said as he handed me a dusty old bag.

We then proceeded upstairs and I could see all manners of fairies, elves and pixies enjoying themselves in the ball-room. The elves in particular were a treat for the eyes- slender, graceful with lovely features and they were singing for the others who were happily dancing time away. I couldn't help but smile and feel a strange sense of peace when I saw this. However, my host led me past this merriment and into the Throne Room and there it was that I saw one of the most beautiful elves on the throne. She smiled when she saw me and said thus:

"Ah! Child of Sorrow, enter please. Thank you Starch for bringing him here. I trust you have given him the bag, you have? Excellent. Now then my child allow me to introduce myself, I am Lady Fwendyer, Queen of Fairydust and might I say that it is an absolute pleasure for me to see with my own eyes The Child of Destiny sent by Lady Francine herself, an absolute pleasure, come and sit before me, I see questions in your eyes and I shall tell you whatever I can."

"Thank you, Lady Fwendyer..."

"No child, thank YOU!" she replied "now go on, ask away?"

"Can you tell me why I'm here and what I need to do?"

"The first question you will find out for yourself dear boy and as for the second question I will tell you later. Are there any more questions?"

"Yes, can you tell me whats in the bag?"

"That I can", she smiled "Inside that magic bag are three things, a robe, a sword and a picture frame. But do not take them out now, you will know when to take them out, but just to give you an idea let me tell you. The robe is to be used when the very air around you dampens your spirit, the sword is to be used when and only when violence is the only answer and the picture frame to be used when you need to know what it is that is most important to you. But you can use each item only once before the magic that binds them will be unbound and vanish forever so use it only when you absolutely must and not before. Now I will tell you what you must do, just outside the castle you will find a trail that leads down to the shore. You must go there immediately and search for a Captain Fairwave. He will take you to the next part of your journey. I know you still have questions aplenty, child, but they are really not mine to answer and you will be have all the answers when you need them and not before. Now hurry child, and if all goes well, I hope to see you here again soon. I shall eagerly await your return and I shall hold a great banquet to celebrate your success. But for now, farewell, O Child of Sorrow."

With a bow, I left the company of the Fair Lady of Castle Fairydust and followed her directions. There at the shore I met the captain, Captain Fairwave.

"Ho! Welcome lad, welcome, a pleasure to meet you. Allow me to shake your hand. It would be a pleasure to welcome you to my fair ship, The Flying Fin, come now come."

I boarded the ship and the catain took me to my cabin and left me there while he gave orders to the crew to set sail immediately. After a while he reappeared.

"Alas lad, we are off now to Care Island. I have been instructed to take you there, heaven knows why, its a lonely isolated little island and a funny one if there ever was one. All I can tell you lad is that once you are there you are to look for the Cavern of Weeping and enter there. There would be someone waiting for you there, and now I'll leave you to rest and preserve your strength, you shall need it. I shall notify you when we are there."

And so was I left alone undisturbed for hours. I tried to sleep but I couldn't, everytime I closed my eyes I could hear the song I heard near Castle Fairydust and I was left to sit alone and ponder over what lay ahead for me. I hadn't asked for any of this and almost felt so frustrated to the point of being brought back to reality, but then the thought of Lady Francine saved me. I knew that she wouldn't send me on this quest for nothing and so my belief in Her revived my hopes and I was filled with a new determination to see this through.

After many hours of sailing, Captain Fairwave finally reappeared and smiled.

"We're here lad, on must you go alone now. But before that, there is someone on board who wishes to see you. I will bring her in."

The captain then brought in a fair elven maiden who bowed the moment she saw me.

"Quel re, Heruamin, cormamin lindua ele lee (Good day, my lord, my heart sings to see thee) I am Andresia and I know it is more than I could ever wish for to be able to help you let alone see you. I come bearing a gift. Please take this shell with you. It is filled with the song of the elves and is able to work its magic to all who listen to it. You will know when you need it. I must go now, my Lord. It has been an honor to see you in person. Aa’ lasser en lle coia orn n' omenta gurtha (May the leaves of your life tree never turn brown) "

With that she left me and I too left the ship and waved farewell to the captain and his crew and Andresia too.

I was now alone on the island and could feel an eerie presence all around. But now my job was to find the Cavern of Weeping and that is where my tale will continue...