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Date Posted: 13:37:40 02/11/02 Mon
Author: Saras
Subject: Mr.Sandman
In reply to: Laurel and Rowan 's message, "Through the Looking Glass" on 11:19:23 02/11/02 Mon

Saras�s eyes were wide as he looked around the city. Bright tears glistened in them, as he mourned. He had never had the luck, (or rather un-luck) to come across a place he had once been. He knew incredible amounts of time passed for the humans while he slept, but this was the first time he had woken up and gone back to a place he had once known. And in this case, had spent much time in. He was pained to see the city in this way. It had at one time, been the largest city he�d ever been in, and full of people� Saras loved people, and had always found the busy streets pleasant, with the jostling and the shouts of fruit vendors and sales men... There should have been coloured flags hanging in the streets and hanging gardens above the, making shady and cool resting spots. Large fountains made from foreign white stone should have been gurgling water free for all to drink in the market-place� Twilight had been an amazing city once� he wondered what could have happened to it to cause it�s people to abandon it. To let it fall into neglect like this. He wondered how long it had been �. He stopped briefly to crouch down, his hands running over the rubble that had faint faded lines from what he remembered had been a mural. The city had been a centre thriving in magic and art and learning. He had remembered tribes and distant travellers coming to marvel at the paradise in the desert�.

Saras�s tears soaked into the sand before he realized they�d been running down his face. He had never expected to come back here, but he had also expected the great city to continue to thrive. What had happened that could have destroyed such a place? Had it been sudden, or gradually eroded over time?

He was snapped out of his dazed grief when he heard shouts and strange sounds off ahead of him. Not realizing that he had gotten left behind while he had stopped to touch the stones and remember, he ran forward to catch up with his friends. He skidded into Jeremy just in time to see Tia and Rowan sucked into the wall. His eyes grew wide with recognition and an ache for the past.

�It�s still working!!� he breathed, catching his breath. The tiny genie was not used to much physical exercise, given that his state was mostly sleep. He had been made to grant wishes, not run down dark corridors� He had never had to exert too much energy, but now he was suddenly so glad he was here with these people.

Saras remembered the Wall quite well. It was a combination of a wall and a living thing, made by a mage his master, old Thorne, had known. His master at the time had been an old scholar and had taught the young mage during his school days. They�d been friends, and Thorne used to bring Saras with him when they would discuss magical experiments. The wall hadn�t been in perfect working order when Thorne had died, but Saras remembered it well enough, since it had scared him greatly at the time, having never seen magic anything like it.

�You mustn�t hurt it!� he said rushing forward, just out of reach from the hands. �It isn�t an evil wall� Tia and Rowan are ok�� he said. He knew that he was being over-protective of it, and that it was foolish because the wall wasn�t truly a living thing, but it wasn�t just a wall either. He knew he should be concerned about Rowan and Tia because it had been such a long time and he didn�t know what had happened to the wall after he had gone, but it had been made by a friend, and had been his master�s last consulting project. It was like he had a little piece of his old master back� he turned to face the wall and spoke to it, in the old language of magic from this time, which he had picked up thanks to his master�s insitance.

Several hands, sluggish from years of dormancy and probably a lack of available magic extended, reaching for something familiar. Saras understood the sentiment. The wall was lonely too�.. Whatever had happened here, the wall had been left alone, probably starving from magic and looking to fulfill it�s purpose out of an unconscious sense of duty. He stepped forward and let the many hands encircle him. They did remember, and they were gentle, feeling his body and almost seeming to tremble under the touch of someone familiar�. Saras reached out and touched the heart and brain of the wall-creature, and felt it grow sleepy in the same way that Jeremy had passed out when Saras had showed him his home, sleeping state. He yawned himself, and looked at Ravin and the others. �It�s Ok� when it falls asleep the tunnel will open� Tia and Rowan should be ok�� he said, his own eyes closing sleepily. When Saras fell asleep, he slumped against the wall, which held him protectively in it�s many hands. As Saras said, the wall changed, an opening pulling back leading down into darkness opened up. Hopefully, Saras thought at his last conscious moment, they would go down the tunnel and find Rowan and Tia. That was, if everything worked how it was supposed to work�and it hadn�t been changed from between the time he had been here, and when the city had been abandoned.

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Replies:

Venturing onward -- Erlic, Corum & Valhorek, 20:45:35 02/11/02 Mon
- Looking for Corum -- Tristan, 01:38:10 02/12/02 Tue
  - Ruined my day -- Argus, 05:17:16 02/12/02 Tue
  - Confusing encounter -- Isobel, 05:41:43 02/12/02 Tue
- Damn it's cold in here. -- Jade, 06:00:07 02/12/02 Tue
  - Into the west tower -- Marz and co., 10:24:34 02/12/02 Tue
    - Search party -- Erlic & Valhorek, 20:29:48 02/12/02 Tue
      - Don't you mean rescue? -- Tristan, 00:39:48 02/13/02 Wed
        Along for the ride -- Argus and Barry, 04:33:17 02/13/02 Wed
        My heroes! -- Jade, 05:41:48 02/13/02 Wed
  - Taking a breather -- Ravin and Marz, 10:15:55 02/13/02 Wed
    - NOW we're together -- Rowan, 14:30:14 02/13/02 Wed
      - ..she has no hair. -- Saras, 15:10:28 02/13/02 Wed
      - I swear I'm okay -- Tristan, 15:15:28 02/13/02 Wed
        They were just sandals -- Erlic, Corum & Yorik, 19:34:19 02/13/02 Wed
      - Anybody got any spare clothes? -- Jade, 03:19:13 02/14/02 Thu
        Naked lady in the cell... kiss me now I'll never tell -- Barry, 03:29:57 02/14/02 Thu
      - It's really great to be here tonight -- Isobel and Argus, 04:05:32 02/14/02 Thu

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