Crimson is Our Favorite Color

The Trials(2)

After an brief explanation in which he told her that he was a Funambulist

(He was 85% sure that it was a word, it sounded sort of real and he was sure that he had heard it somewhere, it sounded fun at least), she put him up in a small room with a rickety cot, and a small nightstand. Gransfen breathed a sigh of relief when she accepted his "job" without question, and he proceeded to latch the small door, with a lock that he was sure wouldn't hold, and sure enough as he fumbled with it it snapped clean off, of well, what was one lock? He lay down on the cot, who's mattress mysteriously seemed to be a bit damp despite the dry air. He tried not to think about that, or the smell of wet socks, nor the way the bed creaked with every micro-movement he made.

In the secrecy of his tiny room he summoned Wilco, who seemed to take the hint to be quiet. She circled around the room, then stopped short. With a flash, and a searing pain, Wilco disappeared once more onto Gransfen's arm, and not a moment too soon, as the next moment, a young boy came bursting through the, now unlocked, door.

Gransfen waited for him to calm down, as he had obviously run a long way, and was quite out of breath. Finally he managed to pant out, "meeting... 7... tomorrow... Pia's house..." Gransfen thanked him, and sent him on his way once more. But he noticed the disapproving look that the boy cast upon the broken lock, now abandoned on the floor.

That was a close call Gransfen thought to himself as he let Wilco back out.

As Wilco circled the ragged carpet, Gransfen lay down and relaxed. He had had a long day, so he settled down into the thread-bare sheets, and as Wilco finally lay down in a semi-circle, beneath him, he closed his eyes and was asleep the next moment.

The next day he woke up with a start. He thought over the message the young boy had brought yesterday. He had been so distracted with the prospect of someone discovering who he really was that he never thought to ask where Pia's house was, not to mention that he had no way to actually judge time, seeing as there was no clock. Although judging by the darkness outside it couldn't have been past 5 o'clock. But just as he had thought the local bell tower (for that is where he assumed the sound was coming from) struck once, twice, three times, four, five, six, and seven. He was already late!

How was it so dark? Then he remembered how far north he was. That must have been why it was so dark so late. He summoned a rather sleepy wildcat into a passive state, and took off. He stopped the first person he saw to ask for directions. A kindly looking old man with a crooked smile, and wispy white hair. Gransfen guessed that he was the owner of the inn that Pia had put him up in.

The innkeeper pointed him in the right direction, and started yammering directions. "One left, two rights, straight, another right, left, left, right. Then Bingo! You're there!" Gransfen thanked him, as he tried hard to memorize the instructions. Then the old man added something that caught Gransfen by surprise, "the whole towns buzzing about you, haven't had anyone like you around in a long time" still running late Gransfen didn't have time to think about the comment as he raced off.

Left, right, right, straight, right, left, left, right. He followed the old man's instructions. Finally as he finished the final turn he thought to himself, "Bingo! You're there!" but where was he? Considering the size of this small town he was surprised that he hadn't seen this area before. Obviously he had reached the end of the town . There was a pool of water, with a statue of a polar bear beside it. The pond's water was murky and a shade of light brown.there was a field of grass, a golden colour, and the last houses were a ways away, wait, no, he corrected himself, actually there was a newer looking house closer to the pool. Its shingles were a light brown that showed that it had been newly built, and it was not encrusted with moss and lichen.

He had been so distracted with his surroundings that he hadn't noticed a figure emerge from the small house.

"Henner" A familiar voice said, somehow the quiet voice carried far enough so that Gransfen could hear it perfectly, "I've been meaning to talk to you, would you be free tomorrow evening? The townsfolk re very excited to finally see you"

Gransfen wanted to say no, that he needed to be moving on, but something told him that this might be the perfect opportunity to introduce Suka into conversation. After all, how hard could mingling with a few townsfolk be?

But as he soon found out, mingling was not what the townsfolk had in mind.