Cloud foot

Chapter 1

In a world not like the one in which this book resides, this story begins. A world captivated by magc of all sorts, where adventures are the norm and the people never know what to expect.

A small, small, village in a large, large desert is where she lives. A young girl, 12 years old, stuck in the middle of nowhere, on the outskirts of insanity. Her rusty red hair matches the dusty red desert. The sky also seems to fit in with the colour sceme, as does the half dead village, creaking with age, the old wood of the houses beaten by the sand, wind and sun. No one in there right mind would have ever guessed that the village was in preparation for it's 125th anneversiry. The silence seemed deafeningly loud. The noise and buzz would only come after the 125th anneversery, 3 days to be precise, he would call that fashionably late. She sat on a soft red rock just outside the assortment of poorley and hasteley built wooden, red houses. Her fingers covered in the red dust from the rock she was anxiousely fumbling with. Every thing was red apart from her brown eyes which had turned green with envy. She wore red most of the time as well as brown. The pale skin on her face was void of any blush or frecles but full of anxiety.

She thought to her self "a fifty-fifty chance and I get stuck on a rock in the middle of the desert while my magical brother flies all around the world." It's not that she is a mean, bitter, jealous, person it is just that a fifty-fifty chance really did make such a difference. Elizita was an orphan, her parents died when she was an infant. Her grandmother had raised her and her brother ever since. Her mother was a wizard and her farther was just an ordinary man, an accountant to be precise. She was born with no magical abilities while her brother became the infamous red-tips the wizard. He was called red tips because his hair is black with red tips, which he was actualy born with. The people of the village revered him for bringing so much "fame" to Chimray. At the age of 5, when his magical powers were first unleashed and found out he was treated differently. He's been in training ever since the age of 8, at home, with half rotten, magic books. But at 12 he left home to perfect his training, with an apprentiship. As part of his studies he had to travel the world, from magical site to magical site, gathering his studies.

Elizitas life here was more than the exact dictionary definition of boredom, it was resiting the whole dictionary until you died of boredom. Then you would be like everything else in the desert, dead. There were no plants for miles because it never rained. Just some red sand and a red sky and a red village. There was no form of entertainment, only a few books per house hold. Electricity was only afforded by some housewholds, which could afford to use the wind powerd generatore a few yards out in the desert, surrounded by old, barely moveing windturbines. These were mainly the houses along the main road in Chimray that was a the begining of the village near the entrance. Slightly grand houses, much bigger than the rest, with balcanies and shutters on windows.

It was as though the only passtime for the villagers was proving they could survive in the desert. An under ground aqueduct supplied the desert with water, and their food came from towns and cities 100s of miles away, outside the desert. They all just waited, while their lives slid away, asthough they had forgotten what they were waiting for. It had been that way for generations.

Walking through the dead desert she made her way to the small red, brown house on the very far outskirts of the village. A depressing site is a perfect description for this poor weatherd, heart broken house. The windows were coverd in a screen of filth so old and thick that not even day light could creep through. The wood was stained with years of neglect. The poor door was hanging on for dear life but the whole house had given up completely. It wasn't that the house wasn't cared for it was just that everything seemed to age so fast in the harsh desert. It looked as though the house had given up on life but the truely sorry sight was the dead wind turbine over-shadowing the little old house. It's rusted blades had stopped spinning a long time ago and now it's aged body sagged and bent with the weight of it's head. Dangerously lent over the house, it would have posed a threat if anybody had the effort to care. It's silver metalic shine though told of maby once a new past long forgotten.

She stepped into the warm though slightly morbid atmosphere of her house. Old, stained walls, carpets and curtains welcomed her from the desert. Everything was old fashioned and motheaten, yet clean, though dusty. Everything seemed to be beige or brown, with no life that was not decades past it's age. The grayish floor board creeked malishously "She's home, but where has she been?"

Her grandmother greeted her with a warm smile. She was a squat, very aged lady, with poweruly dark, yet kind eyes, and always in her slippers. Then she looked at her."Elizita, have you been out in the desert again, you're covered in dust?" said her disgruntled grandmother as she saw her dusty jeans.
"I've only been on the outskirts of the village."
"You know that the desert is too vast to go wandering in" she said with a scornful and protective tone. Her grandmother was a sweet, caring, elderly woman but she was quite over protective, especially when it comes to the desert.

She walked up the old faded stairs, each little creak laughing at her, and on walking to her bed room she passed Raygo's study room. It had been especially prepared for his arrival. Her bed room was tidy but covered in dust and cob-webs, the furniture was old and half dead.

She sighed and dropped on her rose, pink, patch quilt bed, opposite the violette curtains. The only two peices of coulor in the room. From within a draw of her bed-side cabinate she pulled out a photo of the whole family before her parents died and before Raygo became such a "big jerk." The frame and glass were coverd in dust, the photo had been forgotten for years. Her mother had pink hair and wore exentric clothes, asthough she were some sort of medevil princess, while her father wore the most plain and dull clothes. Her grandmother was from her farther's side of the family, he was born and raised in the village, just an ordinary man, Fantrogo Militaf. Know one really knows much about the history of her mother Northea Militaf or where she came from. When Elizita asks her grandmother about it she never gets a straight answer, her grandmother always seems to answer in riddles or say that she is to old and tired to talk. Her parents look so cheerful in the photo. She could not remember them but she still missed them.

Looking closer at the photo, she could see the lively and youthful pink eyes of her mother. Her smile was cheeky. She must have gone on so many adventures with her powers and Elizita had daydreams of her dancing on clouds, surrounded by streams of rainbow light.

Glaring arond her borng old room she noticed every piece of pale beige wooden furniture, simple in design. In one corner her dark wooden door, the corner next a simple baige wooden cabinet, the next her plain wooden desk and in the corner next, surprisingly her sturdy wooden wardrobe. She lie in the middle of her room sick of seeing all the wood that surounded her. Not even her window opposite her bed offerd her a change in scenery. Just the light that could escape through the screen of age on the thin glass window, which gave her a view of the never ever changing dry dry desert.

Her only choice of entertainment seemed to be eigther drawing something she couldn't think of, as there was a definate lake of imaginative inspiration which came from her second choice. Reading the few old, boring, encyclopedeic books that lined the shelf in the corner above her cabinet. However the shelves unlke every other peice of furnature in the room were not dusty as she read quite a lot, but with so few books she often found her self reading the same books over and over again. They contained nothing imaginative or particularly mentaly stimulating for Elizita. Her fravarote book was about the flight patterns of owls.

The walls in the little wooden house were paper thin and so Elizitas could hear the door when it opened, and her Grandmothers voice welcoming someone from the desert. The little girl was so curios that she crept down stairs to see who it was. She could not recognise their voice. Stood halfway down the stairs her head timidly ducked below the ceiling to see who it was. At the entrance to the house, in the corridor way stood on the faided, brightly patterned woven mat was a very strange looking man. It wasn't his very darkk green formal suit, of scruffly dark hair, or even his top hat and cane that made him look strange it was something about his face. Maby his absurd bright lime green eyes.

"And, who is this?" He said in a rather jolly tone,, though it seemed as though Elizita's Grandmother was reluctant to intrroduce her own grandchild. Elizita slowly crept down a few more steps to greet the stranger "Oh, this is my grandoughter, Elizita." She said trying to hide the reluctance in her voice.
"Why, hello Elizita, I'm the new mayor, Mayor Tabaline."
"Hello Mayor Tabaline."
"He has just come to talk about involving your brother in the Village's celebrations." Said her grandmother
"I've herd that your brother Raygo is very special to this village, so I thought that the best way to honor the village would be to involve him somehow." He said with a slight hint of enthusiasm. "If you are the new mayor then how come thee hasn't been an election and how come I've never seen you in the village before?" Asked Elizita who did not trust the mayor
"I'm the son of the old mayor, Mayor Dredge, and sadly my fa rther has recently passed away and so I came all the way from Shibot with my feonce to step in until the next election."
"Really now, we must begin disgussing the arrangements!" her grandmother said so forwardly. "It's nice to have met you." said mayor Tabaline as he offerd to shake Elizita's hand. "You too." She said reluctantly shaking his hand. "Elizita, please go back to your room while we disguss the arrangements." Her grandmother said almost demandingly.

They congragated in the kitchen, while Elizita crept back up stairs, but the curiousity was eating her up as her grandmother seemedso kean to get rid of her.

So she crept as quietly as she could back down stairs each little step creaking "we're gonna tell. We're gonna tell." She sat onthe dusty floor, her head near the cacked and warn kitchen door, listening to the conversation.
"Oh, are these cookies for me. You know I once had a dream about a giant talking ccookie that was trying to sell me a house just like this one."
"Yes, I bake them on special occasions, They're my grandson's fravaite."
"And that's what we're here to talk about, the fabolous Raygo. I hear that this village is absolutely crazy for their little super star."
"Why my Raygo isn't a little super star, he's 18." Said her grandmother in a very flatterd tone. "Now I think that the anneverserie should most definately contain Raygo some how."
"So why are you so keen on this idea? Would you like another cookie?"
"Why yes please Nira. This is my first ever job as mayor and I intent to make a great reputaion for myself. I'm so lucky that the festival is so soon it will be a great opportunity for me to shine and how can I do that with out a star."
"There may be a litle problem with your plan, Tabaline. Raygo the dear has tried his best to get here in time for the anneversery, but he just can't make it so, he will be a bit late. Only 3 days though." Elizita then herd a silence that lasted 5 seconds, and then. "Howabout we have another celebration 3 days later for Raygo as well." Suggested her grandmother.
"I can't spend that much money, I've only just become mayor." Elizita herd another pause. "Howabout another cookie to help you think Mayor."
"Thankyou very much. Here's an idea, what if we just postpone the celebrations until raygo gets here!"
"I think that he would really appreciate that."

Elizita could not believe what she was hering. A whole festival was going to be postponed just for her brother. Nothing lke that had ever been done for her, and never would.

She leaned in to listen to some more. "So, out of curiousity, what is this years flying contraption going to be?" Asked her grandmother.
"I personaly was thinking about a massive flying lizard, but then I saw them. The Doulegs. And that should answer your question. Though I have one concern, your grandoughter Elizita. Surely being the sister of Redtips she might feel a little shadowed and ignored with all the attension that he's getting."
"Elizita can't help being his little sister. Besides it would be unfair to the other kids in the village if we just singled her out for something she can't help. And it might embaras her, she can be so timide at times." Elizita stoped listening. The mayor who is a complete stranger kind of stuck up for her and her grandmother didn't.

A few days later and it was the 125th anniversary of the village. Elizita steped out of her dry dusty house and into the dry dusty desert. "No surprise, today is just like every other day." Something brown fluttered in the breeze, it drew close to Elizita. She squinted her eyes to see what was dancing in front of her face. It landed on her nose. "Ahh...a moth" She swiped it from her face. It wasn't that she was scared of moths, it was just that it was so unusual..."A moth in the day?"

"That was wierd" she mumbled to herself as she wonderd down the dusty, crooked, narrow streets of Chimray. The tall crooked buildings provided shade against the harsh desert sun which was occasionaly blocked by red dust clouds which sometimes gave the sky its red appearance. She was thinking about how much she dreaded Raygo's return when...Crash! Ameta had ran into her. "Elizita were are you going? You passed my house!" Elizita lay, half dead on the ground."Ameta, you almost killed me!"
"You shouldn't be wondering around with your head in the clouds when your feet are on the ground." She said with a cocky attitude. Ameta was Elizita's best freind and the only other girl of her age in the village. She was a bit of a tomboy but had long black hair that she kept tied back. Her skin was even more pale than Elizita's. Her eyes were a cruel dark blue and set far apart and very beautiful. Even though she was shorter and smaller than Elizita she was strong enougth and feirce enougth to knock her down. They always walked to school together and that's how it had been for 7 years. "So...what were you day dreaming about!" She said with a sly attitude.
"Nothing..." Elizita said with a heavy sadness that seemed to weigh her down back to the earth.
"You always day dream, but you seem as though you are thinking about something pretty troubling."
"Well... Raygo is retur..."
"Raygo! Why didn't you say? He's so cool and handsome! I can't believe it's only three days untill he returns, I can't wait. You do know how cool your brother is?"
"Yeah..." She sighed.

One their way to school they saw Mayor Tabaline draging a cart full of garpes along the floor. He was struggling a bit and so Elizita and Ameta decided to offer him some help. "Hello Elizita, it this your friend?"
"Hello Mayor Tabaline, this is Ameta."
"Hi, nice to meet you. Do you need any help?" Asked Ameta.
"No, a teacher of mine told me that out of all the burdons in life you always have to carry your own carts. Though thanks."
"But you're not really carrying it, you're draging it across the dirt." Ameta pointed out. "Why have you got a cart full of grapes?" Asked Elizita.
"Two reasones. They are my fravarot food and I thought that my house could use some decoratting, so I'm going to throw these at the boring old dull wood to liven up the place."
"Why grapes? Why not just use some paint?" asked Elizita.
"Well actually paint would be a bit too much, I find grapes much more subtle. It could work, never doubt the brilliance of untested ideas. I came up with it when I firt saw the red sand of the desert and a strange little pebble in the shape of a grape. Stange a pebble in the such a round shape as a grape. Well any whay I cant talk here all day, my house needs this paint desperately. Have a good day. And mind out for windows!" And Elizita and Ameta walked off.

"He really is crazy." Said Ameta. "My dad told me that he was odd, but you have to witness the madness before you really understand."
"A few days ago I saw him and I knew there was something bizzare about him."
"I herd that in Shibot, where he came from, every tuesday he would dress bup as people with different carrires, saying that he wanted to truely experience city life."
"Do you think that he's gonig to do the same in Chimray, to experience desert life?"
"I don't know but one week he dressed as a hobo and lied in the streets, begging for food. Apparently he liked it so much he stayed like that for the whole week!" Giggled Ameta.

The school was about 300 miles away! But there was a super speedy transport system. Doulegs. These were massive seagul like birds that could fly for miles on end and at swift pace too. About 750 miles an hour, and the rider stays perfectly safe and unharmed, not even feeling that hey were going so fast. Doulegs have magical powers, since they are engorums, magical animals that occur natualty in this bizzar magical landscape, and so these speeds seem perfectly normal to them and their riders. The way to travel, climb up on to their backs and soar for miles through the clouds. The clouds slowly turned from red to white as the dust cleard and they flew out of the desert. The mass of red dust disapeared from underneath Elizita's foot as she looked down. They came to green grass, woodland and civilization. This was Elizita's frarorite part of the day. She could truely have her head in the clouds. Elizita, Ameta and a few other children from school rode their own douleg everyday to school. Elizita's was called Arqui, and had a few brown feathers around its head, whith a more orange beak.

They flew to the city of Shibot, a beautiful city that seemed almost perfect. The streets were completely clean and there were parks and trees every where that contrasted with the refective, tall sky-scrapers. The school was quite small and surounded by trees one one side. It was rather a simple school but had strick rules and high morals and values. The building looked rather new but infact it was quite old and in very good condition. In a few days time it would be the grand holiday which lasts 3 months.

The school uniform was black plain and simple, a white shirt, black skirt or trousers, black waist jacket, red tie with thin black stripes and in winther red blazer for the younger students (12-16) and a black blazer with red seems for the older students (16-17). The younger students also wore red shoes while the older students wore black shoes. Elizita's school uniforn also matched the desert, the village, the sky and her ginger hair.

Landing in the middle of the grassy fields on school grounds Elizita gatherd with Ameta and stroked her Douleg. He was called Panuche. His beak was more yellow and a lot of hes feather were gray, many shades of gray from light to almost black. "Panuche's feathers are so wonderful, he really isn't like any of the other doulegs." Said Elizita as she sroked hes neck, but he didn't really take kindly to her attension and threatened to peak her as his head violently snaped round. He really wasn't like any of the other doulegs as unlike them his temper was foul for an animal. He pecked at everyone, yet he seemed to have a real soft spot of Ameta, who he would nuzzle up againt. "Elizita, you know he's moody in the moring."
"He's more than moody, and it's not just in the morning." Arqui squaked at Elizita as though he was telling her to be nice. "Why are you so moody lately Elizita, it can't all be because your brother is coming. Even with your relationship you have to be happy that he's coming all the way over here to see you and your Grandmother."
"He's not coming just to see us, he's mainly coming to study."
"Still I bet he'll be happy to see you. Unless you've still got that look on your face."
"What look!"
"You have quite a lot of sower resentment towards him." Said Ameta as she walked her Douleg over to the shade of a tree so he could rest while she was at school.

At school she was walking with Ameta and Shelo to the library
to return books on a history project on a local event. "I heard that it's the 125th anneversery of your village today. What big festival is Chimray planning this year?" Shelo said sweetly.
"What festival? There is no festival this year." Said Ameta slightly annoyed.
"Why?" Shelo said, quite surprized and taken back.
"There is going to be a celebration." Said Elizita very reluctantly as she stared at the blue leather book.
"What?" Blurted out Ameta, surprised.
"It's a secret. The village and my grandmother are planning to celebrate the return of Raygo instead of celebrating the 125th anneversery because it would cost too much money to have two festivals three days apart."She said with a monodrone tone in her voice and a fed up expression on her face. Now she read the title as a distraction. "Shibot, Mayren and the Desert-A History and Geography" was in a dull gold lettering accross the plain cover. Ameta and Shelo's faces lit up with joy "Why didn't you say anything?" Said Ameta half annoyed, half exited. "Can I come to the festival?" Asked Shelo shyly.
"We've got to go and tell Midara and Cora and Formi and everyone else!" Ameta went rushing off down the hall.
"Aren't you comming Elizita?" said Shelo.
"No, I've got to go return books to the library." She said woefuly.
"Bye then." Shelo ran off after Ameta.

Shelo was a very pretty girl who was very sweet and inteligent though rather shy. She had light brown hair that was very long and shiny. She wore rather big glasses over her brown eyes. Her features were quite small.

Elizita walked down the silent corridor. Her foot steps ehcoed and her reflection in the floor mirrored her steps. Next to her chest she carried the library books. She herd someone from behind her and spun round to see who they were but no body was there. Although there was a corner in the distance. She looked hard to see if anyone could be hiding there. She looked harder and saw a shadow, then she called out "Who's there? I know your hiding there I can see your shadow." There was slight fear in her voice. When she looked again there was no shadow. As she carried on walking she held her books tighter. It must have been her imagination.

She carried on walking, absolute silence filled the corridor. If a pin droped she would be able to hear it. The silence was so extreem that she heard the faintest of sounds. The flapping of wings, tiny wings, millions of wings, wings that belonged to moths. It stopped. She ignored it and carried on. The sound came back once she had become used to the silence. Yet again it stopped after a while. She carried on walking down the corridor, now she became slightly worried and scared. The eerie silence seemed worse than the sound, she knew that it would come back again but it was taking it's sweet time. It came back again. She carried on walking down the corridor. It wouldn't go away, she picked up her pace, it got louder and closer. She broke out into a run and sped down the corridor but the sound was louder, closer, stronger and faster.

She kept running but the sound caught up with her and devoured her. A small army of moths surrounded her, she tried throwing books at them but she leaped and landed face down on the floor. The moths seemed viciously angry if it was possible. Threw the flapping of wings she could hear foot steps. She called out "Who's there?" as she protected her head with her arms. They replied "It's me." in a dark, calm voice. The moths seemed to clear slightly as she turned around and tried to sit up. There was a tall, cruel figure above her. He had dark green hair and even darker green eyes. He was in his late teens. He stood there with his arms folded and a melicious grin on his face. When she looked closely she noticed that he was lavetating on the moths. "This is a warning." He said in a dark tone. The moths went wild and she covered her eyes. She felt them pass her by and she heard them slowly fade away into the distance. When she looked up they were gone.

Elizita got to her feet and gathered the library books. She tried to make sense
of it all as she carried on walking down the corridor.

Outside on the grass she was sat with Formi and Cora. It was a beautiful day as the sun was shining and it was quite warm. They sat in the shade of a big oak tree that stood quite differently from all the rest, as though it knew something they didn't. As though it somehow knew what Elizita was thinking and this alone was enought to set it apart. It's branches were thick with age and the leaves were green and fresh. Formi had dark brown shortish hair and was black.Formi was a very sensible black girl with her dark hair tied back in a neat plait. She was extremly intelligent and spent most of her time reading novels and books from centuries ago. Cora had gingery blond wavy hair that was just above shoulder lengh. She was very kind and quit brave, she had wonderful lilac eyes. her smile was a massive smile that was enthusiasticly contagious. However her temper was short and easy to snap. When she got angry the whole world threw it's self into passive silence to please her. She also had a keen intrest in history.

They were having a rather general conversation but Elizita had completely blanked out. She was thinking about the moths and the dark figure, "What could they mean, what did he mean when he said..."
"What did you say Elizita?" Said Formi.
"I didn't say...it was really nothing...I was just daydreaming."
"Well anyway have you heard about the celebration for Raygo, Formi?" said Cora. "Yes I have, I would love to go if it's ok with my parents." She said with sudden inthusiasm."Elizita aren't you exited?" Said Cora.
"Yeah..." She sighed again.
"Chimray celebrations are the best, they always do crazy stuff. Last time they tried to make a hot air balloon out of hankerchiefs with a basket made out of knives and forks. They've got this new insane mayor called mayor Tabaline." exlaimed Cora. "Shibot's festivals are grand and expensive, but Chimrays are just extra- ordinary. I've always wanted to go to one." expressed Formi
"Well this year's activity is a surprise, I heard my Grandmother and the mayor talking about it." Elizita said with a cheery smile. "It'll include a fl...actualy I shouldn't tell you, it will ruin the surprise." She had suddenly become disheartened.

"Well, have you herd about the new book" Said Cora changing the subject.
"Oh, I have, It's called "Miradi and The Shiini River". As soon as I herd about it I just had to get it to see what all the fuss was about." said Formi rather exitedly. "I haven't been able to get it just yet since it's so expensive, I have to save up a while first. Do you have the book Elizita?"
"No, we don't really get shipments of books in Chimray, and I've never even heard of it before." said Elizita still quite low in spirits.
"Anyway, I've only read the first few chapters but I've already found that it really is quite amazing. The story is so original and its told in a really unique way." explained Formi. "And the river Shiini is really a real river in Triboue, and its decribed so well with the dense, vivid green jungle and water that's so clear and even reflect the shades of the sun." Elizita felt like an outsider on the conversation, she knew that she would never get to read that book. As she listened in to the description of the river she reolised that that's where she wants to go; somewhere that's the complete oposite of the desert with plants and water, though she knew that just like reading the book she would never get to go there. The desert didn't just isolate her phisicaly it isolated her mentaly as well.

After school Elizita and Ameta were walking down the narrow crooked streets of Chimray. They were walking down a dusty street with no road but only a path in the older and more poorly built and crooked part of the village. The pathwas a short cut to the douleg stables on the ouscirts of the village and was rarely uses by anyone who didn't own a douleg so it was empty, though most of the time the entire village seems empty. It had been a hot day but it was getting cold and the evening wasn't far away.

"ELIZITA!" Ameta shouted.
"What!" Said Elizita shocked.
"You were 1500 miles away in the clouds." She said angrily.
"Sorry. I was just thinking." She said quietly.
"Today you've been so distant. Whats on your mind?"
"Nothing."
"Whatever it is you can tell me, unless you said you were attacked by a bunch of flying pigs."
"Something like that." She mumbled to her self.
"What?"
"Nothing, really."
"So anywhay, did you hear about Midara's older sister Cosalm?"
"No, tell me."
"This boy that knew Cosalm really well, really liked her so he bought her an expensive..."
"Did you hear that?" Said Elizita like a cat springing to life.
"What?"
"There was a noise." Elizita said anxiously. "It came from the roof."
"You're just imagining things, or it was probubaly a cat or something." Elizita looked around slightly nervous. "Anyway, he bought her a really expensive broach, it had precious gems on it, like emerald and jade. It shone so brightly". Elizita gave her a wierd look, this was not at all like Ameta."Don't you think that that was really thoughtful?" Said Ameta trying to defend herself.

"It was thoughtful but I don't like jewelry or expensive gifts. If a boy gave me somrthing like a broach I'd throw it back in his face."
A voice came from behind them "I hope you don't throw this back in my face."

Elizita froze. She listened to the voice. It was calm and sophisticated, beautiful and dark. But it sounded familiar.

As she tuned around a boy was stood in front of her with his arm outstretched and his palm flat. A broach was in his hand and he was offering it to Elizita. She was stunned and dismayed. She could not belive what she saw. The boy looked just like that dark figure. He wasn't though. He looked a bit younger than the boy with the moths and a bit older than Elizita. He had Black hair and blue/green eyes.

Still speechless she took the broach from his hand. She died of shock when she saw the broach closely. It was a broach of a gray moth. "I know it's not as exquisite as emerald or jade but it's more rare." She looked up at him and quietly said "Why are you giving me this?"
"It will be safe with you."
"Who are you?" asked Ameta. He looked at her and didn't say anything. Then he held Elizita's hand, which was holding the broach and leaned toward her with a serious look. "Look after this, don't let anyone have it!" She nodded with the same serious look. Then he let go of her hand and stepped back, he reached into the pocket of the wierd dark green robe he was wearing over normal clothes. He puled out a moulded twig and it transformed into a staff, he braced himself and then said "By the way, have you seen any moths today?" She looked at Ameta and then looked at him.
"Yes, I have."
"Well, you won't anymore."

He hit the staff hard against the ground and then he leapt up but never touched the ground. He flew onto the roof and then repeated this hitting the roof. He began to fly and took off into the air. He jumped onto the staff and rode it like a board threw the air but in an elegant mannor. Elizita looked at the braoche again and then to him shouting "Thankyou!" He looked back at them and smiled and waved as though he were an old friend.

Ameta slowly tuned to Elizita with the most perplexed look on her face. "What. No seriously, what just happened?"
"Well, I know as much as you."
"What about this moth then, why didn't you tell me if it was so important a random guy had to jump off a roof just to ask you about it?" She said in an angry huff, she regularly got angry over the smallest things but this wasn't small and it was fueled by jealousy."Well, I don't know why he asked about the moths." Elizita looked down at her feet coverd in the usual old dust and ran for the desert.

In an unexplained and swift mannor, Elizita ran past dead buildings and corners in the winding streets like a confused animal in a maze that could smell freedom around the next 5 or 6 corners.

She reached the open air and saw the grand desert staring back at her. A few moments later Ameta came running out of the village. "Elizita, sorry for getting mad. Why did you run out here, whats going on? Please tell me."
"I know as much as you know apart from..." Ameta looked at her, intensely waiting for the next word, encouraging her to speak. "At school, when I went to return the libery book, someone was following me but when I looked they weren't there. I heard strange noises like moths, I had no idea what was going on and I started to run. Then the moths caught up with me and swarmed round in such a strange manner. When I looked up there was this guy that kind of looked like the guy we just met. He warned me and that was all. In a few moments they were all gone." Elizita said in a dizzy state. Ameta looked at her with the most confused and in awe face.

"Do you think they're the same guy?"
"No, they look different ages, and..."
"Maybe they're brothers or something, like cousins even."
"Do you think this broach has something to do with the moths?"
"Let me see it." Ameta held the dusty old broach and looked at it for a second."It lookes so old, it must have been around for centuries. Well congratulations Elizita, you own the oldest thing in the village, keep it safe, it must be worth thousands." She said, proudly handing it back.
"Probubaly not, it looks so dull and worn."
They talked some more as they headed for the stables to feed their doulegs before heading back. For Ameta this would mean a nice evening meal waiting on the table for her, won't get cold. However for Elizita this meant a telling off for hanging around the desert, and to be sent to bed with no supper. She had had a strange and bewildering day and she did not need nor want this.

At night when she couldn't sleep she would take down her brown bear from the shelf, her only soft toy. In Chimray toys were scarce and there is one little shop that sells toys as well a books, though the eranings are very small. Her other toyes only included, three dolls: a wooden one with a plain faided orange dress and short brown string hair and a rediculously plain, expressionless face, she called is Cedric as that was a nickname given to plain children who never spoke, or danced; then there was Syner, a rag doll; Lizarch was a strange doll to be in the middle of the desert. It was her mothers and was kept in a small shoe box under her bed, as it was so precious. Little black eyes that stared into Elizitas, over a little red neat mouth on a white cloth face. It knew her. Long red hair in ringlets went passed its long lavender dress with frills. It looked as though the materials were imensly expensive.

Though Rilger bear couldn't get Elizita to sleep. The moths kept her up. She was contantly thinking about it. Wings. All of them filling every imaginable piece of air, however between the flapping wings and their noise, which now seemed silent in Elizitas head, a tume to a song made its way to Elizita. It was a lullabye, and she fell asleep.

In her dreams she saw somene. A lady with a long white gown that appeard lightly blue in the dark and slightly pink in the light. It flutterd in an imaginary wind, quite slowly. She did not say a word, and just stood there in bare feet on nothing, amoungt nothing, sourounded by nothing. A gray darkness, and pale, feable lights, comeing from nowhere and castings shadows everywhere. Elizita was stod on the ledge of some thing but she couldn't see it, and she was gripping the frames of smething but she couldn't see it. All she could see was a massive mass of gray that seemed to act as a powerful mist. The Lady drew her face closer to Elizitas and siled as she saw the brach on her chest. Her face seemed faintly familiar to Elizita but not in terms of features. Breathing in all Elizita could feel was cold, and the wind made here feel even more cold, in her pink nighty. All she cld hear was the wind and so strange.

Elizita awoke on a clear night with the stars above her head. This was very strange as normaly there are massive red clouds that appear a deep orangey burgandy over Chimray at night. Also there was normally a pale beige ceiling over Elizitas head at night. She was stood on her window leadge. The window wide open and her hands gripinf the frame and the broach on her chest. "Argh!" She yelped as she quickly clung to one side of the frame. Relising that her yelps would wake the house and they would find her in this very strange, hard to explain and worrying situation she remained silent as she climed down and silently when back to bed.

She didn't want to tell Ameta. Ameta would only dismiss the dream.


Chapter 2


When he arrived, that is the infamous red tips the wizard, or Raygo, the whole village awoke like a butterfly coming out of it's cocoon with the most noisy, bright and dazzling colours on it's wings, but this butterfly would soon be stepped on and it's wings slowly plucked. A dead village in the desert now had more life than in the middle of a busy city, or a jungle or rapids. There were banners everywhere with "The return of Red Tips." on them, painted in crewd letters. A certain type of music was being played that resembled mexican music. People had come from within their houses, in their most bright and festive clothing to dance and cheer in the street. For a are moment the desert was warm as smiles lit peoples faces and the warm lanterns and sparce house lights glwed warmly in the cold desert night.

Elizita stood infront of her grandmothers full lengh mirror, astonished at what she made her were. Slupmed over Elizita's little shoulders was a massive frumpy brown dress. It was coverd is brown frils and came down to her calves and seemed to want to fall lower and drag Elizita to the floor it was so heavy. The sleves puffed out and made Elizita look like a massive brown moth with tiny wings. Ameta stood beside her snigering. She was wearing a xalm orange dress, that was straight with little sleves, though she ware it with heavy black boots.

"Elizita you look wonderful." Said Ameta, impersonating Elizita's grandmother. "The only one in this room who looks remotely "wonderful" is you Ameta." Elizita said trying to compliment her and sound cheery though she could not hid the fact that she was in a mood about her dress. "The grass isn't much greener on my side Elizita, I hate wearing dresses!" complained Ameta, holding up some of the soft fabric. "At least your dress does not come witha 50 year old health warning!" Elizita bitterly complained.

It was now near the evening and Elizita, far from the chaos of the festival, was stood by the stable of the doulegs awaiting her friends, Shelo, Cora, Formi, Lyler and Berant, Midara couldn't make it but Elizita was sure that she wouldn't regret missing it. The reflectively white and gray Doulegs came soaring to the floor of the desert. As they landed, orange bird feet pounded the sand, Ameta came rushing past Elizita with enough enthusiasum for the both of them, to greet the excited guests. "Come on, Raygo could arrive any moment now, we can't miss the celebration, it's gonna be huge!" Ameta said as though her giddy skeleton was going to rip through her skin and leap out. Shelo and Formi stepped onto the parched sand with such class and grace while the rest almost fell off the tired birds and into the red dirt. "Normally when I visit this desert the sky is so thick and red with dust but today it's so clear and bright." said Shelo
"I hope the celebration lives up to the brilliance and charm of today's weather." announced Formi

They were all wereing such pretty clothes exept from Berant who wore jeans and a T-shirt. Shelo wore a sensible little lilac froc that matched her eyes. Cora came in glittery jeans and a bright yellow neon top with perpously tatterd frills. Formi wore a subtle lime green dress and rose cardigan as the night air was cold. Lyler wore a neat baby blue dress, with scruffed little frills, that looked quite old, as though it had been passed down to her.

The six girls (and one boy) walked through the desert to meet the celebrations. Lyler had quite dark skin and jet black hair that was always tucked behind her ears. She was an honest humble girl who came from one of the desert villages. Cooking was her finest kill and so she brought a snazzle berry and ruemid pie, decorated of course with pink iceing. Berant was a very reluctant boy with his appearence very simular to Lylers as he was her elder twin brother. He was not hard working like his sister and had almost only one quality: sarcasm. That is when he did speak of course.

As they walked through the woken village they became entwined with the festival but Elizita carried on walking to the gates of the village to find the mayor. Mayor Tabaline and his crazy black wirey hair, rediculous purple suit, bizzare green eyes and absolutely mental smile and personality sat at the top of what looked like a combination of a stool and some stilts that were walking on thier own. They looked as though they were build from scrap wood and broom sticks.

Elizita looked up at him, half mad as he was responsible for this rediculous festival, and half bewilderd and amused by the deformed wooden structure."Elizita, I'm so glad that you're standing proudly by the gate waiting to be the first to welcome your brother home. What an honnor."
"I'll leave that "honnor" to you Mayor"
"But you are his sister, don't you want to welcome him back from his 3 year journey around the world to learn many different magics. He must surely miss his little sister's face."
"I've got other things to do. (Like watching this festival burn to the ground)" she mumbled. "Well then I'll just have to greet him!" he said with a look of glee upon his deranged face.

Everyone turned around and as a loud high pitch squeel came from the gate. It was the mayor as he pointed over to the distance and screamed "It's Red Tips, he's arrived!" As he declared this he almost fell off his stool with enthusiasm and exitement and everyone turned and squinted as in the distance was a tiny black dot. The dot transformed into Red Tips as it flew closer with its black wizard's robes and all famous red tipped hair.

The whole village grew silent as the dark figure slowly approached the village. They all waited in antisipation as Raygo swiftly glided on his staff to the dirt of the desert. He stood up perfectly straight on his staff with an elagant look of arrogance on his face. His mear presence seemed awe inspiring to the people of Chimray. As he walked into the village the mayor, with such a smug look on his face, declared. "Hear is the infamous Red Tips the wizard who put Chimray on the map." The village still silent as Raygo walked threw the gates, stared with amazement and then he spoke "So I'm back in the dusty, old, decrepid village of Chimney." The village was still staring with amazement but a different kind. "Welcome home dear." said his grandmother calmly as she walked ove to him, a sweet smile on her face as she was one of the only people who expected Raygo and his ego. "What's for lunch?" he demanded cassualy.
"Well, the village has prepared a special festival for you so there's a buffet."
"Urgh. What else?" he said arrogantly
"I could bake you some cookies"
"I guess that's good enough" he said, walking off. As he went past Elizita he said. "I'm glad to see your sour milk face as well" sarcasticly. The village was absolutey shocked and if Elizita wasn't so restraint she would have attacked him for his imperdinence.

Quick to act in such an emergency the mayor and his rediculous monstrosity of a stool stepped in the way of Raygo. Incidently the wooden contraption swung roud wildly almost tipping over. "Would you like to see what marvelous contraption the village has prepared for your arrival?" put forth the Mayor. "What on earth could you possibly mean by "marvelous contraption"?"
"Well this year we have followed the Chimray tradition of building a grand flying contraption. It has been kept every 10 years ever since the building of the grand moth, a replica of... well details don't really matter when there's such a surprise waiting for you just round the corner." Elizita froze, she knew that it was just the mention of the word moth and that it was purley co-insidental but with all that had happened 3 days ago the word was a wierd little reminder.

The entire contents of the village gatherd round a beige dusty warn sheet that was conceling something enormous. Elizita finaly realised why the mayor was sat on that rediculous stool; it was so he could reach to unveil what "marvelous contraption" the village had build this year. When He threw back the sheet the whole village was shocked to see what was basicaly a massive flying pinyata.

It's feathers were white and gray paper, the bones of it's wings wood, and it's eyes tanterns. It was a douleg. "A giant paper douleg?" said Cora confused.
"It's a pinyata." Said Lyler
"No, a pinyata can't fly." said Elizita half worried, half couldn't care less.
"Are you saying that this thing is going to fly?" asked Ameta
"If by fly you mean crash and burn then yeah." grumbled Berant. Shelo, Cora, Lyler, Formi and Ameta turned to look at Elizita, expecting an explanation. She replied "I overheard my grandmother and the Mayor talking about it
a few days ago over cookies. This decade's flying machine in a giant douleg pinyata."

The Mayor stood over the pinyata proudly and declared "The exaordinary flying douleg will carry the village across the desert a few times in the best (only) Chimray tradition, which has been carried out for 80 years in celebration of the founding of this village." The mad half of the village (including the mayor) thought this was the best idea since man decided to rub two sticks together to get fire, while the other half thought this was the worst idea since man desided to stick his hand in the fire. And then there was Raygo who took one look at the poorly constructed monstrosity and said "Don't expect me to visit your funerals." in such a monotone voice.
"No, you'll be the first to fly the douleg." requested the mayor. Raygo, now utterly insulted, replied. "Why not, I mean it looks safe and all with that strong frame of half rotten, spare parts of wood hastily put together with rusted nails."
"That's wonderfull, I was so worried that you might be cautious about it." What Raygo had just said had completely flown over the Mayors moon struck head.

"Can it even fly?" came from the crowd.
"Well, lets see shall we" the Mayor said beckoning people from the crowd to help him get it started. A few moments later while they were trying to get the equivalant of a giant paper airoplane off the ground, some problems arose. Firstly it wasn't a jet engine, secondly it wasn't a blimp, thirdly it wasn't a helicopter, and forthly it wan't a hot air ballon. Then Elizita's grandma stepped in to help. They pushed the wings of the bird to try and make it go forward, while Raygo mutterd things like "Well, this is going well." as he stood with his arms folded. After 15 minutes of struggling there was a sudden and sharp gust of wind which pushed with great and unexpected strengh the bird forward. The Mayor cried out with laughter and joy "It's working, my douleg is working!" while trying to keep his stylish purple top hat on. Elizita looked up and murmerd "I can't belive it." and Raygo astonished only said
"What?"

The bird soared forward while people went chasing after it in amazement. The bird some how threw it's self into the air and flew across the desert. Across the sunet it's white feathers created a black silouette and the people chasing it cast long shadows in the dusty red desert.

It's eyes were as bright as the sun set it flew against. In it's eyes there seemed to be a soul with a burning passion to fly. In it's passion the whole bird set alight with the very flames of it's eyes against the sunset. The people just stopped, and watched in a glorious disapointment as others came to watch, the bonfire.The lanterns had set the bird on fire, and it crashed and burned.

For the buffeit the whole village brought out dining room tables, wooden with a simple carved design if they were luky, to the main road. End to end they were coverd in table cloths, with chairs neatly arranged by the sides. The Mayor and his feionce took thier seats, and Elizita's Grandmother slickly stole the seats oppsite, her opposite the mayor, Raygo reluctantly sitting next to her and Elizita sat opposite the Mayor's feince. "Ah, Nira, Raygo and Elizita." He exclaimed. "This is my wife to be, Irma." She was dressed in a modest gray dress, with her long dark blond hair tied back, to show her pretty face with femonine features. "Oh hello, I've herd quite a bit about you." She said so cooly. Though Elizita's grandmother didn't waste any time or egenda hiding. "Thats nice dear, now er Tabaline, this years celebrations were a little unrehersed. Maby next year I could get invlved. And you know it wouldn't do harm t celebrate Raygo passing his exams, as they are so important."

Ameta spotted Elizita but could'nt get a spare seat, so she gestured, amoungt the crowd still not settled, to sit with her and their other friends. Elizta wanted to, but curiousity again! She shuck her head after subconsiously getting out of her seat. Ameta steped forwards and gestued again, puting more enthasis as though Elizita missunderstood. Elizita sat back down in her seat and shuck her head again. Ameta marched forward to stand a yad away from her and half shouted, "Come and sit with us Elizita. Come on." in a demandindg and calm tone. Elizita got out of her seat and followed her to another section of the massive table. "Elizita, what were you doing?" Asked Ameta calmly yet with some anxiety in her throat. "I whanted t sit with my grandmother and Raygo." She said, suddenly reolising how pathetic of a reason it sounded.

Sat at the table surrounded by her friends Ameta felt content and so did Elizita.

People became settled and they each found a seat at the enormouse table which seated the whole village as the food was brought out and Lylers pie sat in the middle of all the friends. There were aranad salad, mej, quigar, mera mera, doplins, toeroes, siquadas, jera drei morcha, kimkirs, droclis and chin chins. Everything leid on the table was so rare for the village and so brightly colord, includind bright fruit for deserts, bright vegatables, and even bright meats and breads. The snazzle berrys in the pie were brght violet and the ruemids a lime greenwith range tinge.

Kindhearted Lyler went t offer Elizitas Grandmother some and reported back that Raygo tried some, and that the mayor liked it. Elizita sat there stunned, "Did Raygo say anything about it?" She said expecting him to have hated it. "No he seemed to be enjyng it too much." giggled Lyler proudly. "Wow, you must be a really good cook. He rejects so many dishes."
"Have you tried some?"
"Not, yet, I'm still eating my toeroes."
"Well try some Elizita." Said Ameta picking up a peice for her and offering her a clean fork. Elizita Thought the pie was lovely and the rest of the children agreed as they tucked in to the rest of the meal.

A few days after the bonfire Raygo was deep in study for his wizard exams that he would be sitting in just 2 months time. He had to learn spells, potions, magical creatures and a lot of history. This meant that is head was a couldren of fustration, overbubling and spilling onto all his study papers. Actualy one of the things he had to specificaly study was the effects of potion spilling, though the relentless effects of stress was'nt something he needed to study to know about. When Elizita walked passed his study room she was amazed. There in the middle of the room sat Raygo in his chair, surrounded by his papers for study. Except he was floating in the middle of the room and so were his papers, flying all around him. His chair was enchanted to fly, and so were his papers, so he could study many things at once and not be bound to searching the room for some lost sheet, or sit at a desk piled high with books. Elizita had always been fasinated by magic, especialy the magic of flying. She had always been very jealous of Raygo who was born with magic, and she had olways wished that she could have at least one magical power. (Thwack!) The door slammed in her face. Raygo liked his privacy.

Her grandmothers Kitchen was small and clutterd, with dust and cob webs and grease everywhere, yet it was a very warm inviting room, with very simplistic, worn wooden furniture. Later on in the evening and Elizita and her grandmother were sat at the kitchen table with a tray of cookies, they were waiting for Raygo, whose favorite food was cookies. "You know I always keep the cookies on the tray for Raygo, I don't know why but he likes to eat them off the tray better. I think that he like to feel as though he's first to eat them. When he was little he would always grab them off the tray when they were still hot." gabbled on her grandmother as Elizita imagined a little Rago with the same big head running into the kitchen to grab cookies, and using a newly learnt spell t cool them down. When Raygo came down from study he took one look at the tray and "Why haven't you put them on a plate?" he said moodily. Then he took one look at Elizita's face and said "Nosy!" He had seen the massive bruise the door had left on her nose. Yet again this was one of those times when she felt like starting a sibling argument to end all sibling arguments and Raygo's face.

"So, you've been so buisy studying that you haven't had a chance to tell us what it was like traveling the world." Hinted his grandmother.
"I've had the chance." He rudely remarked.
"I'll give you a chance to die in a minute." Mumbled Elizita.
"So where did you go?" asked his grandmother.
"Ajecttala, Vengo, Yoilla, Parinmack, Droganwray and Civshadow." He sighed
"What was it like?" His grandmother said, sounding intriged to start a conversation. "Better than this..." WHACK! His grandmothers walking stick hit the table right infront of him "Watch your language!" She screetched. "So, what did you do?" She said as sweetly as ever so sudenly.
"I visited some blessed sites, some cursed sites and some sacred sites." He sighed yet again. Then Elizita broke the 'conversation' with "You should stop being so ungreatful, at least you get to wonder beyond the village gate!"
"Temper!" Her grandmother snapped as she hit her on the arm with her walking stick. "Go to your room and don't you dare come out untill you've learnt to say more than sour words!" She yelled at Elizita as she climbed the creaking stairs.

Elizita sulked in her room for the rest of the long drery evening.

The next day Elizita was sat in her room thumbling with the broach. It's black eyes glared at her as though they'd seen her before. She was thinking about the whole thing so much it drove her insane. She was grounded, her grandmother had gone out and her brother was asleep (at 2 o'clock in the afternoon). She was so bored that the only thing to do was go insane with boredom, but she had already gone insane so she just sat pondering over the broach.

She found her self wondering into Raygo's study room.That is what happens when you have time to kill and no knife. You just wander about in your daydreams while your feet look for somewhere to go, or you wander about the room while your imagination looks for somewhere to go.

The broom in the corner cought her eye and like always she started to day dream. This time it was about grotesque, warty, evil witches who flew across the midnight sky in search of new souls to devour. She thought about what it would be like to fly and how the mysterious wizard could so easily jump on a staff and fly where ever he wanted. She also thought about the world which Raygo had just traveled and how she would give anything to do the same. Then her eyes fell on the chair and she had an idea. Maybe anyone could use the chair to fly. She sat on the chair and waited. Nothing happened. She tryed chanting made up words. Nothing happened. She even tried to consentrate super hard but yet again nothing happened.

She gave up and sighed "I'm just not a wizard and I can't fly." She so wondered what it would be like to fly. To soar through the desert with the sky a rare blue and the red dirt far below her and the small village far behind her. And then the chair started to wobble and it rose so slightly off the ground. She was shocked and froze grabbing the sides of the chair. It fell back to the earth and she looked around. Know one had made that happen, she (or the chair) had made that happen. She tryed it again, she thought of flying and the old splintered wooden chair unsteadily rose again. She could not belive it. She (well the chair) had done something magic. Continuing to rise she saw her feet dangling above the ground. Leaning from side to side she navigated her way around the small clutterd room. She was so unsteady, and she had never flew before.

Crookedly swirving, she crashed into a ceiling high pile of coursework and textbooks, head and shoulder first. The old parchement and yellowing paper flew everywhere and covered her as she sat on the floor in the massive new mess she had just made. The crash had made quite a noise and so she worried if it had woken up Raygo. Holding her breath, Elizita sneeked into his room to check. He was layed on his bed covered in paper and books. His room was so much more bigger and better than hers and he had a study room, she never saw that as fair. His eyes were partly open and he was slightly restless. Frozen in the corridor Elizita waited for any signs of him being awake. Papers fell as he rolled over in his sleep. Her hand came to her mouth as she waited in a dark cold silence. To her relief he was too busy studying in his dreams (nightmares) to bother about waking up.

The door of the study room rest ajar. The chair was still there. Elizita was too curious about whether or not she could get away with it to not try. This time she opened the window, it was quite small but large enough for her and the chair. Once again she sat in it and saw herself flying, the next minute she really was flying. Careful not to crash into anything else she attempted to fly through the window, but she was nervous and because of this the chair suddenly accelerated far past the window in one explosion of magic and chaos. As splinters of mangled wood flew (like Elizita) in all directions the frame battered and scratched saw off Elizita and her chair. Screaming with joy and fear the red haired little girl flew into the vast red desert.

Realising that she could not slow down the chair Elizita paniced and tryed to get off the chair before realising that she was severil 100 feet off the ground. Confused she ended up kneeling on the chair backwards as she paniced and almost fell to her red dusty grave in the grim, dry, lifeless desert, 5 days from anyone finding her missplaced and mangled body. Her startled screem could be heard for miles away but the village was now further than that.

Soon Elizita gained control of the chair, but she never realised that such an old worn out block of wood could harber so much magic. She found her feet, or well her chair, and was far above the red dirt and far away from the village. Whats more the sky today really was a marvelous and much rare blue. It even seemed to be in the wind as the blue parted her ginger hair in mini torrents of fresh desert wind. Her brother's magic must be very stable and strong for she could control the chair very easily now that she had become used to flying.

Far out in the desert and an old forgotten lullabye came back to her as she saw it right in front of her. Elizita could recall her grandmother singing it to her as a child. Back then her voice was much more sweet and soft "In the dusty desert they fly, when the dust storms pass you can see them up high,
too far out and you may die, be warned they rule the sky." A moth in her face, with the shock she recieved plucked her right out of the sky. She was falling at an angle to the desert floor now miles below her. She pulled the back of the chair so tight to try and lift her out of the dive. Her eyelids were just as tight as she winced in anticipation for the last sound she'd ever hear, a massive thud on the ground.

The next sound she herd was the scraping of the chair and the sand as slowly the pile of wood breaking her fall collapsed with exhuastion. Somehow she had got away with it. After the terror Elizita awoke in a cloud of dust sat on top of a shatterd pile of wood. Relief was too short a word for what she was feeling. The appropriate word was amazement.

Curious was the next word for what she was feeling as the settling dust revealed something very curious. The lost remains of some undescoverd beast lie infront of the lost and very curious little girl. She stood there bewilderd by the dead structure before her. It was a skeleton of an ancient creature half burried in red desert sand which replaced it's spilt red blood as Elizita could see a metal javelin jolting out of the sun scorched ground. It's guts which have long rotted away with the chance of finding out what it ever was, have been replaced by the empty void of the desert.

Bones of it's collosel ribcage grew out of the barron desert sand. Yellowing at the bottom and bleached white at the top. The javelin was silver and bejewled with many stones of such radient beauty, she forgot that she was looking at an instrument of death. Curiousley she wonderd around the frame of the beast. She was miles from home and she only had a rough idea of where it was. Just like the kill she was lost in the desert. She had no idea of what to do next, if ever she did return home she would be in serious trouble. However she didn't know what she would be in more trouble for, breaking the chair or going in the desert, either way she'd rather be yelled at than stranded in the desert.

Silently it fell from the sky. Like an automme leaf it appeard to have no wait. Delicatly the gray furry bag of bones fell to the dirt of the ground with a strangely silent thud as desert dust gatherd from all corners of the endless desert. Silver chains were clung tightly around silvery gray fur. It sat up and looked around before struggling to walk across the sand as it had lost some balance. Cat-like paws clung to the rib cage as it gasped for some clean air. The desert dust obscured it's image as Elizita strained her eyes to see what it was. The space-cat immerged from the cloud of dust as curious as she was. Elizita took one look at the cat and yelped "Who are you?" The cat replied;
"Why you?" in a fed up, exousteed tone.
"What did you say? Are you lost or something?"
"Why you? Why do you have it? How could you possibly get it?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why you? I can't shoot you, you're just a young girl"
"Excuse me?" She suddenly saw the silver gun in his hand, and in the other a burn from a hot iron. "Hand it over!" he demanded
"What can I possibly hand over?" She said frightened.
"The moth!" He said impatiantly
"You mean this?" She said slightly arragontly showing him the moth broach.
"Yes I mean that, now hand it over!" He said very impatiantly.
"Why, what do you want it for?"
"Do you even know what it is?" He said the gun now pointed at her head, point blank range. "No" She half whimperd.
"Good, now hand it over."
"No" She said
"WHAT?"
"Tell me what it is?" She said with slight arrogancy.
"I will shoot you, right here, right now, with this gun!"
"But you can't! I haven't done anything." she said in her defence
"I have to shoot you so I will shoot you"
"What could you possibly want with it?"
"What could you possibly want for it?" She looked at him blankly. "What ever you want I can give you it, in exchange for that nice little trinket." He said putting down the gun. "What can you give me?"
"What do you want, a new chair?" He said looking at the heap of wood behind her. As she looked as well something came to her mind. "I want to be able to fly"
"I was expecting gold, but a deal's a deal."
"You'll really give me the ability to fly?"
"As I said, in exchange for that trinket."
"A deal's a deal."

He looked at her foot and made a quick judgement before placeing his right paw over the burn on his left rist. Beneath his eye lids flashed blue and yellow violently as beams of blue magic seeped from the burn and into her feet quickly and hazardly. Once he had stopped he held out his right paw which now seemed badly burnt and said "The trinket." She handed it over to him without a thought."Enjoy." He said, gesturing at her feet.

She looked down at her red, shiny, buckled shoes. 'What has he done?' She thought to her self and she soon found out. The whole desert looked at her with awe as her little red shoes raised from it's red sand. The shoes picked her up as she was so shocked that she did'nt even have breath to gasp. Rising she finaly found the wind to stutter "Is...i...is it th...the shoes?"
"No, it's your feet." He replied proudly.
"I ca...can ac...actualy fly?" She said even more than amazed.
"Yes, it's nothing else, just you, and my mag..." He paused realising something and then he carried on "My magic."

Flying was unbeleavable for Elizita. It was the one thing that she wanted most in the world, apart from her parents. "How do I get down?"
"Why would you want to get down? Go up!" He said looking up at the sky anxiously. She flew to about 3 meters in the air and then stopped. Elizita tried harder to fly higher but couldn't. It felt as though something was hanging on to her and trying to drag her down, like the sand of the desert was still gripping her ankles. She didn't know that there could be icicles in the desert as it was so hot, but it felt like icicles were piercing her guts. "Why can't I go any higher?" She turned to look at the cat and saw the rope he was climbing to the giant metal air ship.

It looked like a sort of blimp coverd in blue/gray rusting and rotting metal. Massive bolts covered its weak points where one metal sheet ended and another began. On top was a propeller with razor sharp blades designed with the intension of threat. In some ways it also resembled a rocket with rocket engines. However the blades weren't spinning and the engines were dead silent. It was some giant metal body without a soul, creeping through someones nightmare and into Elizita's world.

The cat replied "I don't know, ask the ten men of the moon." As he desended up the rope and into the pressence of the ship. She looked up at him with a hate that she didn't even feel when he had the gun pointed at her head. The ship slowly crept backwards into the world from which it came as it litteraly faided into the sky. She was once again standed and alone in the desert.


Chapter 3


Walking through the desert in any direction was her only plan. In the sky a dust cloud gatherd, this one was particularly orange and polluted. She walked in the direction that it was coming from as the dusty orange devoured the tranquillant blue. Her temper was definatly much higher than she could fly. Her face definatly was sour milk that had been left in the desert sun for too long. Her steps beat the desert like punishement. The only thing she reflected upon was that stupid remark the cat had given her. "What an insulting thing to say." She thought. "It was such a rude joke. And what such a strange little creature that cat is with it's silver chains strewn across it's body."

After an hour of walking Elizita began to think about where she was going. It would take days to walk back to the village so she was better off looking for some where else. She figured that heading in the same direction as the dust cloud would be a good idea since the midday sun is only just visable through it so she can use that to help her. The sun should be heading west and the village might be back east.

She came accross the strangest things in the desert. Mainly it was junk such as old, brocken peices of wood and metal. She also came accross a brocken hand mirror with the metal frame rusted. She decided that being in the desert anything was useful to her and so she picked it up. Past the red rust the mirror was quite handson with the metal in pretty little patterns, of what looked like daisys and leaves. Another odd little item was a shoe. Faided, bright lilac. It was quite pretty with an undun darker ribon on it like a balleina pump. Strangely she picked it up, purly out of amusement and curiousity. As she sat in the sand for a rest from walking she decided to try on the shoe. A slight horror over came her when she tried to undo her buckle. It was the magic, and she knew. It wouldn't come undun no matter how much she tried. She tried and tried again but the metal slid past her frantic fingers. The same problem with the other shoe. With her little might she tried to pull off her shoes, but yet again her fingers slid past the red leather. With the handle of the brocken mirror she tried again but the shoes would'nt come off. She laided in the desert, her eyes half closed. Hopeless.

In her anxiety she ran, kiking up red sand like her feet were on fire. Tears in her eyes were too precious to waste in her situation. Then through her tears she could see something in the distance. Little coulorful dots all in a row against the barron horizon grew like flowers. Then she could see that they were houses. Running faster with exitement, they became much clearer. Grand, wooden houses, painted in pastel coulors. When Elizita came closer to the sleeping village she saw that they were old and decayed, the wood weaping with rott, the light colours hiding the lonely darkness with seeped through growing cracks and into Elizita's imagination, forgotten pieces of shatterd glass which had jump out of the windows long ago gave the parched dirt it's own diamonds. Elizita came to a halt on the outskirts of an ancient village dead beyond man's might. Houses of what was imense style and expence, stood in a himble and silent row as she walked past.

A sweetly disturbing blue house, with wite window shutters which had heart shaped holes and a stunning balcany seemed so romantic to Elizita until it wisperd something. "Come in child." Frozen to the spot, her shoulders hunched, Elizitas bloodshot eyes slowly creeped to the still silouette of a woman behind the heart. This lovely and warm house now seemed dark and disturbing. "What's the matter?" creeked the dead house. The fright in Elizita came out as she gasped. "Come and sit, please my dear." Elizita slowly, and holding her fear and anxiety walked in. As she reached for the handle to the door, a deep creaking sound came from within the wooden, blue nightmare. She wimperd and put her hand to her mouth and carried on. The door cried as she opened it to reveal an empty hall way, destroyed by time, and then decorated with spiders webs which too were dead like every thing else in the desert. Broken splinterd pieces of wood poked out of walls like rotten teeth. This revealed the intense sun light that produced strips of almost white on the black floor.

Everyhing in the house was black and dead, stained dark with age. She walked into the room while floor boards groaned with old age, where she saw the dark silouette. Completely empty, but very dark she felt uneasy but safe. There sat a white chair, empty and facing the little heart shaped hole in the window. Placing the mirror and shoe on the side table Elizita saw a little book resting. "The tale of the four bonnets" in baby blue letters on the white backgroud of the leather book stood above a picture of four girls playing. Mold and stains filled it's pages and spread to the dusty front cover.

"It's a lovely book!" She said stood in the door way. Elizita gasped and turned to look at the lady. Her dress was the same light blue as the house and it was in a style like the georgion style. Immensly decorated with ribbons and beads, it was absolutely georgeus, like something out of a fairy tale. The walking porclin doll also had a huge georgian wig on, that was powder wite and decorated with ribbons and feathers of such grandure. Infront of Elizita stood a woman dressed in the most money Elizita had ever seen. Yet it was old money that was stained, moldy and ragged. The womans smile was huge and red, beneith two green eyes on a white face. "I'm sorry, I just herd someone asking me to come in and..." gabbled Elizita.
"Your welcome to stay." said the lady warmly. Elizita looked around quite nervously and then the woman spoke again. "I'm Metoria Xenjirca, and was my home. What is your name?"
"My name is Elizita, I'm lost, and I just came in from the desert."
"But why?"
"Because I invited her." Said a dark silouette in the dark, unseen corner of the room.

A woman in a powder green dress like the other also wore a georgian wig. Her eyes were bright lilac and her face just as wite as the other's. Together they both looked like something out of a creepy fairy tale hiding out in a rotting house, in the middle of nowhere. "She was lost, and wandering." said the woman. "My name is Birue Wirtam, and I lived her with my dear fried Metoria. Now then dear, why are you lost?" Elizita stood there silent for a minute. It would be strange to try to explain everything to them, but she wanted to. They seemed to kind and they might be able to help. Elizita opened her moth to speak, knowing that she might regret it. "Hehehe, cat got your tongue. It's alwright, children come asray to this village all the time. Normally from Ebbston. Is that what happened. I'm sure your parents won't be that mad." Said Metoria

"Aw, she looks quite frightned. Would you like a cup of tea dear?"
"Er, yes please, if it's no trouble." said Elizita quit timidly. She had just notced the slimmy tricle of blood running down the wig of Birue. At the side of her head there was a bloody, pulpy mess of a wound, that was most definately fatal. Fractures glass stuck out like rows of teath, gnowing on her brain and craked skull. The site was frighteningly disturbing and greusome, so much so that Elizita had lost her function for words and screams .Out of stress and panic had begun pulling at and fiddling with a loose peice of thread of of her top. Elizita reolised that these women were ghosts. Gosts who were making her a cup of tea.

They all sat down a an oak table in a farse of a room to drink tea. Decd with decay, slidind wallpaper and collapsed furniture this room was stunningly decorated. Elizita looked down to see that there was nothing but stagnent water in her chiped tea cup. Reluctant to drink it she brocke the silence and said "How did you die?" in a confesional tone. Metoria looked at her with patronisation and said "What do you mean dear?" as though the question was a vulgar one.
"Well, you said that you "lived" here, and yet your still here."
"Yes, that's because we live here." said Birue, yet again patronising Elizita and acidentaly throwing her moldy water out of the tea cup as she spoke with her hands. "But look at your wig." said Elizita pointing at the gaping wound on Birue's head. "My wig is just fine child, and it's rude to point!" She said so defensively. Obiously the notion of this argument was funny to Metoria as she started snigeernig like a little infant as she attempted to drink her "tea"."But you have to be able to notice the massive wound in your head!"
"Don't be so imperdinant child! There is no such thing on my head!" Yet again this seemed very funny to Metoria as she now couldn't deny the fact that she was laughing. "Birue, Elizita is probubaly just tired from being so far away from home. Come on Elizita, I'll take you throught to the living room where you can have a little rest." Said Metoria as she began to calm down from the exitement

"Oh my goodness!" You've found my shoe and mirror!" Proclaimed Metoria as she spotted them on the side table. "Thankyou." Elizita rested on the white chair and Metoria went on. "Where did you come from Elizita?"
"I didn't come from Ebbston, I came from Chimray." "Oh dear, I've never herd of it. It must be quite far away. How did you get all the way out here?"
"I flew." Confessed Elizita. Metoria gave her the wierdest of looks.
"What do you mean?"
"My brother's a wizard and I stole his magical, enchanted flying chair, but then I crashed it out here and it's broken."
"Well then, your too far away from home. You'll have to stay here for a while to rest." Elizita was shocked, but the woman was right. Not only was Elizita tired out from everything that had happened today, but she was also to far from home to go straight away, before figuring something out. "Really, you think I should?" Elizita could see an advantage in this and it put off being told off by her grandmother. "Of corse you should, you can stay in the spare room. It's lovely, with pink wall paper decorated with roses, and a lovely view of the rest of the village."

On their way up stairs Eliziita saw just how Metoria died. On her back There were several stabb wounds, all still ozing blood from little slits in her dress. she found it difficult to climb the stairs as she couldn't stop stairing at the site yet the staircase had almost colapsed and most of the steps were missing. While Elizita was having trouble streaching her legs up 3 steps at a time, Metoria was effortlessly stepping on thin air. This was the only thing that could distract Elizita from her back as she tried to see Metorias little blue shoes manage none existant steps.

At the top of the stairs, Elizita saw the most disturbing thing she had ever seen. The dead bodies of the two women lined the corridorway. Their dresses were replicated on the skellingtons. Metorias lay, face down in a pool of blood stain, her arm craddling the floor, the very same blood stained slits in the dress, while Birue's leaned against the wall, it's head drooping into it's chest. The bones were dirty and coverd in dust. Thier dresses were so beautiful it looked like a painting of their moment of death. Just like everything else in the desert they were dead.

The spare room was dead, with faided wall paper, decorated by spides webs, and a creepy view of the rest of the village.

Later that afternoon, after resting Elizita came down to see Birue and Metoria sat at the dining table, collapsed at on side and rotten everywhere. A spare place was set out for Elizita however they were eating tried bones on rusted plates, and drinking sand in cracked wine glasses. "Oh Elizita, we didn't know when you'd be up, come and join us." said Metoria quite amusted and surprised.
"I'm not really hungry." lied Elizita, although the site of dead corpses hadn't really done much for her appetite. "Well sit, we were just talking about Bartholemue." said Birue. "He hasn't been over in such a long while, has he Metoria."
"Goodness no. I do hope he's well, though if not he's always got his sister to keep him company."
"You know, come to mension it, I haven't seen her in such a long time too. thought she would always be out in the garden tending to her plants. Ever since then, just like the rest of this aweful desert, her garden has perished."
"What do you mean" asked Elizita
"Well, don't you know about the drought."
"What drought"
"You must really live far away." said Metoria. "In this part of Mayren, a few months ago, there was a massive drought, which is why it's a desert and there are no more flowers."
"But where I live, it's always been desert. There have never been plants."
"Well here there were plants. All this desert was fields and fields of flowers. You see the colours of the houses in this village, blue, green, violet, orange, indigo, yellow and pink. Those colours were inspired by the flowers, that bloomed everywhere." Said Birue.
"It was so grand, me, Birue, Bartholemue, Granda, Yirona and Sith would go to the fields, and find our selves a tree to sit under. Last time we went to the fields, it suddenly started raining, and we all ran for cover to the village. That's when I was in such a hurry that I left my shoe and mirror."
"That's also the last time it ever rained." said Birue, disheartened and displeased.

"So this village, whats it called?" asked Elizita
"It's Derroth." Said Birue
"Why are all the houses so big and oustentatious?"
"Ah, well we come from very rich families, and they built this village so they could get us out of their hair" said Metoria.
"We were gien everything that we could possibly want, until we had "settled down and matured in sensible, civolized adults."" Said Birue mimiciing a well respected elder. "And that included the newest fations, best cooks and latest news of home." Added Birue with slight enthusiasm.

Then Metoria broke with "Though right now we are at a loss as we can't find our cook, I mean all her belongins are still here but she has just vanished and so have all the other servants. Though I guessed that it must be their hliday. Though I think somethings wrong as Mother and my family have stopped writing to me and my new dress hasn't been brought over yet. I really do thin that something terrible has happened to them. They must be having money troubles and are not able to keep for the servants. And I feel so guilty as I have been Txing them with so many expensive parties." And then she threw her self into a fit of tears, hugging Birues shoulder. "I'm so sorry, though you really shouldn't wory too much. If anything bad had happened they would have told you." Said Elizita trying to comfort her as she knew their reall sitiuation and how diar it was. "Maby, if it would make you feel better you should stop the parties fr a while." Sugested Elizita. " Ohhh, I haven't had a party in ages, for some reason no one esle really feels like amusement after the drought." She wailed

"What about your family Birue, have they been writing lately?"
"Why assume such a thing." Said Birue suspiously and defensively "My family don't write t me anyway, I'm suported by Metoria and her family." She stormed ut the room leaving Metoria to fall on to her empty seat.

For the rest f the evening Elizita and Metoria talked. "I still can't beleive that you pushed Uralo into the water fountain!" cried Elizita. "I know, I know, and right when he was going on about have marvelous his water fountain is!" Then she paused. "Even Birue was laughing hard then, she can be so moody sometimes."
"Why is that? Is it because of her family?"
"A few years ago, her farther and her brother had a disagreement and a duel was declared. She tried all she could to stop it as she knew her brother was a terrible shot and her farther would kill him for shure. She tried to sabotage the duel by tampering with the guns, but she was just told to stay out of their buissness. When her brother died she left the family. Not because of the duel, but because her farther missed and in his anger shot her brother several times."

Elizita looked at her, with her heart breaking for poor Birue. "That must be aweful. It really is kind of you to suport her."
"Don't even talk about her family, it will make her so distrort. Goodness look at the time, Elizita you should go to bed."

And so after the most unusual, exiting and terrifieing day Elizita when to bed. She borrowed a night gown from Metoria, though she could not take off her shoes and this really troubled her as she was not used to it. The nightgown was very old and had yellowed, sitting at the bottom of a dusty wardrobe. Elizita lie on the dusty bed in what was once a marvelous room. Ornate furniture ruined by time, the whole house was full of it, as well as memories that will not rest, and live on in death beyond sanity and reason.

Thirst woke her up. She had not had a drink in so long. Elizita crept down stairs, and to the kitchen. As she approached the state of the house worsened as she was entering the servants workspace. If she was going to find water this was the only place to find it as tea had been served as just water. The kitchen was pitch black but she could still see all the clutter. Actualy it was too clutterd as she found it imesly difficult to not trip over pot and pans. Surly time could not have done this? Pots and pans were drewn every were and it looked like a fight or struggle had taken place. Even a small broken window near the top of the wall, like many f the houses in the village. Elizita was now glad for her absence of bare feet. Then her red shoe nudged something and it made a peculiar soft jingle, like a wooden xilaphone as it fell into a different place and rearanged it'self. It was a skellington. A skellington of an inocent servant, in a gray dress, lied on the floor, with a bney arm still clung around a table leg, held together by the grey dress, rotting in the grey dress. Next to her another one crouched against the wall. And another on in the corner, hands still scratching at the wall.

She ran out of the kitchen screaming and triping over as she had almost forgotten that the ladies were ghosts and that everthing seemed ten times more scary at night.

Her back leaned against the unstable corridor wall she slowly breathed trieing to recover from the shock. Elizita when upstairs to see if her screams had woken Metoria and Birue. On her way she passed a door that was slightly ajar and... Curiusity! She had to open it. What more was this house hiding from her. Secrets that didn't make sence needed to be reasoned out. She opened, now it with a light heart full of cuiosity. Though it soon sunk as it revieled a dark, dark, stair case, strewn with cracks and brocken wooden steps. It stared back at her with extream, focus, intimidation and thought. She slowly closed the door and continued her search.

Metoria and Birue were no where to be seen. Like ghost they had just vanished. Their beds were freshly made from the last time they woke in them, in their life. So Elizita back in her room, still thirsty and curios, took to the window to peer across the village. The houses, though it was dark still kept some of their romantic colour. A devastated and half destroyed village never looked so wonderful to Elizita. Then they came. They rose from the desert dirt. About onehundred of them, all over. Their heads slowly rising above the grond followed by the rest f their bodies. Hollow and transparend. Black, that ever so slowly flutterd in a non existant breaze. The moon light on such a clear night seemed to illuminate them, a pale blue, with smething cold and yet warm to the eye. They then followed each other, in perfect timing to the edge of the village, and Elizita just watched, creeped out, and now enormaously curious.

They all whent past her window and she quickly ran across the house her shoes hitting the floor with exitement, to anther bedroom to see what happened next.

All of them wonderd into the desert. With little stubby legs and arms that formaed to the ruoght shape of a human, yet they had no faces on their heads. In the desert they stood spaced out as though they didn't know each other and they all looked down at the sand and dirt and they all began to weep. As crystal silver tears landed on the desert floor they dissapeared into it and illuminated it. Each tear that was drped made the transparent shape less vissible, untill one by one they dissapeared into the lifeless sand. And when the moon began so sink into the horizon the sand lost its luminessence.

In the morning Elizita was still ever so thirsty. After a breakfast of imaginary porridge, and a litte hat amongst mainly Metoria and Birue about the state of Mrs Bansil's house, Elizita brought up the subject of home. "So, how am I going to get home then?"
"Oh, of course, we forgot all about that!" Said Metoria surprised.
"Well, there is a train that can take you from Ebbston. I hear that it can take you quite far." said Birue. "Ebbston is just a miles walk from here. It's south south west. You will see a darling little village, qiute new actualy, and that should be it. The peole there I hear are quite friendly, so you just ask around and they should help you."
"How will I know which way is west? I could end up walking in circles." Said Elizita worried. "I have a compass, my father though that it would be useful out in the middle of nowhere. Though I never thought so, and I have no use for it. You can have it Elizita." Offerd Metoria.

So Metoria set off to look for the compass. While she was preocupied, Elizita looked at the book again. Yellow pages that smelt of must, held a curious story. Elizita had never had a real story book. Unlike the other books in her possesion this one did not start of with an introductery page, or a contents page or a phrase simular to "There are many types of..." or "Research has shone that a majority of..." or even "To properly make a...". It started of with "Grass had stained her dress as she fell on her way to Mrs Gralad's house. Her new shoes had done it. What ever was he thinking when she begged her farther for them..." Elizita read. The first page had a writing style so unfamiliar that it almost took her attension away from the story.

A few minutes later she came into the room, with the black little compass. "I am so glad that it still works. A lot f things in this house seem to malfunction whenever they want to." Elizita smiled grimly, they didn't know they were dead and yet their whole existance now is death and they can't even reolise it.

When the time came for Elizita to leave she had a good send off. As she stood at the door, Metoria and Birue whished her farwell, "Oh, good bye Elizita. You have been ever so helpful returning my shoe and mirror. I feel as though I should give you something in return so, you can have my book." Said Metoria, quite emotionaly. "Wow, thanks!" Said Eilzita as Metria unreiled the book from behind her massive dress. "Do be careful in the desert this time Elizita." Said Birue wraping a motheaten, woolen showl around her even though it was a hot deser day, with the sun gleaming in through out the warn desert air. Though it was a thoughtful gesture. "And, Elizita, darling, anytime you want you can visit us. You are very good company to keep." Said Metoria, and Elizita knew what she ment, beig a ghost must be pretty lonely even if you are unaware. "We'll be looking out fr you as you walk across the desert said Metria, sadly smiling at Elizita.

And so she set off, with the book under her, quite inconvinient showl. South south west was quit tricky with such an old cumpass as the glass was coerd in dirt and dust. Looking back she saw the faint and now quite frightening, ghostly faces of Metoria and Birue behind the age-beaten glass windows. They were still and motionless from the outside.

Red sand kicked at her red shoes. Then she rememberd the ordeal, and her mood sunk. She would just like to forget about it.

After an hour of daydreaming and keeping a close eye on the compass, her thoughts swung round to it again and she reolised that since she cold not take off her shoes she would not be allowed to forget about it. Tears appeard abuve her usualy pale cheeks now red with frustration and the desert heat. Her body sunk into a slupm on the desert floor. At least she was comforted by Metoria and Birue's gifts. After half an hour of sulking she got up and decided to try ut flying again to see if there was any worth to it at all. She floated slowly above the desert sand, and yet again stoped short of 3 meters. She tried to go forward, but this was vey difficult. Sideways was still difficult but a bit easier. But when she tried to go backwards she just ended up tiping over. Not at all impressive.

There was no worth.

Ebbston seemed like an older, browner, bigger, noisier version of Chimray. The streets and layout were more planed and the houses paced out, un like the gapless rows in Chimray. People walked about. It was still a village but quite a large village. Though one thing about desert village life is that everyone seems to have dodgy fasion sence. Though Elizita was wering something she considerd ok; a red T-shirt, brown skirt, and knee high white socks. Though she sore a young, brounette woman in a rather oddly stylish taylord suite. Pink skirt and jaket with some maby unnecicary shoulder pads, some matching shiny pink heels and a light turquoise blouse. "Excuse me madam, but I really need some help." Elizita said to her sounding a bit awkward and shy. "Oh, well, it is my duty to help all in this town." She said in kind and confident voice. "Well what is the mater." She said enthasising an imatirnt but still kind tone. "I'm lost. I come from Chimray and I need to use your towns train to get home."
"Ah. So your not from here. Well first things first. I'm the mayor, Mayor Alit. Now whats your name." Elizita couldn't believe that of all the people she had just happened to talk to the mayor. If anyone could help her then it would be the mayor, and she seemed kind enouth to do so. "I'm Elizita Militaf."
"Well Elizita, I'm sorry to say but there hasn't been a train in this village for 680 years."
"Oh..." Said Elizita sounding very defeated.
"Now, don't get miffed. I can help you. You did say Chimray didn't you?"
"Yes, and I know it's far away but..." Elizita trailing off, not knowing what to say. "Yes, it is very far away and I can't even begin to imagine how you got here, alone on foot." She paused, waiting to see if Elizita would corect her. "But we have an export of steel to sent to Chimray this afternoon. You are more than welcome to hitch a ride in the truck if you like. Wanda will be ablec to spare some room in her house for you until then, since yu must be quite tired." Elizita happily nodded.

Mayor Alit lead Elizita through the village. They had what looked like a new water fountain in the middle of the village and this remided Elizita of how thirsty she was. Shiny water leaped out of the stone water-birds mouth dramaticly and into the oasis like pool. Peolple sat around the small fountain chatting. They arrived at a small house on the outscirts, that held a massive garrage. It was open and Elizita could see all the curious little tools and spare parts. From behind a lime green truck came a very yung womand in scruffy overalls and very messy, tightly curled brown hair.

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