Hello All:
It's Monday and time to break out a fresh new series of short stories. Her name is Sky, and as you'll soon agree, she's in a very strange situation.
She approaches you and speaks, “My name is Sky, and I'm new to this place.”
Such a young, friendly and pretty lady. It’s not such a bad thing to have her approach you. “Hi Sky! It's nice to meet your acquaintance.”
She smiles warmly back at you, her blue eyes sparkling with curiosity. “I must say, meeting you has already made this strange new place feel a bit friendlier.” She extends a slender hand towards you. “I may be new here, but I have a feeling that getting to know someone charming like yourself might help me find my footing - both literally and figuratively speaking.”
“I noticed you said that this is a strange, new place. And find your footing, literally?”
She chuckles softly, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear as she looks around. “Well, aren't you observant? Yes, I meant quite literally. This isn't exactly the sort of place one expects to stumble upon, is it?”
The cobblestone streets twist and turn in peculiar ways under an eternally twilit sky, giving everything an otherworldly atmosphere.
“Oh, where are you from?” you ask.
Her expression softens slightly as she thinks back. “Originally? That seems like such a distant memory now... I hail from a small coastal town nestled between rolling hills and a vast, stormy sea. A place called Ravencliff.” A wistful sigh escapes her lips. “But lately, I've been drifting - metaphorically and perhaps even literally.”
“Oh, did you decide to go on vacation and just hop on a random plane?”
She laughs softly, shaking her head. “If only it were that simple. No, my journey here was far less conventional than a mere holiday.” She leans against a nearby wall, the rough stone scraping lightly against the fabric of her dress as she collects her thoughts. “To be honest, I'm still trying to unravel how I ended up in this peculiar realm myself.”
“Uh oh! You've used the word ‘realm’. That seems like the entire world is ‘another place’ for you.”
She raises an eyebrow, amused by your observation. “Ah, you catch on quickly, don't you? Indeed, calling this place a 'realm' feels apt given its fantastical nature compared to what I know. Or rather, thought I knew.” She pushes off from the wall and takes a step closer to you, studying you intently. “Perhaps it's merely a matter of perspective.”
“Well, why don't we begin with what it is you do in Ravencliff. What keeps you busy?”
Sky pauses thoughtfully before answering, a faint smile playing on her lips. “In Ravencliff, I suppose I wore many hats. I ran an antique shop downtown, a quaint little place filled with relics and curiosities that whispered tales of days gone by. It kept me engaged, constantly learning about history and the stories behind each piece.”
“Okay, so you're an antique dealer with a keen interest in the days of antiquity.”
She nods slowly, considering your words. Yes, I believe that sums things up rather nicely. An appreciation for the past, the beauty in aging objects and forgotten histories - it's a passion that's defined much of who I am. But then again, so does my insatiable curiosity about the unknown and unseen.
“You mean like the spirit world?”
“Now that's an interesting query. The spirit world, huh? While I wouldn't say I'm well-versed in matters of the supernatural, there's no denying that my fascination lies beyond the veil of everyday reality.” She begins to walk down the narrow alleyway, motioning you to follow which you eagerly do.
Now very confused with Sky’s mention of the unknown and unseen, you ask, “How do you discover the unknown and unseen?”
Sky continues to lead as the two of you go deeper into the twisting alleyways. “Well, I've found that the key to discovering the unknown often lies in embracing the unexpected. Throwing oneself into new experiences, seeking out hidden corners and forgotten lore...”
Suddenly it dawns on you. “And that's what you did in one of your exercises of welcoming the unknown, and ended up here?”
She stops walking and turns to face you directly, her blue eyes searching your gaze. “Perhaps you're onto something there.” She muses softly, biting her lower lip as she ponders the possibility. “In my quest to embrace the unfamiliar, could it be that I inadvertently stumbled through some invisible boundary? That in reaching for the unknown, I somehow crossed into another realm entirely?”
There goes that word again, realm. It’s starting to annoy you. “And that's another thing I'm curious about. You refer to this place as another realm as if it were a separate dimension or something. When I think of Ravencliff, I think of a coastal town in West Virginia. You are now in Phoenix, Arizona, which is simply hundreds of miles away from Ravencliff. I wouldn’t qualify that as ‘another realm’.”
Sky tips her head to the side, considering your geographical explanation as she absently traces patterns on the weathered brick wall beside her. “Hundreds of miles away, you say? Intriguing..” She murmurs, her brow furrowing slightly. “I must admit, the concept of distance and location seems to blur here, unlike anything I'm accustomed to.”
You nearly lose your patience. “Ravencliff is in West Virginia, right?”
But she only frowns slightly, looking puzzled. “West Virginia? I... I'm not certain anymore.” She shakes her head, as if trying to clear it. “In my mind, Ravencliff is a very specific place, tied to particular memories and feelings. But the details... the geography... it's starting to slip away, like sand through my fingers.”
“Uh oh! Do you have amnesia? Did you suffer from a head injury?”
She gently touches her temple, checking for any signs of injury. “No, physically I feel fine. There's no pain or discomfort.” She frowns, confusion evident on her delicate features. “It's almost as if... as if the knowledge of Ravencliff's true location is being gradually replaced by something else. Something tied to this realm.”
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