And here's chapter 3, with this the world in which we live becomes maybe bigger than we realise. This is a glimpse into the wider world in which the stories are set, enjoy.
Sometimes she was left wondering how Box ever managed to tail anyone in London, Waterloo on even a quiet day was a maelstrom of human movement. There were people rushing in every direction, to the trains, to the coach station, to the underground, she used that maelstrom to her advantage to go first one way then the other before slipping down to the underground. There she jumped onto a tube, at the last moment, that was heading to Embankment, where she got out, went out of the station out onto the street, then reentered the station from the other entrance, jumped onto another tube to Victoria. Where she switched lines, after a few doublebacks, to head towards Green Park where she changed again and went to Piccadilly Circus with one last change taking her to Oxford Circus. She then walked to Oxford Street and headed to Primark, a lovely place full of hundreds of people just milling around, perfect for washing your tail. In out and round about, if anyone was still following her now they'd have to be magicians.
She decided to take one last pass through Selfridges just to work the charm and she had just gone past the Brass Rail, passing the fountain near the stairs, as she always did, she tossed a silver coin in the fountain, she then started to head to the escalator, when everyone but her seemed to stop moving.It took less than a moment for her to notice, stop and look back, there over the water of the now stationary fountain, was a shimmering, twirling silvery light.The air above the fountain's pool seemed to split, light spilled out and the figure of a woman stepped through, at first limmed in light as if she was just a silhouette. Caroline was left standing almost as if entranced, the woman was wearing a pale grey shift of midcalf length, her bare feet floating above the surface of the water, she had long dark blue-black hair, through which intricate gold earings could be glimpsed dangling,catching the light, sparkling. She turned to Caroline, her sad face almost smiling, though tears seemed to stream down her face, to drip into the water below her.
"Ah Caro, daughter, come sit with me for a while." with that she seemed to descend invisible steps until she came down to sit on the edge of the fountain, gently patting the mock-stone beside her. Caroline found herself being drawn over , sitting down next to her, looking deep into those deep blue-green eyes, seeing those seemingly inexhaustible tears, stream down her perfect cheeks. Caroline remembered that as a child she had just accepted this as normal,it was just like stepping into a storybook world, but this was Selfridges and she was no longer a child.Her carefully built inner calm was shattered, was this real?
"Oh my dear girl you are not going mad, I am as I was when I comforted you by my pool after your mother died,"
This did not exactly help, as Caroline had sort of rationalised her memories as a product of grief, childhood and an over active imagination, over a period of a year or so when her mother had so tragically died.She had met with this woman, Saitada, who said she was a friend, there to help, to share the burden of a child's grief. Later at university, she had found Saitada, a pre-roman goddess of springs and grief, while rearching a paper, she had been surprised and was left wobndering how as a child she had come up with this name. Now her mind was racing could this be real, could she have really met this ancient goddess as a child It also did not help that it seemed as if this woman, Goddess, knew her very thoughts.
"You realise that when I last left you I gave you my blessing, that is part of the reason why you have certain abilities and facilities, though of course your training from childhood, with your sister and friends, with Master Tan Xi and others helped but you were always better at the more magical elements weren't you?"
Caroline could only nod her head.
There was a tinkling laugh, like water falling down a waterfall, a sound incongruous, the tears still falling.
"So my blessing did help and now after all these years I sense that soon you will need my help again, the time is upon, as it was for your sister,recently, when you should fully take on your responsibilities. Though obviously from your expression some explanation might help, you do remember me, you do remember my name, of course you do, I know you researched me in the British Library. I know you did not forget me, you have always made your observance," saying this she raised a perfectly scuplted eyebrow, a slight sly smile played momentarily across her lips
." I long ago decided, that for my continued existance, every time someone throws a coin into a spring, a fountain, a pool, a wishing well, or even a water feature in a mall or shopping arcade then they are giving me an act of worship. Hah do not not look at me like that, a Goddess does not survive as long as I have without some wiles." Saying this she sighed, settlingly herself, leaning back slightly, so her fingertips could trail in thge water of the fountain's pool.
"When my tribe were conquered by the Romans I could have just slipped away, been forgotten, but my people needed me more than ever, then of course over time the Romans became my people and everyone who followed them became them too." She turned to face Caroline bringing the full force of her personality to bear on her.
"This world is greater than mortals can see, there are soft places where other worlds draw close to ours, where sometimes it is possible for people, creatures, things to cross. Some of these have become the stuff of your legends, your stories. Some however are not just stories, some have made this world their home and need to be reminded occaisionally that they are here only our sufferance, that they must obey the rules of this world. In a time long ago we Gods and Goddesses, seeing that our world was threatened from within and without,we held a Convocation, we met , we set aside our petty differences, we made preparations against the bad times.We all swore an oath to protect this world and our people. It was decided that it was too dangerous to the fabric of reality to intervene directly, instead it was decided that we might have an avatar, a champion as it were. You have even told stories of these chosen ones, Heracles, Cuchulain and the like. So as I cannot act directly, each age I chose a champion, an avatar, someone, to be my instrument here on Earth and other worlds, so will you Caroline, will you embrace your destiny, will you become my champion?"
And here's chapter 3, with this the world in which we live becomes maybe bigger than we realise. This is a glimpse into the wider world in which the stories are set, enjoy.
Sometimes she was left wondering how Box ever managed to tail anyone in London, Waterloo on even a quiet day was a maelstrom of human movement. There were people rushing in every direction, to the trains, to the coach station, to the underground, she used that maelstrom to her advantage to go first one way then the other before slipping down to the underground. There she jumped onto a tube, at the last moment, that was heading to Embankment, where she got out, went out of the station out onto the street, then reentered the station from the other entrance, jumped onto another tube to Victoria. Where she switched lines, after a few doublebacks, to head towards Green Park where she changed again and went to Piccadilly Circus with one last change taking her to Oxford Circus. She then walked to Oxford Street and headed to Primark, a lovely place full of hundreds of people just milling around, perfect for washing your tail. In out and round about, if anyone was still following her now they'd have to be magicians.
She decided to take one last pass through Selfridges just to work the charm and she had just gone past the Brass Rail, passing the fountain near the stairs, as she always did, she tossed a silver coin in the fountain, she then started to head to the escalator, when everyone but her seemed to stop moving.It took less than a moment for her to notice, stop and look back, there over the water of the now stationary fountain, was a shimmering, twirling silvery light.The air above the fountain's pool seemed to split, light spilled out and the figure of a woman stepped through, at first limmed in light as if she was just a silhouette. Caroline was left standing almost as if entranced, the woman was wearing a pale grey shift of midcalf length, her bare feet floating above the surface of the water, she had long dark blue-black hair, through which intricate gold earings could be glimpsed dangling,catching the light, sparkling. She turned to Caroline, her sad face almost smiling, though tears seemed to stream down her face, to drip into the water below her.
"Ah Caro, daughter, come sit with me for a while." with that she seemed to descend invisible steps until she came down to sit on the edge of the fountain, gently patting the mock-stone beside her. Caroline found herself being drawn over , sitting down next to her, looking deep into those deep blue-green eyes, seeing those seemingly inexhaustible tears, stream down her perfect cheeks. Caroline remembered that as a child she had just accepted this as normal,it was just like stepping into a storybook world, but this was Selfridges and she was no longer a child.Her carefully built inner calm was shattered, was this real?
"Oh my dear girl you are not going mad, I am as I was when I comforted you by my pool after your mother died,"
This did not exactly help, as Caroline had sort of rationalised her memories as a product of grief, childhood and an over active imagination, over a period of a year or so when her mother had so tragically died.She had met with this woman, Saitada, who said she was a friend, there to help, to share the burden of a child's grief. Later at university, she had found Saitada, a pre-roman goddess of springs and grief, while rearching a paper, she had been surprised and was left wobndering how as a child she had come up with this name. Now her mind was racing could this be real, could she have really met this ancient goddess as a child It also did not help that it seemed as if this woman, Goddess, knew her very thoughts.
"You realise that when I last left you I gave you my blessing, that is part of the reason why you have certain abilities and facilities, though of course your training from childhood, with your sister and friends, with Master Tan Xi and others helped but you were always better at the more magical elements weren't you?"
Caroline could only nod her head.
There was a tinkling laugh, like water falling down a waterfall, a sound incongruous, the tears still falling.
"So my blessing did help and now after all these years I sense that soon you will need my help again, the time is upon, as it was for your sister,recently, when you should fully take on your responsibilities. Though obviously from your expression some explanation might help, you do remember me, you do remember my name, of course you do, I know you researched me in the British Library. I know you did not forget me, you have always made your observance," saying this she raised a perfectly scuplted eyebrow, a slight sly smile played momentarily across her lips
." I long ago decided, that for my continued existance, every time someone throws a coin into a spring, a fountain, a pool, a wishing well, or even a water feature in a mall or shopping arcade then they are giving me an act of worship. Hah do not not look at me like that, a Goddess does not survive as long as I have without some wiles." Saying this she sighed, settlingly herself, leaning back slightly, so her fingertips could trail in thge water of the fountain's pool.
"When my tribe were conquered by the Romans I could have just slipped away, been forgotten, but my people needed me more than ever, then of course over time the Romans became my people and everyone who followed them became them too." She turned to face Caroline bringing the full force of her personality to bear on her.
"This world is greater than mortals can see, there are soft places where other worlds draw close to ours, where sometimes it is possible for people, creatures, things to cross. Some of these have become the stuff of your legends, your stories. Some however are not just stories, some have made this world their home and need to be reminded occaisionally that they are here only our sufferance, that they must obey the rules of this world. In a time long ago we Gods and Goddesses, seeing that our world was threatened from within and without,we held a Convocation, we met , we set aside our petty differences, we made preparations against the bad times.We all swore an oath to protect this world and our people. It was decided that it was too dangerous to the fabric of reality to intervene directly, instead it was decided that we might have an avatar, a champion as it were. You have even told stories of these chosen ones, Heracles, Cuchulain and the like. So as I cannot act directly, each age I chose a champion, an avatar, someone, to be my instrument here on Earth and other worlds, so will you Caroline, will you embrace your destiny, will you become my champion?"