Orophin stood perplexed, as she walked off.
He looks round, everything was disappearing, it was all fading to smoke........"whats going on here, this cant be the end"
Truly, the illusion, the dream, the fantasy that is the swamp was being undone, it was no more.
Orphin was turning around franticly, as he heard a voice explaining all this to him with what sounded like typing in the background. He turned to where Laura was but all he saw was a white blank space, he walked backwards waving his head, not believing what was happening, as the space moved closer and closer to him. He tried to use all the elvish powers he had, but nothing happened, it was like he never had them to start with.....his hand started to fade away.
"YAAAAAAAAAA"...the scream echoed through the empty void.
Hours pass. Night turns into a day and day turns into night again.
In another reality far far away Laura again sits by her computer. The swamp is no more, but old habits die hard and she logs on. The memories make her alter ego feel warm and she cherishes the feeling, before she logs off again.
In a reality far far away, Orophin sits bathed in the blue glow of his laptop, he wipes a single tear from his eyes...."Well, it was nice knowing you" Just out of the shadows a figure drapes her arms around him and whispers slyly in his ears..."that means more time for me, hmm"
"Okay" he closes the lid and............well................ 😉
Realizing that he is almost alone in the Swamp, Peter tries to remember what happened to him. It was ealy July and he was laying down naked next to JadeViper as their clothes were drying. He tried to keep his true feelings for JadeViper under wrap, but his hormones were just not cooperating. If that damn Elf had not taken his deck of cards he could have at least covered himself with the Ace of Spades or King of Clubs. In any event, the last thing he remembered was laying naked with JadeViper. What could have happened to him and where has everyone gone?
In a reality far far away Laura hears a distant sound, like a whisper calling to her, or is it just the wind? Surely it cannot be the Swamp, it was deserted long ago... 'I must be hallucinating' she thinks to herself.
Slowly, silently, colours whirl. In the centre something is forming. There's a flash of light and Jadeviper is standing there. The whirling colours around her fade into the periphery, the swamp now as real and solid as it was before. Walking over to Peter, she kneels next to him and kisses him lightly on the cheek. Tucking a blanket around him, she lies down next to him and wonders if the recreation of the swamp will draw back the others.
Lee just walks in...without all the bells and whistles (a la Jadeviper 😉 )
"Hello, I've not been here for a while"
"Where's my main man Mosquito nowadays? Don't tell me...he's gone to be Jimmy's shoulder to cry on? 😮 " Probably doing love poetry together or something... 😉 "
Lee 8)
Hey my friend I'm here.
Yeah, I wish I could be there for Jimmy boy but the problem is now he's gone his way. I really miss him.
Where the hell have you been? Having exams and stuff? Shit! I hate exams. I always used to be the man of the last moments. I used to study topics for the first time only several hours before the exam begins. I always had a grip during touch exams while all my colleagues would sweat and even cry at tough questions.
So-ah, wtf is going on inside this swamp? Where is everybody?
I can see Jade sitting there beside Peter and I'm telling ya these two are up to something. Aaah! They want two partners for a spades game.
Well, I'm available.
Laura enters. The mosquitoish babble almost makes her head ache but then the sleepy voice finally finishes and she draws up a chair to join the others. 'A game of cards, ok, it's a good start.'
Mosquito, realising what he's done to the beautiful head of his beloved Laura, starts thinking dark thoughts and begins to fall into a deep abyss and then suddenly one thought got hold of his head so he decided to go shoot himself.....yes yes don't be surprised.....mosquito decides to go shoot himself some ducks cos he is feeling hungry and would like to eat real bad!
So-ah mosquito says goodbye to Laura and heads towards the deserted end of the large swamp searching for some ducks and singing to Laura:
I'm gonna shoot some duck
So wish me some fucking luck
I'll absofuckinlutely be back again
For the mother ducking card game
Want me to hunt some deer for you?
Sure I can split my hunt in two
I get to eat all the poor animal's chest meat
And you get to eat the brains, the arms and the feet
If you promise to behave in the card game I'll back in a month
All I need is some support and some lucky strike of bunce
If you behave not and cheated in the card game
Then my life will just never be the same agaime....err....i.e. again
[quote="mosquito"]Where the hell have you been? Having exams and stuff? [/quote]
No exams my friend. Holidays! 😃 I went to Magaluf on the isle of Majorca (Spain) for two weeks with a friend and one of my cousins. I'm back now, so i'll try and come to the swamp a bit more often. 😊 Although when i got back into work after my holiday the work was piled up on my desk, and i'm still not finished yet! 😞
Lee 8)
[quote="yourmanlee"][quote="mosquito"]Where the hell have you been? Having exams and stuff? [/quote]
No exams my friend. Holidays! 😃 I went to Magaluf on the isle of Majorca (Spain) for two weeks with a friend and one of my cousins. I'm back now, so i'll try and come to the swamp a bit more often. 😊 Although when i got back into work after my holiday the work was piled up on my desk, and i'm still not finished yet! 😞
Lee 8)[/quote]
That's just wonderbar my friend. Mallorca is good. So-ah, learned some Spanish? Hola! Hola que tal? Hombre!
And the air turns thick as the men smoke cigars and talk about past holidays and far away islands while playing cards.
Jadeviper raises an eyebrow to Laura and smiles suggestively at her. Unheard by the men, they sneak away and amuse themselves playing with the lion cubs, wondering if Peter and the elf will come and join them.
'It seems that Orophin has other things to do' Laura says with a sigh, trying hard to conceal her disappointment. 'And Peter is just being himself: here today, gone tomorrow' she adds with a giggle. 'But it's nice to be back here at the swamp anyway, I missed the animals. And look how big little Anwar has grown while we were away'. She points to one of the lion 'cubs' who now weighs almost 80 kgs.
'Hey, do you think it would be completely out of the question to get a glass of Bailey's?' Laura asks JV. 'Wouldn't it be nice to have a cooling drink here at the hot afternoon swamp? Let's try and ask the ravens to bring us some, ok?'
Jadeviper calls down a raven and asks it to bring them a large Baileys with ice and a glass of water with ice and lemon. In another world she hears the rain beating down and is glad it's nice and warm in the swamp.
In a reality far far away, baz logs in as usual to his fave forum and checks out the waffle thread. "Hmm, funny...yeah....hmm......GAACK!!! WHATS THIS???" he choked on his coffee with shock at what he just saw. 😮
He could not believe that The Swamp was up and running with a new page no less. He scrolled up and down, reading each post like a schoolboy with his first Hustler mag (the articles are good :P).
He then rememberes he was under the impression that this was a lost cause...........how wrong he was, so it seemed. :-?
He now calmed down, and admitted to himself how pleased he was to see the swamp alive again with the gang. 😃
He sat there pondering...."Now how should Orophin make my entrance?". There would have to be some changes to him........................'hmmm' 😉 8)
Jadeviper and Laura relax with their drinks, occasionally giggling at the antics of the cubs. Suddenly, something seems different, but nothing they can discern. Jadeviper turns to Laura, "Did you just feel something... odd?" Laura nods her head and takes a contemplative sip of her Baileys. The swamp feels different, the mood has shifted somewhat, like an old faithful dog sensing the return of its master...
'Hmm, yes, indeed'. Suddendly she notices a copy of a Hustler magazine lying on the floor. 'I don't remember seeing that there yesterday... how peculiar isn't it'?
The afternoon in the swamp is quiet. Laura and Jadeviper are indulging in reminescense and recounting some of the past events. The image of Peter for instance splashing into the pool with his clothes on and cards flying everywhere is still vivid in her mind and makes Laura laugh out loud. 'Those were the days' she says 'now I wonder what the future will hold'.
The bottle of Bailey's now gone, some action would be welcome.
Just as things seemed quiet in the swamp, suddenly there was a heavy rush of wind that almost blew the tree off their roots. There was now a cloud of dust shrouding the campsite and covering the now startled inhabitants as they look up to find out the source of the unnatural occurence.
As the dust settled, there stood a large winged creature about 50feet (15.24metres) tall with a long tail that swayed in the air casting a shadow. It's red scaled skin glisened in the sunlight as it stood all four of its powerful limbs, staring down with its green eyes at the swampies. It was no doubt now that this was an actual mythical dragon in all its glory.
Its eyes started to glow and on the ground below its head a white light was forming, it grew brighter and then dissappeared. A figure stood where the light was, white hair, pointy eared with an earing in one and dressed in traditional white Elvish casual clothes.
He looked at his hands, looked at the surrounding and looked at the people staring a him. he smiled and nodded his head..."I'm back!!"
Laura was stunned. Having consumed half a bottle of Bailey's, she was very unsure of her senses and when the dragon appeared, she was certain she had lost all ties to reality. But the animals reacted too, so she figured it was more than just her imagination. The lions roared, meerkats hid themselves in an instant and Tembo... well Tembo seemed oddly curious of the frightening beast. Laura hesitantly got closer and then rubbed her eyes in disbelief when the dragon disappeared and suddendly there was a tall figure of a man standing in front of her. It was instantly clear that this was not the person she had known before... or was it? She lowered her eyes and did not know how to address this elf with obviously high eminence. Even the lions were silent. 'Welcome' she then was able to say.
He saw a woman coming up to him, he paused for a moment to remember..."L-L-Laura?" His memories began to flood back, and he realised he looked abit different from before......he had grown facial hair and his eyes where a striking green rather than the blue he had before.
He walked over to her, and held her hands..."It me, Orophin. I hope my entrance wasnt too much" he smiled as he saw the animals appearing cautiously from the bushes.
'Oh, Orophin, hi, I wasn't sure it was you' Laura said with a smile. She felt a little prick in her heart when she realized he didn't quit remember her, but at the same time she was happy cause this would give her some time to get used to his new appearance. His hands were warm and there was a sphere of tranquality around him. 'You're entrance was just fine and I suspect Tembo knew who you were right from the start. Let's see where Jadeviper is', she continued, just a tad nervous.
Jadeviper steps out from behind the bush where she'd been hiding with a family of meerkats, looking rather sheepish. Slowly she looks the elf up and down, noting, appraising. Seeing the half-concealed shock mixed with pain and happiness on Laura's face, she calls for a raven and orders her a stiff drink.
"I'll have a bacardi and coke" .........Orophin smiled and went over Tembo. The elephant embraced him with its trunk and gave a soft trumpet...."hehe! yeah, i missed you too" Orophin said patting the elephants forehead.
The other animals now gathered around him and he crouched down to greet them all, although he was quite surprised how big little Anwar and the others had grown....."I hope you guys left enough food for us!!" he said laughing as Anwar proceeded to lick his face.
Laura relaxed too, seeing Orophin so comfortably with the animals. 'Sure there's food for everybody' she said having full confidence on JV's ability to create fabulous dinners. 'Now Orophin please tell us where did you get those dragon powers?'
His heart skipped a beat when he heard that question, he was hoping they woul put it all doen to the Bacardi but he would have to tell them sooner or later.
"Well you see...." he explained how when the swamp dissapeared intead of fading away, he was transported to his homeland and one year passed. At this point Orophin stood up, walked over to Laura and JV and sighed....."I have 'come of age' as an elf and i have been crowned king."
He gazed at the surprised look on the women's faces, then he walked towards the animals. "You see, not all elves have the powers that i posses, only those of royal blood and those of the Draconis family. When we reach a certain age our full power is revealed to us and our true form, which you saw first hand."
There was more to his story, but he stopped, feeling that if he said more they would fear him too much. He turned around to face the women..."Theres more, but i dont know if you want to hear it."
Gently pushing Laura down on the mossy ground, Jadeviper quickly prepares a light meal and joins the others, sitting down gracefully. "So much can happen in a year, and if we are to continue our close association, we must know what you have been doing in this time, and what changes you have experienced".
Laura nudged Jadeviper gently 'Let him eat, he will tell us all in due time'. She then went on to describe him their peaceful existance on the swamps. What had been a year in elvish time had not been much more than a fortnight at the swamp - the days here run only little slower (perhaps somewhat more erratic) than in the real world. Laura told Orophin how the deer had been released back into the wild as it had already full recovered and how she had tried to release Tembo too but it had refused to leave. As if it somehow belonged to this place. She had wondered about it and now it started to make sense. She remembered Orophin telling how his father had taught it the flying trick... the father the old king evidently. There had always been the closeness between the animal and the elf. And how old was the elephant exactly? Taking the differences between the swamp time and the elvish time the animal could be hundreds of years old... There really seemed to be lot more to the story.
Suddendly an alarming thought struck her. Mosquito had mentioned something about hunting deer. 'Should I try to call for it? It used to come whenever I needed it, it might still obey my commands... I hope it is allright'.