A near miss on Labyrinth Gardens

Talitha Cumni

April 21, 2008 1:10 AM

A near miss by Talitha Cumni

Talitha was restless. She went over her class notes, practiced her spells, hot out her craft box and rifled through it, finding nothing, she really wanted to do, she shoved it back under the bed. Lutece was gone, off to who knew where, so Talitha couldn’t talk to her. She tried to calm her spirit and find direction by meditating.

After a few minutes of deep breathing to center herself, she touched her medicine bag. As was common, the last few weeks, only Squirrel and Fox appeared. That was part a big part of her restlessness. She missed having a third spirit guide. Nana always said they stayed until they weren’t needed anymore. Many times, she explained, another would come to replace them. Talitha tried to accept that, but she found it hard.

Squirrel and Fox both scampered over to the closed door and sat, looking first at the door and then at her. Talitha giggled quietly to herself. Very well then, she’d follow the spirit’s advice and get some fresh air.

After some aimless wandering through the gardens, Talitha ended up where she usually did, on Elly’s Swing. For some wonderful reason Talitha couldn’t figure out, heights never bothered her when she used the Swing. She loved to go as high as it’s ropes would allow. It didn’t take very long for her restlessness to disappear and her mood to lighten. Flying back and forth in the fresh air and sunshine was just what the Healer ordered.

Leaning way back as her feel reached for the sky, she saw an owl gliding to the school. Talitha gasped Of course, that had to be the reason!

Fox and Squirrel only appeared now because her third spirit guide which was an owl dad taken on corporeal form. No wonder she couldn’t name her new friend! Owl, the spirit had joined with the physical owl she’d raised! That explained why she felt so connected to it and why Owl, her spirit guide didn’t answer her summons anymore. It was with her all along, sitting on a perch in her room. Professors K. and Powell may argue otherwise, but in Talitha’s heart, that mad Owl her familiar if anything did.

What a glorious day! Talitha realized that she was hungry. She’d been too unsettled to want anything to ear all day and now she felt like she could eat an Abraxon, hooves, feathers and all.

As the swing reached its forward apex, Talitha let go and sailed forward in the air for a couple of thrilling seconds before gravity won out. Landing in a crouch on the balls of her feet, Talitha saw she’d just missed a pair of shoes with a person in them.

“Sorry,” she said, brushing dust from her hands as she stood. “I didn’t see you. Good thing you weren’t any closer or I’d have landed on your shoulders.”
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0 Talitha Cumni A near miss 102 Talitha Cumni 1 5

Elly Eriksson

April 22, 2008 3:43 PM

Or was it a near hit? by Elly Eriksson

It had been a rough start to the term. Somehow Elly had forgotten quite how much work the professors like to pile on them. Plus her new self-inflicted schedule of Quidditch practise was draining to say the least. Add in that her best friends seemed to be having seriously troubled personal lives and Elly was about ready to drop. It was times like this that swinging was the only way forward.

Ambling through the labyrinth wither her head full of her own thoughts, Elly was jolted quite sharply back to reality as a body sailed past, right where she was about to tread. Recovering from her surprise in a matter of moments, Elly laughed at Talitha’s greeting. “That’s not respecting your elders,” she said, pulling her friend into a sloppy one-armed hug.

“You in need of some quality swing time, too?” she questioned, nodding towards the swing’s haphazard motions, a clear indication that someone had just left it at speed. Elly steadied the rope with her hands, and took up seat on the word wooden panel. She patted the empty space next to her, which, although small, would hold Talitha if they cosied up. “How’s things in the Land of Talitha?”

0 Elly Eriksson Or was it a near hit? 92 Elly Eriksson 0 5

Talitha

April 27, 2008 9:09 AM

Either way works by Talitha

It was a good day, getting some one on one time with Elly made it even better. Talitha admired the girl she’d adopted in her heart as a big sister. There was nothing phony or pretentious about her. She loved Elly’s kind spirit and wicked sense of fun.

As Elly stopped the wild momentum of the Swing, Talitha wondered if she could share her feelings about Owl. No, that was probably too private. There were some things one didn’t talk about outside her community. There were some things that one didn’t share with anybody but family or spiritual leaders. This was one of them. If she were sure Elly understood, she might consider it further. As it was, Elly might think her a bit touched or at the very least too imaginative.

“You in need of some quality swing time, too?”

Talitha just shook her head. “Had mine.”

Even though she spoke the truth, Elly’s invatation was too good to resist. Happily, Talitha snuggled next to her friend. Dinner could wait a while longer.

“Things are good, very good as a matter of fact. So what brought you here?” Talitha knew there were many reasons to come to the Swing. There was the ‘I’m bored and can’t think of anything else to do’ reason. Then there was ‘it’s just a great way to have fun’ excuse. For kids their age the Swing had evolved into a type of stress reducing therapy, minimizing the need to visit their new counselor.
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0 Talitha Either way works 0 Talitha 0 5

Elly

May 01, 2008 2:21 PM

Is the glass half empty? by Elly

Talitha denied a need to swing, and Elly believed her. “I’m glad to hear it,” she said, grinning. Talitha looked far happier these days than when she’d been the quiet first year Elly had met, and far more relaxed, too. Elly thought perhaps the opposite was true of herself – she was undoubtedly quieter than the exuberant first year she had been, though still loud by most people’s expectations. Right this moment she was about the least relaxed she’d ever been.

“My head’s full,” she replied to Talitha, and pushed them gently with her toes against the ground. “I thought maybe some swing time could help empty it a bit,” she laughed gently at the notion of emptying her head – hopefully nothing useful would fall out.

Elly wasn’t going to talk to Talitha about her friends’ problems – they were their own and she had no right to discuss them. Still, she appreciated that Talitha had shared with her in the past, and she didn’t want to make her feel as though the action wasn’t reciprocal. “There’s just a lot of stuff going on,” she said after a pause. “My Mum’s moved away, gone to live with her sister,” Elly had almost dealt with the situation, but it still felt good to tell people. Plus this was something she was happy to talk about with Talitha.

0 Elly Is the glass half empty? 0 Elly 0 5

Talitha

May 05, 2008 12:44 AM

Only if you drank some by Talitha

“My Mum’s moved away, gone to live with her sister,”

“Oh, wow.“ Talitha breathed. What did someone say to that? She had always considered herself lucky. Her parents had been together for years and still were very much in love. The thought of loosing either one of them, to break up the family was inconceivable to her. She could only imagine what Elly was going through. It had to be the greatest pain of all, short of loosing one or the other to death. Her heart hurt for her friend, she tried to find the right words to let Elly know she was there for her as much as Elly had been a touchstone for Talitha last year.

When you can’t think of the right words to say, sometimes your silent presence is the greatest comfort of all. Her mother’s words of advise in a similar situation seemed to whisper to Talitha.

Using those words of wisdom, Talitha sat next to her friend, her head resting on Elly’s shoulder in a gesture that offered sympathy and, hopefully, comfort and strength. The Swing gently rocked the two of them in a gentle back and forth motion. The thick ropes creaked in soothing rhythm as a soft breeze played with their hair. Talitha didn’t say anything for a very long time.

“I’m sorry.” Talitha finally said quietly. “That’s got to be rough. How are you holding up?”\n

0 Talitha Only if you drank some 0 Talitha 0 5

Elly

May 06, 2008 4:15 PM

I might have done by Elly

Elly really appreciated Talitha's company at that moment. It was peculiar - she'd already discussed her barmy family with Mere and Echo, and her best friends had been great in talking it through practically, and making Elly see the positive aspects. In some ways, that had been the best reponse Elly could have hoped for, to not make a bid deal of something that really wasn't that much of an issue. Still, it was the end of her family life as she knew it, and even if she spent most of her time at school, it was still something to be pondered.

"That's got to be rough,"Talitha finally said after a long silence. Elly couldn't help but smile.

"It's not so bad," she admitted, and only part of it was to stop Talitha from worrying about her. Despite knowing that Talitha was happy to help, Elly felt as though she should be the stronger person in their friendship. She felt great purpose in taking care of her younger friends, mainly Talitha, Irene and Josiah - those kids who seemed to always have troubles of their own - she felt uncomfortable about that blance being upended. "I've never gotten on so well with my Mum, I think I might be why se left, but my Dad still loves her. Its got to be hard on him."

Elly scuffed the sand beneath the swing with her toes. The bit she till couldn't understand was that apparently her Mum still lved her dad, too. Then why was she leaving? It had to be because of Elly - there wasn't really any other explanation.

0 Elly I might have done 0 Elly 0 5

Talitha

May 11, 2008 9:17 AM

You must have been thirsty by Talitha

Her fault? How in the world could anyone not adore Elly? Especially her mother? Talitha couldn’t wrap her head around that at all. Mom’s were supposed to love their kids, no matter what. Then Talitha remembered her other friends with less than steelar parents. At least Elly’s mom was beating her or starving her. Perhaps it was better to leave than to cause each other pain. Talitha sighed and took a deep breath, thanking the Creator for giving her a pair of loving parents who were crazy about each other.

Still, in her mind her older friend was practially flawless and was convince Elly’s mother must be blind or stupid not to see that. Who couldn’t like someone who was always positive and sunny? Who couldn’t appreciate that wickedly wonderful sense of humor? Talitha knew that her own mother would adore Elly if their busy lives outside Sonora could ever bring her to the Community to visit.

“Your dad travels a lot, right?” Talitha said, trying not to scream that there was no way Elly should blame herself. Adults’ issues were usually with other adults and not the kids, but the more Talitha listened to others, she learned that kids usually couldn’t be convinced that somehow they weren’t at fault. “Maybe, with you away at school, she just got really lonely.”

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0 Talitha You must have been thirsty 0 Talitha 0 5

Elly

May 16, 2008 5:38 PM

Yes - I'd been exercising by Elly

"Maybe, with you away at school, she just got really lonely," Talitha suggested.

"That's what my folks said," Elly admitted, bringing the gentle swinging to a halt by placing her feet more firmly on the ground. "But I can't see how she's going to be any happier in Austria. I mean, Sie sprechen Deutsch in Hollabrunn, for a start," she laughd a little. "Moving away from the place you've lived for nearly twenty years and back to a country where they speak a foreign language? Not good for combatting loneliness in my opinion," she said. Naturally, the similar situation of Elly having started Sonora four years ago did not occur to her as a rational comparison. Yet, at the time, Elly knew she would make friends at her new magic school in Arizona. Whereas her mother was not the sort who made friends easily, nor was she going to a school, so Elly couldn't fathom how she would be any less lonely by moving away fom London.

"But whatever," Elly said with a shrug. "Grown-ups are crazy, right?" With that profound statement, Elly signalled the end of the topic by standing up from her swing. She had dominated the conversation too long, lowered the mood to an unacceptable degree of misery, and she was sure she'd heard Talitha's stomach rumble. All in all, a change of scenery was in order. "Didn't mean to offload on you. What d'you say to getting some grub?"

0 Elly Yes - I'd been exercising 0 Elly 0 5