Uncertain as to the size or nature of the round, glowing object, you decide to get a closer look. You drop the bucket down into the well, climb up onto the side, grab onto the rope, and slide down. The bucket stops you just before the water, and you balance on it. You find that the water is deep but the object you are after appears to be submerged only a few inches below the surface. You place one hand against the side of the well for balance and bend down to reach for it only to have a pair of transparent blue hands reach up from the depths and snatch it away. You recoil in surprise and a sprite emerges from the water. She stands nose to nose with you.
Her body is made of flowing water which you can see moving and rippling as she stares at you through two glowing eyes. Her body takes on the glow of the sphere she holds, a sapphire blue orb about the size of a coconut.
"What are you doing in my well?" she frowns, her voice burbling like a brook.
You explain that you were curious about the light, and she nods.
"Understandable, I suppose, but this is not a toy," she says. "The fairy queen gave it to me for safe keeping. It is a Mesmer Orb. There are very few of them left, so she is loathe to destroy it, but its powers are too strong to leave it lying about. It can lull a victim into a trance and trap them for eternity." She gently drops it into the water once more. "You are fortunate that I saw you reaching for it. If I hadn't heard you scratching your way down the well, it might've snared you before I had a chance to stop it." She gazes into your eyes. "That is not how your journey in our lands is destined to end. I sense that there are still folk here who have need of you. Come into my parlor. I would play a game with you. Perhaps you will learn something of your fate." You hesitate.
"Where is your parlor?" you ask, hoping it isn't a stupid question. She giggles, grabs you by the hand, and pulls you under the water.
After a moment of initial panic you realize that through some gift of the sprite, you can breathe under water. You feel yourself sinking but you can see the sprite next to you and feel her fingers about your hand and you have no fear. At the bottom the well widens into a chamber where a tiny, under water home has been set up. There is a table and chairs fashioned out of large clam shells and shelves of treasures.
"I like to collect things," she explains. "Most of them are from the watery realms, but a few are from the dry lands." She guides you to a shelf of glass domes. "This is my garden," she explains. There are three glass containers each containing flowers. "Pick one," she says. "I wish to see if your choice reveals anything to me. After you select your flower, I shall give you a present . . . not the flowers, those stay with me, but something you can carry with you on your journey."
The first dome holds a delicate bouquet of pink and white baby's breath, lacy and sweet.
The second dome holds a towering arrangement of gladiolus in bright blue, red, and yellow.
The third a pot of festive orange marigolds.
Her body is made of flowing water which you can see moving and rippling as she stares at you through two glowing eyes. Her body takes on the glow of the sphere she holds, a sapphire blue orb about the size of a coconut.
"What are you doing in my well?" she frowns, her voice burbling like a brook.
You explain that you were curious about the light, and she nods.
"Understandable, I suppose, but this is not a toy," she says. "The fairy queen gave it to me for safe keeping. It is a Mesmer Orb. There are very few of them left, so she is loathe to destroy it, but its powers are too strong to leave it lying about. It can lull a victim into a trance and trap them for eternity." She gently drops it into the water once more. "You are fortunate that I saw you reaching for it. If I hadn't heard you scratching your way down the well, it might've snared you before I had a chance to stop it." She gazes into your eyes. "That is not how your journey in our lands is destined to end. I sense that there are still folk here who have need of you. Come into my parlor. I would play a game with you. Perhaps you will learn something of your fate." You hesitate.
"Where is your parlor?" you ask, hoping it isn't a stupid question. She giggles, grabs you by the hand, and pulls you under the water.
After a moment of initial panic you realize that through some gift of the sprite, you can breathe under water. You feel yourself sinking but you can see the sprite next to you and feel her fingers about your hand and you have no fear. At the bottom the well widens into a chamber where a tiny, under water home has been set up. There is a table and chairs fashioned out of large clam shells and shelves of treasures.
"I like to collect things," she explains. "Most of them are from the watery realms, but a few are from the dry lands." She guides you to a shelf of glass domes. "This is my garden," she explains. There are three glass containers each containing flowers. "Pick one," she says. "I wish to see if your choice reveals anything to me. After you select your flower, I shall give you a present . . . not the flowers, those stay with me, but something you can carry with you on your journey."
The first dome holds a delicate bouquet of pink and white baby's breath, lacy and sweet.
The second dome holds a towering arrangement of gladiolus in bright blue, red, and yellow.
The third a pot of festive orange marigolds.
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