Eril's Story

Day 6

Early in the day, and to my great relief, I was out of the grass into a much more open and clear landscape, one where less danger could be lurking around every turn. The road stretched on as far as I could see over grassy plains, and few sparse trees dotted about. I had planned my route as far as the great mountain city of Adura, and after that I would let the fates decide my course. On the way there I would be traveling close to the Living Hill, which, when I had heard about it, had piqued my curiosity immensely. I headed slightly off the trail, following a landmark distinguished on the shoddy map I carried. It might take some guesswork to find it as the ground was totally flat ahead of me, no hill in sight.

A few hours of walking later, and I started to notice a very peculiar sensation. The horizon began to inch down in my field of view, extremely slowly, but before my very eyes. I wasn't sure if I was seeing it correctly - I took a drink of water to stave off dehydration. But after fifteen minutes, I was sure I could see more of the land ahead than I had previously, and when I looked back, the land I had been traversing was now at a slight decline down to where I was. This decline only became more pronounced as the minutes went by, until incredibly, I found myself at the summit of a massive hill that stretched for miles, and had not been there before.

Still in amazement, I pulled out some food to sit and eat at the summit, savoring the marvel that I was currently a part of. The soil on the slope was loose and shifting, and everything organic seemed to cling for dear life, having to cope with life in a shifting environment. Out of curiosity, I dug a small hole, just to see if there was any obvious explanation, there wasn't. I resolved to enjoy it for what it was and reclined back to look over the country, dozing off once or twice.

I stayed until the sun began making its descent from its zenith, then I started my own descent, picking a path carefully down the far slope, careful to avoid loose stones. Traversing became easier over time, as again, just as the hill had manifested earlier, it now began to recede back down into the ground. This time I could feel a slight tremor beneath my feet - the only perceptible way of noticing the change moment by moment. By the time I had made it down, the hill was already half the height of when I started.

I wished I had a way of speeding time up, so as to see the whole motion in a fluid stream from some birds eye view. For now it would be one of those peculiarities in nature that are without seeming purpose but to be enjoyed and honored. I couldn't see any person wanting to live here or have use of such a peculiar thing. It would probably be undisturbed and uninhabited for a long time to come.

Making camp in a small grove of trees, somewhat near the base of the hill, and along the road. I went about setting up a rather nice shelter, with a tarp, fire, and some moss to enhance my beading. Then sitting and resting, I looked out while carving a stick as the evening wore down. I frequently looked back, watching as the hill sank to its lowest point, leaving a small crater covering the area. Most curious. Maybe someday people would figure out what the cause of it was. For now I was eager for another day. The traveling life was the perfect fit for me - and it was a shame I hadn't made time for it earlier in life. Better late than never.