The Sky Dwellers

Chapter 1

Far away from the dragons flying, from the sky itself a small province, a village filled with sounds. Sound like everything else would work very different within this place, instead of naturally moving and bouncing, it would zig-zag. Moving forth on it's own, almost controlled and almost sentient. The science within this place was not quite as known, yet it was all natural. Physics could be broken very easily, twisted and warped into anything you can imagine.

You could easily muddle up this tiny enchanting place if you were just flying overhead. A village with buildings smaller than some creatures thumbs or claws were having a party. Because they were so tiny, they had never been bothered by anything or anyone and had the aptitude and knowledge to move out of the way of huge feet when needed. Shifts took place every few hours in between the rounds of beer, glasses no bigger than the smallest hairs that fall from creatures heads. Though they were very drunken and very loud. Have you ever wondered how or why some people hear voices coming from nowhere and just shake off the feeling as if no one is there, well maybe you have tiny creatures throwing parties somewhere near you. Allow the thought that, the one rain droplet you passed could house an entire universe of microscopic unimaginable delights. Though explanations would never be believed by bigger creatures of what actually happens. Of course the giants that lived coherently outside of this universe would never believe such things. As of course giants are self absorbed, they would have to be. You can't be that huge and not be.

One could almost imagine a peaceful song coming over the valley, as if it were a movie of some sort starting it's opening scene, lights filling a camera view and the homes, bars, baths and take away restaurants that littered around the place. As a place that could be considered an alcoholics paradise, what else could you expect them to eat. The most greasy and disgusting of delights were on offer. Sauces unlike those any of us have ever heard of. Everything was grown, raised and slaughtered right there in the village. The oils that turned into grease was made from the animals fat as it was in every other place of the world. The meat from trolls, ogres, dragons as even within this tiny world, everything was as tiny as it was huge. People often think that only the giants world had creatures to offer, no one ever thinks to look smaller into the world. Dragons really did exist in this world and yes they really did breathe fire or ice.. sometimes even candy. Depending on what part of the world you indeed came from.

Lights flicker from the nearby stores as a few drunken creatures trip over each other, their arms linked to one another. Attempting to find their way to food and eventually to the comfort of a bed. Well technically a bed to these drunken ones could mean their neighbours hedge, maybe a few clothes would end up missing in the process. Those still awake within the stores, ready to make sure that the drunken ones were well fed and they were well compensated. Money wasn't a common thing, it was a balanced eco system and there was easily enough to go around. Therefore value was put into favours and maybe for some food you would have to help someone do a project or go on a journey to find something. It was all in the nature of good will, well at least is in the nature of good will for the moment.

This seems awfully familair with a basic concept of a ring, some smaller creatures and a journey with a wizard who smokes too much. This of course was not to be the case, it was just a complete coincdence. Fantasy always seems to start the exact same way, it's only after the beginning in which diversity has to happen.

We settle upon a house, it seemed quite small with steam coming from one of the four different chimneys on top. What these connected to, was unknown, maybe it was just for decoration or maybe it was a completely linked system. The only possible reason that we can make out is for the fact that each of the brick work is painted an entirely different bright colour. A yellow here, blue there and a few other colours mixed in for good measure. Triangles were cut from the main body of the brickwork and glass carved beautifully within. Small amounts of moss were starting to creep upon the windows ledge, the house had been taken care of, but moss did not particulary care about such things. It would grow as everything so often did, because it could. We find our way to a door and venture passed the blue bricks into a air of warmth.

A fire would roar in the back of the room, it's heat wrapping around the objects and clinging to the wallpaper, not wanting to escape upwards and outwards. General funiture would clutter the floor as soot from the chimney would cover the carpet. Vacuum cleaners and amazingly clean houses weren't such a thing in this village. This was as clean as it could get. Laying upon one of the sofas was a man snoring, a bottle about to fall from his hand. It was here our story would begin, this drunken mess was going to begin his journey soon, well at least he didn't know that yet.

Soon time as it so often did would be the burden of bad news, not only for him, but for everything within this tiny universe.