Aeolia

Introduction/Plot Overview

Hello! Welcome to Aeolia. Thanks for coming.

This story is definitely a strange one, probably for limited tastes. (Feel free to skip this if you would like to follow the plotline without knowing what happens.)

Plot Overview

This book tells the tale of a woman and a bird, chiefly, who are trying to reach their ultimate haven: Aeolia.

Aeolia is a beautiful place, full of color, birdsong, forests, and mountains. It is the easternmost land on the planet, where cliffs lead off to the literal end of the world. Not many have heard of it, and not many visit it, but Aeolia promises safety for the woman and bird.

The woman is running from a ruined life when she stumbles upon the bird in a strange forest. The bird doesn't know where he is or why he's there, so they join together in their journey (though they don't know where they're going). Soon the two enter a place of darkness, where nightmares come to them--where nightmares bleed with what is real, and the dreams' tamperer stalks them in the form of a black and glittering viper.

Now they must run from a new threat (or has it been following them all along?) This viper is a horrific thing; it crosses freely from the physical world into the mental world and stalks them through both. The woman is especially terrified by its unexplained interest in her.

Later, the woman and bird (who each gain names farther on) meet a whimsical creature who guides them to its home for research. The creature is a whisperer, one of the three main species on the planet. It leads them across a long bridge and into the Mist, where everything begins and ends--or so believe the poetic whisperers, who speak in verse. After a brief interaction, they send the woman and bird on their way again--hopefully with a clearer path ahead.

The two travel ever east, walk through new and hypnotizing lands, and come to an arcing bluff. As the sun rises, they see that Aeolia is on the horizon. Then with unexpected help, they journey across a weather-worn savanna--but things take a turn, and they meet another whisperer who tells them that though the sunrise is closer, the viper still hunts them.

Then the bird...goes under. The woman doesn't know what has happened to him. So she and the whisperer turn to an ancient being--one who has known the viper since the beginning--for help. This being presents itself as a large kingfisher, and it also tampers with dreams. Then suddenly, the woman goes under too.

The viper has ensnared the bird and woman deep into a dreaming world. Is it too late to rescue them?

The whisperer and kingfisher plunge headfirst into the dream-world to hunt the viper down, to free the woman and bird, and bring peace to all of Aeolia. Maybe they can be freed, or maybe not. Maybe all four will be ensnared for good and never escape the dream-world.

I hope you enjoy Aeolia! Feel free to vote or comment if you'd like. I've been working on this story for a while, and it would mean so much to me.

Thank you for your interest, and have a wonderful day!

--KingfisherBirdLady

(PS. As of April 2019, major editing is underway.)