When the red headed dwarf seated at the centre right table asks for 6 pence worth of ginger ale, the barman of the Dear Horn knows that his evening peak is about to begin. The Dear Horn may be a peculiar name, however the current barman renamed it this in memory of his Great Grandfather who ran the pub many generations ago (notice that it is spelled 'dear' instead of 'deer' - a common misconception). Torn leather sandals and stiff boots enter the pub just as a slight downfall starts to turn that mixture of sand, clay and dirt (aka. the road) into the weirdest composure of mud. Among the group of bulging blacksmiths, starving miners and sinewy fishermen, is a confused, middle aged lad who goes by the name of Craig.
Now Craig is a decent fellow who is easily intrigued but never quite keeps his job. In short, you could say that he 'helps' around with anybody he sees completing a task in a way different to his. On this evening, he sees a large group of workers and whatnot listening under the door, the windows and other such places of the Dear Horn. When Craig asks them what on earth they may be doing, his answer explains how the red headed dwarf would usually say something just as it happened. In this instance, the workers burst through the pub door when the dwarf asks for six pence worth of ginger ale as he does every evening before the workers storm in.
An hour or so later, half the pub is listening to an old sailor tell of the mysterious places he has bothered to venture to in his long-but-not-so-long life. One story catches the attention of Craig, possibly because the moment he begins, a bolt of lightning interrupts the serenity.
"Now this, will cost thy another glass of rum," states the sailor. When another cup of rum is passed to him, he resumes. " 'Twas on my very first day of being the master of thy ship, 'Wavestormer'. The captain decided to take thy detour to thy Dair Crann Island for supplies instead of heading to thy port in Willow Stock. He said he had a special cargo to pick up. When we got to thy island, all thy could see was trees stretching to thy horizon, and in the middle, was a great oak tree higher than a mountain, 'twas huge! Thy later found out that 'special cargo' meant tree roots..." He then wanders off onto more exciting adventures upon the high seas, but instead of listening, Craig ponders thoughts about this island, the story has sprung an idea.
YOU ARE READING
Sapphire Ravens
FantasyWhen the tales of old reach an expectant man, he wishes to take his family to a strange island to be part in the so called future. But will his expectations be for filled, or will it all turn out horribly?
