A House in the Country
The Never Ending Quest - Episode 118132
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Tandrus, at this point, appeared in human form as a handsome man somewhere in his forties, with a full beard and moustache, standing a solid foot taller than Lila. He wasn't usually talkative unless they were alone, in which case he conducted lengthy conversations with her, supplying both sides, which she allowed passively. Ginnie teleported them and their bags to a location neither had ever seen before: a lovely little cottage sitting by a lake. It was picturesque, and what's more, it was familiar: though Lila had never been here specifically, she recognized the area. Her family—well, Fred's family owned land not too far from here. She struggled with the notion of doing anything about this for the first few days. Even if she managed to find the little plot of land not unlike this one, and nobody was there, she still yearned to walk around the property, revisit old haunts... It might be her last opportunity, ever, to see anything from her old life. As she wrestled with this idea, she did try to steal snatches of quiet, taking advantage of the time given to them. She and Tandrus went wading in the lake, something both of them enjoyed a little more than most humans ever would. They had pre-prepared meals out of the cupboards—as neither knew the first thing about cooking—and slept late every morning. They spent the days walking around smelling wildflowers, and the evenings wrapped in blankets, lounging by the water. It was lovely. The fourth night, Lila couldn't sleep. She lay awake next to Tandrus, staring at the ceiling. And, around one o'clock, she stepped into her slippers and went outside. She stood on the dock for a long time, looking out over the water. She hadn't spent this much uninterrupted time as a human since... well, since she'd been a different human entirely. She closed her eyes, and let herself fall into the water. She swam with long strokes. She wasn't a strong swimmer as a human. She wasn't a strong anything as a human. She stayed under until her lungs burned, and when her head broke the surface, her gasp shook her whole body. She floated in the lake for about an hour, watching the stars. Finally, she paddled to the shore, pulled herself through the weeds, and stumbled onto dry land. She felt even weaker now—like her legs could barely support her slight weight. Soaking wet, dripping buckets, now barefoot, she...
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Toad
5/17/2021 4:44:15 AM
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