The Little People

I had to pop out for a physio appointment - I gave Anon a lift. He had one at exactly the same time, which was convenient. Thanks Mrs Figg. Sorry I made you cry. Once the penny drops, I'm sure Annabel will too. You'll definitely have something in common then. My next move is to see how those carrots are going.

Poor little Annabel... We have a well, wonder if we would have survived.

I'm not sure Amarie. I'm having trouble enough at the moment of assisting Anon to find the right 'perspective', the right 'voice', without botering him about which people use well water or not, and if the Little Ones are in high enough numbers to co-ordinate the poisoning of All hobbit made water sources.

{{{I think Anon might have to drop the direct addresses to the audience. I think that's what is not feeling quite right. A straight but modernized Brothers Grimm approach might work best, I think. }}}

{{{Note to Anon Author: What's this rumour circulating that you plan to kill off Annnabel...? I swear, it'll cause some problems... Reconsider... yes ... ... .... it's those dratted fish-oil loving Fjord[ian]landians that you need fear, by all account... Up in arms! Yep! Up in arms, I say! .. and I hear there's a drastic shortage of deodorant at the moment... }}}

You had better not kill off poor little Annabel, that would be too Grimm, I think they were sadists.

They were you know.


{{{Btw - stop reading my encrypted messages, Mrs Figg. As I am now endowed with awesome power (and responsibility) as a MODERATOR [did you notice that?] I am henceforth putting a stop to folk reading encrypted messages not intended for them! You should know better by now anyhow, Mrs Figg! You've been WARNED! }}}

MODERATOR???? when did that happen? does that mean you have your own mug and kettle and a desk with a key in it (all desks have odd keys in them, they could be keys to odd places) wow this is slightly disconcerting news, what powers do you have? I need to know, sos I dont end up in lockholes, again.

Don't worry (too much), they made me mod too.

Aw geez. Now we'll have moderators duking it out with their awesome super powers. You people had better have some entertaining mod fights! I wanna see like whole continents vanishing and being made to reappear with a flash of flame.

oooh yeah mod fights cool! like Zeus and Athena having a ding dong! er well maybe not Zeus, more like Dionysus and Athena.

I guess some serious fighting might occur -- but if Amarie calls me out, I insist we fight naked - so as not to be surprised by a concealed weapon!

ah maybe its more anyway the greek heros were all naked as were the olympic games so thats ok then.

Amarie said
Save Annabel



I think we should.

Mrs Figg wrote: ah maybe its more anyway the greek heros were all naked as were the olympic games so thats ok then.

that's more than ok

Well, Norc, I'm not stripping until everyone else does...

As to Annabel... well, I'll see if I can persuade Anon in the direction you hobbit Lasses are suggesting... Though ol' Anon is stubborn in his art, I fear.... "But is it truth," he's always saying. "I need my tales to be true!" {{{He's definitely a pain the arse that way! }}}

yeah we know

SIX

Mrs McNaughton got Annabel up and sat her in a corner on an upturned box at a small table and saw to it that she had some breakfast. This comprised of a day old bread roll with jam (no butter), two sweet biscuits, and lukewarm apple juice from one of those little cartons with a straw.

While the child ate, Mrs McNaughton continued her conversation with Rufus, and Annabel paid no attention until Rufus asked, “It has me stumped... Yes, we guess they used poison, but how did they accomplish it, Lillith? If what your Sisters have told you, most of humanity has been wiped out. That is a lot of poison - a lot of water supplies!”

“Ha! That is why we think the Horned One is behind it all. He is clever, we know that, and patient. He will have worked on the plan a hundred years or more. Arabath perceives that much work was done and several enchantments used. “

“You’ll need to explain.”

“We speculate the poison had been placed in millions of glass balls and sealed with magic and hidden in deep places by water-sprites or nymphs, each protected from breaking by another enchantment.  These are simple spells.”

“But surely one of the Little People would have revealed such a secret at some stage. Your Sisters often catch and tort....” Rufus hesitated a moment and glanced at Annabel, who he saw was watching them. “Your Sisters have often talked to Little Ones and none have ever told you anything – not even a hint...”

“We suspect something as simple as hypnosis was used,” Mrs McNaughton said.  “If those we have...” She glanced at Annabel too now.  If those we have spoken to over time were under a memory spell of some kind my Sisters would certainly have known it. This is how cunning the Horned One has been. Clearly the Little Ones were put under the power of suggestion, not enchantment. That is a very human way of doing things, and so unexpected of him who hates everything human, so very cunning. He has been devilishly patient. How much time has been spent while this evil plan has been in progress? So much work done it impresses me. And last night – as long planned – the Horned One has had his agents whisper a special word into the ears of his water folk and they have swum to their poisoned glasses and unlocked the spell placed in their subconscious by suggestion. Just amazing and - so unexpected...!” And Mrs McNaughton shook her head with just the hint of a wry grin on her lips.

“The Sisters have been thoroughly out smarted,” Rufus commented with a cynical gleam in his feline eyes. “You’ll be hard pressed to turn things around.”

“We’re doomed if we can’t find enough humans to aid us,” Mrs McNaughton said slowly. “They always had strength in numbers where we had too few.”

“You have too few!”  Rufus smiled grimly, his face far more prone to expression than normal cats.

“May well you gloat, Rufus, but your folk will suffer as much from the Horned One as ours and you know it. The Little Ones have no friendship with Familiars. None! “

“That goes without saying, Lillith,” Rufus grinned with savage desperation. “So what do we do now? How do we get up north for your conclave unseen?”

Mrs McNaughton frowned. “I don’t know. It will be a long journey on foot, I know that much. I will see if my car is intact. If not, we may need to borrow a car.”

“The owner won’t mind, I guess,” Rufus said sardonically. “But the Little Ones will be watching.”

“We must take that chance. No doubt they will be coming out of their hideaways, but there are not enough to watch everywhere. The humans saw to that in ancient times. “

“Nonetheless, cars will stand out.”

“True. We must get within a reasonable distance of the conclave location and walk from there. Perhaps a journey on foot of three or four days from where we leave it must be our goal. “

“If they can, they will disable our transport as we go.”
Mrs McNaughton blinked and looked worried suddenly.

“Surely you must know already that they will try!” Rufus said in scornful disbelief.

“Yes, of course! Don’t call me fool! My fear is that they will have predicted that any survivors will use vehicles. Not just cars, but trucks and.... and military vehicles... and weaponry too... Humans are resourceful. Even a few with access to weaponry and vehicles will be a formidable foe. “

“Your point for now is?”

“My point being, dear Rufus, the Horned One will have had a plan to disable anything any surviving humans might use against them. The Little Ones will be doing it even now! First it will be any dangerous machinery or weaponry or vehicles at military installations... then more mundane vehicles after that I’d hazard... Quickly now! We might have time to find something for transport... Thank goodness the Horned One and his allies would never use human technology against them – or us! Oh how
they despise everything human!  Thank goodness.”

“Ah! Good old humans,” Rufus said in a surly tone. “Good old humans...”

“You never change, Rufus,” Lillith laughed. “Come on, you must go and see if it’s safe to go back to my house.”

“I will be swift.”

“Good.”    

Annabel ate slowly but finally finished breakfast. Finally, she asked, "Will Rufus be back soon?" she asked suddenly. “I've never met a talking cat before," she added as she wiped crumbs from the lap of her nightdress. "I didn't even know cats could talk."

"Not all cats can, " Mrs McNaughton said distracted by a peculiar glass ball on her bench.  

Annabel went over to her from the fold-up table she had breakfasted on to take a closer look in the sullen light of the room. "Is that like a camera, Mrs McNaughton? Can you see things in it?"

"It's crystal ball, my darling. I use it to talk to my Sisters all around the world. Things are bleak and no mistake. But humans are beginning to pop up and there is some resistance mounting..."

"I don't understand."

"Sorry, dear, I'm sure you don't... What's that?"

"I can't hear anything, Mrs McNaugh...."

"Shush now! Oh it's Rufus come back."

Annabel had seen and heard nothing. Could the old lady be imagining it? But a moment later the red cat appeared from under the bench.

"And?" Mrs McNaughton wanted to know, sitting on her stool stiffly upright.

"I've seen none of Them about, Lillith."

"Can we get to my car do you think?"

"Perhaps --- it's the Ones you don't see or hear or smell we have to worry about most."

"We must try."

"Indeed."

Mrs McNaughton went through her bag. "Here, dear," she said to Annabel. "Put these pants and top on. I have a jumper, but I think it will be hot outside today. "

"Are we going back to your house now?"

"We are dear. Yes, we are - but only for a short while. I must pack up my car with enough... But only a few clothes for you, a few for me, and some food, that'll be the sum of it. Goodness me, I'm missing my lovely quaint house already."

"You are too sentimental, Lillith," Rufus grumbled. "If we're goig to make a break for it, let's do it now. At least if the Little Ones are about we'll hopefully see them coming a bit better."

"True. Off we go then."

Annabel was soon following Mrs McNaughton back past the sliding stone into the dark rock passage she had arrived by last night. She was glad to be going back to places more familiar.

Little Annabel is back!
And she's gonna break my heart, I just know it!

Found this while puddling through a host of my unfinished tales. Next I know - I've edited it. (Did not need a lot as it turned out). I'm kinda happy with it and thinking I might get back to writing more. Having forgotten much of it, I was a quite caught up in it. Annabel seems to be in quite a spot of bother - and too young to know it! Interested to know if any folk here think it would be worth continuing.

Yes! More! You've been as lazy as Eldo! Get to work!

Id like to see you continue it Orwell, Ive just been reading what i can, in between cups of tea    & de-flea-ing the cats !   

You even need to ask if we want more stuff written by you?   Just get on with it! Bloody lazy arsed Ozhobbits, probably to busy standing round some shrimps in an eye watering small thong.   

I think Orwell looks like a *cough* young-ish Ken Stott, So now, after what you said about a thong Petty, all I see is Ken Stott in a Borat style Mankini !    

Amarië wrote:Yes! More! You've been as lazy as Eldo! Get to work!

That's a hard blow.....   

azriel wrote:Id like to see you continue it Orwell, Ive just been reading what i can, in between cups of tea    & de-flea-ing the cats !   

Multitalented! More than one thing at once! Women!