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- TLG gets to his feet and brushes the dirt from his tunic. He looks around cave and everything is how he left it, except there are no bees, or Cosmo.
- Leonardo is sitting on the floor a few yards away, looking as bewildered as he could be. TLG turned to Leonardo who returned his glance.
- ‘Your cloud; it has gone.’ Leonardo said instantly noticing the change in TLG.
- ‘And that is not all. I have something for you.’ TLG remarked.
- ‘And what might that be little one.’ Leonardo said with a slight tremble as if he had not fully caught his wits.
- TLG walks up to Leonardo and extends a hand to him but Leonardo just looks puzzled.
- ‘You don’t expect to help me up little one. I am already greater than your height when I am sitting down.’
- TLG smiles. ‘Give me your hand.’ and Leonardo lifts his huge right hand up to meet TLG's little chubby hand but when their hands meet, they light up like a white fire. Suddenly Leonardo is infected utterly with a shining white fire that illuminates the cave. TLG could only just make out his expression of surprise before his face disappeared into a white fiery glare. But as soon as it had started it was over and Leonardo, still looking surprised started to smile broadly.
- ‘My little fellow! You are a true marvel. I had never realised all this time I had been caught up in destiny and you freed me.
- And this is the great secret that Odelin had for you?’
- ‘I am Odelin.’ TLG stated proudly.
- ‘And the secret knowledge you sort?’ Leonardo asked eagerly hungering for more revelation.
- But as he asked TLG had noticed all was not well in the cave. The cave walls were writhing with an all too familiar nemesis.
- ‘I will tell you later, but look now we have little time! The brittle star Nemis, and his minions are back to claim this realm. This metaphor has great power so we must make haste to rescue the villagers.’
- At that, they both scrambled towards the cave entrance where they had to get on the ground and crawl to fit in. And as TLG placed his hand on the writhing cave floor, they disappeared instantly at TLG's contact, restoring the immediate terrain and freeing it from the tentacles as they powderised and flew away in the wind that blew down the tunnel. Leonardo found the same effect as though their newly restored Free Will repelled the brittle star metaphor.
- The two creatures scramble along the edge of the cliff that was also writhing with brittle star. But luckily the brittle star could not tolerate the travellers, relinquishing the ground as they came upon it.
- They clambered back over mountains and crevasse, taking the exact path that brought TLG the bees cave, but they made good speed on account of the urgency of the situation of this realm. And while they sped along, TLG explained the best he could of his experience and revelation in the Odelin vortex and Leonardo was amazed and bewildered, all the while noticing the increasing unnatural effect of the brittle star metaphor on the landscape. Nothing was untouched. It was as if the brittle star metaphor was always a part of everything here but was only now beginning to reveal itself, as though reality were dissolving into its base constituents until nothing would remain. The reversal of the complex, to the simple. Order to chaos.
- *The Brittlescape*
- Finally TLG and Leonardo arrive at the village from the rear on old river road. They can sense the landscape is writhing more than ever now and the true horror of this decaying universe is profound and desperate.
- ‘The Nemis!’ said Leonardo. ‘The Nemis is now your home it would appear. This is the end and I fear we maybe too late or at most, just in the nick of time.’
- The whole landscape was writhing with red and black striped tentacles that engulfed everything. Beings that were once trees were now encrusted with brittle stars of all shapes and sizes entangled into each other writhing and squirming. As it they had become the trees themselves. TLG looks down and notices that the ground around them is moving and writhing with brittle star also. But strangely, not where TLG stood directly. It appeared as though the universe would return to normal, only in a few yards of circumference where TLG or Leonardo stood.
- TLG starts walking in the direction of Nimrods log and Leonardo follows. As they walk, red and black tentacles disappear into the earth as if disguising themselves with perfect camouflage, the effect was quite marvellous and TLG gets the feeling that the brittle star was always there, but only at this time revealing itself. He felt as though this universe was like a memory getting forgotten. Like a once well walked track being replaced by the undergrowth of reality itself and only when it was clearly beneath him he could remember what it once was.
- When they finally arrive at Nimrods log house, the whole house is encased in brittle stars and TLG struggle to find the door. But as TLG reaches for the door handle the brittle star fade into the background as he pulls the door open.
- TLG enters and Leonardo crawls in after him.
- Nimrod is sitting at his table just staring at the two visitors in desperate disbelief. There is a wariness on his face of which TLG has never seen on him before. The look of a condemned Gnome. ‘Nimrod, do not be frightened. He is our friend’
- ‘Leonardo, at your service.’ Leonardo introduces himself.
- ‘Lightning Gnome! What is happening to us?’ Nimrod finally speaks in a trembling voice.
- ‘We have no time to explain. This world will soon be no more so we must gather all the village folk in the square immediately. That is if we still have one, and get out of this forsaken universe’
- TLG looks to Leonardo who is now sitting on the floor of Nimrods house.
- ‘You are a giant and have a bellowous voice. Could you call you walk to the square and call to all the village folk along the way to follow you to the square.’
- ‘Of course’ Leonardo replies.
- Nimrod got to his feet. ‘Can I help?’
- ‘Yes Nimrod you go with Leonardo, show him the way to the square by the old road along the hedgerow and help gather the villagers. I will take the river road. We should get everybody that way. We will meet at the square’
- ‘Where are we going?’ Nimrod asks.
- ‘We are going another world in another universe. A universe that is hardy, and not at the frayed edge of existence.
- ‘I trust you old friend, let us go now’
- At that the three went on their way. TLG walked along the river and stopped at each house making sure all Gnomes were accounted for, fending off brittle star along the way and Leonardo and Nimrod did the same along the hedgerow. Eventually they all met again at the square. All of the Gnome villagers and the two intrepid rescuers stood in the village square. The stone wall of the square, and the ground all around them riddled with brittle stars. The Gnome villagers were all in various states of wonder and distress. There was an ambient sound of crying shouting and squealing as the villagers tried to come to terms with their predicament. No one could stand still as the brittle stars were constantly reaching from the writhing landscape attempting to claim everything in their midst and some clambered close to TLG and Leonardo, to escape the tentacles.
- TLG greets Leonardo.
- ‘Could you lift me onto the pavilion’ The pavilion stood in the centre of the square. TLG did not like the thought of crawling through the brittle stars to ascend the steps of the pavilion. At the Leonardo scopes up TLG and places him gently on the platform.
- ‘Hear yee!’ TLG shouts with all his might to the chaotic scene below.
- ‘My people! I have grave news for you all so please try to listen very carefully.
- This world will soon be no more. We must find a new home, far away from this dangerous place. I am sorry but we have no choice. Soon the Nemis will collapse this realm and the Gnome will exist no more if we do not go now. I have arranged with my friend Leonardo, a new home for us to live in peace for the rest of time. Do not feel frightened and please trust me. I will begin preparations immediately.’
- At that TLG raised his arms and looks up to the sky and yells ‘appear!’ and instantly, his storm cloud reappears over his head as if it had never left. But it is building up strong and fierce until if covers the whole pavilion. Dark and with a yellow tinge that gave it a foreboding appearance. Then TLG looks down at the villagers, his eyes darkened with determination.
- Then lightning bolts starts striking his hands and head travelling down over his body and TLG starts to appear lighter and his eyes start glowing with the white brilliance of the lightning and soon every part of his exposed skin is alight and dazzling. Then he casts his arms down in the direction of the village square around him.
- There is a roar of screams as the confused villagers are instantly engulfed in lightning and white fire. But as soon as it came it was gone and the villagers were silent and confused and all around them the brittle stars were gone. But only around where they stood. TLG knew that fixing the villages was the only way they could exist in the compliant universe they were destined for.
- Then TLG raised his arms again and this time, rings of lightning danced around the parameter of the village square and square started rotating. The brittle stars that encrusted everything started frantically dispersing in all directions from the square as if recoiling from intense heat. The villagers stared cheering as the brittle star dispersed as if in the throws of victory. Now the anguish was replaces with excitement. The air was full of it. Gnomes were cheering and jeering, yelling and shouting. TLG could not help but smile as he felt success was inevitable. He looked at Leonardo who was looking back at him, also with a giant grin on his face. Nimrod was running around the churning square laughing and hugging villagers.
- With TLG in the centre of the vortex, he is turning faster than the other gnomes around him. They are all now looking up to him and cheering. TLG looks to the horizon of this strange world and somewhere amongst the hail of cheering and shouting he looks up and sees plumes of smoke in the sky. Like smoke from the funeral pyres of a dying realm. Tears well in TLG’s eyes as he spins deeper into the vortex and his fellow travellers curl in on him.
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