D-Ranger
09-08-2003, 12:54 PM
Previous Stories are archived here:
http://www.geocities.com/rpatersonca/DRanger.html
Now on with the show...
La Belle Dame sans Merci
By Robyn Paterson (rob_paterson@hotmail.com)
“We have to do this.” Ten year old Jack protested to his sister as they climbed the hill path, fighting to keep their footing against the wind and the driving waves of rain. “We have to bring her the flowers!”
“Jack!” His fourteen-year-old sister Helene yelled from behind him. “It’s too much!”
As if to make her point, lighting flashed across the deep grey sky, and thunder cracked all around them. The storm had swept up on them as they had climbed the oceanside hill after dinner, now night was falling and the storm was getting worse.
“It’s her birthday!” Jack yelled over the wind and gestured toward the cemetery gates which stood before them. “She needs to know we remember her!”
“Jack! She knows!” Helene sprinted forward and grabbed her brother’s jacket. “We have to get to shelter!”
“No!” Jack tore free of his sister and ran through the gates. Grasping the flowers tightly, he held his free hand over his eyes to try and block the rain as he looked for the marker.
Helene ran after him, but just as she caught up to her brother a huge flash of lighting filled the hilltop with light and blinded and deafened both of them. They dropped to the ground and huddled behind a large tombstone, afraid for their lives.
As her senses returned, Helene looked up, and it was then she saw the light.
At the peak of the hilltop, a swirling circle light had appeared and as Helene watched, a beautiful woman with long flowing brown hair stepped through. She looked a little older than Helene’s sister who had just left for university, and wore a simple yellow summer dress. The circle vanished as she passed through, and the woman started to make her way casually down the gravel hillside path towards where the children huddled.
“Helene look! The rain!” Jack gasped.
As the woman drew closer, following the path that would take her near to where the children hid, Helene could see that the rain that still poured down around them was going around the woman. It was as though a bubble surrounded her, and inside all was calm and dry, the rain and wind bending around the bubble rather than touching her.
Helene drew her brother’s face to her chest, fearing they were looking at a ghost.
“Don’t look Jack, it’s bad luck to see her.”
She watched as the woman passed them by, oblivious to the children in the storm, and went through the cemetery gates. The woman paused on the other side of the gates, and there was another flash of lightning that blinded Helene.
When the spots cleared from Helene’s eyes, the woman was gone.
* * *
In a small seaside town in Eastern Europe, a stranger was drawing attention.
Dressed in a blue and white hockey jacket and jeans, and wearing sunglasses, the stranger made his way quickly through the down streets, trying to ignore the attention he was getting.
Eventually, he stopped in front of a store window and pretended to look at the clocks inside, then raised his hand and pulled back his sleeve to reveal a rather large and cumbersome looking “watch”.
“Pixelle, what am I supposed to be looking for?” Brad whispered.
“Look for anything out of the ordinary. The dimensional shift I picked up there last night was the strongest one I’ve seen all week.” Replied a high-pitched female voice.
“Great, more broken ribs.”
“I am sorry Brad, you volunteered to become a D-Ranger.”
“Yeah. Yeah. How am I supposed to find something strange when I don’t even speak the language here myself?”
“You do, Brad. As long as you wear the D-Shifter, you can speak and understand any known language. Try to blend in with the local populace.”
Brad looked down at his Toronto Maple Leafs jacket and jeans.
“Ya know, Pixelle. I just don’t see that happening.”
“A witch!” Yelled a boy’s voice from behind Brad.
Brad spun, and across the cobblestone street he could see a young boy of about ten standing in front of a fashion-model thin woman about Brad’s age with long wavy brown hair wearing a yellow dress. He was pointing his finger up at her, and beside him was a confused looking middle aged local police officer in a quasi-military uniform with a big moustache.
“She’s a witch!” Reasserted the boy.
“Well now, young Jack.” Said the officer. “What’s this here?”
“Officer Pala, this lady, she’s a witch! My sister and I saw her come from the storm last night, out in the graveyard!”
“Jack.” The officer warned, threat creeping into his voice. “If your father hears you saying these things, he’ll tan your hide.”
As Brad watched, a crowd was starting to form around them.
“But, Officer! It’s true. She’s a stranger, isn’t she? Does anyone know her?”
The girl, who had just looked curious, was starting to look nervous as the people in the crowd looked at each other and glanced at her, whispering.
Brad saw a chance, and took it.
“Lisabelle!”
The gathered people turned to look at Brad as he rushed up and pushed past them.
“Lisabelle, what happened to you?” Brad asked, trying to look concerned and giving the girl a wink as she looked questioningly at him. “Is everything okay?”
“Sir, can I ask who you and the miss, are?” Officer Pala asked.
Brad reached over and puts his hand on her shoulder, turning to look at the officer and smiling, slightly embarrassed.
“Brian Rose, sir. And, this is my sister Lisabelle. We’re travelling here for the summer, we’re students from Canada.”
“Oh, I see! Canadians, eh?”
“Yes sir. We were supposed to register or tell someone when we came into town?”
Officer Pala laughed. “No, no young man you weren’t. This isn’t like the old days, you can go as you please! We’re always happy for visitors!”
“Thank you sir! I’m sorry if my sister has been causing trouble.”
Jack stepped forward and shouted in protest. “Officer! Ask them about the graveyard! I saw her there myself!”
The woman knelt down to look at the young boy at his level.
“I am sorry, young man. I was out for a walk last night; I wandered into your graveyard without knowing it. Did I cause a problem?”
The boy looked at her and gulped, then took a step back, shaking his head.
“N…no!” He said, obviously scared.
“Alright, I’ve heard enough.” The officer announced, grabbing the back of Jack’s chequered shirt. “You Jack, are coming with me, we’re going to see your father about this!” Then he looked at Brad and the woman apologetically. “Sorry about this folks, enjoy your stay!”
“Oh sure, it’s no problem.” Brad answered, watching them go.
Then he looked at the woman, who looked back at him and smiled what Brad thought was one of the most beautiful smiles he had ever seen. Her blue eyes shined, and the sun showed the freckles which dusted her cheeks.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Ahh. No problem!” Brad stuttered, failing to keep himself from grinning.
“Excuse me?”
Both of them turned to look at an old woman, dressed in soft worn clothes, and hand shaking slightly, the grey-haired woman held out a yellow rose towards the young woman.
“I am so sorry for you to be treated like that. Please don’t think badly of us.”
The brown haired girl smiled warmly, and accepted the flower from the old woman.
“Thank you, as well.”
http://www.geocities.com/rpatersonca/DRanger.html
Now on with the show...
La Belle Dame sans Merci
By Robyn Paterson (rob_paterson@hotmail.com)
“We have to do this.” Ten year old Jack protested to his sister as they climbed the hill path, fighting to keep their footing against the wind and the driving waves of rain. “We have to bring her the flowers!”
“Jack!” His fourteen-year-old sister Helene yelled from behind him. “It’s too much!”
As if to make her point, lighting flashed across the deep grey sky, and thunder cracked all around them. The storm had swept up on them as they had climbed the oceanside hill after dinner, now night was falling and the storm was getting worse.
“It’s her birthday!” Jack yelled over the wind and gestured toward the cemetery gates which stood before them. “She needs to know we remember her!”
“Jack! She knows!” Helene sprinted forward and grabbed her brother’s jacket. “We have to get to shelter!”
“No!” Jack tore free of his sister and ran through the gates. Grasping the flowers tightly, he held his free hand over his eyes to try and block the rain as he looked for the marker.
Helene ran after him, but just as she caught up to her brother a huge flash of lighting filled the hilltop with light and blinded and deafened both of them. They dropped to the ground and huddled behind a large tombstone, afraid for their lives.
As her senses returned, Helene looked up, and it was then she saw the light.
At the peak of the hilltop, a swirling circle light had appeared and as Helene watched, a beautiful woman with long flowing brown hair stepped through. She looked a little older than Helene’s sister who had just left for university, and wore a simple yellow summer dress. The circle vanished as she passed through, and the woman started to make her way casually down the gravel hillside path towards where the children huddled.
“Helene look! The rain!” Jack gasped.
As the woman drew closer, following the path that would take her near to where the children hid, Helene could see that the rain that still poured down around them was going around the woman. It was as though a bubble surrounded her, and inside all was calm and dry, the rain and wind bending around the bubble rather than touching her.
Helene drew her brother’s face to her chest, fearing they were looking at a ghost.
“Don’t look Jack, it’s bad luck to see her.”
She watched as the woman passed them by, oblivious to the children in the storm, and went through the cemetery gates. The woman paused on the other side of the gates, and there was another flash of lightning that blinded Helene.
When the spots cleared from Helene’s eyes, the woman was gone.
* * *
In a small seaside town in Eastern Europe, a stranger was drawing attention.
Dressed in a blue and white hockey jacket and jeans, and wearing sunglasses, the stranger made his way quickly through the down streets, trying to ignore the attention he was getting.
Eventually, he stopped in front of a store window and pretended to look at the clocks inside, then raised his hand and pulled back his sleeve to reveal a rather large and cumbersome looking “watch”.
“Pixelle, what am I supposed to be looking for?” Brad whispered.
“Look for anything out of the ordinary. The dimensional shift I picked up there last night was the strongest one I’ve seen all week.” Replied a high-pitched female voice.
“Great, more broken ribs.”
“I am sorry Brad, you volunteered to become a D-Ranger.”
“Yeah. Yeah. How am I supposed to find something strange when I don’t even speak the language here myself?”
“You do, Brad. As long as you wear the D-Shifter, you can speak and understand any known language. Try to blend in with the local populace.”
Brad looked down at his Toronto Maple Leafs jacket and jeans.
“Ya know, Pixelle. I just don’t see that happening.”
“A witch!” Yelled a boy’s voice from behind Brad.
Brad spun, and across the cobblestone street he could see a young boy of about ten standing in front of a fashion-model thin woman about Brad’s age with long wavy brown hair wearing a yellow dress. He was pointing his finger up at her, and beside him was a confused looking middle aged local police officer in a quasi-military uniform with a big moustache.
“She’s a witch!” Reasserted the boy.
“Well now, young Jack.” Said the officer. “What’s this here?”
“Officer Pala, this lady, she’s a witch! My sister and I saw her come from the storm last night, out in the graveyard!”
“Jack.” The officer warned, threat creeping into his voice. “If your father hears you saying these things, he’ll tan your hide.”
As Brad watched, a crowd was starting to form around them.
“But, Officer! It’s true. She’s a stranger, isn’t she? Does anyone know her?”
The girl, who had just looked curious, was starting to look nervous as the people in the crowd looked at each other and glanced at her, whispering.
Brad saw a chance, and took it.
“Lisabelle!”
The gathered people turned to look at Brad as he rushed up and pushed past them.
“Lisabelle, what happened to you?” Brad asked, trying to look concerned and giving the girl a wink as she looked questioningly at him. “Is everything okay?”
“Sir, can I ask who you and the miss, are?” Officer Pala asked.
Brad reached over and puts his hand on her shoulder, turning to look at the officer and smiling, slightly embarrassed.
“Brian Rose, sir. And, this is my sister Lisabelle. We’re travelling here for the summer, we’re students from Canada.”
“Oh, I see! Canadians, eh?”
“Yes sir. We were supposed to register or tell someone when we came into town?”
Officer Pala laughed. “No, no young man you weren’t. This isn’t like the old days, you can go as you please! We’re always happy for visitors!”
“Thank you sir! I’m sorry if my sister has been causing trouble.”
Jack stepped forward and shouted in protest. “Officer! Ask them about the graveyard! I saw her there myself!”
The woman knelt down to look at the young boy at his level.
“I am sorry, young man. I was out for a walk last night; I wandered into your graveyard without knowing it. Did I cause a problem?”
The boy looked at her and gulped, then took a step back, shaking his head.
“N…no!” He said, obviously scared.
“Alright, I’ve heard enough.” The officer announced, grabbing the back of Jack’s chequered shirt. “You Jack, are coming with me, we’re going to see your father about this!” Then he looked at Brad and the woman apologetically. “Sorry about this folks, enjoy your stay!”
“Oh sure, it’s no problem.” Brad answered, watching them go.
Then he looked at the woman, who looked back at him and smiled what Brad thought was one of the most beautiful smiles he had ever seen. Her blue eyes shined, and the sun showed the freckles which dusted her cheeks.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Ahh. No problem!” Brad stuttered, failing to keep himself from grinning.
“Excuse me?”
Both of them turned to look at an old woman, dressed in soft worn clothes, and hand shaking slightly, the grey-haired woman held out a yellow rose towards the young woman.
“I am so sorry for you to be treated like that. Please don’t think badly of us.”
The brown haired girl smiled warmly, and accepted the flower from the old woman.
“Thank you, as well.”