The Party: Enter Gypsy Queen
The air ran thick - thick and sweet with the scents of jasmine and ripe tropical fruits. The sky was aglow a bright rose pink as the sun dipped and the long summer twilight set in. The gypsies were stirring, awaking from their midday siestas. This was not an ordinary day. Slowly but surely the forest folk began their work in preparation for the night's event: The Birthday Party for the Gypsy Queen. Soon the forest trees were decorated with thousands of orange hanging lanterns and a great feast had been made. The ceremony was to be held in a large circular clearing where rustic oak tables stood in two parallel lines - music playing and dancing would occur in between, around and on top of these tables. Tonight hundreds of gypsies would make there way to the clearing as they did every year; their tents were already being set up among the trees surrounding the clearing. When the first star appeared in the sky the queen would arrive and the celebrations would begin.
Christian was at the beach. He had only once been to the beach before as a child but that day was dreary and cold as most days were in England, today the sky was clear and bright. He could feel the white crystal sand under his feet. The water looked tempting. He rolled up his trouser leg and leapt to the water's edge but the water was going back out to sea. He went in further but the water went in further still. Puzzled he ran at full speed towards the gathering wave but it did not hit him, it shrank back away from him. The more he tried to reach the water the more it eluded him. The wave grew taller with every step he took towards it. He stood still and looked at it despairingly and he saw her. He saw her standing on top of the wave above him. "Come what may," she sang softly to him. His heart skipped a beat and he took a deep breath before he answered her in song "Cccc..." He couldn't sing he had lost his voice. He tried again "Ccccc..." he began to panic he looked frantically up at Satine. She shook her head sadly at him and began to cry. Her tears rained down on him they pelted him and stung his bare skin like acid. The wave moaned horrendously and he saw it begin to curve over him. He closed his eyes tightly and braced himself for his certain doom.
"Sattiiiinnnnnneeeee!" he cried, as the water splashed him in the face. He sat up with a jolt his eyes were wide and his breathing heavy. A young boy with tanned skin and curly dark hair had been washing his face with a cloth. They appeared to be in a large tent. The boy looked shocked and dropped his cloth. He mumbled something that Christian could not understand and ran out of the tent. Christian was left sitting rigid unable to move, unable to comprehend where he could be. The dream was still fresh in his mind. Why couldn't he reach Satine? Why was she crying? She had looked so sorrowful, as if her heart was breaking when she saw him.
A woman dressed in clothes of assorted, faded, tones entered the room confidently. She looked at him and shook her head while speaking to him bossily. He could not for the life of him figure out what she was saying. He squinted at her and listened more closely, as people often do when they are being instructed to do something in a language they don't understand. Thankfully she pointed to a small table where a set of clothes lay folded along side a pitcher of water and a small tin cup. As soon as she had left the room Christian pounced on the water pitcher. He was parched and drank till there was no more left to drink. Then he inspected the clothes he assumed that he was meant to wear. They were a light cotton-like material of the brown variety and he put them on partly because he wanted to get out of his sweaty, dirty set but mostly because he didn't want the mean lady to yell at him.
Outside his tent he could hear a low buzz of noise, a mixture of people talking and insects chirping. He crept over to where both the boy and the bossy woman had made the exits and peered out. The night had just about set in.
"Hello Christian" said an unfamiliar voice from behind him. Christian spun around and he let out a gasp. Before him stood a beautiful young woman with emerald eyes. She was exquisitely dressed in a soft green dress embroidered with green vines around the bodice. Similar vines sat in a garland atop her raven-black hair. She smiled warmly at him and Christian smiled dumbly back at her. Time passed and he came to his senses.
"Um pardon me saying this but who are you and how do you know who I am?"
"Oh Christian, I think you know exactly who I am! Don't you?" and she pulled out his crumpled invitation from behind her back.
"The Gypsy Queen." he whispered, gazing at the invitation.
"Correct, but that is the last time I want to hear you call me that. From now on you will call me by my first name: Haitia, Ok? Ok. And to answer your question about how I know you, well, you are quite renowned as a poet and I also have heard great things about you from a dear friend of mine...You will not mind if I call on you at dinner to improvise a poem will you?
"No." said Christian, not paying attention," but who is this friend of yours who spoke kindly of me? And the song...the boy whistled. How do y..."
"Don't mind that right now, we will have plenty of time to talk later" She came towards him and took his arm and linked it with her own. Dramatically she pushed aside the flap in the tent that served as a door to reveal a magical sight. Hundreds of gypsies all smiling, talking, dancing and singing were gathered in the lantern-lit clearing
" The first star has appeared now in the sky, won't you escort me out? I thought you were a gentleman" She looked up at him with sparkling eyes. Christian cleared his throat, and stood up straighter.
"Of coarse" he said
The night was like a dream, Christian sat opposite Haiti at the dinner table and ate and drank himself silly. The food was good, the company equally so and it was not long before he was able to relax and have a good time. He was able, for the first time, to put his grief out of his mind and enjoy himself. Haitia did what she said she would do and called on him to perform a poem, which he did, without too much embarrassment and before long the music started to play. It was a rhythmic fast-paced tune the kind gypsies like best.
Christian stayed in his seat, watching, and clapped merrily along. The dancers were funny and energetic, soon everyone was joining in. Christian spotted Haitia in the crowd. She looked over to him and he quickly looked away. Smiling, she slowly walked over, tapping him playfully on the shoulder she said, " Would you care to dance?"
"With you"
"Naturally"
Christian didn't know what to do. Somehow he felt that dancing with Haitia would be like cheating on Satine.
"I'd better not" he said "besides I'm not a great dancer anyway"
"hmmmm that's not what I've heard" Haitia said wistfully " You must prove to me how bad a dancer you really are before you can refuse me, queen of allll the gypsies. Please, as my guest, I would like you to dance with me"
"Ok" Christian said, she had really given him little choice but it was not a choice he regretted once he began to dance. Dancing was exhilerating - it was freedom. They danced until the early hours of the morning when most everyone was nodding off. At which point Haitia took Christian softly by the hand and led him towards the trees. He was drunk and disoriented and he stumbled along after her. His vision was blurry but instinct told him that this was not the same direction as he had come.
"Where - " he started but she put her finger to her lips.
" I have a special place for you to rest where I think you will be quite at home..." she said softly. Completely helpless he allowed her to lead him deeper into the forest
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hmmmm does this Haitia girl have a hidden agenda? Most likely... wow this is the longest chapter I've ever written. I thought I'd better make up for the last one since it was so short. The plot is thickening now- I finally had some inspiration.
Luv
~*~ Diamonte-saber ~*~
The air ran thick - thick and sweet with the scents of jasmine and ripe tropical fruits. The sky was aglow a bright rose pink as the sun dipped and the long summer twilight set in. The gypsies were stirring, awaking from their midday siestas. This was not an ordinary day. Slowly but surely the forest folk began their work in preparation for the night's event: The Birthday Party for the Gypsy Queen. Soon the forest trees were decorated with thousands of orange hanging lanterns and a great feast had been made. The ceremony was to be held in a large circular clearing where rustic oak tables stood in two parallel lines - music playing and dancing would occur in between, around and on top of these tables. Tonight hundreds of gypsies would make there way to the clearing as they did every year; their tents were already being set up among the trees surrounding the clearing. When the first star appeared in the sky the queen would arrive and the celebrations would begin.
Christian was at the beach. He had only once been to the beach before as a child but that day was dreary and cold as most days were in England, today the sky was clear and bright. He could feel the white crystal sand under his feet. The water looked tempting. He rolled up his trouser leg and leapt to the water's edge but the water was going back out to sea. He went in further but the water went in further still. Puzzled he ran at full speed towards the gathering wave but it did not hit him, it shrank back away from him. The more he tried to reach the water the more it eluded him. The wave grew taller with every step he took towards it. He stood still and looked at it despairingly and he saw her. He saw her standing on top of the wave above him. "Come what may," she sang softly to him. His heart skipped a beat and he took a deep breath before he answered her in song "Cccc..." He couldn't sing he had lost his voice. He tried again "Ccccc..." he began to panic he looked frantically up at Satine. She shook her head sadly at him and began to cry. Her tears rained down on him they pelted him and stung his bare skin like acid. The wave moaned horrendously and he saw it begin to curve over him. He closed his eyes tightly and braced himself for his certain doom.
"Sattiiiinnnnnneeeee!" he cried, as the water splashed him in the face. He sat up with a jolt his eyes were wide and his breathing heavy. A young boy with tanned skin and curly dark hair had been washing his face with a cloth. They appeared to be in a large tent. The boy looked shocked and dropped his cloth. He mumbled something that Christian could not understand and ran out of the tent. Christian was left sitting rigid unable to move, unable to comprehend where he could be. The dream was still fresh in his mind. Why couldn't he reach Satine? Why was she crying? She had looked so sorrowful, as if her heart was breaking when she saw him.
A woman dressed in clothes of assorted, faded, tones entered the room confidently. She looked at him and shook her head while speaking to him bossily. He could not for the life of him figure out what she was saying. He squinted at her and listened more closely, as people often do when they are being instructed to do something in a language they don't understand. Thankfully she pointed to a small table where a set of clothes lay folded along side a pitcher of water and a small tin cup. As soon as she had left the room Christian pounced on the water pitcher. He was parched and drank till there was no more left to drink. Then he inspected the clothes he assumed that he was meant to wear. They were a light cotton-like material of the brown variety and he put them on partly because he wanted to get out of his sweaty, dirty set but mostly because he didn't want the mean lady to yell at him.
Outside his tent he could hear a low buzz of noise, a mixture of people talking and insects chirping. He crept over to where both the boy and the bossy woman had made the exits and peered out. The night had just about set in.
"Hello Christian" said an unfamiliar voice from behind him. Christian spun around and he let out a gasp. Before him stood a beautiful young woman with emerald eyes. She was exquisitely dressed in a soft green dress embroidered with green vines around the bodice. Similar vines sat in a garland atop her raven-black hair. She smiled warmly at him and Christian smiled dumbly back at her. Time passed and he came to his senses.
"Um pardon me saying this but who are you and how do you know who I am?"
"Oh Christian, I think you know exactly who I am! Don't you?" and she pulled out his crumpled invitation from behind her back.
"The Gypsy Queen." he whispered, gazing at the invitation.
"Correct, but that is the last time I want to hear you call me that. From now on you will call me by my first name: Haitia, Ok? Ok. And to answer your question about how I know you, well, you are quite renowned as a poet and I also have heard great things about you from a dear friend of mine...You will not mind if I call on you at dinner to improvise a poem will you?
"No." said Christian, not paying attention," but who is this friend of yours who spoke kindly of me? And the song...the boy whistled. How do y..."
"Don't mind that right now, we will have plenty of time to talk later" She came towards him and took his arm and linked it with her own. Dramatically she pushed aside the flap in the tent that served as a door to reveal a magical sight. Hundreds of gypsies all smiling, talking, dancing and singing were gathered in the lantern-lit clearing
" The first star has appeared now in the sky, won't you escort me out? I thought you were a gentleman" She looked up at him with sparkling eyes. Christian cleared his throat, and stood up straighter.
"Of coarse" he said
The night was like a dream, Christian sat opposite Haiti at the dinner table and ate and drank himself silly. The food was good, the company equally so and it was not long before he was able to relax and have a good time. He was able, for the first time, to put his grief out of his mind and enjoy himself. Haitia did what she said she would do and called on him to perform a poem, which he did, without too much embarrassment and before long the music started to play. It was a rhythmic fast-paced tune the kind gypsies like best.
Christian stayed in his seat, watching, and clapped merrily along. The dancers were funny and energetic, soon everyone was joining in. Christian spotted Haitia in the crowd. She looked over to him and he quickly looked away. Smiling, she slowly walked over, tapping him playfully on the shoulder she said, " Would you care to dance?"
"With you"
"Naturally"
Christian didn't know what to do. Somehow he felt that dancing with Haitia would be like cheating on Satine.
"I'd better not" he said "besides I'm not a great dancer anyway"
"hmmmm that's not what I've heard" Haitia said wistfully " You must prove to me how bad a dancer you really are before you can refuse me, queen of allll the gypsies. Please, as my guest, I would like you to dance with me"
"Ok" Christian said, she had really given him little choice but it was not a choice he regretted once he began to dance. Dancing was exhilerating - it was freedom. They danced until the early hours of the morning when most everyone was nodding off. At which point Haitia took Christian softly by the hand and led him towards the trees. He was drunk and disoriented and he stumbled along after her. His vision was blurry but instinct told him that this was not the same direction as he had come.
"Where - " he started but she put her finger to her lips.
" I have a special place for you to rest where I think you will be quite at home..." she said softly. Completely helpless he allowed her to lead him deeper into the forest
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^
hmmmm does this Haitia girl have a hidden agenda? Most likely... wow this is the longest chapter I've ever written. I thought I'd better make up for the last one since it was so short. The plot is thickening now- I finally had some inspiration.
Luv
~*~ Diamonte-saber ~*~