Winter’s Escape from the Shadowlands

Winter Silversmith lay in bed with his eyes closed. It was warm and he was comfortable. Winter could feel the sunlight beaming in the window and onto his face. Nearby the waterfall roared sending water streaming by the ledge Winter called home. Winter listened for the sound of Bear pestering the sheep as his faithful German Shephard did every morning. Winter heard barking below, but this time it was different somehow, Bear’s bark was more excited than usual.

Winter took a deep breath and could smell sweetgrass and cedar burning. Winter opened his eyes and discovered a ghostly haze filled the room. As Winter’s senses began to awaken he could hear a strange sort of crackling noise that began to mask the roar of the nearby waterfall.

Suddenly a rumbling jostled the whole of the treehouse and a painting near the door fell of the wall with a crash. The corner of the frame cracked and splintered across the floor. “What is that, a quake?!” Winter exclaimed as he jumped out of bed. Winter could hear the sheep bleating below as Bear barked frantically. A second rocking and loud cracking shifted the treehouse to the right and off its foundation knocking Winter back off his feet.

Bears’ barking became a pained yelping and Winter called out as he crawled toward the door “Bear, I am coming, are you hurt?” Bear did not have time to reply to his master's voice. Another quake ripped large boulders out of the ledge and dropped them, along with Bear and two sheep, into the river.

Winter shoved the treehouse door open, to reveal the chaos that lay before him. The treehouse teetered precariously over the river several paces from where it stood before.

Winter caught a glance of the river, it was full of debris much of which was on fire. The opposite shore was barely visible through a wall of brown-white smoke. The shore, trees and Winters’ rowboat were on fire.

“Bear!” Winter called out over the crackling flames dancing on nearby branches. The red and yellow Autumn leaves curled and crumbled into black ashes blowing away in the hot gusts of wind passing by. “Where are you?” Winter called out as his eyes darted from left to right. Winter hunched on all fours in the doorway and after taking a deep breath leapt clumsily forward towards the river below.

Tumbling downward Winter landed on his right shoulder into the cold ripples of the river. Winter flailed his arms and traveling with the current landed on the mainland shore near Can’s farm. Coughing from the water in his mouth and throat and the putrid smoke in the air Winter clamoured up the rocks and onto the shore. After another violent quake rumbled through the farm Winter rose to his feet quickly surveying his surroundings. The farm was empty, pens were disheveled, gates were left open, everyone had already fled the chaos.

 

Shadowlands in Flames

Winter began running toward the bridge to Cheshire Market. “I have to get out of here, I just pray there is still a ship in port” Winter said. Where was Bear? Did he survive and would Winter see his loyal companion ever again? What of the sheep, did they all perish? Winter did not have any time to look before his sobering dive into the river. The air was thick with smoke and any crack where there was no smoke only flames licked through. Winter had lost his home, his small flock of sheep, and he feared his dog Bear, who was a member of his family was gone – his only family.

The marketplace was deserted. The Ranger sentries that normally stood guard at the archway were gone. A hay-filled cart lay overturned near a couple stands its cargo of baskets of apples spilled out across the cobblestones. A warm ash filled breeze circled through the deserted streets. A shutter on a window of a nearby shop creaked open slamming with a thud against the wall. Winter ran past the trees in the courtyard and out towards the docks.

“Aye now, who goes there?” a Ranger stepped out to meet Winter as he entered the Cheshire Docks. The Rangers clothes were disheveled and blackened with soot.

“Lord Silversmith of the Shadowlands” said Winter.

“Shadowlands!! By the gods’ sire, that area was evacuated hours ago, the final boats out of here are right over there” the Ranger said pointing at a cluster of small fishing vessels.

“Final? Is there no hope of saving River City or Cheshire or…” Winters’ voice trailed off in disbelief.

“All is lost the fires and the quakes can not be halted by a miracle this harbour is even still standing” the Ranger replied.

“Not for long, the flames were licking at the fence of Can’s farm” Winter said pointing back towards the smoke billowing into the marketplace through the archway. “You had better get aboard, the boats are leaving for the Shire, the Hobbits are offering everyone sanctuary until they can be relocated” the Ranger nodded towards the ramp to the nearest boat. Winter ran up the ramp and onto the boat launching for the Shire. “What will become of us?” Winter glanced back at the docks and watched as flames drifted onto the roofs of the buildings.

***********

The boat docked along the shore and the weary refugees including Winter disembarked onto the lush green grass of the Shire. The boat held six stragglers who were found throughout the River City either trapped by fires or gathering what trinkets they could from their shattered lives.

Winter had nothing but the tattered clothes on his back and no shoes. His feet were bruised and blackened from dirt and ash. “No shoes, well that is something normal at least” Winter said glancing down at his feet and wriggled his toes.

A Hobbit stood by a nearby bridge with a quill and scroll in his hand. “Name and former home” he said staring at Winter. Winter replied and tried to ask the Hobbit about lodging. “Cross the bridge and see Berilac Tighfield he is assigning housing to refugees” he said without even raising his head to acknowledge Winter further. “Next!” the Hobbit said bluntly waving Winter toward the footbridge.

Winter Looks Back

Winter walked over the footbridge and paused for a moment to watch the sun setting behind the trees. "Goodbye Bear I hope you are at peace now"