Most of the time I did, because it was when my parents weren't home. There was this one time I didn't, but that was because I brought the matches into the classroom where the homeschool group was having class and the teacher saw me.
Wow! I can hardly believe you did that! I was always tought DON'T PLAY WITH FIRE OR THE HOUSE WILL BURN DOWN AND YOU'LL SMASH!!!
Most of the time I did, because it was when my parents weren't home. There was this one time I didn't, but that was because I brought the matches into the classroom where the homeschool group was having class and the teacher saw me.
Wow! I can hardly believe you did that! I was always tought DON'T PLAY WITH FIRE OR THE HOUSE WILL BURN DOWN AND YOU'LL SMASH!!!
It's a miracle I didn't get in real trouble. I can be a wild child when I want to. :3 xD I was taught the same thing! --I just decided to ignore the warnings.
The whisper of the trees, the whistle of the wind, the cry of the owl, the snaps of the flames, all of it faded out, leaving nothing but Matilda's quiet, solemn voice in the cool air. Cole was still and silent, watching her intently. His dark eyes never left her face.
She stared at the knucklebones sitting on the bark. "You will find a kindred spirit in lightning." She said softly.
Cole blinked. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"For crying out loud, won't you shut your pie hole?!" She whipped her pointed hat off and slapped him in the head with it.
He couldn't stop a small grin across his mouth when she glared him. Huffing indignantly, she slapped the hat back on and continued. "Hsst..That's not the only cryptic message here...this bone indicates a Master of Spinjitzu will show you your path."
Cole opened his mouth to ask what on earth "Spinjitzu" was, but thought better of it.
She inclined her head to the last few knucklebones. "And finally, these runes tell me that--"
Matilda blinked. Furrowing her eyebrows, she stared at the bones. She looked perplexed, and perhaps even a bit disturbed. "Well, that can't be right."
"What? What is it?" He looked anxiously at her, suddenly concerned.
Her eyes widened ever so slightly. "No..." She muttered. "But...How can that be?"
Cole's hands balled into fists. "What is it?" He pressed.
She paused. She looked disconcerted...She tapped her thin fingers on the bark rapidly. "Hsst...This does not bode well."
"For crying out loud, would you just tell me!" He suddenly burst out.
She suddenly looked deeply into his eyes, never breaking eye contact. She sighed, then said slowly. "It seems...That while the knucklebones say you will lead a long and fruitful life....They also tell me..." She hesitated. "...That at some point, you will leave your mortal body...By means of the Dark Arts."
He stared at her, frozen. His mind struggled to process what she was saying. He finally rasped. "What--what does this mean...exactly?"
The whisper of the trees, the whistle of the wind, the cry of the owl, the snaps of the flames, all of it faded out, leaving nothing but Matilda's quiet, solemn voice in the cool air. Cole was still and silent, watching her intently. His dark eyes never left her face.
She stared at the knucklebones sitting on the bark. "You will find a kindred spirit in lightning." She said softly.
Cole blinked. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"For crying out loud, won't you shut your pie hole?!" She whipped her pointed hat off and slapped him in the head with it.
He couldn't stop a small grin across his mouth when she glared him. Huffing indignantly, she slapped the hat back on and continued. "Hsst..That's not the only cryptic message here...this bone indicates a Master of Spinjitzu will show you your path."
Cole opened his mouth to ask what on earth "Spinjitzu" was, but thought better of it.
She inclined her head to the last few knucklebones. "And finally, these runes tell me that--"
Matilda blinked. Furrowing her eyebrows, she stared at the bones. She looked perplexed, and perhaps even a bit disturbed. "Well, that can't be right."
"What? What is it?" He looked anxiously at her, suddenly concerned.
Her eyes widened ever so slightly. "No..." She muttered. "But...How can that be?"
Cole's hands balled into fists. "What is it?" He pressed.
She paused. She looked disconcerted...She tapped her thin fingers on the bark rapidly. "Hsst...This does not bode well."
"For crying out loud, would you just tell me!" He suddenly burst out.
She suddenly looked deeply into his eyes, never breaking eye contact. She sighed, then said slowly. "It seems...That while the knucklebones say you will lead a long and fruitful life....They also tell me..." She hesitated. "...That at some point, you will leave your mortal body...By means of the Dark Arts."
He stared at her, frozen. His mind struggled to process what she was saying. He finally rasped. "What--what does this mean...exactly?"
Saying "You will lead a long and fruitful life" is basically a required part of this.
Instead of answering his question, Matilda suddenly grabbed his hands and leaned forward, staring intensely into his eyes. "Listen to me," She hissed. "However close you may be to smashing, do not resort to the Dark Arts. Don't try to stay in this world when it's time for you to leave! If it's time, it's time. Attempting to stay in the form of a spirit will only make you and others suffer, in more ways than you can imagine!"
Cole stiffened at the touch of her hands clutching his. He wasn't sure what she was talking about, but he was starting to feel freaked out. 'Stay in the form of a spirit??' What was she going on about?!
"Wha--what are you talking about?" He rasped.
"Do you believe in ghosts?" She asked suddenly.
He blinked in confusion. "Uhh--"
"Don't underestimate them, child." She whispered, her brown eyes flickering across his tense face. "Certain dark spirits hold a power few can understand...they can take the life of another and make their soul into one of them, through means of dark sources...Sources I dare not speak of."
"Are you saying..." He stared incredulously. "...That ghosts are real...and some ghosts can turn other people into ghosts, whether they like it or not?"
"It really depends on your definition of 'ghost'. Things in Ninjago work differently than where I come from, and sometimes the magic here confuses me."
"The what--?!"
"But I know enough that to become one of those spirits, and to remain that way, would be a terrible mistake. It would take a miraculous work of magic to undo the damage done. If you ever find yourself in that position, find your way to the realm you belong in, however much you want to stay in the living world!"
Heart thumping rapidly, Cole suddenly wrenched his hand out of hers and stood up. Breathing jagged breaths, he gasped. "You're crazy...I'm not going to be a ghost! I'm not going to use Dark magic!" He backed away unsteadily, thoroughly unnerved.
She smiled flatly. "To know one's fate can be terrible."
Wow! I can hardly believe you did that! I was always tought DON'T PLAY WITH FIRE OR THE HOUSE WILL BURN DOWN AND YOU'LL SMASH!!!
It's a miracle I didn't get in real trouble. I can be a wild child when I want to. :3 xD I was taught the same thing! --I just decided to ignore the warnings.
I'm honestly impressed. I've almost always tried to be very careful to follow the rules if it involved something even a little dangerous.
It's a miracle I didn't get in real trouble. I can be a wild child when I want to. :3 xD I was taught the same thing! --I just decided to ignore the warnings.
I'm honestly impressed. I've almost always tried to be very careful to follow the rules if it involved something even a little dangerous.
I'm so impressive. xD That's the complete opposite of me when I was young. I saw rules as things that were meant only to be broken.
Cole glared at her, furious at her for shaking him up so badly. He clenched and unclenched his fists several times while she merely sat and gazed at him with a strange expression. With a disgusted snort, he turned and trotted away, off into the grove of trees.
He ignored the snips and stings from burs, stickers, and stinging nettle hidden in the tall grass, his only thought was to get away from that woman with the chilling eyes, far as possible. He staggered through the undergrowth, his heart pounding violently, then finally stopped. Breathing heavily, he sagged against a tall oak tree and clutched his wounded arm, which was suddenly sore from his movements. His head throbbed at each pulse, making his eyes swim. While his heart slowed to a steady rate, he realized he was trembling. What man trembles?! He was being such a wimp!
He berated himself for being scared and leaving the camp like that. It was just a little old lady...Why did her prophecy shake him up so? He sighed, then seated himself at the foot of the tree. Silver moonlight filtered through the treetops, enchanting the dark, silent forest into a soft peace. Confused, angry, and shivering ever so slightly, he curled up and let the night air soothe him. By and by, he calmed down, and even felt a bit drowsy. With the moon smiling down on him and the leaves glistening in the soft light, he thought it would be just fine to sleep under the tree...Then he remembered wood lice.
Reluctantly, he left the serene forest and trudged back to camp, expecting Matilda to scold him, sneer at him, or even order him away. To his surprise, she acted as if nothing unusual had happened, and nodded in approval when he said he was going to bed. Bemused but thankful, he curled up under his blanket, and began to doze off.
It was when he was on the edge of sleep when she sang again.
During breakfast that early morning, Matilda sniffed the air and grimaced. "Phew! Kid, when was the last time you had a decent shower?"
Cole paused his chewing. "Umm..."
"Don't answer that." She snorted, then said. "Once these dished are cleared up, I suggest you take a dip in the river."
He gaped at her. "The...The river?"
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, the river. You stink, and you need a bath."
"You know that's mountain water, right? As in, extremely cold?"
Smirking, she said. "Better make it quick, then."
Reluctantly he left the camp with a blanket to serve as a towel, and ventured to the gurgling river. It was already cold enough in the air, and he shivered at the thought of the water. He stopped by the bank and stalled. The river moved at a slow pace, only eight feet wide and a few feet deep, and yet it looked malicious.
"OK..." He muttered to himself. "...Don't think about how cold it'll be. It's just mountain water."
He shifted.
"Big baby...Get in there. Just hop in there and get it over with." He took a deep breath. "OK...On three...One...Two..." He licked his lips. "...Two-and-a-half..." He shut his eyes tightly. "...Three!" He jumped into the water.
Cole's piercing shriek echoed throughout the forest, passed the camp where Matilda was laughing out loud, up the steep cliffs where mountain goats hopped about, down the rolling mountain sides, past valleys and hollows, and reverberated throughout all of the Yokai mountains.
* * *
Kai looked up from his work. He frowned, then called out. "Hey, Nya...Did you hear something?"
Nya paused from sweeping the floor of the Four Weapons shop. Brushing aside a strand of ink-black hair, she looked at him. "No...I didn't hear anything."
"Huh. I thought I heard some high-pitched noise...Never mind, it was probably just me." He shrugged, then returned to forging the sword he was working on.
I'm honestly impressed. I've almost always tried to be very careful to follow the rules if it involved something even a little dangerous.
I'm so impressive. xD That's the complete opposite of me when I was young. I saw rules as things that were meant only to be broken.
I mean there was certain rules I'd break for fun. Mostly when I very little I was into breaking rules and making trouble. but the older I got I realized trouble isn't worth the punishment.
I talk to myself a lot...I try not to do it around people.
I talk to myself. . . in my head. It saves the trouble of delivering dirty looks to unfortunate eavesdroppers.
I talk to myself in my head too. Sometimes there's more than one voice of reasoning and sometimes they fight. And sometimes I accidentally refer to myself as " we " in my head.
![[fp]](http://storage.proboards.com/6672327/images/npbLCuGzrLApxWtWqy0u.png)
That makes more sense. Yeah, like they just opened up their mind and you're not supposed to be there to see it. ![[h]](http://storage.proboards.com/6672327/images/nPCskakrdhDERqIVGKuw.png)
![[fp]](http://storage.proboards.com/6672327/images/FlzjtkKuxHFGotrSEITs.png)
That makes more sense. Yeah, like they just opened up their mind and you're not supposed to be there to see it. ![[h]](http://storage.proboards.com/6672327/images/k3cXEdyNkyw6aB9dHN1d.png)
