Anyway, Jo's story went like this....
Jo's Dad had been working on some new radio device and he needed to be in a radio dead spot; where we lived was ideal; as even TV and radio signals were pretty weak here. Satellite was OK, which was good, as we had satellite at our cottage. Anyhow, Jo said that her Dad has just worked out, that his experimentation seems to opening up tunnels of some sort, that lead to other places. Like on the day of his disappearance, he had left his equipment on. When he left the house to get supplies, he accidentally walked into the tunnel, finding himself in the place that he had described to us. Jo then turned off the equipment, trapping her Dad there. Then about a week later, turned it back on again. In doing that, she had opened up not one, but two of these tunnel things. One that brought her Dad back to a deserted mine, some considerable miles south of here; and the other tunnel, was near the house and Jo stumbled into it, when she went out searching for her dad again.
Jo told me, she had set off that morning, in a somewhat different direction, heading towards the car, in the hope that she would find any clues as to what happened to her dad. She was hoping that she would spot something that the police had missed. She thought she saw something off to one side of the path. She went to investigate it and as she got closer, she bent down to pick up whatever it was. That was when she lost her balance and fell over. Jo said she was really shocked as the ground that she was standing on was sloping upwards, yet, when she lost her balance, she felt as if she was being pulled downwards, as if she were falling below the level of the ground she was standing on.
I can see why she said the story would be complicated if she wrote it, I'm having enough difficulty understanding it meself, let alone trying to write it down.
Anyway, back to the story, apparently, for a moment all around her was black, then light again. Her hand briefly touched what she had been reaching out to pick up, but she tumbled right over it and at first rolled up the hill, then down the other side. She said, that she tried several times to reach out for things, in the vein hope of stopping herself, but they always seemed to be too far away. The ground felt quite soft and springy, as if she were rolling on a sponge mattress, well that's what she said anyway, she said it was like the ones at school, that they use for gym class, only a lot softer.
I had to laugh at that bit, it took me back to my days of PE, I always thought them mattresses could 'ave been a lot softer.
The other thing she had noticed, was the fact that the straw like grass where she was standin' before she fell, was now more like a dense moss, but had a kind of reddy brown colouration about it.
Jo told me that she was really glad when she gently rolled to a stop, as the ground leveled off. When she stood up she saw that she was at the bottom of a really steep hill. The bushes that she had tried to grab on the way down, looked really weird, spikes sticking out in all directions and each being a slightly different shade of green. Jo described it as being more like a collection of these plants, than a single bush.
The ground being so springy, Jo had found it very difficult to stand. She said, that it felt like it does, when she tries to stand up on her bed.
Eventually, she managed to stand up straight, but almost fell sideways again. With great effort Jo managed to re-balance herself. She said, she found it easier to walk and stand, by keeping her legs apart, but it took a great deal of effort and concentration to stay upright though.
Jo wondered why she had not seen this hill before, it was so different to her usual surroundings. She tried to climb back up the hill, but it proved impossible. After falling over the sixth time, Jo gave up, hoping to find a way round the hill. She set off in a direction that should have taken her round the hill, hopefully to a gentler slope.
There were so many bushes of different heights, shapes and shades of green that it was difficult to figure out where to go. Jo was making good headway, when she suddenly came across an opening. In the centre of the clearing she saw something that reminded her of a tortoise, but without a head, it was kind of green, almost like an army uniform and it had many legs, so many legs, it reminded her of a centipede, a very big one. The skin on this thing, was quite wrinkly.
The creature seemed to be moving quite slowly. As it turned, Jo suddenly saw it had a large eye, it seemed to be too large for the size of its head. Jo wondered if the creature had seen her and whether it would be safe to remain there. She said, she watched for a while, but the creature seemed to have no interest in her, it turned away again. So Jo felt more confident and walked towards the clearing; as she did so, she changed direction to avoid a bush. That was when she noticed that the outline and area around the creature seemed to get quite fuzzy. As Jo stepped forward, she bumped into something that seemed to be taller than her. Whatever it was let out a cry of surprise. The view of the tortoise creature became even fuzzier. Jo had a strong feeling that she should get away, as she was in danger. Jo turned and ran back in the direction that she had just come from. As she turned, she briefly saw that the tortoise like creature, had also been startled and moved off into the bushes, but this time at such a speed, that it took Jo quite by surprise.
Suddenly, Jo heard a crashing sound, as something hit one of the bushes, just behind her. She briefly looked back and saw a rather fuzzy outline, of what looked like a club, the sort you see in pictures about cave men. The bush below it was springing back into shape, as if someone had just bounced on and then back off of it. Jo came to the conclusion, that her decision to run away was the right one. She just hoped that she didn't fall over.
Out of breath, some minutes later, Jo had to stop and rest. She had listened carefully but could not hear any sign of whatever it was, that had struck the bush. She hoped that meant that she had lost it and that it hadn't followed her.
After a little while Jo heard voices, quite high pitched, she strained to make out what was being said, but could not make sense of it, at least not at first. After listening for a while, Jo figured out the direction that the voices were coming from. On all fours, Jo crawled cautiously in that direction, trying to make as little noise as possible. Jo curious as to who or what was making the noises.
The voices got louder, so Jo knew she was heading in the right direction. Suddenly she caught sight of a bright light, to one side and above her, in the bushes. Jo stopped and focused on the light and was most surprised to see, what looked like a very small person suspended in mid-air. As Jo was looking round to see what was keeping them up there, she caught sight of another one, but this did not have the light shining around it, also closer examination, showed that it was actually sitting on a leaf. Jo could just make out the movement of tiny wings, like those of a humming bird. Jo thought she must be dreaming, what with the previous encounter and now this one. She said that she thought she must have received a bump on the head as she fell.
Well that's how it all started..
~~o~~o~~o~~
Chapter 4 – The Ailers And More
Jo rubbed her eyes, not knowing if she was actually seeing what she thought she could see. They reminded Jo of fairies, those two creatures floating in the air just above her. Fairies, she just has to be dreaming. There are no such things as fairies.
They don't see her at first, the creatures above her. The just carry on with their conversation.
As Jo strains, she can just about make out what the creatures are talking about. The one with the light shining about it, is talking about some sleeping place that seems to belong to them. The other one seems to be jealous for some reason. Their talk continues about how good the place is, when suddenly the one with the light appears to have noticed Jo, its light goes out and the two of them dart from sight.
As Jo looks carefully around her, she can see them peeking out from behind a clump of green.
Jo says in soft gentle voice, “It is alright, I will not hurt you. I am hiding myself from something that wants to hurt me. I was watching a round greenish
creature in a clearing, when I must have walked into something or someone, but I could not see them.” said Jo, hoping that the telling of her own story would reassure these creatures, whatever they were.
One of the creatures replies, “Sounds like a Grob-Lusier, horrible things, they will try and eat us, if they can catch us, won't they Jezi-lee?”
The second creature nods in agreement.
The first creature continues, “As for the other one you saw, that would be a Cut-Tager, they will not harm.”
Jo rather nervously, says, “Er, hello, I am Jo. I fell down the hill over there somewhere. I live near here, you might even know the place, it is a cottage quite close to the hill.”
The second creature, obviously now feeling somewhat braver, emerges from its hiding place and says, “Can not say that I do, in any case what is a cot-tay-age?”
Jo replied, “A place to live, to sleep.”
“Oh we have those, we call them hab-a-bles. I have a new one, you should see it, well perhaps not, they are supposed to be secret, we only show them to our pairers. I am Jemi-Lee and this is Jezi-Lee.” There is a thoughtful pause, then Jemi-Lee goes on to say, “Jo is a funny name, very short. Is your type o?”
Jo replied, “Type? What like blood type you mean, oh I I don't know I am afraid.”
Jezi-lee replied, “Why are you afraid of your type, we are not afraid of ours, it is Lee, so are you type O?”
“What family name, you are both from the same family?” Jo asked.
“If you like to say it that way, all of us Ailers are Lees. The Wies-An-Fusa are all type Fusa. What type are you?” Jemi-Lee asked.
“Must be family name then”, Jo mutters to herself, then resumes, “I am a Menzies, Jo Menzies.”
“Have a good visitation with us then Jo-Menzies. Do you like Levens?” Asks Jezi-lee, having emerged from her hiding place.
“As I do not know what a Leven is, I could not say.” Jo looks as Jezi-lee points to part of the bush, which now that Jo is really close to it, she can see that it appears to be like a soft cylindrical leaf like structure. Jo continues, “I had best not try one. It might be poisonous, some leaves are you know?”
Jemi-Lee intrigued by Jo's statement asks, “What is pois-on-ow-us?”
“It could harm or even kill you.” Jo replied.
Jemi-Lee replies, “Do not be so ridicules, how can a mere Levens harm you?”
Whilst Jezi-lee darts to one side and peers out of the bushes. Then she returns and remarkes, “The Grob-Lusier, now they can kill you, if you are not quick like you were. But the Levens, do not move, so how could they kill?”
“Something to do with what things are made of, some are safe to eat, while others can do you harm.” Jo replies.
Jemi-Lee suggests, “Just like the Vesk-A-Wa, if you even touched one of those and licked your hands you would be harmed.”
Jezi-lee suggests, “Perhaps if you tried the smallest piece you might be alright and like it. They are really nice, so refreshing.”
Jo fells somewhat worried at the suggestion and replies, “Best not to try, I would not want to get ill, after all I still have to climb that hill again, to get back home. My Aunt will be worried about me if I don't get back.”
“What is you Aunt?” asks Jezi-lee.
“She is family, my Dad's sister.” Jo replies.
“Dad and Sister, what are these, are they more of the type Menzies?” asks Jemi-Lee.
“Yes, my Dad is Joseph-Menzies and my Aunt is Sarah-Menzies.”
Jezi-lee seems quite shocked, “How strange you talk, it should be Dad-Joseph-Menzies and Aunt-Sarah-Menies surely?”
“You are quite right.” Jo giggles slightly, at the thought of being told off by this small fairy like creature. It was like having a teeny, tiny school teacher, correcting your grammar all the time. Jo glances at her wrist, and exclaims, “Goodness, look at the time, I had best get back home, my Aunt will be worried about me.”
“Aunt-Sarah-Menzies”. Jezi-lee rather sternly corrects Jo.
“Yes.” agrees Jo, then says, “Well thank you, it was nice to meet you, er a nice visitation.” The latter added as she remembered Jezi-Lee's greeting.
“The same.” Jemi-Lee replies and Jezi-Lee simply nods in agreement.
Jo carefully backs herself out of the bushes, checking all the while, to see if there are any other creatures, behind her, but there are none. Jo stands and looks around, trying to figure out where the hill is. It is difficult to make out, because of all the bushes around. Eventually however, Jo thinks that she has the direction sorted out. She carefully sets off in the chosen direction, being careful not to fall over, the springy moss like ground making this particularly hard.
Making good headway, Jo is pleased with her progress, when suddenly she is knocked off her feet and feels herself being carried away. She reaches down and feels soft but bumpy skin. When she looks down, she realises that she is traveling on the back of one of those circular tortoise like creatures; like the one she had seen before, in the clearing, when she had almost been struck by that just barely invisible club. Jo wonders if she should throw herself off the back of this thing, but comes to the conclusion, that she may do herself more harm than good, it is traveling too fast!
Jo wonders if the creature has been startled like the previous one, is this one also being chased? Could Jo actually be in more danger traveling on the back of this thing, this, what had the Ailers called it? Ah yes a Cut-Tager.
The creature darts between bushes, almost knocking Jo off its back, it doesn't even seem to be aware that she is there. It seems to be concentrating on getting wherever it was going and at that, as quickly as possible. Jo decides to duck down and hold onto this creature, hoping that it will take her somewhere near the hill that she has to climb, in order to get back home. As that thought crosses Jo's mind, she is aware that they were climbing. Perhaps, this creature may be doing Jo a favour, saving her the trouble of climbing the hill altogether. Jo feels somewhat more relaxed now. The bushes are becoming wider apart, making the journey somewhat easier now, Jo is no longer being hit by branches. The creature's speed is maintained, even though it is now climbing. Jo is amazed at its strength and agility.
Ahead there are more of these creatures, calmly moving around on the ground up above them. Jo wonders if they would get spooked by the creature she is traveling upon. Especially as it has her on its back and is rushing up so fast. However her Cut-Tager, seems to be slowing down now, as if the sight of its fellow creatures was a reassurance of safety.
Eventually the creature slows up. Jo waits until the speed is so slow, that it is safe to simply roll off the creature. Worried that her unwarranted intrusion will spook the creatures, she walks away from them, despite her curiosity to find out more about them.
Jo wonders if .the hill that they had just climbed, will lead to the same area where her house is. She decides to walk around the Cut-Tagers. Jo heads up the hill, it is not as steep as the hill that she had rolled down in the first place.
Up ahead are some bushes. Jo heads for them and as she approaches them, she can hear voices. Somewhat different from those of the Ailers, deeper for starters and the language is also different. At first Jo is unable to understand what is being said, but after listening carefully for a bit, she finds that the structure of the sentences are somewhat backward to normal English. When Jo reaches the bushes, she decides that it is best to stay hidden and listen for a while longer.
The conversation seems to be about someone going missing, the name Ella-Hesk-Fusa keeps being mentioned. Ah the Fusas that the Ailers had mentioned. The main one speaking is referred to by the others as Barse-Hesk-Fusa.
Jo is straining to hear one of the group speaking, when she suddenly looses her balance and falls over. Jo cannot help but let out a cry of “Whoops!”
There is silence the other side of the bushes, then suddenly Jo finds herself pinned down by a group of smallish q
uite strange looking people, with large stocky heads, or at least heads that look as if they are too large for their body. They are dressed in quite dull clothes, that if seen from a distance would not stand out from the surrounding hills.
Perhaps she has discovered a whole new race. Are these the Cornish pixies, of whom stories have long been told?
One of the creatures is asking a barrage of questions, but with all the excited noise coming from the group as a whole, Jo is unable to make out what the questions are.
Suddenly there is a loud, “Silence NOW, be you all!”
The effect is quite stunning, there is absolute hush for a while. The group are all looking at the character who had uttered the command. Having waited long enough to assure himself that he would now be heard, the character asks Jo, “Are what, who, you? Doing here, what you?”
As Jo is so stunned, she knows not how to answer the somewhat strangely phrased questions.
The character impatiently prompts, “Come on speak now you!”
Jo, having figured out now what the questions were, replies, “Trying to find my way home, nothing more than that.”
“Hide why you?” asks the character, somewhat aggressively, shaking their fist, as if threatening to use it if the answer is not a satisfactory one.
“I, I did not want to.... er... disturb your discussion and I was trying to work out how best to get past you, to get to the top of the hill.” Jo replied.
“Hill, what is, that speak of you?” the character asks.
“Speak the truth of the state, does not speak it ” offers another of these characters.
Yet another asks, “What type creature, anyway are you?”
“So many questions, which to answer first? I am of type Menzies.” Jo remembers that these may be Cornish pixies, so corrects herself with, “Er, type human. As for the hill, why we are on the hill. I do not want to harm you, I just want to get home.”
“Harm, not us, say you, but listening, here be you, that very act, harm us may you.” replies the first character, suspiciously eyeing Jo up and down, as if scanning her for weapons of any kind.