On Twisted Hill (standard:other, 5184 words)
Author: red1hols	Added: Jun 22 2002	Views/Reads: 3610/2717	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Karen has always believed in the Little People and they will help out. After all they get something in return. Warning : Adult content. Discretion advised.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

whisper, the combined sound can be heard in all of the many tunnels 
that led to the sacred stairs of the under chamber. 

At last, the priest appears from the tunnel. His silver and gold robe
seems to generate light as it glides towards the foot of the stairs. 
When he is in position, eight junior priests in silver robes come out 
of the tunnel. On their shoulders, they bear two long poles, between 
the two poles hangs a large white box. From the crack of the lid, 
coloured light flashes. 

---oooOOOooo--- 

James is now slumped on the sofa. The TV is tuned in to a Saturday
morning kids show, but he isn't aware of it. He is trying to work out 
where he last had the necklace. 

The value of the piece lay in sentiment not in the small sharks' tooth,
the leather thong or even the small silver setting. He still saw Annie 
occasionally, and she always asked if he was wearing her charm. He 
would always invite her to feel his shirt for the familiar lump, which 
she would do with a slender sensuous finger, taking far longer to seek 
out the talisman than really needed. 

Of course, if you asked James why he was so desperate about locating it,
he would not admit that those all too rare moments with Annie were the 
cause. 

---oooOOOooo--- 

The priest starts to climb up the stairs. The bearers of the box follow
him, followed by the elders. They ascend the stairs in silence towards 
the main chamber. The smoke from tiny oil lamps hangs in the air and 
gently parts to let the priest and his retinue past. 

The sacred stairs of the under chamber lead the party up wards to the
semi-circular stage in the centre of the chamber facing the entrance to 
the Southern labyrinth. The chamber is almost a perfect half sphere. If 
cleared, a human could stand in it comfortably. The Little People, 
barely two inches high are dwarfed in its magnificence. The stone walls 
are smooth and are adorned by thousands of panels, each lovingly 
painted with scenes denoting the outside. Flowers and trees; pictures 
of waterfalls; storms rolling across verdant valleys; little people 
playing golden pipes atop huge mushrooms and of dancing on mossy banks. 
Each panel is surrounded by gilt designs similar to those on Karen's 
Celtic Ring. 

The largest panels are above the four main entrances and the largest
adorns the very top of the chamber. Above the North entrance is a scene 
depicting a number of Little People in green and brown Gatherer garb 
hunting down a large rat with silver spears. Blood from wounds on the 
rats' flanks stain the snow, as one of the Little People stands poised 
to make the final blow with a huge axe. The Eastern picture shows a 
group of Gatherers struggling to lower pale blue birds eggs down the 
branch of a flowering thorn. A picture of Little People dancing around 
a pile of seeds and vegetables sits above the Southern Entrance, 
hundreds of smiling faces whirling and weaving their way around the 
bounty in bright summer sunshine. Above the Western entrance, there is 
a depiction of a busy kitchen with Little People preparing preserves 
from a huge pile of assorted fruit & berries. 

The panel at the very top of the cavern is of Little People sailing a
strange flying ship across a huge rainbow. This can hardly be seen from 
the floor. A mass of chains, cogs, wheels, rods and gears obscure the 
view. Around the mass of strange machinery, a series of crystal gutters 
hang from spiders silk. Some of the gutters are straight, some curved, 
and others form spirals or sea-saws. Together the gutters form an 
abstract path from the very top of the chamber to a large silver bowl 
set in the floor in front of the stage where the priests and the elders 
have assembled. 

---oooOOOooo--- 

Karen is in good spirits as she makes her way down the tree-lined street
towards the main road. The sun is warm and tempered with enough of a 
gentle breeze for her to class it a perfect early summer day. She 
believes that shopping with Sara, the good weather, a gossipy lunch and 
a sloppy movie will go a long way to lift her spirits. Sara has a sense 
of adventure that she lacks, the impetuousness that she yearns to copy, 
combined with a general air of rebellion of which her mother would 
disapprove. 

Everyone at work comments on the fact they are complete opposites. Sara
is tall, pale and willowy while Karen is average height, dark and very 
curvaceous. Sara broke the men's hearts while Karen seems to be the one 
getting hurt. Some have expressed surprise that the two had become such 
firm friends given that Karen is almost obsessive about planning and 
Sara so impulsive and disorganised. 

They would have realised why if they could have read Karen's thoughts as
she reaches the main road and turns left towards the bus stop. She is 
wondering what adventurous purchase Sara will encourage her to make 
today. Some erotic item that is destined to be hidden in the box at the 
back of her wardrobe away from her mother's prying eyes; waiting for 
Karen to summon the courage to bring it back into the light. 

---oooOOOooo--- 

High in the South-Western side of the chamber, a panel slides back.
Little People in red robes file through onto a walkway so transparent 
that they appear to be floating on air. They move in step, long thin 
feet encased in beetle-skin boots make a silent rhythm as the Craftsmen 
of the upper labyrinth make their way to the floor of the chamber. 

The Priests and the elders watch them descend. As they reach the floor,
the carriers of the box move to the side of the stage and deftly slide 
the box from it's two long carrying poles and place it into a 
decorative cage. A single chain on the top of the cage leads towards 
the mass of machinery above. Satisfied that the box is in the centre of 
the cage the priests withdraw to take up their position behind the high 
priest. 

The Craftsmen form up in neat rows to the right of the stage. The cage
rests between them and those on the stage. As the last of the Craftsmen 
take up their position at the rear, four from the front rank suddenly 
make the impressive leap up onto the stage. The four walk into the cage 
and close an ornate gate behind them. Slowly the chain tightens and the 
cage rises towards the roof. 

The priests consult. The High Priest produces a pouch from the folds of
his robe and steps forward to the edge of the stage. His hand withdraws 
a handful of grey powder from the pouch and tosses it into the silver 
bowl. There is a fizz and then a flash within the bowl. A ring of smoke 
rises upwards for a few seconds and dissipates. 

---oooOOOooo--- 

The shrill tone of a mobile phone causes Karen to hurriedly delve into
her shoulder bag. It is Sara. She has forgotten their arrangement. 
Despite her inward disappointment, Karen doesn't complain, she knows 
her friend and has become used to these sudden changes in plans. 

After a brief chat, they arrange to meet for a late lunch followed by
the promised retail therapy. After replacing the phone Karen perches on 
a wall next to the bus stop and considers what to do for the next few 
hours. 

---oooOOOooo--- 

The cage reaches the very top of the chamber, those inside peer down at
the stage below them. 

From the Southern entrance, Little People in yellow robes begin to file
in. At the same time, the tribe of the Eastern Labyrinth appear dressed 
in robes the green of spring leaves. 

Silently, the two tribes form up in neat rows behind the stage, a mass
of green and yellow. Although the High Priest has his back to them, he 
seems to sense when the last of them is in position. Barely has the 
final row formed when he throws another handful of dust into the silver 
bowl. 

Another fizz and flash, another smoke ring rises up and disappears. 

---oooOOOooo--- 

James gets up from the sofa, heads for the bedroom, and changes into
shorts and a T- shirt. Perhaps a run will blow away the frustrations. 
On the way back he could go via the taxi office and see if the necklace 
had come off during the horseplay in the back of the cab on his way 
home last night. As he ties up the laces on his trainers, he can think 
of no other place that the necklace could be. He leaves the flat and 
locks the door, placing the keys in a pouch around his waist along with 
a little money and his mobile phone. As he starts down the stairs, a 
thought strikes him and he unzips the pouch and searches it. 

His mind on other things, James doesn't take his normal right turn
towards the park, but turns left. His legs fall into a good rhythm as 
he heads towards the open fields at the edge of town. As he runs, his 
hand goes to his chest several times as it seems strange not to have 
the light bumping of his talisman keeping time with the pumping of his 
legs. 

---oooOOOooo--- 

Karen gets up from the wall and heads towards the row of small shops
where she purchases a magazine. She can see the hill and strange tree 
on the summit rising behind the houses opposite and decides that would 
be a good place to sit and read for a couple of hours before heading 
off to meet Sara. Karen is a regular visitor to Twisted Hill. 

A few years ago, the council had put a bench under the tree in memory of
Mrs. Blackwood. Karen had often seen her on the hill when she was young 
and she had spun wonderful stories about the little people who lived in 
the tree and the magic they wrought to bring happiness to those who 
believed. 

Karen's mother and others in the neighbourhood described Mrs. Blackwood
as a character. It wasn't until she was older that she realised that 
this was their polite way of saying that they thought she wasn't quite 
the full shilling. 

Karen likes to sit on the hill and look across to her house from the
shade of the twisted willow on the summit. When she was younger, she 
would lie on her stomach, head cupped in her hands, watching people 
going about their business in the suburb below. She would tell the 
fairies and the tree all the news about school, her friends and her 
parents. Although the fairies never replied, she was confident that 
they heard and whenever she had a problem, they helped. Now she was 
older she still goes back and makes sure the fairies know all the news, 
although she takes care that she is alone. Fearing what people may 
think. 

Karen blushes as she thinks about Sara's probable reaction to her faith
in the fairies in Twisted Hill. 

---oooOOOooo--- 

Two carts roll into the chamber. Eight Little People pull one from the
Western entrance, carrying James' much-missed necklace. The other comes 
from the Northern entrance carrying Karen's ring. The carts make their 
way to the silver bowl, watched by thousands of tiny eyes. 

The carts are carefully backed up to the bowl. The Little People in
charge of the carts turn and look to the stage for the sign. The High 
Priest waits. The years have taught him that pauses add to the tension 
and the spectacle. At last he takes a few steps forward to the edge of 
the stage and nods. The carts are tipped up and their cargoes, Karen's 
ring and James' necklace, fall into the silver bowl with the sound of a 
large bell being tolled. The Little People in charge of the carts 
scamper back to the entrances and disappear. 

A few seconds later, the Western and Northern tribes begin to file into
the hall. The orange robes form up in front of the stage on the left, 
while the dark blue robes form up next to them to the right. 

The High Priest raises his arms above his head. 

---oooOOOooo--- 

Halfway across the field, James notices the figure starting up the slope
of the hill. He watches her for a few seconds before turning to focus 
on the tree. A tall and willowy blonde would have held James attention 
longer. James picks up his pace slightly as he sets himself the target 
of beating the walker to the summit. 

Karen hasn't spotted the figure running in the field below. Her eyes are
fixed on the uneven footpath as she picks her footfalls with care to 
avoid damaging her shoes. 

The two of them head towards the summit of Twisted Hill. Although Karen
was first on the hill, it looks like James will easily be the first to 
reach the top until he hits the slope. James pace slows, as the effort 
needed to climb increases. In the end they reach the top together, 
Karen's sudden awareness of the runner causing her to start. 

---oooOOOooo--- 

One of the craftsmen in the cage opens the white box and helped by a
companion removes the ball. It is transparent, almost like a marble, 
except that coloured lights occasionally flash from inside. 

The craftsmen look down at the colourful scene below, the floor is awash
with colour, blocks of red, blue, orange, white, yellow and green. Only 
the sharp eyes of the craftsmen are focussed on the arms of the High 
Priest. 

The High Priest drops his arms. The Craftsmen release the ball into the
crystal gutter. The ball releases a flash of violet as it starts to 
slowly roll down the chute. 

---oooOOOooo--- 

Karen had intended to sit down on the bench; instead she stood
motionless in the middle of the dirt path. 

James could have easily run around her, but instead pulled up so that
there was barely a foot between them. They look at each other. To 
Karen, James is best described as a babe. James is confused, not sure 
what to make of his thoughts, he falls back on his winning smile. 

--oooOOOooo--- 

The ball rolls on towards the end of the first section of crystal
gutter. 

Everyone on the stage in the centre of the chamber is watching it avidly
as it gently rolls and gives out flashes of multi-coloured light. The 
heads of the Little People on the floor of the chambers are bowed. In 
silence at first, but in unison they take up a chant. 

"Bigzuns Veesh Leedzuns Vred. Bigzuns Veesh Leedzuns Vred. Bigzuns Veesh
Leedzuns Vred." 

As they chant, they bend their knees at random. The effect is to make
the sea of brightly coloured robes, ripple and swirl like the surface 
of a still pool disturbed by a swarm of mosquitoes. 

The ball rolls off the first crystal gutter and on to the next. 

---oooOOOooo--- 

Karen's lifts her right hand and gently feels James' chest through his
damp shirt. Gently she feels out the contours of his muscle through the 
tin fabric. Their eyes are locked together as James slowly bends down 
and kisses her. The kiss is gently returned. 

Slowly, James' arms embrace her. James breaks the kiss and plants small
kisses on her cheek, her neck and her ear. Karen's hands move around to 
James' back and pull him towards her. Their lips meet again. This time 
the kiss is stronger and more animated. Their lips part, the tips of 
the tongues meet and caress. 

Karen's hand slowly moves downward, one finger slowly describing small
circles down his spine until she reaches the clasp of the pouch. Deftly 
with one hand, she unclasps it, with a sensuous wriggle the pouch is 
removed and dropped to the floor. Karen's hand goes back to exploring 
James's back. 

---oooOOOooo--- 

The ball reaches the end of the second crystal gutter and gently falls
into a curved section with a flash of orange. Machinery springs into 
life with a gentle hum and wheels start to turn. 

---oooOOOooo--- 

James hands reach up under Karen's thin tailored jacket. As the kiss
continues, his hands move downward and forward until they briefly rest 
on her waist. Karen responds by caressing the nape of his neck with a 
fingernail while the other hand massages a buttock. The seal of their 
lips stifles a gentle moan from James. 

His hands start to move, gliding over her curves, lightly touching her
ribs and upward to rest on her shoulders. Strong fingers caressed the 
flesh around the straps of the thin vest top. Karen withdrew her hands 
and let them hang limply by her sides. Slowly he lets his hands glide 
down her arms. The jacket slides off. James throws it one handed so 
that it lands on the bench. 

Karen's hands return to James's back, now finding a way under his
T-shirt and glorying in the heat of his body. As they moved, the 
T-shirt rode up, exposing more of his tanned flesh. 

At last, they break the kiss. Her forehead rests on his shoulder while
he sucks her earlobe and fills his lungs with of the scent of her long 
dark hair. James draws back, with a single movement draws his shirt 
over his head, and throws it onto the bench. 

As he starts to move forward, she gently rests her hand on his chest to
stop him while she drinks in his muscular torso. Karen smiles and 
unconsciously runs a pink tongue languidly over her upper lip as her 
eyes fall upon the bulge in his shorts. Her hands reach down to the 
base of her vest top, pulls it over head then send it to join her 
jacket, the only self consciousness is over her sensible white bra 
rather than her situation. 

James moves forward again and with a deft side step is behind her, arms
encircling her flat stomach and mouth kissing and nibbling at first her 
shoulder and then her neck. Karen cranes her head round, desperate for 
their lips to meet again. James ignores them, preferring to concentrate 
on her ear and neck. His hands move slowly down the curves of her hips, 
pressing her closer and closer. Karen tries to turn her head so that 
their lips can meet again, but James ignores her, his lips focus 
instead on the soft skin around her ears as he relishes her scent. As 
if in retaliation, Karen starts to slowly snake her hips and rub 
herself against his groin. 

As he explores her thighs, his fingers come across first the zip and
then the button her skirt. They were deftly unfastened. The skirt is 
kept in place for a few moments by his exploring hands and her pressure 
against his body. James lifts his hands in the hope of it falling and 
Karen takes the opportunity to spin round to face him. The skirt now 
around her ankles, Karen kicks it in the general direction of the bench 
without ceasing eye contact with James. 

---oooOOOooo--- 

The ball rolls on. The flashes of light more frequent, the colours more
varied. The response from the Little People on the floor of the chamber 
is to bend their knees more often. Some jump off the floor as they 
straighten. The effect is to make the ripples and patterns within the 
crowd more striking and complex. 

The ball reaches the end of another crystal gutter and reaches the
entrance of a downward pipe. It circles the hole a few times before 
making the short drop. Cogs engage. Rods begin to move. A feint mist 
begins to form above the machinery. 

---oooOOOooo--- 

The couple on the top of the hill stands a few feet apart. They stare
deeply into each other's eyes. The girl reaches behind her back and 
slowly removes her sensible bra, letting it drop next to the bench. The 
man reaches forward and gently cups her breasts, his thumbs relishing 
the differing texture of skin and raised nipple. They kiss again; there 
is urgency and hunger in that kiss. 

Slowly James sinks down to his knees, his lips paying homage to Karen's
body as the move towards her breasts. Once there, they gently rain 
kisses upon them. The kisses become interspersed with gentle sucks 
until at last he fastens upon one nipple. He then moves to the other 
breast, adding gently nibbles to his repertoire. Fingers on one hand 
caress the neglected breast while his other hand moves across Karen's 
back, bottom and thighs. After several minutes attentions, he slowly 
rises again, his lips marking the route back to hers with a thousand 
tiny caresses against the skin. Karen's hands thrust inside his shorts 
forcing them downward. At the same time she pushes him backward into 
the long grass. James tumbles backwards to the ground. Karen pounces 
upon her prey. 

---oooOOOooo--- 

The ball is now a glowing ball of light, the colours changing
constantly, reflecting and refracting off crystal and metal. The mist 
slowly thickens. 

As the ball drops from one crystal gutter to another, rods with bulbous
heads thrust upwards into the mist. More cogs engage. Copper bobbins 
start to spin. 

The chanting on the floor of the chamber stops. The High Priest again
raises his arm, his eyes fixed on the swirling mist being agitated by 
the thrusting, spinning rods. As he watches, the mist thickens to a 
fog. 

A stream of yellow light from the ball appears to flow along the gutter.
The ball appears to wobble and slow. The fog thickens into a cloud. The 
cloud seems to absorb the light from the ball, taking on shades of 
yellow, green, blue, orange, white, red and brown. A sizzling sound 
emits from the very heart. 

The High Priest waits. All of the Little People wait. Looking for a
sign, they are motionless, probably holding in their breath. 

The High Priest drops his hands. 

"Veren Muxen Spurt!"  Is the sound that springs in unison from every
throat. 

The ball hangs in the air, now a matter of inches above the Silver Bowl.


Silent lightening flashes between the cloud and the thrusting rods. The
bulbous ends of the rods erupt. Each has a set of three coloured combs. 
The combs spin as they are thrust in and out of the cloud. Fine threads 
form in the cloud. The different colours seemingly attracted to the 
similarly coloured combs. Once captured by the combs, the thread flies 
across to the bobbins. 

Little People in brown and green Gatherers garb appear with empty
bobbins. With great speed and agility they leap and weave amongst the 
fast moving machinery, gather up the full bobbins and replace them with 
empty ones. The new bobbins begin to fill with the magical thread. 

All faces are turned upwards, watching the strange harvest. There is no
synchronisation of movement now. The excitement of the moment has them 
bouncing from foot to foot like expectant children in a toyshop. The 
cloud thins back to a fog and then a mist. The combs, unable to extract 
the precious thread, sink back into the bulbous ends of the rods. All 
turn and watch the ball, hanging in the air. The ball flashes crimson. 

"Veren Muxen Spurt!" The Little people cry. 

All turn to watch the mist. Again it forms into a fog that slowly
thickens into a cloud. More flashes of colour from the ball and again 
the cloud absorbs them. The rods take up the thrusting motion. There is 
agitation amongst the white robed elders on the stage, when this 
continues for several minutes without any effect on the cloud. When the 
silent Lightening again causes the combs to eject from the rods and the 
thread to flow, there is obvious relief. 

The thread flows onto the bobbins. The bobbins are carried to and fro by
the Gatherers. 

The cloud thins. The ball hangs in the air. This seems to surprise the
Little People. There is a buzz of conversation in the chamber. All 
watch the ball. The ball continues to float in the air. The High Priest 
makes a huddle with his acolytes. As they do so, the ball emits another 
flash of crimson. 

"VEREN MUXEN SPURT" The loud cry echoes around the chamber. 

All watch as the cloud thickens again. This time, a larger rod rises
from the machinery to join the others. When the lightening strikes it, 
gold and silver combs erupt. Silver thread begins to flow; soon golden 
thread is being threaded onto a bobbin. The floor of the chamber buzzes 
with high-pitched conversations. 

The cloud thins again. The ball hangs in the air for a few minutes. With
a brilliant flash of white light it drops into the silver bowl. The 
necklace and the ring vanish. 

---oooOOOooo--- 

The sound of a dog barking causes Karen And James to break their
embrace. They stand up in the middle of the circle of flattened grass 
and quickly start to retrieve their clothes and dress.  Pausing now and 
again for a tender kiss or embrace. It is only when they are both 
clothed that they realise that neither has spoken since the first 
meeting. 

"Hi, I'm Karen. Karen Spencer." Karen holds out a hand so recently
exploring his most intimate parts of his body in a formal greeting. 

"I'm James Brown. It's good to meet you." He clasps the hand with his
own that is covered with her musky scent. 

They both laugh and fall into each other's arms and kiss. Karen breaks
the kiss in a panic. 

"Oh my God! Look at the time. I'm supposed to be meeting someone.
Someone else, I mean!" 

Another shared laugh. James unzips his pouch and pulls out his phone. As
he does so, he pulls out a leather thong necklace. A small silver ring 
with a black stone nestles next to the sharks tooth in the silver 
setting. 

"What the....." James holds it up, not understanding how the necklace
came to be there and confused how the ring came to be on the still tied 
thong. 

Karen looked at the necklace, recognising the ring she beamed a knowing
smile. "Oh, James. It's the fairies. The fairies brought us together." 

James doesn't look convinced. 

"I'll ring Sara and tell her I don't need to meet her anymore. Then I
will tell you about the fairies who live under that tree." 

---oooOOOooo--- 

It's well after sunset. Two gatherers sit in the long grass watching the
couple sat on the bench. They have been talking for hours, to each 
other, to the tree and to "fairies". The Gatherers have been making 
notes on little slates. The couple get up and head down the hill 
towards the lights of the houses below. When the gatherers are sure 
they have left, they dart between the roots of the tree to report on 
the hopes and desires of the young couple to the priests. 

---oooOOOooo--- 


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