![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dreamflower posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
lotrchallengesAuthor: Dreamflower
Title:
Rating: G
Theme: Feast
Elements: The story to include a recipe
Author's Notes: Here are Chapters VI and VII of a story begun in October's "Outside the Box" challenge to write in a format, style or genre different than what I've written before. I have definitely never written LotR as a sort of steampunkish futuristic space opera. To keep it from getting totally out of hand, I decided to do something else I haven't tried before—each chapter is a different specific fixed length: the first chapter is 100 words, the second, 200, the next, 300, etc.
Chapter VI is 600 words. Chapter VII is 600 words for the chapter + 100 words for the recipe, totaling 700 words.
Summary : A familiar story in another time, another place altogether…
Word Count: 1300 words
Reach for the Stars, Chapters VI and VII
VI.
The four periain moved quickly through the gate, and found themselves on a pathway of yellow synthrete set with solar markers. The light from the markers was dim in the misty pre-dawn darkness. The path led straight into the wyldwood. The green trunks of the trees crowded the pathway, their long waving purple fronds hanging down over it.
"Yes. Well. We just follow the lights," said Merry briskly, stepping forward.
The others followed on his heels. They moved silently, fearfully. Anorien was rising, but the light did not improve visibility, its rays barely penetrating the canopy. If anything, the markers on the path grew dimmer as they went.
They noticed the path was not as well maintained in the depths of the forest—cracks appeared, some of the lights did not shine at all.
The fronds waved even more. Pippin flinched as one brushed his shoulder. "Oi!" he cried. "Leave me alone!"
"They're only trees, Pippin," Frodo said, and then jumped with a wordless cry of alarm as another frond brushed his cheek.
Suddenly a frond whipped out and wrapped itself around Merry, pulling him off the path. Pippin scarcely had time to shout before he was similarly bound. Frodo managed to dodge the fronds which reached for him briefly, but soon he too was wrapped tightly and held high above the ground.
Sam had been dodging more successfully, but then one grabbed his leg. In a burst of inspiration he pulled his sonic pruner from his pocket. The trees backed away from the ultrasonic blast, but he couldn't get near his friends. In desperation he began to shout for help, though who there was to hear him, he knew not.
He was shocked to hear a voice: "Coming, I am!"
A creature bounded into view, not unlike a perian or a human in form, but his skin was green, his hair and clothing purple. He was taller than a perian, shorter than a human, and his eyes were amber. He took the situation in at a glance, and silencing Sam with a gesture, put his hands on his hips and said to the trees: "Be putting them down, you will! For shame!"
Gently the trees lowered their captives and the fronds unfurled. The waving stilled.
"The Green Man am I," he said to the periain. "Be coming with me, you will, or the trees will be at you again."
Such was the force of his personality that they followed meekly and silently, wondering where they were bound. He led them away from the path along a trail that led through the trees. "Taking you home to my lady I am," he said. "Glad she will be to have guests."
They found themselves in a clearing, facing a house which seemed to have grown out of the ground, for they could see no sign of how it was built. A doorway opened and another person appeared.
She too had green skin, though her hair was as golden as her eyes. She was taller than their guide, only a little, and she was as lovely as summer. She stepped out and reached out her hands. The Green Man took them in his. "Glad I am to see you again, my Summer Lady." His voice was filled with joy.
She stepped forward into his embrace, and they touched their foreheads briefly. Then she turned to face the perain. "Welcome be," she said, "to our home. Here safe you may be for a while. Come in to us, and put the teakettle on we shall, and welcome at our table you will be."
VII.
The Green Man and the Summer Lady led them inside, where they found themselves in a cosy and welcoming place. It seemed to be built entirely of natural materials—wood, and earth and stone—there was no sign within of glass or synthrete, which the periain had introduced to Suza when they arrived. A huge earthen hearth dominated the center of the large room and was open on two sides.
To the right opening of the hearth were comfortable chairs and benches; to the left opening were counters and tables and cooking implements. Frodo watched the Summer Lady as she hung the teakettle from a hook directly over the fire. Within the hearth a cauldron bubbled with a toothsome smell. Wild fungi, if his nose did not deceive him! His mouth began to water, and he felt a rumble begin in his belly.
The periain politely offered to help their hostess, but she declined with a laugh. "Under my feet you would be," she said, "and used to open fire you are not."
They couldn't deny that. They were far more used to the stoves of their own homes, powered by fuel pellets made of recycled organic material.
"Come sit with me!" called the Green Man. "Your story tell to me."
And so they sat down on benches and began their tale. Frodo left most of the telling to his cousins and Sam, for he was reluctant to speak of the crystal. But there was a question he had to ask. "Who—or what—were those creatures on the steamcycles? I have never heard or seen anything like them; their cries were horrible!"
"Automata, they are," the Green Man said, "created by Gorthaur they were, in imitation of living people. His crystal he used, to give them consciousness and limited will, though slaved to him they are. The Úlairi they are called. Drawn to the crystal they are."
Frodo shuddered, and he and his friends exchanged serious looks. But they had no time to question their host further, for the Summer Lady called them to eat.
The six of them sat down to table to a fine feast: bread and cheese, a salad of red and purple fall herbs, and the centerpiece of the meal—soup of wild fungi and bærlic. All this washed down with an abundance of tea, and followed by small cramsome cakes laden with dried wishberries.
The meal was enjoyable, and the Green Man regaled them with stories of the wyldwood and of the curious beasts dwelling therein, and of trees that had wills of their own. "Their guide am I," he said, "much as the herders of your land watch their flocks of beasts.
"Tonight with us stay. Tomorrow guide you safely through the wyldwood will I."
"Thank you," said Frodo, "we appreciate your help."
They went to sleep that night listening to the rain on the roof of a comfortable guest chamber. Frodo dreamed of Professor Ólorin, his grey face battered by wind and rain, though he could not see where his friend was. It gave way to a dream of swirling stars and strange music.
The next morning before they were to depart, the Green Man took them all aside into a storeroom. He opened a box, and in it they could see an assortment of weapons. "I need these not," he said. "Left here by others they were. But of them you will have need."
Weapons? They had never thought of that, and yet there was no denying the danger they would soon face. Reluctantly, each reached in and drew one forth.
Fungi and Bærlic Soup
(Mushroom and Barley Soup)
2 TBSP olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 pound Portobello mushrooms, sliced
6 cups broth (beef or vegetable)
¾ cup pearl barley
2 tsp. finely minced fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, parsley work well, alone or combined)
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oil. Sauté the onion, carrots and celery until the onion is transparent. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook about 5 more minutes. Transfer to a crock pot. Add the broth, barley and herbs. Cook on low for 6 hours, until barley is tender. Add the seasoning.
___________________________________________
TO BE CONTINUED IN DECEMBER (I know there is no regular challenge as that is the Yule Exchange month, but look for it a new chapter around the usual challenge date.)
End Notes: Bærlic is Old English for barley.
Notes on the recipe: You can substitute regular white mushrooms, although the flavor is not as rich; you can also cook this on top of the stove instead of in the crock pot. Just simmer the soup for about an hour after putting in the barley.
Title:
Rating: G
Theme: Feast
Elements: The story to include a recipe
Author's Notes: Here are Chapters VI and VII of a story begun in October's "Outside the Box" challenge to write in a format, style or genre different than what I've written before. I have definitely never written LotR as a sort of steampunkish futuristic space opera. To keep it from getting totally out of hand, I decided to do something else I haven't tried before—each chapter is a different specific fixed length: the first chapter is 100 words, the second, 200, the next, 300, etc.
Chapter VI is 600 words. Chapter VII is 600 words for the chapter + 100 words for the recipe, totaling 700 words.
Summary : A familiar story in another time, another place altogether…
Word Count: 1300 words
VI.
The four periain moved quickly through the gate, and found themselves on a pathway of yellow synthrete set with solar markers. The light from the markers was dim in the misty pre-dawn darkness. The path led straight into the wyldwood. The green trunks of the trees crowded the pathway, their long waving purple fronds hanging down over it.
"Yes. Well. We just follow the lights," said Merry briskly, stepping forward.
The others followed on his heels. They moved silently, fearfully. Anorien was rising, but the light did not improve visibility, its rays barely penetrating the canopy. If anything, the markers on the path grew dimmer as they went.
They noticed the path was not as well maintained in the depths of the forest—cracks appeared, some of the lights did not shine at all.
The fronds waved even more. Pippin flinched as one brushed his shoulder. "Oi!" he cried. "Leave me alone!"
"They're only trees, Pippin," Frodo said, and then jumped with a wordless cry of alarm as another frond brushed his cheek.
Suddenly a frond whipped out and wrapped itself around Merry, pulling him off the path. Pippin scarcely had time to shout before he was similarly bound. Frodo managed to dodge the fronds which reached for him briefly, but soon he too was wrapped tightly and held high above the ground.
Sam had been dodging more successfully, but then one grabbed his leg. In a burst of inspiration he pulled his sonic pruner from his pocket. The trees backed away from the ultrasonic blast, but he couldn't get near his friends. In desperation he began to shout for help, though who there was to hear him, he knew not.
He was shocked to hear a voice: "Coming, I am!"
A creature bounded into view, not unlike a perian or a human in form, but his skin was green, his hair and clothing purple. He was taller than a perian, shorter than a human, and his eyes were amber. He took the situation in at a glance, and silencing Sam with a gesture, put his hands on his hips and said to the trees: "Be putting them down, you will! For shame!"
Gently the trees lowered their captives and the fronds unfurled. The waving stilled.
"The Green Man am I," he said to the periain. "Be coming with me, you will, or the trees will be at you again."
Such was the force of his personality that they followed meekly and silently, wondering where they were bound. He led them away from the path along a trail that led through the trees. "Taking you home to my lady I am," he said. "Glad she will be to have guests."
They found themselves in a clearing, facing a house which seemed to have grown out of the ground, for they could see no sign of how it was built. A doorway opened and another person appeared.
She too had green skin, though her hair was as golden as her eyes. She was taller than their guide, only a little, and she was as lovely as summer. She stepped out and reached out her hands. The Green Man took them in his. "Glad I am to see you again, my Summer Lady." His voice was filled with joy.
She stepped forward into his embrace, and they touched their foreheads briefly. Then she turned to face the perain. "Welcome be," she said, "to our home. Here safe you may be for a while. Come in to us, and put the teakettle on we shall, and welcome at our table you will be."
VII.
The Green Man and the Summer Lady led them inside, where they found themselves in a cosy and welcoming place. It seemed to be built entirely of natural materials—wood, and earth and stone—there was no sign within of glass or synthrete, which the periain had introduced to Suza when they arrived. A huge earthen hearth dominated the center of the large room and was open on two sides.
To the right opening of the hearth were comfortable chairs and benches; to the left opening were counters and tables and cooking implements. Frodo watched the Summer Lady as she hung the teakettle from a hook directly over the fire. Within the hearth a cauldron bubbled with a toothsome smell. Wild fungi, if his nose did not deceive him! His mouth began to water, and he felt a rumble begin in his belly.
The periain politely offered to help their hostess, but she declined with a laugh. "Under my feet you would be," she said, "and used to open fire you are not."
They couldn't deny that. They were far more used to the stoves of their own homes, powered by fuel pellets made of recycled organic material.
"Come sit with me!" called the Green Man. "Your story tell to me."
And so they sat down on benches and began their tale. Frodo left most of the telling to his cousins and Sam, for he was reluctant to speak of the crystal. But there was a question he had to ask. "Who—or what—were those creatures on the steamcycles? I have never heard or seen anything like them; their cries were horrible!"
"Automata, they are," the Green Man said, "created by Gorthaur they were, in imitation of living people. His crystal he used, to give them consciousness and limited will, though slaved to him they are. The Úlairi they are called. Drawn to the crystal they are."
Frodo shuddered, and he and his friends exchanged serious looks. But they had no time to question their host further, for the Summer Lady called them to eat.
The six of them sat down to table to a fine feast: bread and cheese, a salad of red and purple fall herbs, and the centerpiece of the meal—soup of wild fungi and bærlic. All this washed down with an abundance of tea, and followed by small cramsome cakes laden with dried wishberries.
The meal was enjoyable, and the Green Man regaled them with stories of the wyldwood and of the curious beasts dwelling therein, and of trees that had wills of their own. "Their guide am I," he said, "much as the herders of your land watch their flocks of beasts.
"Tonight with us stay. Tomorrow guide you safely through the wyldwood will I."
"Thank you," said Frodo, "we appreciate your help."
They went to sleep that night listening to the rain on the roof of a comfortable guest chamber. Frodo dreamed of Professor Ólorin, his grey face battered by wind and rain, though he could not see where his friend was. It gave way to a dream of swirling stars and strange music.
The next morning before they were to depart, the Green Man took them all aside into a storeroom. He opened a box, and in it they could see an assortment of weapons. "I need these not," he said. "Left here by others they were. But of them you will have need."
Weapons? They had never thought of that, and yet there was no denying the danger they would soon face. Reluctantly, each reached in and drew one forth.
(Mushroom and Barley Soup)
2 TBSP olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 pound Portobello mushrooms, sliced
6 cups broth (beef or vegetable)
¾ cup pearl barley
2 tsp. finely minced fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, parsley work well, alone or combined)
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oil. Sauté the onion, carrots and celery until the onion is transparent. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook about 5 more minutes. Transfer to a crock pot. Add the broth, barley and herbs. Cook on low for 6 hours, until barley is tender. Add the seasoning.
___________________________________________
TO BE CONTINUED IN DECEMBER (I know there is no regular challenge as that is the Yule Exchange month, but look for it a new chapter around the usual challenge date.)
End Notes: Bærlic is Old English for barley.
Notes on the recipe: You can substitute regular white mushrooms, although the flavor is not as rich; you can also cook this on top of the stove instead of in the crock pot. Just simmer the soup for about an hour after putting in the barley.