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Stone in the shoe

When you were a kid, you lived with your grandmother in the small town of Silvertree, on the edge of a magical forest. Grandma is a witch, and she taught you how to use your magic to affect the natural world, too. “Magic is a part of you,” she always told you. “Learning how to use it means figuring out who you are.” Now you’re 19 and on your own. After years of living in the forest while you perfected your witchcraft, you’ve returned to take care of your grandmother’s house and crow-familiar while she’s gone. Figuring out who you are feels more important than ever - not to mention, figuring out what Silvertree is. A lot is just as you remembered: the friendly generous next-door neighbors with a kid just your age, the proud town council, the quaint little shops with quirky punny names, the gentle shadowy forest full of magic.

PlayerOliver · Fantasy
Not enough ratings
443 Chs

109

With that, the voices die away. Marlowe looks at you in surprise.

"Oh my god—are they okay?" they ask, peering through the darkness. Before you can say anything, they start walking towards where the sound was coming from.

It's only when you reach the park entrance that you see someone on the sidewalk—and once you jog a little closer, you finally recognize that it's Zoe, standing with her phone to her ear as she looks through the locked gates. She doesn't really register you as you approach, seeming far too focused on speaking into her phone.

"Yeah, he just jumped over the fence. I don't know, I can't see that far. Do you have a ladder or something? Or should I just call the police? I don't want him to get arrested. Yeah, yeah, I know, but if I call the police he might never forgive me—okay. Okay, yes. I'll see you in a minute."

She hangs up the phone and for the first time seems to notice you and Marlowe standing there. This close up, you can see a few tears rolling down her face that she hasn't bothered to wipe away. She seems too far gone with worry to really react, but she doesn't exactly look unhappy to see you.

"Tobias's gone into the park," she tells you, her voice shaking slightly. "He just climbed over the fence before I could stop him. I can't get over there—Maxie says I should call the fire department to unlock the gates, but—"

She glances at the fence. You think you can see what she's about to ask without her having to say it.

"Could you get over there?" she says eventually, seeming a little uncertain even as she looks at you with hope in her eyes. "I know it's a big thing to ask, but—I just want to make sure he's okay. And maybe…you could try and talk to him."

Swallowing, you turn quickly from Zoe to Marlowe, who gives you a questioning look. They don't seem quite sure about how you're going to react to being brought into this situation.

In the silence, Zoe sniffs and raises her phone to dial another number. With that, you realize you don't have much of a choice—and you nod.

"Okay. Thank you, Huknock. I think he climbed over by stepping on one of those flowerbeds—I'd go over myself if I could, but I just wouldn't be able to make it."

She points at a tall box full of flowers near the iron gates, and you notice what looks like a fresh footprint in the soil. From what you can tell, the climb itself shouldn't be too difficult—but peering through the fence at the near blackness beyond doesn't bode well for actually finding Tobias, wherever he is.

Thankfully, Marlowe seems to notice your hesitation and holds out their phone towards you.

"You can use the flashlight on there," they tell you. "And I can give you a boost if you want."

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