Completed A Wooden Shell

[Adriana Sparrow]

Spring 2, 519 AV

During Winter Adriana had stolen this little toy, a wooden snail shell with a face carved into the side of it. the man she stole it from seemed rather distraught to find it missing. Adriana had not given it much thought since then. In fact she gave it to her little brother, Bae, when she returned home that day. She had been hoping to pick pocket some money or something useful, but a toy for a boy was nice too.

Unfortunately Bae did not seem to keen about it. As a classic six year old he was interested in it at first, as he is with anything new to his life. He played around with it a bit, and wondered about the face to which Adriana could give no answer. But after a few days he lost interest. Perhaps he had played out all the fantasies he had with the thing. It would be a better toy if it resembled a human or something, something he could roleplay with. A solider in a war, a fisherman in a boat. But a snail shell was a little boring, Adriana had to admit, and even she didn't blame him or take it personally when he cast it aside. She wished she could give him something better.

She did not know what to do with it now, though, and that was the problem she faced today. For some reason she thought it wrong to simply throw it out. She remembered the panic on the mans face from whom she stole it from. She felt a little bad throwing away something that meant so much to someone else. She almost wished she could find the man and give it back to him if she had no use for it. It was clear he had some. But there was no way she would be able to find the man again. There were a lot of people in the city of Sunberth, one small man in a mass of others.

Yet she found herself headed towards the river, toward where the boats were, towards where she first saw the man she made into a victim. She thought maybe he used the river boats often, maybe she could find him again and slip the shell back into his pocket. This was a small hope though, she didn't actually believe she could do it. Instead she was aimlessly walking, letting her mind wander along with her feet.

Before she knew it she had reached the river. She liked the water, the river, and was always so thankful her father had taught her to swim when he was still around. She enjoyed the cool and freshness of the water, and was glad she had the ability to enjoy it. She was sure a lot of other orphans like her did not have this small luxury.

Code credit to Itt.

[Adriana Sparrow]

She took a seat on the damp edge of the river. The mud did not bother her, her clothes were already dirtier than the mud could make them. As she sat she watched the river boats glide smoothly across the calm and cool waters within Sunberth. She wondered how such a horrible city could still have a beautiful sight such as this. She wondered if the people who created Sunberth so long ago chose this area because of the beauty of the waters. She wondered if they knew the city was going to turn out like it had, or if they wished for something better than this.

She held the large shell in her hands as she rested and thought, twirling it between her palms and fingers. It had a rough edge, though somewhat smoothed by what Adriana assumed was handling like she was now. She stopped for a moment to gaze at the face carved on the surface.

It was a curious thought. The face, although simply, had smooth edges and decisive corners, a skill, she thought, a child or beginner carver would be able to display. So despite its simplicity she was sure it was carved by someone skilled. She wondered why they would want to put something so simple on this piece of wood. She wondered how the maker got the wood to be hollow and in the shape of a shell to begin with. It was a curious object and she was so full of questions. How come this was the first time the item brought such wonder to her?

She looked up, past the shell into the waters again, and suddenly she saw an image. The shell in the forefront with the water behind it almost seemed perfect. Like the shell belonged here, on the water. She placed the shell down, on the shore and watched at the waves climbing onto land lapped at its edges, not yet close enough to grab and pull the object into its depths. The wood darkened at the waters touch, but Adriana thought it looked better that way.

She quickly picked the shell back up and dunked it into the water, soaking it completely. She enjoyed the darker color of the wood more than when it was dried and seemingly ready to crack and break, turning to dust. She thought the shell glimmered a bit now, it was pretty now, and she could almost see the appeal she thought the maker might have had. She wondered how old the shell was, and if it was this darker color when it was first made, or if the creator meant for the shell to be within water.

Code credit to Itt.

[Adriana Sparrow]

She looked at the face again, straining to see the face of the carver within it. She could not, it was just a simply carving. She smoothed her thumb over the surface, feeling the indents the carving made into the wood. The edges were smooth, it was not recently carved for sure, but of course she knew that before. The eyes were faded the chin more rounded that it may have been before, the nose almost snubbed into nonexistence, she bumped it with her finger mentally trying to bring it back to life.

Suddenly everything changed. She was in shock at first by the sudden movement, but before truly realizing what was happening she started scrambling back on the shore, away from where she dropped the shell becaus eit had begun to move.

She could not register what was happening, all she knew what that something big was coming at her and getting bigger as it did and if she did not move she would certainly be crushed by whatever it was. It was simple survive reaction. She did not have time to think. So instead she crawled back as quickly as she could, jumping to her feet as soon as she was able.

It all happened so quickly and before she had time to blink the sight before her had changed. It was no longer a shell on the water, but a boat on the water. She shook her head, trying to make sense of the changed scene. She couldn't. All she could know was that instead of a shell in her hand, there was a small wooden boat sitting on the shore of the river.

She panted, her adrenaline racing due to the situation while her mind still a temped to wrap around the events. She took a good few moments to breathe and calm herself. Nothing moved while she waited. Everything stayed still but she could hear the lapping of the water on the boats edge, attempting to drag it in as it had with the shell.

The boat was the same dark color as the shell was when she had dipped it in the water. It was small, for a boat at least, a little canoe that could fit maybe two people, certainly no more than than. It was parallel to the waters edge so she could see the entire length of it. As she looked she saw something that looked a bit familiar.

Dropping to her knees to be more level with what she was seeing she crawled towards the mysterious boat. There, on the side of the boat in the middle was a little carving. She instantly recognized it as the same face that was carved on the side of the wooden shell she so recently possessed. But there was no way, was there?

Code credit to Itt.

[Adriana Sparrow]

Adriana had no real knowledge of magic. She had grown up around a few conversations her parents had had about it, mostly tinged in fear, but she was usually too young to understand. After her fathers disappearance and during her mothers paranoia, while it was mostly centered around the gang, the Night Eyes, that controlled the Riverside district where the broken family lived, sometimes her fears would stray to magic.

She still never really understood, she never really understood anything her mother said during that time before she finally passed away. All she could gather was that, at least to her mother, magic was real, and fear inducing. Something bad. She did not know the extent of magic. But she could not think of any word to describe this situation other than the word 'magic'.

There she sat, on her hands and knees in the mud on the shore of the river, staring at a tiny carving on the side of a magic boat. She did not know what to do with this. She raised her head and saw the inside of the canoe. A couple of oars used to paddle the boat around were lying neatly on the floor to the wooden floating device. All ready and set to make its way across the river, just like the Svefra ships.

She wondered if this small of a baot could make it across the large river before them without tipping over. Quickly. she shook her head, why was she thinking of something like that? She still had no idea what was happening here. She turned her gaze back to the carving of the face.

Certainly this was not true. There was no way this boat was in fact that shell. there was now way a small piece of wood could suddenly and abruptly change into a much larger thing. There was simply no logical way. But that was magic, wasn't it, she thought. Magic was what could not be explained. The face just looked at her. It had no answer to offer.

Code credit to Itt.

[Adriana Sparrow]

She raised her hand to touch the carving again, just as she did before it had changed. She was nervous to touch it, so she just kind of poked it with one finger, right in the face. Before she knew it there was no longer a boat, but a wooden shell lying in the dirt.

She blinked, confused. But sure enough there was the shell again, sitting stuck in the shore of the river. The carved face had not changed, looking exactly the same as the one on the boat.

She was slowly piecing it together but her brain did not want to think the conclusions she was currently getting to. Her mind could simply not comprehend the magic that was seemingly taking place. But it was a clear as the day it happened during. The shell, somehow, the ways did not matter, turned into a apparently functioning canoe when she presses on the carved face.

Yeah, she didn't get it.

She reached and tapped it once, quickly, on the side, daring it to change again. But even she knew by now that it wouldn't unless she tapped the face. When it didn't change, not to her surprise, she picked it up and spun it in her hands again, just as she had when she first arrived at the rivers edge.

Her mind wandered as she started at the wooden shell in her hands. She was so secluded to this section of the city because of the rivers. The only way across was by paying the River Runners, or the Svefra, passage across on their ships. She couldnt afford to to something like that on a regular basis, despite her want to go to other parts of the city. Maybe with this thing she could row her won way across the rivers. She wouldn't even have to worry about docking her boat or something taking it because she could just shove it back in her pocket.

Her mind was racing, suddenly she was excited. The whole city - the whole world to her - was open again. Maybe Bae and her could find another place to live somewhere else in the city. Maybe she could go to the ocean. Maybe she could leave Sunberth with the help of this canoe.

She tried to slow herself down.

Code credit to Itt.

[Adriana Sparrow]

She now understood why the man she stole the shell from was so frantic. Clearly he understood this magical thing. Though she was curious as to why he took the Svefra ship over the river instead of this thing. She wondered though, one coin was probably nothing to a man like that. It was likely more worth it to just spend the coin and wait rather than take the effort to row this canoe across the entire river width.

She wondered if it was even his. What if he was simply transporting it to someone else, a buyer? She could only bet that the person who sought to buy this object would be furious with the small short man if it went missing. She almost felt bad for the twitchy man.

But the thoughts of what she could do with this new mode of freedom overwhelmed her. She didn't really know how to row a boat, but it didn't seem that hard in her mind and apparently she had all the time in the world to practice. Nothing was holding her back.

She would have to keep this a secret. not that she had anyone to tell, but even Bae, he was too young to understand this, too young to hide it if he came across someone who asked. She tried her best to keep him out of public view, but he was a child, she knew he couldn't be hidden forever. She was going to have to take him outside soon, to talk to people.

And so she decided this would have to be kept, even form him. She did not like having secrets from her brother, but it was necessary to keep this freedom safe from prying eyes and hands.

For now, she stuffed the wooden shell in her pocket and headed home.

Code credit to Itt.

[Orakan]

Adriana

Skills

● Observation - 4XP
● Philosophy - 1XP
● Investigation - 2XP
● Logic - 1XP

Lores
● Investigation: Trying to puzzle together the meaning of an object
● Wooden Shell: Has the ability to grow into a small wooden boat!
● Wooden Shell Boat: Appearance
● Night Eyes: Control the Riverside district
● Lore of a mother's fear of magic
● Wooden Shell Boat: Magic?
● Logic: Magic is the reason for what cannot be explained
● Wooden Shell Boat: Push the face carving to activate its change
● Svefra and River Runners: Offer passage across Sunberth's rivers
● Wooden Shell Boat: Offers you freedom to move around the city
● Wooden Shell Boat: Must be kept a secret

Comments

Tiny thing: Be mindful of her skills and history. You mention her father taught her to swim but your skills do not reflect her having any knowledge of Swimming. Just a minor thing but one to keep in mind when writing. You are more than welcome to do a flashback where he teaches her Thanks for the read! Do let me know if you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade and don't forget to delete/edit your request in the grading queue.