It has been a busy month of editing and travel so rather than the blog I was working on about my writer's group, I decided to post this snippet from the book to introduce you to the gnomes and their sweet little village of Baigsith.
The editing is going fine and I still hope to publish in October. Will keep you posted. In the meantime...
Mouse breathed in a stunned “Ah…” as she saw what lay in the valley. A quaint hamlet nestled serenely before her. Plumes of chimney smoke rose from numerous small homes nestled in and among gently sloping hills.
“Hobbit houses!”
Jack cocked his head at her comment. “What’s a hobbit?”
“They’re little…never mind,” she stopped herself, knowing the reference would be lost on them. Splashes of color dotted the glen from brightly painted doors and shutters on miniature thatched cottages, vibrant against whitewashed walls and golden straw roofs. Gardens overran every home and doorway, with bright red geraniums, petunias, Sweet William, lobelia, fern, vinca and ivy spilling from the gay flower boxes. Blue morning glory, purple clematis and pink and orange honeysuckle grew up trellises beside the doorways. She noticed several varieties of plant life that were unfamiliar, but equally lovely. Old stone walls meandered through the town. Every so many feet there was a pot of something - pansies, begonia, petunias and assorted plants unknown to her, trailing down the sides of the container. Worn wooden gates provided a measure of privacy for each home but were at the same time inviting, with welcome signs hung near posts or doors. A meandering stream bordered by ferns, trillium, primrose and hosta ran through the middle of Baigsith, just wide enough to require a bridge. Tiny cascades eddied and pooled along its length. In the middle of town grew a spreading chestnut tree, its limbs and leaves creating an umbrella that could in all likelihood shelter the whole village. Her hands itched to play in this botanical wonderland.
Surrounding the homes were patchwork plots of farmland and larger gardens, worked by a small army of gnomes. Deer meandered unconcerned between the postage stamp parcels of land, as did ducks, chickens, sheep and other livestock. Small children scampered about everywhere, laughing in the midst of their games. The sound of their chatter and singing rose up, a happy hallelujah.
Genevieve clasped Briana’s hand. “What do you think of our wee village?”
“Oh, Mrs. Wells.” She smiled, utterly enchanted. “It’s darling. I can’t believe it.”
“Oh, ’tis real, milady, and we will do anything we must to keep it this way.”
It seemed the threat of Lord Shamwa was never far away. Somewhere in the recesses of her mind, Briana was beginning to think she would also do anything possible to help them keep it this way.
Raucous, joyful voices spun her attention to the center of town where gnomes were gathering in a large circle with an awful lot of cartwheels, backflips, hand-clasping and general merrymaking.
The closer Briana and her companions got to the group, the quieter everyone became, until suddenly there was an expectant hush. Jack Wells drew himself to his full stature, as much as that was, and announced, “It is with great joy that I present to the good citizens of Baigsith, the prophesied one, the Mouse, the hero of Uisneach, milady Briana!” Briana nearly jumped out of her skin at the cheer that went up from the people. A mass of jolly bodies pressed in, patting her and shaking her hand and giving happy hugs whenever and however they could.
There was no denying the honor that came with their belief that she was here to liberate the king and their wonderful kingdom. With the honor, though, came a tremendous amount of uncertainty and a heavy responsibility. And truth be told, she was still not one hundred percent sure any of it was real.
Copyright 2017 Heidi Hanley
