For me?

Writers: Emma
Date Posted: 31st August 2005

Characters: Miranek, Valnek
Description: Miranek's son gets a letter, and he helps the boy reply
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 7, day 21 of Turn 3

"Papa! Loooook!" The young boy drew out the word as the green firelizard swooped down towards them. She was small and delicate, and carrying a message strapped to her.

"Is she coming here? Yes, yes she is!" Valnek jumped up and down, waving at her, trying to attract the little one's attention.

"Slow down son," said Miranek, an amused sound to his voice. With his wife having her brown, you'd thing the child would be used to the sight by now, but something about the creatures appealed to him.

The flit came close to them as they stood outside their cot, gingerly extending her leg to allow the healer to unstrap the message, then she disappeared away again, going /between/ swiftly.

"Wassit say?" The boy slurred his words together.

Miranek fixed him with a look, and the child repeated the phrase, this time articulating it more clearly.

"What does it say Papa?"

"Well actually," began Miranek. "It's for you."

"For me?"

"Yes, you. From Estana."

"Oooo!" Estana was the daughter of a colleague of Miranek's about a turn older at most than Valnek. As the two families had had cots side by side at the Healer Hall, naturally the children had played together and grown up together. Estana's father, Natoran was a Journeyman Healer, but no doubt he would soon attain his mastery, talent would always shine through no matter what.

"Wassit say?" asked Valnek again. He then repeated himself, "Papa, read it to me." When nothing followed, he looked at Miranek. "Please?" he added in the tones that no adult could usually resist.

"Okay, since you asked so nicely." Miranek smiled at his son.

"Dear Valnek," he began. "I miss you, it's not much fun without you. Some new people have moved in next door and they only have girls!" That much figured, Estana was a tomboy, preferring to run around with Valnek and Ranval to the more sedate play of the other girls with dolls and such like.

"They don't know how to play ball!" The letter was peppered with exclamation marks, as though the youngster was determined to make her presence felt. "I tried to teach them, but they wouldn't listen! They're silly." That dismissive remark was typical of the youngster.

"But the big news, well I have a new baby brother. He's to little to play with yet though, all he does is cry. Mama and Papa have called him Torest. I think it's a nice name. I have to go now, write soon. Estana."

"Papa, can I, can I write a letter back?" asked Valnek. "I can write it, if you help me with the words, the harper tells me I need to ask."

"Go and ask your mother for a piece of hide and a stylus." He ruffled the boy's hair, before the child scampered inside. In a moment, he heard a voice calling him in. There was such eagerness in the lad's tone, he liked hearing it. A whistful look crossed his face, once upon a time Helan had sounded like that too. But that was before they had moved here. Perhaps studying at the Harper Hall would be good for her, bring that sparkle back.

With that thought in mind, he went inside and sat down at the table, watching as Valnek began to scrawl. His son's writing was a firm hand already, with big, round letters, that looked less and less childish each time he saw them. Quite a change from those first few scrawled notes he'd received after moving here on his own.

"Papa, how do you spell congratulations?"

"C...." he began, Truly it was good to have his family around, he thought as the youngster wrote his note.

Last updated on the September 1st 2005

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