Enar's Vacation - Second Outline - First Scratch

Day 3
Enar wakes up in the morning and has breakfast with the family. Everything normal and fine. Nothing in particular happens. After breakfast Rolf takes Enar to the kennel to meet Rufus the dog keeper and pick up his guide, Bolvar the dog.

Bolvar and Enar set of through the forested hillsides, crossing streams and ravines as they make their way to the top of the hill. Enar takes the opportunity to shoot some pictures of the more impressive views, but keeps thinking that Bolvar looks at him disapprovingly.

Enar reaches the top of the hill, finds a huge old tree with a stone bench under it. There may be some kind of sign by the bench, indicating it's okay to sit down and have a rest. Enar sits down on the bench and notices that it's warm to the touch even though it's in the shade. He also notices that he's out of the breeze, or that it's milder and more pleasant than it was on the way up to the tree. The top of th hill is bare with only tall grass for quite a while. Bolvar curls up and falls asleep in the grass near the tree.

Enar enjoys the view, does some serious thinking about life and stuff and decides to take some pictures.

Amanda shows up and scolds him for taking photos even though he's not supposed to. Enar is naturally upset at having been caught, but Amanda doesn't seem to be offended for real and they get to talking. She explains how the bench is a holy place and that this is where Anna rested after she'd created the Hemsfil clan.

Enar mentions how he saw Amanda at the lunch the day before and Amanda talks about how she doesn't really like leaving Storvak unless she has an actual reason, like driving the monks.

“You heard what happened I guess?”

“Yes, I'm sorry, it's a sad story.”

Etc...

Amanda says she still likes coming out here, even if it's not the same still. It's a needed respite from her daily life as a sales manager for a company that sells leisure and luxury airships for private use.

Enar tells of how this is his first vacation for very many years and of how he's never been in the anetacht before. He tells a little about his impressions. He's a little confused about why no one believed him about the wind sprites and Amanda explains that they're really rare and you almost never see more than one at a time.

He tells about Jolene and how he found her really attractive and then he gets a little bit flustered. He doesn't want to Amanda to feel he doesn't think she's attractive and he doesn't want to get into talks about relations between city fylk and locals. Amanda laughs it off though but changes the subject and asks about Enar's job.

Enar talks a little about work in the shams and Amanda suggests that if he gets bored she would know plenty of private companies that might be interested in an experienced archivist/administrative professional.

Enar jokes that if she knows any single ladies who'd need an organized slightly boring male he'd be interested in hearing from them. Amanda laughs and says she'll keep it in mind. She then notes that the sun's moving and that it's getting towards the afternoon and that they should be heading back or they won't be home in time for dinner. Enar doesn't know for sure when dinner will be, but he's had his packed lunch (Beired made it for him and packed it in the morning) and gets the feeling he'll soon be hungry.

Their path back home is similar for a while, but after a while it splits up and they walk different ways.

The forest is getting darker and despite Bolvar's company Enar is feeling a little bit lonely after Amanda has left. He thinks that maybe there'll be time after dinner to head down to the inn and have a cider and maybe he'll meet Jolene there.

Dinner is served on the porch again, but after a long day's walking and a steady meal Enar isn't fit to go anywhere afterwards but falls asleep in his chair while enjoying the evening pipe.

As he walks up to his guest burrow he comes across Elsie who's at the pump trying to send messages to the water sylph. She asks him what a tiger is that Enar called Linnea last night. Turns out she was listening in all along.

Day 4
The day starts with breakfast as usual. The task of the day is to repair the roof of the gazebo down by the pond. Rolf bartered some community duties with Steve to put them back on even foot after the argument the other day and Rolf ended up with the repair duty. Both men swapped equally shitty tasks.

Steve was in debt after his wife insulted Rolf's guest. Rolf was in debt after his wife was harsh and inconsiderate towards Gitta. Neither man really felt they were in error, but took each other's duties to avoid further drama.

Rolf explains this as they're walking down to the pond where the gazebo is. He also explains that he feels he got off easy, seeing as how he managed to pass off a weeks shepherding on Steve. Steve will probably pass that off to one of his sons though so in the end it's all fair.

At the gazebo it turns out that Enar's task mainly revolves around holding the ladder steady and handing Rolf the tools he needs for the job. It's a simple task, but Rolf puts emphasis on how it makes the job easier and smoother. He also points out how inconvenient it would be if he fell off the ladder and broke his neck.

Around noon Elsie and Linnea show up with their lunch in a wicker basket. Linnea is full of giggles and explains how her mother told her to tell Enar to go by the cider-house or the holy oaks before he goes back home. There was someone there who asked for or wanted to see him. Linnea doesn't know how Beired knew, but she assumes someone told her at some point. Beired just knows things once in a while.

Enar can't help but think it's Jolene who wants to see him again to hear him tell about the encounter with the wind sprites. He didn't get to tell her last time after all.

After lunch is eaten and the girls have gone, work continues for a bit. There's not that much left to do though and they're soon done. Rolf suggests they take the opportunity to have a rest in the grass and enjoy the afternoon sun and a days work well done.

Enar agrees and tries to get his nap on. However, he's a bit excited about meeting Jolene and soon he excuses himself and sets off on his own.

He heads up towards the inn. He doesn't see anyone by the oaks and decides to go to the cider house to look there first. On the way to the cider house he meets Amanda with her horse and cart. He says he'd love to stay and chat but that someone had asked to meet him and he'd better not be late.

Amanda laughs and tells him it was her who sent a message to Beired to let him know she wanted to meet up. She wanted to invite him over to see the shrine in Storvak and maybe have a meal there. She explains it's a bit late now, but maybe he'd like to come over tomorrow. She then asks him if he'd like to join her to go visit the oaks for a bit.

Enar is a bit disappointed it wasn't Jolene who asked for him, but agrees that it might be nice to go see the shrine. He'll also tag along to see the oaks again. He'd thought about coming there again after all and it would be cool to have a look at the place without having to worry about disturbing anyone else.

Under the trees Amanda tells about how she used to come here during the weeks to enjoy the peace and quiet with a good book or just rest. She explains that it's been a while but that she had to come up here today to deliver apples to the cider-house.

The two talk about random things, life and such for a bit, but then it's time to get home. Enar walks back to the burrow on his own and Amanda rattles off down the road towards the cider house.

Back at the burrow Enar explains he's been invited to Storvak and that he'd like to go have a look. Rolf originally had something else in mind, but it wasn't all that important and if Enar wants to go off and do his own thing, so much the better.

Beired sends Linnea and Eric around to the neighbors to ask if anyone's about to travel that way on the morrow, but no one is. Enar will have to walk if he wants to get there. It'll take him a couple of hours, but it's going to be a nice day and it's an easy walk on a good road. He should make sure to get a good night's sleep though, so Enar calls it a night early.

He may or may not sit outside the burrow for a bit and look at the sunset. He may also be joined by Elsie who asks about life in the city and other things.

Day 5
Enar gets woken up by Eric knocking at his door. He had intended to get up early but slept too long. It's still fairly early still and breakfast isn't quite ready to be served just yet. Beired's in the kitchen getting it in order and she's got some food (bacon etc) to serve up for Enar to see him started.

He gets a small parcel with breadrolls to eat on the way too. “You never know when you'll get your next meal. It will last until evening if you don't eat it on the way there.”

When he eventually sets off the grass in the shade is still wet with dew, but the sun is well above the horizon and it's looking like it's going to be a nice day. Enar has received instructions on a note on how to find the way but they're barely needed. He'll just need to follow the road past the cider-house and then follow it until he gets to the lake. There he will take a left and cross a stream while the road itself continues straight on.

On the way there, a while after passing the cider house, Old Man Hasse catches up with Enar and offers him a ride with him. Hasse talks about this and that and has plenty of opinion about Storvak in general and Amanda in particular. He does not approve and may even say she's a witch or something else equally inappropriate.

Once they reach the lake Enar hops off and Hasse explains it's just a short walk up to the shrine and gardens, he'll be there in twenty minutes. Shortly after another horse and cart catches up with Enar. It's Amanda who unexpectedly had to stay over at the cider-house. There was some business with apple deliveries that needed sorting or she bumped into an old friend – the kind that still speaks to her. Something that kept her from driving back to Storvak that night (it got too late and she either doesn't like driving in the dark or she was too tired – make up something).

Enar rides with Amanda up to the burrow by the gardens and he gets to “help” her rub down the horse after the drive. He's not too much use, but he's enthusiastic about it and tries his best.

After the horse is taken care of they pop into the burrow to get something to eat. Amanda only had some apples for breakfast and Enar is hungry by default. The Storvak burrow is enormous but empty. Amanda explains that visiting monks usually stay in guest chambers within the burrow but that they also spend most of their time outside. The kitchen is large and well stocked Amanda gets Enar started on setting up a meal – and then heads off to get changed from the clothes she's worn since yesterday morning. Enar fixes up some bacon and sausages, mushrooms and other breakfasty things and actually manages to produce a fairly respectable breakfast.

Amanda returns, is suitably impressed and the two have breakfast at a little table in the kitchen as it's too much hassle to serve things up outside or in the dining room.

After they've eaten they ead out to the gardens. The gardens are reached through the other exit of the burrow which is reached through a tunnel.

The gardens are huge. They're on the north side of the lake sloping gently downwards. At the lower end is a little sandy beach and a little bridge out to a small island, barely ten meters across. On the island is where the actual shrine is built. The garden is designed in such a way that no matter where you stand in it your eyes are drawn down to where the shrine is. Hedges and bushes are low cut and easy to see over. A few trees stand here and there, but they have no low hanging branches so as to not block the view from anywhere. A few monks are enjoying the sunshine in the garden and down by the beach two old fylkin are tinkering with the bridge.

They're Barry and Chocaline, Amanda's grandparents on her mother's side and they are, as always, tinkering in the garden. Amanda introduces Enar as her friend she met the other day and that she's showing him around the gardens etc. Enar explains he's working with the shams in KV, but that it's not at all as impressive as it sounds and he's really just an archivist.

Barry wonders if Enar would like to have a look at the seed records for the gardens. It's the records of all the different kinds of seeds that have been planted in the gardens since forever. Apparently they're catalogued according to different systems and it's really hard to find things.

Enar points out that he may not be able to bring order to it, or he may not have time to do it in a single day, but he agrees to have a look. Amanda groans and figures her grandpa shouldn't set everyone to work. Barry points out that everyone need to do work for their food and she should help her grandma with the weeds.

Enar and Barry head back to the burrow and the archive. It's a fairly small chamber with chests and lockers and bindings on shelves. Turns out there aren't any filing cabinets and of course there's not a computer. Barry explains the current system and asks what Enar thinks about it.

The current system is fine, but there's really no quick way to figure out how all of the older papers with entries are organized. Enar thinks maybe he could give it a good go if he had a week or two and Barry explains he's welcome to stay if he wants to, or he could come back some other time, maybe even next year.

Enar considers that this might be an option. It'd be a bit like work, but it'd be for a good cause and he'd get away again. On the other hand, he probably won't meet any pretty local girls here. The monks don't really count. Barry urges him to consider it though and says he should keep in touch with Amanda so that he can let them know through her when he'll arrive.

Barry also hints that Enar should hook up with Amanda so she can get herself a man already. Enar blushes of course. Barry decides he's had enough of sitting indoors in the stuffy archive room and decides it's time he shows Enar the garden and the shrine.

There are some rare trees and flowers that monks have brought in and Barry keeps talking about how he wants to design a labyrinth but Chocaline won't let him. It would ruin the sight lines down to the shrine.

Shortly thereafter Choclaine calls out to Barry to come help with something – or one of the monks show up and asks him to go see her. Enar walks around alone for a bit thinking about life. Amanda shows up, muddied from working the garden and inviting him to come have a look at the shrine.

Together the walk down to the beach, over the little bridge and out to the shrine. Amanda tells Enar a little about it's history and after a little bit the monk with the flute from the field shows up and asks if he may join them and if they'd want to hear some music.

The monk plays the music and the afternoon starts to move towards evening and Enar starts to think that Amanda is pretty nice and kind of cute and he would like to be her friend. He doesn't say anything though.

Chocaline comes out and tells them it's about to rain and asks if Enar will be staying over night. Enar can't as he needs to be up early to catch a ride back to Irnrad with Hasse. Amanda offers to driver him back on the cart so he won't have to walk all the way and so that he'll be home in time for dinner – not nice to wait for dinner and then walk through the rain on a full stomach.

Amanda says she'll probably make her way back in time and if not she can stay at the inn or at the cider house until the rain is over. Chocaline packs them some sandwiches, just in case, and she comes out of the burrow running just as they're about to set off.

The drive back to Hyardum is only about half an hour but even so the rain comes to meet them halfway. It's a heavy downpour that brings on an early evening. In the back of the cart is an old piece of oilcloth that they can pull over them to get some cover. They huddle close together underneath it on the seat but they still get wet and soaked.

As they reach the cider-house Amanda has decided that she's had enough of the rain and want to get out of it (why doesn't she want to go to the inn? - is it because Adne is related to Gitta?)

Enar is opposed to the idea. The cider-house is women's territory and he doesn't want to get into trouble and he doesn't want to get Amanda into trouble either. Amanda tells him to shut up about silly old superstitions and not to worry. No one else will be there and thy need to get out of the rain and get warmed up and the cider-house is the closest, most convenient place to do so.

Enar asks why the inn isn't working and Amanda replies that he can't be seen with her there. He's a guest in Beired's burrow and him hanging out with Amanda would just be a bit too much drama for the little village to handle. “See what I have to deal with because of these people already”.

Enar argues a bit more, but eventually gives in. He's wet and cold and the thought of getting in under a roof and out of the rain is appealing. Not to mention that visiting a cider-house together with a fetching female could be quite exciting. Amanda isn't ugly after all. She's not as pretty as Jolene, but she's a comfortable companion, easy to talk to and understand. Enar's had a good time chatting with her.

Inside the cider-house Amanda tells Enar to sit down by a fireplace and tells him to get the flames going. When he protests he doesn't know how she laughs and tells him to figure it out and then disappears somewhere else. When she comes back she's changed out of her soaked dress and wrapped herself in a big towel. She also carries a pile of blankets for them to warm up in.

Enar hasn't managed to get the fire going and she Amanda explains he needs to use the small sticks and twigs to get a small flame first and then let that lick the bigger logs. She jokes that it's like going on a date. He needs to put some attention to the preparations and the little details in order to get big results. There needs to be some sparks before you can get a flame she says.

Enar blushes furiously as he's been having thoughts in just that direction. Amanda shows him how it's done, builds up a small pile of wood shavings and twigs and some dry old wool and gets a small flame going. She tells Enar to get changed out of his clothes and get wrapped up in a towel and blankets before he catches a cold, then she disappears again.

Enar strips out of his clothes, and wraps himself in a towel, pokes the fire a bit to get it going and then huddles on a bench next to the fireplace waiting for Amanda to return.

A few minutes later she shows up dragging along a small barrel, two cups and a ladle that she plops down next to the fireplace.

She breaks open the barrel and serves up cider with the ladle.

They huddle together by the fireplace drinking cider and telling stories about their everyday lives and getting rather quite drunk, at least Enar is. At some point Enar discovers that they're next to each other underneath the same blanket instead of each under their own. They're very close together and of course Enar gets horribly nervous about it. Soon he actually even has his arm around her. He's very drunk, he thinks she might be too and at some point he actually tries to kiss her.

Fade to black.

Day 6
Enar wakes up in his bed back at the guest burrow. He's only in his underwear and he's got a raging hangover. He has no idea of how he got there or what happened. He feels really crap and slowly his memories start coming back to him.

He remembers stopping at the cider-house to dry up. He panics a little wondering where his clothes are, but as he sits up he sees them neatly folded on the chair next to the bed. He remembers they were hung to dry by the fire last night, but can't remember if he put them on or not when going home. He can't in fact remember how he got home. He remembers he spent time with Amanda but not what happened with her or where she went. He remembers them sitting close together under the blanket and holding hands and he remembers that he looked into her eyes with hope in his heart and wanted to kiss her. He does not remember if he actually did or if he succeeded.

There is a banging on the door. It's Rolf come to wake him up and check in on how he is. Rolf tells of how they'd heard the bell at the gate ring late last night after the rain had stopped. They'd assumed it would be Enar coming home, but when he didn't show up at the burrow Rolf and Eric had gone to look for him. They'd found him drunk out of his mind trying to navigate the first staircase on the way up and failing miserably. He may have been singing.

Rolf and Eric hauled him up to the burrow, got him out of his clothes and put him into bed. Rolf's a bit curious about what might have happened, but as Enar answers vaguely and doesn't remember he doesn't press the issue.

He explains that they waited as long as possible to wake him up though and that Old Man Hasse has arrived to pick him up and drive him back to Irnrad to take the train home. In fact, it's pretty late and Hasse is having a cup of tea on the porch while waiting for Enar to wake up.

Enar gets dressed, full of despair about not being able to remember what happened or get hold of Amanda again. When he arrives down at the porch dragging his luggage and looking and feeling miserable everyone has a good laugh at him. Beired has prepared breakfast in a basket and she explains the basket itself is a gift to remember them by.

On the way back Enar tries to convince Hasse to drive up to the cider-house to see if Amanda is still around, but Hasse explains they're already late and that further delays might make them miss the train.

Enar is hungover and miserable and while it's a beautiful morning his world is a bleak and sad place.

Epilogue
It's a month or so later. It's another miserable rainy day in Kul Viller. At the shams' office Mrs. Johnson asks Neta how rich Enar's mother really was. She knew the woman was well to do but no details on how much. The reason for the question is that a catalogue for private airships has arrived. It's addressed to Enar personally and the address has been written out by hand instead of printed by a machine, indicating it's more than just a routine package.