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By Root 1278 0

rolled in during the night. It looked like rain might be in the forecast. James is less than happy since rain will only add to the discomfort he already feels. Sleeping on the cold, hard ground has left him with a sore body and a crick in his neck. The few remaining berries make an inadequate breakfast. What he wouldn’t give right now for his bed back home and one of his grandmother’s breakfasts. Sighing, he pops the last berry in his mouth and stands. A final glance to the cloud-filled sky above, a sigh, then he sets about readying for the continuation of his quest for Trendle. His backpack he slings over his shoulder; the spear makes due as a walking stick. He leaves the pond and waterfall behind to follow the stream as it makes its way through the trees.

James encounters more of the berry bushes throughout the morning. It is fortunate that they grow in such abundance. As the day progresses, breaks in the forest canopy allow glimpses of the gathering clouds. Near mid-day, thunder rumbles off in the distance. Shortly afterward, another stream joins the one he is following, increasing its width and depth.

When the grumbling of his stomach tells him it is lunchtime, he takes a break at a small clearing at water’s edge. After making a fire, he wades into the stream with his spear, this time looking for a fish to fry. Using a variation on his hunting spell, James soon has a large fish impaled upon the end of his spear. Pleased, he returns to camp and in no time has it roasting over the fire.

The forest continuously grows darker and darker as the thunder crashes ever louder. Unless I want to walk in a downpour I better find myself some shelter soon. When the fish is ready James eats it quickly, though this time he saves half for later. He wraps what’s left in a leaf before putting it in his backpack. After extinguishing the fire, he sets a quick pace downstream looking for shelter to wait out the storm.

He comes to an area where the trees thin out somewhat and spies a ridgeline off to the south, a little over a hundred yards away. There looks to be an opening at the base of the ridge that may be a cave.

As he moves toward the promise of shelter, a drop of rain lands upon the tip of his nose; more soon follow. Hurrying quickly, he speeds his way through the trees, hoping to beat the rain. Just as he enters the clearing before the cave, there’s a brilliant flash of lightning followed instantly by a thunderous crack and the heavens are unleashed. Torrential rain pelts him the last few feet before gaining the shelter of the cave. Relieved at not being at the mercy of the elements, he turns about and glances to the rain coming down in what his grandma always called a “gully washer.”

The cave is dark but the intermittent flashes of lightning reveal how it extends deeper into the hillside. Relief turns to wariness as his imagination fills the deep shadows of the cave’s farthest recesses with carnivorous beasts. He grips his spear all the harder and moves closer to the mouth of the cave.

It’s just your imagination working overtime, James ol boy. What you need is a fire to dispel the shadows and put your mind at ease.

The thought of sitting all night in the dark is not something he wants to contemplate. A glance to the torrential downpour that still hammered the earth makes it clear that any firewood will be soaked and unusable.

Maybe a spell to make a glowing orb?

Working out the spell doesn’t take very long as spell formulation is becoming easier. Concentrating to maintain the visualization, he says:

Glowing orb to dispel the night

Bright as a hundred watt light

From you no heat need I feel

Go and travel as I will.

With the last word, he stretches out his hand and a glowing orb, cool and firm to the touch, forms on his hand. He smiles in satisfaction and places the orb on a nearby stone. Unlike his previous spells, after the initial surge of power, there remains a very slight draining of power. Guess the orb needs a continual source of power, like a light bulb, in order to keep working.

With the orb’s illumination