Thomas' Adventures in Hiddlesgard

“Ooooh. My head!” Tom rubbed his head. Boy did he have a hangover! What on earth had he been doing to feel like this! He blinked then blinked again. It was day time and he was outside. How did he end up here? Then it hit him, he couldn’t remember… anything. He sat upright and concentrated hard. My name what’s my name? I don’t know. He began to panic. What was his name? Oh god! I don’t know my name! He looked around. Where am I? What I am doing here?

He scrambled to his feet confused and shocked. He gazed around looking for something he could recognize, some sort of clue? He was surrounded by trees. These were not normal trees, thought Tom. Trees are normally green. These trees had red and cream leaves which danced in the breeze, and… they were tinkling. Yes they were definitely tinkling. It was a sort of harmonious musical tinkling. He frowned. This is weird, thought Tom VERY weird.

He heard a muffled sound off to his right and looked over to where the sound was coming from. Tied to the lower branch of a tree was a sack and the sack was moving. Tom cautiously approached. This day was weird already he was not ready for any more big surprises. He reached up and undid the knot tying the sack to the branch and slowly opened the sack. Wendy burst out of the sack and flew straight to Tom. Tom backed away quickly not recognizing Wendy. Fear on his face. He tumbled backwards over a fallen log and crashed to the ground with a thud, knocking the air out of him. Wendy stopped and flapped in mid-air. She gave a worried chirp and fluttered her side whiskers at Tom. He stared at Wendy in disbelief. What was that thing? It looked like a Moustache. Yes it was a moustache! Wendy fluttered towards Tom uttering reassuring chirps. Tom crawled away backwards, until his back hit the trunk of a nearby tree. He sat there staring and the thing in front of him.

“Go away! Shoo!” He shouted at Wendy, waving his hand.

Wendy fluttered towards Tom, then stopped and then started to whimper. Why didn’t the man recognize her? They had been travelling together he was funny and nice to Wendy. He had shared his food with her. Now he was different. He was different since the nasty man at the tavern had put something strange in his meal. He and Wendy had gone to sleep and the nasty man had put Wendy in a sack. Wendy hated being in dark confined spaces. She loved flying around, and now her friend didn’t know her. Wendy only wanted to make him happy and now he looked sad and frightened.

Tom stared at the moustache in disbelief. This was not real. He pinched his arm. Ouch! No… I think this is real. The flying moustache and tinkling trees were real.

Wendy chirped quietly and flew gently towards Tom again. He lent back into the trunk of the tree but this time allowed her to approach. He reached out a hand and she tickled his hand with her whiskers. He smiled and then frowned. This suddenly felt very familiar, like this had happened before. Tom pulled his hand back and placed it on the floor. Wendy fluttered down onto Tom’s knee and chirped at him.

“Er…Hello?” said Tom.

Wendy hopped up and down on his knee and giggled. She was happy her friend might be still here with her after all, he just needs to remember. He flew to his shoulder and tickled his neck. Tom giggled.

“Noooo…ehehe…please…that tickles…”

Wendy stopped and settled still on his shoulder.

Tom turned his head and looked ahead. Standing in front of Tom in a clearing stood Loki, his hands tucked behind his back. He smirked at Tom.

“Such a lovely sight, you two getting all friendly.”

Wendy flew from Tom’s knee straight towards Loki, growling. With one wave of his hand he batted her away when she was about a foot from him. She bounced into a nearby tree and fell to the ground.

“Hey!” Shouted Tom.

“Stop! You didn’t need to do that!” He scrambled to his feet and raced to where Wendy lay in the grass.

He crouched down and gently lifted her in his hands. He stroked her gently and hoped she was still alive. He cradled her in his hands and looked up at Loki. Anger in his eyes.

“Such sentiment over such an insignificant little thing” laughed Loki.

“She was protecting me” Shot back Tom. He felt Wendy move slightly in his hands and breathed easier.

“How like you the game so far?” Loki asked, walking slowly towards Tom

“Game? This is a game? Well, so far not much fun at all.”
“Who are you and why am I here?

“The question is more, who are you?” replied Loki, circling Tom as he spoke.

“You need to find out who you really are?”

“And you don’t have long to solve the puzzle” Loki stopped and smirked at Tom.

“What do you mean?” Asked Tom, he frowned at Loki.

“You have seven days to discover who you really are.”

“ If you fail the task I have set, you will remain here…forever” Loki lowered his head and stared hard at Tom, the smirk never disappearing from his lips.

Wendy started moving in Tom’s hands. He looked down at her and then up again. He had further questions to ask this man.
Loki had gone.

Tom glanced around, searching for Loki, but there was no sign of him. He sat watching Wendy and was very confused. He gently stroked her whiskers and she began purring at him. He smiled. Such a strange, little thing. Wendy started moving more now and fluttered up from Tom’s hands. Phew, thought Tom. She was ok. He smiled at her and then wiggled her whiskers at him.

“Hello my little friend” Tom smiled at Wendy.

“Do you know who I am?” Wendy lowered her whiskers and shook herself in a way which Tom recognized as a No. He sighed and smiled.

“Could you help me?”

Wendy fluttered and waggled her whiskers happily. Tom looked around the clearing and spotted a path disappearing into the trees.

“I guess we go that way. This place is very strange and need to find out who I am”

Wendy fluttered ahead leading the way. Tom followed picking his way through the grass. As he reached the edge of the clearing he noticed a small wooden sign nailed to a old tree stump. It pointed into the forest and he could just make out a small path winding through the trees. He looked closely at the faded sign, and could just make out the word Hazeldine Land.

“Hmm, wonder what Hazeldine Land is?” Tom looked at the sign puzzled then turned and walked out of the clearing into the forest…