Tales of the New World by S.
D.
Hudson This audiobook is read by the author.
TORNADO TERROR Chapter 1 It was not long since harvest,
And as was usual at this time of the year,
The strong winds stopped all movement in the land of spring.
High on the hillsides,
The daffodils hung their heads down low,
And all passing places were now deserted.
The great storm was coming.
It was only a matter of time.
Gazing out of the neatly framed window in her neatly framed home,
Delilah shook her head.
Anyone with an ounce of sense had long since battened down their hatches,
But that was anyone with an ounce of sense.
Those ignorant autumn traders would risk untold disaster just to grab a bargain.
They didn't care about the comings and goings of other lands.
If there was profit to be made,
They would make it,
Come rain or shine,
And now they were stuck in the trading bowl,
Paying for their recklessness.
Delilah sighed.
With her powerful ears,
She never missed anything,
Least of all the moans and groans of those in trouble.
Being the fastest in the land,
She felt it was her responsibility to rescue them,
But what exactly would somebody her size be able to do?
There were other storms,
Of course,
In other lands,
But this was the great storm,
And everyone knew the great storm took no prisoners.
She looked over to her coat rack.
Her thin cotton dress wouldn't keep her dry,
No matter how fast she moved,
And Delilah could move fast.
Plus,
The trading bowl was surrounded by a thick stone wall of lime wash.
Her dress would get ruined.
She pricked up her purties and tuned into the spring winds.
Those greedy traders were beginning to panic.
If she didn't hurry,
They'd not make it out alive.
I'll have to go.
There's no time to lose,
Delilah said to herself.
There's no time to lose,
I say.
It's now or never.
I'll have to go now.
But looking around at all she held dear,
Delilah felt a sudden pang of regret.
She loved a challenge,
But this was a bigger challenge than she had ever faced before.
The trading bowl was the perfect place for a new world tornado.
How could someone her size possibly survive that?
The last thing Delilah wanted to do was leave her little home.
With its slanted roof of oaken roots and doors carved from the thick bark fallen in the last storm,
It was very cozy,
And she'd got it just the way she wanted it.
But there was no sense in thinking like that.
She must act fast or those traders wouldn't be going home ever.
I'll take the express,
She reassured herself.
Yes,
Yes,
The express I'll take.
I'll take the express.
This made her feel better.
The express winds would see her to the trading bowl and back in no time at all.
Blowing in one direction through the land of spring,
They held little interest in the comings and goings of those more flighty than they,
And they had no desire for mischief either.
The express winds could be relied upon to get her to the trading bowl fast,
And she was thankful for that.
She tweaked her long whiskers,
Brushed her grey fur,
And chose a rubber coat the colour of indigo,
Perfect for the journey skywards.
Then,
Tucking her wings through the slits in its back,
She checked her soft reflection in the shiny stone flags.
To her surprise,
She was frowning.
Oh my goodness!
She wasn't expecting this.
Folks said Delilah had the sort of expression it was impossible to think happy thoughts without.
When they looked at her,
They smiled.
That was how she knew she had the sort of face that must be smiling too.
But there was no time to think about that now.
She must get on.
I'm a responsible sort,
Born of honourable stock and humble beginnings,
Delilah said to herself.
It's not my place to question my calling.
And with a burst of defiance,
She declared out loud,
I'll be back before you know it.
Before you know it,
I say,
That's when I'll be back.
With a stranger glaring back at her.
She locked the door behind her and shot up to where the express winds blew.
But little did she realise,
It would be a very long time before she would see her precious little house again.
Chapter 2 Deep in the land of spring,
A luscious bowl of the greenest grass sits.
This is the trading bowl.
The place where the spring folk come to trade their wares.
They love the excitement trading brings.
And the far land winds love it too.
Especially the winds of autumn and winter.
Once a year,
They come together with their friend the wind of spring to create as much mischief as they can.
Then,
They go back to oversee the dispersal of seeds and pollination of plants,
As any self-respecting wind should.
The storm they create is terrifying.
But there's little that can be done about that,
As no one,
Not even the masters,
Has control over New World weather.
Delilah held onto a rock at the edge of the stone circle.
She was all alone in her rescue attempt,
But she liked it that way.
There would be no clumsy folk flying into her and causing her harm.
There would be no,
Oh,
I beg your pardon,
Or,
Sorry,
I didn't see you down there.
And there,
Huddled together at the bottom,
Were the autumn traders.
Garbed in thick walligers' fur and carrying battle axes and shields,
They were fierce looking.
But Delilah wasn't bothered.
She could outwit them at any given moment,
And wits,
As we know,
Are more powerful than any battle axe.
She thought carefully.
This was a dangerous mission.
The winds were so fierce,
They would take her with them if she wasn't careful.
If those screeches and wails were anything to go by,
The tornado would soon be here.
What was she thinking?
As much as she loved adventure and excitement,
This was madness,
Wasn't it?
I won't do it.
No,
I simply won't do it,
Delilah said to herself,
Ringing her tiny clues.
But it was too late now.
There was no one else who could rescue them.
She took out her curled horn and projected her soft voice to where they stood.
Up here,
Dear folk,
Up here,
I say,
She called.
Make your way to the edge and I'll come and get you.
Then we'll let the winds lift us up and out of it.
But the far land traders took one look at Delilah's little frame and laughed.
There was no way someone so small could help them,
Was there?
Delilah was not one to be ignored,
Though.
She took in a huge breath and pulled the warm violet glow from deep in her ears.
Folk said Bek-Chi was so powerful,
It could move mountains and block rivers.
But Delilah was no master.
This violet glow was just something she'd had since she was very young.
Didn't everyone have it if they wanted it?
Delilah,
No one faster,
Delilah,
No one faster,
She cried.
Then with an almighty whoosh,
She dived into the trading bowl as fast as she could,
Chased by the howls and whistles of the far land winds.
This was great.
The winds would be companions in her madness.
Instead of shying away from them,
She would use them to drive her forward and give her something to fight for.
No longer would she be hidden from the comings and goings of a busy world.
Now she would be alive.
Grab hold,
She screamed,
Reaching the bottom with milliseconds to spare.
And seeing they had no choice,
The autumn traders held on to her for dear life as Delilah rose up through the tunnel of air.
Let's go!
She darted between the branches,
Rocks and battle axes with speed matched only by the fireflies.
This way,
That way,
This way,
That way,
She sang through the swirling mayhem.
But she had underestimated what lay ahead.
Schwang!
All at once,
The tunnel of air transformed into a gigantic tornado.
No matter how fast Delilah was,
It was faster still.
She had made a mistake in thinking she could do this.
She was not prepared.
And as the whirs and screams became too much for the La-La's sensitive ears,
She dropped like a lead weight,
Dragging the angry autumn traders with her.
Chapter 3 The mood in the meadow was one of peace and quiet.
Harvest was done and dusted,
And everyone was resting.
Well,
Everyone but the Sassni,
That is.
After the busy harvest,
There was more to do than ever,
What with the tablecloths,
Napkins and picnic blankets.
She was so busy,
In fact,
She almost missed the gossip floating on the meadow breeze.
This was worrying.
She'd have to tell Jeremiah whether he was resting or not.
Is this entirely necessary?
He moaned,
Heaving himself up out of the hammock he'd been so happy in only moments before.
Well,
By the sounds of it,
Yes,
It is,
The Sassni replied,
Offering him a hot drink as compensation.
Daisy knocked this up for you just now.
I thought I'd better not come empty-handed,
If you know what I mean.
Jeremiah took the tankard with a sigh.
So what's all this about,
Then?
He asked.
Out with it now,
Before I fall back to sleep.
It's the land of spring,
Said the Sassni,
And there's only one of them spring folk willing enough,
Or stupid enough,
To help.
And who's that,
Then?
That Delilala.
You know,
The tiny little thing with wings.
I mean,
I can't really see what sort of help she's going to be in such a situation,
But there we have it.
In what situation?
You're telling me nothing,
Girl.
If you're willing to wake this here bunyip up from his slumber,
You'd better start making it worth my while.
The wings from Ultima Windsor,
Said the Sassni.
They're at it again,
Chasing and fighting like they always do this time of year.
Only this time,
They've gone too far.
And then the penny dropped.
I had hoped they'd get bored of this.
Not likely,
Scoffed the Sassni.
And Delilala's right in the middle of it.
She's tried to help where no one else would bless her,
But I can't see how she's capable of helping anyone,
Being so small and all that.
Oh,
You'd be surprised,
Said Jeremiah.
He'd met Delilala before,
And was more than impressed with her.
It's the most determined he's going to see the day,
Nine times out of ten.
Not the biggest,
And not the strongest.
Where's she now?
In the trading bowl,
Said the Sassni.
She's done her best,
Bless her,
But now they're all stuck.
Well,
That's either mighty brave or mighty stupid.
I suppose we'll know for certain which when we get there.
We?
All colour drained from the Sassni's face.
Not you,
Smirked Jeremiah.
You've got washing to do,
Remember?
Fetch the cockatrice.
This is going to take the two of us,
If any at all.
Four ten?
She's not going to thank me for waking her up,
The Sassni complained.
If anyone can do it,
You can,
Jeremiah reassured her.
And dragging himself up to standing,
He took a long draught of his revival brew,
Before dusting down the leather armour the Hopsi made him.
Chapter Four The trading bowl was almost invisible,
So powerful had the tornado become.
Everything within a mile had been pulled into it.
Trees,
Houses,
And a cacophony of all manner of screeches,
Whirs and yells.
The noise was unbearable,
Especially for Delilah and her sensitive ears.
The louder the noise became,
The faster she fell.
There was no way she could gain back control now.
Her powers were just not strong enough.
She'd made a mistake in thinking she could do this,
And now she would pay for her stubbornness.
She shut her eyes to the impending doom.
If they crashed at this speed,
They would certainly die,
And if they hit any one of the things flying around them,
They would be knocked out,
Fall to the bottom,
Then certainly die.
But suddenly,
From out of nowhere,
A shaft of brilliant white light burst through the base of the bowl.
And with an almighty whoosh,
It rose to the top like a beacon of hope.
What in the far lands?
Nothing like it had been seen before.
The light was so bright,
Delilah could see it even with her eyes shut.
The air was white,
The trees were white,
And the houses were white.
As for the tornado,
That was frozen in time.
Everything in it was floating weightlessly in a silent dance.
Delilah opened her eyes.
She was shocked at the sight,
But pleased to see the autumn traders were just as stunned as she was.
What's happened?
They cried.
And there they all hung,
Like the stalactites in the obsidian mines,
Until a voice shouted from above.
Up here!
It was Jeremiah,
And he had Fortenua with him.
The Meadow Masters!
Delilah exclaimed.
They saved us!
But she was wrong.
This intervention was beyond the powers of Jeremiah and Fortenua.
I have never seen anything like it,
Said Fortenua,
Putting on her goggles to protect her sensitive eyes.
Nor I,
Said Jeremiah.
There was only one who had powers strong enough to do this.
This is the wise ones doing.
Wait here.
He climbed down the steps carved into the perimeter wall.
Then,
Heaving the line of stunned autumn traders out of the frozen tornado,
He turned on them.
What in the far lands do you think you're playing at?
He snapped,
His sharp teeth bared.
Your greed has gone too far this time.
Someone could have been killed.
Well,
We'd have been all right if it wasn't for that Lala,
One of the traders replied.
At this,
Fortenua saw red.
You,
You have not one ounce of the Lala's skill,
She spat.
If it was not for Delilah,
You would not be alive.
Now get out of our sight before things get a whole lot worse.
The autumn traders snatched one look at the red sparks dancing in Fortenua's eyes before skulking off shamefaced.
It didn't take long for the masters to get back to the meadow.
When they did,
Delilah was placed under the new world giant to heal,
Whilst the masters discussed what had happened.
The wise one must have been really concerned,
Said Fortenua.
It was far more serious than we thought,
Added Jeremiah.
We should have been quicker.
Fortenua was surprised at this.
We did our best,
She reassured him,
But the bunyip was far from satisfied.
It's not for the wise one to resort to such measures.
He used his precious energy when we should have used ours.
It takes weeks for him to regenerate.
We should have gotten to the land a spring quicker.
We failed him,
Fortenua.
We failed our teacher.
But before Fortenua could stop Jeremiah sliding into even more sorrowful thoughts,
The Usamogu spoke out and put an end to the matter.
From this day forward,
The Lala shall be present at the table of trigons with thee.
A master of the meadow,
You too shall see.
Let no more be said.
I is grateful to thee.
He had recognized Delilah's selfless act and had gifted her with the title Master of Spring.
So,
From that day forward,
Delilah lived in the meadow with the other masters.
There,
She learned to control her sense of sound through the art of Bepchi.
It would become her light in the darkness and help her when things got tough.
And so,
As the days passed,
Delilah came to think of the meadow as her home.
Every now and then,
She would think back to her little house in the Spring Hollow.
But becoming a meadow master was the greatest gift the wise one could bestow on any new world mortal.
And Delilah was eternally grateful for that.
She would now serve a cause greater than any she had ever served.
And this,
She would do to the best of her ability forevermore.
