Distant Illusions V

As you start walking, Buddy begins to speak, but the words seem to come in a hesitant but sudden torrent. “So, in another time, I spent a lot of effort mapping out the vast ocean around Redbrook. It was a wonderful time. I had all kinds of friends and an especially lovely parrot named Crackers. Crackers was a good bird, always knew which way was north, the cunning fellow… Anyways, me an’ my friends, we set about mapping the vast ocean. Not sure why it hadn’t been done before, but hey, someone had to do it, and me an’ my old mate had a wager about who could map more. Ragvin, that scamp, he cheated and borrowed a Bahltruvian wizard to bolster his sails. Well, in the end he won, I guess, but would never show me the map. He told me never to go there…”

Buddy’s story ended as abruptly as it began, interrupted by a gust of wind so severe you are both knocked off your feet. As you both scramble to ensure that your packs and nothing of value are lost, you look up to see a glistening on the horizon as snowflakes reflect the sunlight on the faraway ocean and back again.