It only takes a few minutes to walk down the winding passages and stairs to the main reading room, the girl singing quietly behind you as you go. Now you enter the space which opens up before you, and you all face the girl. As before, she straightens up and pins her lips shut, speaking only when spoken to. This, however, happens almost right away.
“You live in Firefly Cellar?,” Little One asks her, a gentle rumble. “I see you in courtyard sometimes when I in stable.”
“Yes,” the girl answers, smiling. “I was afraid of you at first. But then you winked and… when someone winks like that, I know they are sharing a joke with me, like, ‘I know I’m scary, but I’m actually nice. Isn’t that funny?,’ and I do think it’s funny.”
“Gailby,” one of the scribes at the main reading room’s circulation desk, a dwarven man, calls in an undertone. The little girl turns quickly to him, eyebrows flying up in curiosity. “Hi Mr. Hammerskjold!” she says as he approaches.
“Did you get lost again?”
“Yes. I was looking for the Alchemy Collection, and I got turned around. But they helped me.”
“Did you know these are the Keeper of Tomes’ appointees to the Scholar’s Shield?,” he asks kindly.
“Oh!,” she registers. “Oh, I’m sorry, Miladies and Sir!,” she says to you. “My father told me you have important work to do and I shouldn’t bother you. I just… I forgot.”
“Never you mind,” Hammerskjold says warmly, “Miladies and Sir,” he continues to you four, “I’ll show her what she needs from here.” And, giving her a light pat on the back, he leads her toward Alchemy. She waves goodbye over her shoulder and you hear her singing her little song as she goes.
(If you wish to speak with her longer, you can interrupt her departure. Or, is everyone heading to the courtyard for a breath of air before returning to your studies?)
Just before the little girl goes, Erudisia smiles at her. “It was a pleasure to meet you, I am sure we shall see you again.”
As Gailby leaves, and begins to hum again, a pleasing little tune, Erudisia’s ears twitch. “Oh, Gailby, what is that song that you are singing? I admit, I do always have an interest in any tune, sung so well, and that one must be a favourite of yours. I have not heard it before.”
Meredith smiled back, and out of professional curiousity listened in on the song the little girl was singing as she departed.
" That was nice. Now Bell.......what can we do to help with your letters?"
“Huh?,” Gailby smiles, taking control of her posture and snapping her mouth closed for a moment, blinking. “Oh, I didn’t know I was singing. I’m sorry, my papa always says I should be quiet when scholars are studying and singing is for playtime.” She smiles still, though squinting against the likelihood of a gentle reprimand.
Just before the little girl goes, Erudisia smiles at her. “It was a pleasure to meet you, I am sure we shall see you again.”
As Gailby leaves, and begins to hum again, a pleasing little tune, Erudisia’s ears twitch. “Oh, Gailby, what is that song that you are singing? I admit, I do always have an interest in any tune, sung so well, and that one must be a favourite of yours. I have not heard it before.”
“Oh the song?,” she asks. “I don’t know. I guess I heard someone singing it and learned it from them.”
After having heard the catchy strophes a number of times, you too have learned its rhymes. It is a bit macabre, as nursery rhymes can sometimes be:
GAILBY’S SONG
See a mother scything wheat Forgotten husband sleeping near With one swing she took his feet With another took his ear
Does the shadow have a name? SHEMSHIME Causes grief, avoids the blame SHEMSHIME
See a dog that knows how to heel Never heeds plea nor command Mother gave it a tasty meal Dog chose instead to eat her hand
Does the shadow have a name? SHEMSHIME Causes grief, avoids the blame SHEMSHIME
See a son doing his chore Washing clothes for folk in town Fell into the river’s roar Sank to the bottom and drowned
It only takes a few minutes to walk down the winding passages and stairs to the main reading room, the girl singing quietly behind you as you go. Now you enter the space which opens up before you, and you all face the girl. As before, she straightens up and pins her lips shut, speaking only when spoken to. This, however, happens almost right away.
“You live in Firefly Cellar?,” Little One asks her, a gentle rumble. “I see you in courtyard sometimes when I in stable.”
“Yes,” the girl answers, smiling. “I was afraid of you at first. But then you winked and… when someone winks like that, I know they are sharing a joke with me, like, ‘I know I’m scary, but I’m actually nice. Isn’t that funny?,’ and I do think it’s funny.”
“Gailby,” one of the scribes at the main reading room’s circulation desk, a dwarven man, calls in an undertone. The little girl turns quickly to him, eyebrows flying up in curiosity. “Hi Mr. Hammerskjold!” she says as he approaches.
“Did you get lost again?”
“Yes. I was looking for the Alchemy Collection, and I got turned around. But they helped me.”
“Did you know these are the Keeper of Tomes’ appointees to the Scholar’s Shield?,” he asks kindly.
“Oh!,” she registers. “Oh, I’m sorry, Miladies and Sir!,” she says to you. “My father told me you have important work to do and I shouldn’t bother you. I just… I forgot.”
“Never you mind,” Hammerskjold says warmly, “Miladies and Sir,” he continues to you four, “I’ll show her what she needs from here.” And, giving her a light pat on the back, he leads her toward Alchemy. She waves goodbye over her shoulder and you hear her singing her little song as she goes.
(If you wish to speak with her longer, you can interrupt her departure. Or, is everyone heading to the courtyard for a breath of air before returning to your studies?)
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Meredith smiled back, and out of professional curiousity listened in on the song the little girl was singing as she departed.
" That was nice. Now Bell.......what can we do to help with your letters?"
Just before the little girl goes, Erudisia smiles at her. “It was a pleasure to meet you, I am sure we shall see you again.”
As Gailby leaves, and begins to hum again, a pleasing little tune, Erudisia’s ears twitch. “Oh, Gailby, what is that song that you are singing? I admit, I do always have an interest in any tune, sung so well, and that one must be a favourite of yours. I have not heard it before.”
“Huh?,” Gailby smiles, taking control of her posture and snapping her mouth closed for a moment, blinking. “Oh, I didn’t know I was singing. I’m sorry, my papa always says I should be quiet when scholars are studying and singing is for playtime.” She smiles still, though squinting against the likelihood of a gentle reprimand.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
“Oh the song?,” she asks. “I don’t know. I guess I heard someone singing it and learned it from them.”
After having heard the catchy strophes a number of times, you too have learned its rhymes. It is a bit macabre, as nursery rhymes can sometimes be:
GAILBY’S SONG
See a mother scything wheat
Forgotten husband sleeping near
With one swing she took his feet
With another took his ear
Does the shadow have a name?
SHEMSHIME
Causes grief, avoids the blame
SHEMSHIME
See a dog that knows how to heel
Never heeds plea nor command
Mother gave it a tasty meal
Dog chose instead to eat her hand
Does the shadow have a name?
SHEMSHIME
Causes grief, avoids the blame
SHEMSHIME
See a son doing his chore
Washing clothes for folk in town
Fell into the river’s roar
Sank to the bottom and drowned
Does the shadow have a name?
SHEMSHIME
Causes grief, avoids the blame
SHEMSHIME
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer