Chapter 34 The Place Before Mistmoor Part 2 The Village That Arrived

More about Chapter 34 The Place Before Mistmoor Part 2 The Village That Arrived

The Morks of Mistmoor
Chapter 34 The Place Before Mistmoor Part 2 The Village That Arrived
The first stone house stood alone behind the young Morksik. One moment there had been empty grass; the next there were walls, a roof and a chimney. No one had built it. “That seems inconvenient,” Borstel said. “A house should normally arrive after the road.” The young Mork did not react. He stared at the silver eye in his hand. The shadow pointed toward the new house. A second building appeared farther down the slope. Then a third. With each arrival the valley changed. A fence formed around nothing. A path appeared between two houses. A tree vanished and returned several yards away. Hopsy watched. “Mistmoor isn’t being built.” Eldren nodded. “It’s being remembered.” Archivara opened her blank book. Letters slowly returned. SETTLEMENT — ARRIVAL IN PROGRESS. ORIGIN — The line remained unfinished. “It cannot name the origin,” said the Keeper. “Maybe there isn’t one,” said Morksik. His older self looked at him. “Everything has an origin.” Borstel sighed. “I was happier when everything merely had too many origins.” Another house appeared, smoke already rising from its chimney. Through its window Morksik saw a table laid for dinner. Four bowls waited around it, though nobody was inside. A wooden cart appeared beside the path, one wheel slowly turning. Then came a bridge across the river. The river shifted sideways to meet it. Eldren stared. “The village isn’t fitting itself into the valley.” “The valley is fitting itself around the village,” said Hopsy. Grimmeldorn pressed one hand against the earth. “Ground remembers two shapes.” Archivara’s book wrote beneath his words. LOCATION — OVERLAP. ORIGINAL LANDSCAPE — PRESENT. MISTMOOR — PRESENT. Borstel looked down. “So which one are we standing on?” The ground beneath his feet briefly became a wooden floor. Borstel jumped sideways. Grass returned. “Never mind.” The shadow placed a hand on the young Mork’s shoulder. “Do not move until it knows you.” “Until what knows me?” The shadow pointed toward the half-formed village. “Mistmoor.” Morksik stepped forward, but his older self blocked him. “We cannot change this.” “How do you know?” “Because I tried.” Across the valley, buildings continued appearing. Some were familiar. Others Morksik had never seen. One existed for seconds before fading. Another appeared upside down beneath the river, visible through the water like a reflection. Then the village clock tower emerged. It had no clock. Instead, seven empty circular holes marked its face. Hopsy lifted her lantern. “Seven again.” “Not yet,” whispered the Keeper. “The first Mistmoor had six.” As if responding, six holes filled with pale clock faces. The seventh remained empty. Archivara’s book snapped open. ORIGINAL SETTLEMENT — SIX RECORDS. “Records of what?” asked Eldren.