Stories of the Past (Welcome to Mistland)

Stories of the Past is one of the stories in Welcome to Mistland written by Julie Morley.

Welcome to Mistland: Stories of the Past
“It was many, many years ago when we migrated from the ancient island, Grea.” Despite her frail, elderly body her voice carried a presence that could catch any villager’s attention. Something about this elder emanated wisdom and grace. The young marsh imps were absolutely captivated by speaking.

Around a fire, several marsh imp children gathered, eager to listen to the elder’s tale. Often, the village elder would speak to the children about the traditions and history of Luceria and the remainder of North Neora. It fascinated them to learn more about their ancestry. In time, each was fated to become a piper for the Night of the Ghost Lights. It was only natural to want learn all about the culture.

The elder gestured her hands around in a swooping, waving motion, as if to create some sort of sphere before her. She continued her story, “Yes, all our bloodlines trace back to the great ancient land of Grea. All that time ago, for reasons we don’t know, many members of the ancient civilization desired a change of scenery and found their way across the Ocean of Sunset.” She stopped, pausing for dramatic effect while observing the curious looks of the young imps who were absolutely silent, absorbed in suspense.

“The unsettling thing about the ancient one’s discovery of Neora was their navigational abilities, young ones. The Ocean of Sunset is always clouded with some sort of haze. It’s nearly impossible to see. So, how did they manage to sail through such thick fog and discover Neora?”

The children appeared bewildered by this but wanted to hear more. They were beginning to whisper questions to one another.

The elder raised her voice and began walking around the young ones as she continued her story, “The ancient ones settled here and began organizing themselves into districts. After the Year of White Summer, the connection between Luceria and Grea was completely diminished and we have yet to restore it, despite the multiple attempts.”

With a crackle from the fire, the children were exasperated. Amused, the elder let out a loud chuckle and patted a few marsh imps on the head sincerely. After several attempts to calm them down, she was able to continue the story. The children were sitting closer together, tugging on their clothes and struggling to remain still due to their anxiousness.

“As I said, the old Lucerians divided themselves up into five different colonies that are gone today known as Crowgarth, Insmuth, Slumberdale, Needlehurt, and lastly, Aneira. A while after they settled, the peace amongst the colonies was shaken, leading to war and bloodshed. After years and years of fighting and fallen brethren, Aneria was the final settlement remaining with a few survivors from other colonies remaining.”

The marsh imps were shocked but remained mesmerized by the tale. “And so comes the end of our tale.”

She concluded, “Muddlewood is the only remaining part of Aneira, young ones. Since then, Lucerians have treated one another kindly and lived peacefully.”