There was little in the way of conversation whilst the four travellers marched through the forest. Despite their small size and hunched posture, both Garg and Borg easily kept up with the pace of Chime and Amphi. The travel through the forest seemed long, despite the path making way for them. The morning started off crisp and fresh, the cool air refreshing them as they walked long into the afternoon. Chime protested on two occasions to stop for food, the first being at around midday. Although Amphi was hungry herself, she did not want to stop until the middle of the afternoon, stating she wanted to cover as much of the forest as possible while it was still light.
At around three, Amphi finally stopped the group for a rest, a rest gratefully received by the other three members.
It was only after stopping to rest, did Amphi begin to feel less cautious about having company on the road. Almost immediately after standing up to continue after their lunch, she seemed happier and much more at ease.
Still leading the group and pressing on at a strong pace, she smiled before speaking ‘Garg, Borg, have either of you ever been to Tettle?’ she asked, hoping to encourage conversation.
Giving the same answer as each other, Garg replied just before Borg ‘no, Miss.’ they stated.
‘You’re going to adore it’ she explained. ‘Tettle, it's the home of the Halflings, very peaceful people’ she emphasized.
Feeling a sense of relief, Borg responded ‘that’s good, what does Tettle look like?’ he asked.
Amphi smiled, looking at her feet for a moment as she walked before looking ahead again. ‘Well, Tettle is very much a farming town, the Halflings being a farming community. You’ll see many fields, I’m sure. I have not been there for a very long time, but I can tell you that it is a very quiet and peaceful place.’ As she explained this, she moved her head as if looking ahead for something.
Amphi lightly pointed forward, towards the path ahead ‘if we make good time, we should break the forest line in an hour or so. After that, you can see Tettle for yourself.’ As she explained this, she picked up her pace ever so slightly; making sure the others followed her example.
With the thought of a place to rest up ahead, the others also smiled.
Just as Amphi promised, the forest seemed to come to a sudden end after about an hour or so travelling. The trees gave way to reveal a large open space, filled with huge fields and gently sloping green hills. Chime stopped for a moment and looked ahead at the land, slowly turning her head to take in as much as she could. In front of her was a long slope of grass, descending gently with the path. Although this grass was solid and pure green, it gently ended at the base of this slope.
The grass was not interrupted by city walls or trees. Instead, it gave way to many fields of crops and animals. Only the long dirt path seemed to push through these fields, like a carpeted aisle in the middle of many large benches. Each of these fields seemed like block of bright colours from a distance. Huge ranges of yellows, greens and oranges were arranged in neat and carefully placed blocks along the roadside. Although far away, Chime could see a few farmers tending to the crops.
Only some of the fields seemed to have small wooden fences around them. In these fields, many animals such as cows, sheep and horses could be seen. These fields seemed to be closer to the village in the far distance, so the animals seemed only to appear as small specks on a large green sheet. The fields at each side of the path seemed about five fields or so deep, but running from the bottom of the slope and fitting nicely with the edge of the town ahead. On both the east and west sides of the fields, vaster, more open green land could be seen. This simple and lush land seemed to go on as far as could be seen, only broken miles away in any direction, by the forest which surrounded Tettle.
Just as gently as the slope dipped, it raised again far away. On the other side of this, a village could be seen, with small hints of movement. Only a few buildings could be seen from the edge of trees where Chime was standing as they were generously spaced out. Although it was hard to make out, these buildings were made of well-built logs and had large, pointed roof tops. Out of the chimneys of these cabin-like houses, gentle wisps of smoke tailed the soft breeze.
Amphi grinned joyfully as she seemed to gesture an introduction of the land with her hand ‘well Chime, what do you say, your first sight of Tettle?’ she asked, now glad she agreed to Chimes company on the journey.
Chime took a moment to answer, still looking at the large expanse of land before her. She shook her head and smiled ‘it looks wonderful, so peaceful and calm’ she said.
Amphi nodded and motioned to the rest ‘well, shall we?’ she asked, smiling at Garg and Borg in turn.
Neither answered, but instead they gave a soft laugh as they breathed the open air and began making their way down the gentle slope.
The smells of the different crops filled the bright air as the travellers walked along the path, reminding them of warm, home cooked meals such as a hot stew or a well laboured roast. These aromas of carrots, corn, potatoes and cauliflower followed them as they walked closer to Tettle. The bright yellow corn stood high to the left, swaying gently and silently with the wind. The tomatoes dotted the right field closest to the animals with bright red on green in the neat rows of a perfectly tended field.
The animals in the fields looked healthy and well looked after. Many of the cows seemed to be relaxing in their herd, whilst most of the horses were grazing on the long grass grown for their comfort. More animals than Halflings could be seen as Chime and the others walked close to Tettle. In the half-hour or so they had taken to walk from the edge of the forest to the slowly rising slope near the village, they had only seen a small number of Halflings through the fields. Most of them seemed to be working hard with a hoe or spade, or gathering the crops they had worked so hard to grow. In this small sample, they seemed to wear simple but neat clothes. The fashion seemed to be a well buttoned cotton shirt and smart trousers, held by suspenders. Some even wore a waistcoat, either red or dark yellow. To Chime, the Halflings seemed to be difficult to spot at times, being no more than 3’6” at a guess. Despite the calmness of the fields, most of the Halflings kept a close eye on the travellers, as if they distrusted strangers. None the less, they seemed to be a gentle kind of people, leaving others to their business as they tended to their own.
By the time the group had arrived at Tettle, it was around five o’clock and the light was fading from the sky. The orange sky bounced on the small lake in the middle of Tettle, giving a warm glow to the grass and the windows from all the cabins which were closest to it. Tettle, being a small village was easy to navigate for Amphi and the others. A single street of cobble curved south-west and gently up hill. On the west side of the street was a row of houses spaced far apart with their neat gardens, separated only by small wooden picket fences. The Halflings of Tettle clearly cared deeply for their gardens as each one looked as if it was tended to perfection. Most had perfectly arranged the flowerbeds or an apple tree, covered in golden and green leaves, and garnished with ripe, shiny apples. These cabin-like houses followed the gentle curve of the cobbled road, with each garden path welcoming road to door, and door to road. Even though the day was not yet fully dark, some of the windows were glowing with the warmth of lanterns or candle light.
A dirt path tailed from the left side of the road, leading towards the lake and encompassing the outskirts of Tettle. With it, spaced far from each other sat a few more wooden cabin-like buildings. On the immediate left stood a home larger than the others, Tettles’ one and only Inn, “The Jolly Gentleman”, this was the North most building, its door facing south towards the lake. Clockwise from that, in the north-east corner of Tettle stood the village hall. This building was small and adorned a simple steeple, fitting around a single bell above the doors. To Chime, Tettles village hall looked as if it had once been a barn, painted white with a polished bell and a small staircase made of three long but shallow steps.
The last and furthest building in Tettle was a windmill, sitting on the south-east hill. Its large cloth made blades turned slowly in the orange sky, the white sheets turning orange as the light speckled through them. Among these buildings sat a few more houses, comfortably spaced so not to break the gentle hillside behind them. It was at this windmill, which marked the end of the small dirt path. Looking south between the main road of Tettle and the windmill, the other side of the forest could be seen in the distance. It was at this point that Chime realised Tettle stood in a large opening in the middle of the forest, and did not, as she first thought, mark the edge of the forest.
With the group cheerfully following her, Amphi lead them along the dirt path, towards the Inn. Overhanging the yellow wooden door hung a sign with the name of the Inn. “The Jolly Gentleman” was etched into the green wood, painted yellow and in bold lettering; each word began a new line. Below the name, was a painting of a bald and heavy man, dressed in a fine waistcoat and blue blazer, laughing. Although only the top half of the man was painted, due to his relaxed posture, he appeared as if he was sitting, his pipe held high and his pocket watch revealed only by the gold chain from his breast pocket.
At around three, Amphi finally stopped the group for a rest, a rest gratefully received by the other three members.
It was only after stopping to rest, did Amphi begin to feel less cautious about having company on the road. Almost immediately after standing up to continue after their lunch, she seemed happier and much more at ease.
Still leading the group and pressing on at a strong pace, she smiled before speaking ‘Garg, Borg, have either of you ever been to Tettle?’ she asked, hoping to encourage conversation.
Giving the same answer as each other, Garg replied just before Borg ‘no, Miss.’ they stated.
‘You’re going to adore it’ she explained. ‘Tettle, it's the home of the Halflings, very peaceful people’ she emphasized.
Feeling a sense of relief, Borg responded ‘that’s good, what does Tettle look like?’ he asked.
Amphi smiled, looking at her feet for a moment as she walked before looking ahead again. ‘Well, Tettle is very much a farming town, the Halflings being a farming community. You’ll see many fields, I’m sure. I have not been there for a very long time, but I can tell you that it is a very quiet and peaceful place.’ As she explained this, she moved her head as if looking ahead for something.
Amphi lightly pointed forward, towards the path ahead ‘if we make good time, we should break the forest line in an hour or so. After that, you can see Tettle for yourself.’ As she explained this, she picked up her pace ever so slightly; making sure the others followed her example.
With the thought of a place to rest up ahead, the others also smiled.
Just as Amphi promised, the forest seemed to come to a sudden end after about an hour or so travelling. The trees gave way to reveal a large open space, filled with huge fields and gently sloping green hills. Chime stopped for a moment and looked ahead at the land, slowly turning her head to take in as much as she could. In front of her was a long slope of grass, descending gently with the path. Although this grass was solid and pure green, it gently ended at the base of this slope.
The grass was not interrupted by city walls or trees. Instead, it gave way to many fields of crops and animals. Only the long dirt path seemed to push through these fields, like a carpeted aisle in the middle of many large benches. Each of these fields seemed like block of bright colours from a distance. Huge ranges of yellows, greens and oranges were arranged in neat and carefully placed blocks along the roadside. Although far away, Chime could see a few farmers tending to the crops.
Only some of the fields seemed to have small wooden fences around them. In these fields, many animals such as cows, sheep and horses could be seen. These fields seemed to be closer to the village in the far distance, so the animals seemed only to appear as small specks on a large green sheet. The fields at each side of the path seemed about five fields or so deep, but running from the bottom of the slope and fitting nicely with the edge of the town ahead. On both the east and west sides of the fields, vaster, more open green land could be seen. This simple and lush land seemed to go on as far as could be seen, only broken miles away in any direction, by the forest which surrounded Tettle.
Just as gently as the slope dipped, it raised again far away. On the other side of this, a village could be seen, with small hints of movement. Only a few buildings could be seen from the edge of trees where Chime was standing as they were generously spaced out. Although it was hard to make out, these buildings were made of well-built logs and had large, pointed roof tops. Out of the chimneys of these cabin-like houses, gentle wisps of smoke tailed the soft breeze.
Amphi grinned joyfully as she seemed to gesture an introduction of the land with her hand ‘well Chime, what do you say, your first sight of Tettle?’ she asked, now glad she agreed to Chimes company on the journey.
Chime took a moment to answer, still looking at the large expanse of land before her. She shook her head and smiled ‘it looks wonderful, so peaceful and calm’ she said.
Amphi nodded and motioned to the rest ‘well, shall we?’ she asked, smiling at Garg and Borg in turn.
Neither answered, but instead they gave a soft laugh as they breathed the open air and began making their way down the gentle slope.
The smells of the different crops filled the bright air as the travellers walked along the path, reminding them of warm, home cooked meals such as a hot stew or a well laboured roast. These aromas of carrots, corn, potatoes and cauliflower followed them as they walked closer to Tettle. The bright yellow corn stood high to the left, swaying gently and silently with the wind. The tomatoes dotted the right field closest to the animals with bright red on green in the neat rows of a perfectly tended field.
The animals in the fields looked healthy and well looked after. Many of the cows seemed to be relaxing in their herd, whilst most of the horses were grazing on the long grass grown for their comfort. More animals than Halflings could be seen as Chime and the others walked close to Tettle. In the half-hour or so they had taken to walk from the edge of the forest to the slowly rising slope near the village, they had only seen a small number of Halflings through the fields. Most of them seemed to be working hard with a hoe or spade, or gathering the crops they had worked so hard to grow. In this small sample, they seemed to wear simple but neat clothes. The fashion seemed to be a well buttoned cotton shirt and smart trousers, held by suspenders. Some even wore a waistcoat, either red or dark yellow. To Chime, the Halflings seemed to be difficult to spot at times, being no more than 3’6” at a guess. Despite the calmness of the fields, most of the Halflings kept a close eye on the travellers, as if they distrusted strangers. None the less, they seemed to be a gentle kind of people, leaving others to their business as they tended to their own.
By the time the group had arrived at Tettle, it was around five o’clock and the light was fading from the sky. The orange sky bounced on the small lake in the middle of Tettle, giving a warm glow to the grass and the windows from all the cabins which were closest to it. Tettle, being a small village was easy to navigate for Amphi and the others. A single street of cobble curved south-west and gently up hill. On the west side of the street was a row of houses spaced far apart with their neat gardens, separated only by small wooden picket fences. The Halflings of Tettle clearly cared deeply for their gardens as each one looked as if it was tended to perfection. Most had perfectly arranged the flowerbeds or an apple tree, covered in golden and green leaves, and garnished with ripe, shiny apples. These cabin-like houses followed the gentle curve of the cobbled road, with each garden path welcoming road to door, and door to road. Even though the day was not yet fully dark, some of the windows were glowing with the warmth of lanterns or candle light.
A dirt path tailed from the left side of the road, leading towards the lake and encompassing the outskirts of Tettle. With it, spaced far from each other sat a few more wooden cabin-like buildings. On the immediate left stood a home larger than the others, Tettles’ one and only Inn, “The Jolly Gentleman”, this was the North most building, its door facing south towards the lake. Clockwise from that, in the north-east corner of Tettle stood the village hall. This building was small and adorned a simple steeple, fitting around a single bell above the doors. To Chime, Tettles village hall looked as if it had once been a barn, painted white with a polished bell and a small staircase made of three long but shallow steps.
The last and furthest building in Tettle was a windmill, sitting on the south-east hill. Its large cloth made blades turned slowly in the orange sky, the white sheets turning orange as the light speckled through them. Among these buildings sat a few more houses, comfortably spaced so not to break the gentle hillside behind them. It was at this windmill, which marked the end of the small dirt path. Looking south between the main road of Tettle and the windmill, the other side of the forest could be seen in the distance. It was at this point that Chime realised Tettle stood in a large opening in the middle of the forest, and did not, as she first thought, mark the edge of the forest.
With the group cheerfully following her, Amphi lead them along the dirt path, towards the Inn. Overhanging the yellow wooden door hung a sign with the name of the Inn. “The Jolly Gentleman” was etched into the green wood, painted yellow and in bold lettering; each word began a new line. Below the name, was a painting of a bald and heavy man, dressed in a fine waistcoat and blue blazer, laughing. Although only the top half of the man was painted, due to his relaxed posture, he appeared as if he was sitting, his pipe held high and his pocket watch revealed only by the gold chain from his breast pocket.
