"Atoomi Hollo" Intro of Caron and Uncle Blue
Tisa
scrambled to find the sale bill that was hidden among the chaos on her
desk.
"I know, I know. Here it is, " Caron said, opening the brochure to the
page she had marked earlier. " ' Pottery: flat service tray. Origin
and age unknown.' " The picture that accompanied the brief caption
showed a small, stone colored tray, obviously very old, with markings
that depicted primitively drawn birds. Chipped and cracked, the
pottery was unassuming; rather plain, actually. In no way did it
resemble it's true nature. Caron, however, knew that once, long ago,
that very tray had been used in rituals performed by a small but
powerful cult dedicated to the Old Ones.
"You must get the Khellin Plate. It's power may be faded, but still.
It needs to be protected." Although the 19th century library chair in
the corner was large by modern standards, the old Native American
filled the leather contours completely. Caron had purchased it at a
recent auction for the sole purpose of accomodating Uncle Blue on his
frequent visits. The matching sofa alongside was for the cat, who,
Caron thought thankfully, had not attended the old man on this trip.
Caron slid down into her own chair, the high backed, overstuffed, and
ergonomically designed slice of heaven that was the only modern
furniture in the shop. She closed her eyes, shutting out her uncle's
words. She had heard them countless times, since childhood. Without
any true desire to relive the past, Caron was pulled into memories of
earlier times.
>From the age of six, Caron had left her rural home in central Georgia
each summer to stay with her mother's family along the southern coast
of Alabama. With her wavy dark auburn hair and earth green eyes, she
felt out of place among her cousins who all looked traditionally
native. Although not intentionally unkind, her maternal grandmother
treated her as a constant reminder of the daughter she had lost, first
to a white man, and then to a drunk driver. In all the years Caron had
visited the small town, she had made only two lasting friendships.
Uncle Blue was the first member of that family Caron met. She still
remembered the day that he first arrived at her home. Caron had been
inside, glued to the morning cartoons, when a truck she did not
recognize pulled up to the house. Rushing out to the porch, she
watched as the giant unfolded himself from the cab. At more than six
and a half feet tall and well over three hundred pounds, Caron was
amazed. She had never seen anyone so old or so huge in her short life.
But when he looked at her, she could tell his smile was genuine by
the light in his eyes. She knew at once she could trust this gentle
mountain of a man. Caron's father never discussed with her the long
conversation he had had with Uncle Blue that day, but later that
evening, she was in the beat up truck, speeding along Highway 82, going
to meet a family she had never known.
Of all her cousins in this new place, only one welcomed Caron. Shona
was the same age as Caron, and just as much an outsider. Beautiful in
a quiet, gentle way with long raven hair and glowing skin, she should
have been at the very center of life in the community. But Shona was
frightfully timid and usually shied away from the other children,
preferring to read or write alone. With Caron, though, she would come
alive. Entire days would be spent by the two girls swimming along
secluded beaches or hunting treasures in the woods. The only pastime
the girls loved more than playing together was visiting Uncle Blue.
For hours each day, Uncle Blue would regale the girls with stories of
the old tribes. Trickster rabbits, protective panthers, and wily frogs
all played parts in the tales. Caron and Shona learned of water
spirits, wind spirits, tree spirits, rainbow spirits, earth spirits, an
entire host of mystical beings. Bear Clan, Snake Clan, Panther Clan,
peoples of all shapes and sizes. To Shona, these stories of magic were
wonderful additions to the writing journal she kept constantly at her
side. To Caron, they were so much more.
"Naani," he would say, using the term of endearment he had adopted on
their first day together, "remember what I tell you. The atoomi hollo
must be protected, and only those of your kind can bring them
together."
The atoomi hollo, she thought. In the old language, the hidden magic.
Everything left by the Old Ones when the magic of this world began to
fade. A magic that would soon return. Caron knew this. She could
sense it with her entire being. Caron Meredith. Born of a mother whose
ancestors were the Achethka, the shamanic warriors of this New World.
Her father a direct descendant of the priestesses of the Old World.
Old and new brought together, natives and conquerors with all their
secrets united. Caron was born a child of change. And change, for
better or worse, was on its way.
Slowly, Caron opened her eyes, realizing that Uncle Blue had long
fallen silent. She could not help but smile when she was greeted by
the mock scowl on his face.
"I remember when you were a small girl who could not get enough of the
sound of my voice," he said with a knowing smile.
"And I remember when you were still alive." Caron's smile wavered only
slightly.
Startled by the sound of a hand at the door, Caron turned as her
assistant, Lula, came in carrying the materials she needed for the
auction later.
"Caught you taking to yourself, again. This is only a small estate
auction. Nothing to get so worked up about."
Caron only smiled and nodded, her thoughts returning to a certain piece
of pottery that would be housed in her private vault before the day was
over.
Tisa
[ Caron Meredith and Uncle Blue will be my first main characters.]
Caron-human, descended from two families with ties to the old ways.
Her mother was Native American, her father is Celtic.
Strengths: She learned both Native American and Celtic mystical
practices so she is tied to both her native land and the spirits and
beings that immigrated with her father's ancestors. Although neither
family wanted the union of her parents, both recognize that Caron is
stronger mystically because of it. Also, both families believe that a
time of change is beginning, when magic will once again be a dominant
force in the world. They view Caron as an agent of that change. She
can innately sense and use mystical power, especially in old items and
talismen.
Weaknesses: Physically, Caron is only human.
Uncle Blue-the last of the Achethka, shamanic warriors of the old
tribes. When alive, he taught Caron. Now deceased, he serves as one
of her guides, seen only by her in the natural plane.
Weaknesses-in the natural plane, he is a spirit seen only by Caron. On
the shadow plane, he is still Achethka.
Note: Although based on the culture of the Southeastern Native
Americans, the actual tribe is fictional, and at most an amalgamation
of many different tribes.