Cloud Foot by rose l. (best value ebook reader TXT) 📕

said in an angry huff, she regularly got angry over the smallest things but this wasn't small and it was fueled by jealousy."Well, I don't know why he asked about the moths." Elizita looked down at her feet coverd in the usual old dust and ran for the desert.

In an unexplained and swift mannor, Elizita ran past dead buildings and corners in the winding streets like a confused animal in a maze that could smell freedom around the next 5 or 6 corners.

She reached the open air and saw the grand desert staring back at her. A few moments later Ameta came running out of the village. "Elizita, sorry for getting mad. Why did you run out here, whats going on? Please tell me."
"I know as much as you know apart from..." Ameta looked at her, intensely waiting for the next word, encouraging her to speak. "At school, when I went to return the libery book, someone was following me but when I looked they weren't there. I heard strange noises like moths, I had no idea what was going on and I started to run. Then the moths caught up with me and swarmed round in such a strange manner. When I looked up there was this guy that kind of looked like the guy we just met. He warned me and that was all. In a few moments they were all gone." Elizita said in a dizzy state. Ameta looked at her with the most confused and in awe face.

"Do you think they're the same guy?"
"No, they look different ages, and..."
"Maybe they're brothers or something, like cousins even."
"Do you think this broach has something to do with the moths?"
"Let me see it." Ameta held the dusty old broach and looked at it for a second."It lookes so old, it must have been around for centuries. Well congratulations Elizita, you own the oldest thing in the village, keep it safe, it must be worth thousands." She said, proudly handing it back.
"Probubaly not, it looks so dull and worn."
They talked some more as they headed for the stables to feed their doulegs before heading back. For Ameta this would mean a nice evening meal waiting on the table for her, won't get cold. However for Elizita this meant a telling off for hanging around the desert, and to be sent to bed with no supper. She had had a strange and bewildering day and she did not need nor want this.

At night when she couldn't sleep she would take down her brown bear from the shelf, her only soft toy. In Chimray toys were scarce and there is one little shop that sells toys as well a books, though the eranings are very small. Her other toyes only included, three dolls: a wooden one with a plain faided orange dress and short brown string hair and a rediculously plain, expressionless face, she called is Cedric as that was a nickname given to plain children who never spoke, or danced; then there was Syner, a rag doll; Lizarch was a strange doll to be in the middle of the desert. It was her mothers and was kept in a small shoe box under her bed, as it was so precious. Little black eyes that stared into Elizitas, over a little red neat mouth on a white cloth face. It knew her. Long red hair in ringlets went passed its long lavender dress with frills. It looked as though the materials were imensly expensive.

Though Rilger bear couldn't get Elizita to sleep. The moths kept her up. She was contantly thinking about it. Wings. All of them filling every imaginable piece of air, however between the flapping wings and their noise, which now seemed silent in Elizitas head, a tume to a song made its way to Elizita. It was a lullabye, and she fell asleep.

In her dreams she saw somene. A lady with a long white gown that appeard lightly blue in the dark and slightly pink in the light. It flutterd in an imaginary wind, quite slowly. She did not say a word, and just stood there in bare feet on nothing, amoungt nothing, sourounded by nothing. A gray darkness, and pale, feable lights, comeing from nowhere and castings shadows everywhere. Elizita was stod on the ledge of some thing but she couldn't see it, and she was gripping the frames of smething but she couldn't see it. All she could see was a massive mass of gray that seemed to act as a powerful mist. The Lady drew her face closer to Elizitas and siled as she saw the brach on her chest. Her face seemed faintly familiar to Elizita but not in terms of features. Breathing in all Elizita could feel was cold, and the wind made here feel even more cold, in her pink nighty. All she cld hear was the wind and so strange.

Elizita awoke on a clear night with the stars above her head. This was very strange as normaly there are massive red clouds that appear a deep orangey burgandy over Chimray at night. Also there was normally a pale beige ceiling over Elizitas head at night. She was stood on her window leadge. The window wide open and her hands gripinf the frame and the broach on her chest. "Argh!" She yelped as she quickly clung to one side of the frame. Relising that her yelps would wake the house and they would find her in this very strange, hard to explain and worrying situation she remained silent as she climed down and silently when back to bed.

She didn't want to tell Ameta. Ameta would only dismiss the dream.


Chapter 2


When he arrived, that is the infamous red tips the wizard, or Raygo, the whole village awoke like a butterfly coming out of it's cocoon with the most noisy, bright and dazzling colours on it's wings, but this butterfly would soon be stepped on and it's wings slowly plucked. A dead village in the desert now had more life than in the middle of a busy city, or a jungle or rapids. There were banners everywhere with "The return of Red Tips." on them, painted in crewd letters. A certain type of music was being played that resembled mexican music. People had come from within their houses, in their most bright and festive clothing to dance and cheer in the street. For a are moment the desert was warm as smiles lit peoples faces and the warm lanterns and sparce house lights glwed warmly in the cold desert night.

Elizita stood infront of her grandmothers full lengh mirror, astonished at what she made her were. Slupmed over Elizita's little shoulders was a massive frumpy brown dress. It was coverd is brown frils and came down to her calves and seemed to want to fall lower and drag Elizita to the floor it was so heavy. The sleves puffed out and made Elizita look like a massive brown moth with tiny wings. Ameta stood beside her snigering. She was wearing a xalm orange dress, that was straight with little sleves, though she ware it with heavy black boots.

"Elizita you look wonderful." Said Ameta, impersonating Elizita's grandmother. "The only one in this room who looks remotely "wonderful" is you Ameta." Elizita said trying to compliment her and sound cheery though she could not hid the fact that she was in a mood about her dress. "The grass isn't much greener on my side Elizita, I hate wearing dresses!" complained Ameta, holding up some of the soft fabric. "At least your dress does not come witha 50 year old health warning!" Elizita bitterly complained.

It was now near the evening and Elizita, far from the chaos of the festival, was stood by the stable of the doulegs awaiting her friends, Shelo, Cora, Formi, Lyler and Berant, Midara couldn't make it but Elizita was sure that she wouldn't regret missing it. The reflectively white and gray Doulegs came soaring to the floor of the desert. As they landed, orange bird feet pounded the sand, Ameta came rushing past Elizita with enough enthusiasum for the both of them, to greet the excited guests. "Come on, Raygo could arrive any moment now, we can't miss the celebration, it's gonna be huge!" Ameta said as though her giddy skeleton was going to rip through her skin and leap out. Shelo and Formi stepped onto the parched sand with such class and grace while the rest almost fell off the tired birds and into the red dirt. "Normally when I visit this desert the sky is so thick and red with dust but today it's so clear and bright." said Shelo
"I hope the celebration lives up to the brilliance and charm of today's weather." announced Formi

They were all wereing such pretty clothes exept from Berant who wore jeans and a T-shirt. Shelo wore a sensible little lilac froc that matched her eyes. Cora came in glittery jeans and a bright yellow neon top with perpously tatterd frills. Formi wore a subtle lime green dress and rose cardigan as the night air was cold. Lyler wore a neat baby blue dress, with scruffed little frills, that looked quite old, as though it had been passed down to her.

The six girls (and one boy) walked through the desert to meet the celebrations. Lyler had quite dark skin and jet black hair that was always tucked behind her ears. She was an honest humble girl who came from one of the desert villages. Cooking was her finest kill and so she brought a snazzle berry and ruemid pie, decorated of course with pink iceing. Berant was a very reluctant boy with his appearence very simular to Lylers as he was her elder twin brother. He was not hard working like his sister and had almost only one quality: sarcasm. That is when he did speak of course.

As they walked through the woken village they became entwined with the festival but Elizita carried on walking to the gates of the village to find the mayor. Mayor Tabaline and his crazy black wirey hair, rediculous purple suit, bizzare green eyes and absolutely mental smile and personality sat at the top of what looked like a combination of a stool and some stilts that were walking on thier own. They looked as though they were build from scrap wood and broom sticks.

Elizita looked up at him, half mad as he was responsible for this rediculous festival, and half bewilderd and amused by the deformed wooden structure."Elizita, I'm so glad that you're standing proudly by the gate waiting to be the first to welcome your brother home. What an honnor."
"I'll leave that "honnor" to you Mayor"
"But you are his sister, don't you want to welcome him back from his 3 year journey around the world to learn many different magics. He must surely miss his little sister's face."
"I've got other things to do. (Like watching this festival burn to the ground)" she mumbled. "Well then I'll just have to greet him!" he said with a look of glee upon his deranged face.

Everyone turned around and as a loud high pitch squeel came from the gate. It was the mayor as he pointed over to the distance and screamed "It's Red Tips, he's arrived!" As he declared this he almost fell off his stool with enthusiasm and exitement and everyone turned and squinted as in the distance was a tiny black dot. The dot transformed into Red Tips as it flew closer with its black wizard's robes and all famous red tipped hair.

The whole village grew silent as the dark figure slowly approached the village.