You can't tell if the stranger would have moved, or just stood there for hours amidst the roses. But as you say your greetings, the person replies with a smile and introduces themselves as Death by Mirrors. A weird name, perhaps, but as a guardian of these realms you've also heard stranger things before. The roses still seem lively, so at least there's no immediate danger. Death opens the basket. A slip of paper slides down into the grass.
Death blinks at the paper. Various challenges, listed in neat handwriting. A welcome thread? Looking at the basket, a string of yarn extends over the garden, and you could probably follow it like ancient Greek heroes found their way through a labyrinth with that thread. It leads to
an old, leather bound book, where it finally turns into the tome's tail band. Meanwhile the roses seem to have covered even more of Death's body.
(Start off on the right Platform, step up to the task: Make a welcome thread and pick a prize - I'd like the chest covering briar rose please, in the same color (Loyalty) to go with the first step roses around my legs)On your way back, the thread seems tangled and you suddenly find yourself far from the garden. This place looks like someone's living room, complete with a sturdy wooden table, leather couch, several chairs and an old world globe bar. Unfortunately it is empty, but you do find a bottle of orange juice, a bag of crisps and several dice on the table. Perhaps whoever lives here is
waiting for other people to join in a game. But right now you can't find any hints as to what the game will be or who is playing. On your way out, you stumble across several chickens in the backyard. You didn't notice them before. Maybe they were in for a quick round of hide and seek.
(Start off on the right Platform, step up to the task: take a step and make another thread and pick a prize - I'd like the whole bunch of chickens please and I'll promise they won't be turned into chicken mango sausage)Once you return to Death, you notice the former stranger in a lively chat with some animals. One bee seems particularly interested in the new person. In all its sunshine glory it buzzes around Death in circles, while repeating several words. Oh... can it be? Is that one of the famous spelling bees? This one seems still very young however, and eager to learn. Death on the other side is more than willing to teach, drawing words into the soil with a twig. It might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
(Play Spelling bee games and be one of the top 100 and win a prize - I scored #38 yesterday and would like a sunshine bee as my prize please)In fact, Death only seemed shy at first glance, but now has turned into quite the chatty individual. Maybe one of these days you'll have to find out how to get him to shut up.
(This one surprises me as well, but according to account statistics I have already posted 135 times in various threads here on Windlyn)But at least he's not plotting world domination. Or is he? Some of the runes and words taught to the bee look suspiciously like curses and dark arts. Necromancy, perhaps? Yet before you can get a closer look, Death wipes the earth clean with the sole of his foot and the carved words are no longer legible. Maybe you're just tired and that made you see things. Nevertheless you decide to keep an eye on that person and the journey they embark on from here.
(The necromancer crown from the birthday section caught my eye... if I'm not too late to claim a birthday thingie (March 8th). And yes, altogether those were even more milestones than I thought I had reached when I started writing my post )