"Ke ke ke ke ke..."

Veldandii's mischievous grin could have scared anyone on sight. She was on to something, yes. Her right hand held onto a large brown bag, she clenched it tightly. What could have been in there? The day was a bit past the afternoon and she figured her plan would work better without the sun in her way. She walked a bit further down the hills of flowers until she found a small clearing with only a few stalks of grass stuck on the ground. She looked up to the sky, her hand above her eyes.

After a moment of silence, she laid down the bag and started unpacking everything in it. Loads of fireworks, large and small of all sizes, laid down next to each other on the dirt. She raised a finger and counted each one, making sure none was missing. Assuring herself that everything was in place, she scooted on over toward the grass area and sat herself down. All that was left was to wait until nightfall came. She laid on her back, her hands behind her head. She stared at the moving clouds in the sky in peace. And then, she quietly started to hum a soft tune her mother taught her long, long, ago.

"You can sky rocket away from me, and never come back if you find another galaxy, far, from here, with more room to fly, just leave me your stardust to remember you by..."

As she sang, she raised her hand into the sky. It was filling itself up with the first star.

Erenoth was walking through the forest, the sun setting behind the trees. The colder weather saw him wearing his large red jacket, his sword strapped to his belt and cane in hand. The forest was most peaceful at night, and sunset in the forest was surely a sight to behold. The forest had a natural melody whistling through it, and the melody changed constantly, depending on various factors, including time of day, season, and weather conditions.

As the sun lowered into the horizon and the stars began to come out, Erenoth noticed a quiet tune finding its way through the forest. He began to follow the soft notes as they got louder and more clear. When he finally reached the clearing where the sound had been coming from, he noticed a small girl laying on the grass, looking up at the sky as it grew darker. The girl looked like she couldn't be older than 13, so Erenoth began to wonder what she was doing alone. "Hello there young miss." he said, stepping into the clearing. "I was walking through the forest and heard you singing. Those are some nice fireworks you've got." he said.

Veldandii stopped singing; she heard a voice call to her from behind. She turned her head upward and eyed the stranger. "Hello there young miss." he said taking a step into the clearing. She greeted him with a broad grin.

"Hi there!" she said, the sunset's rays glowed across her small facial features. She got up from the ground and turned toward the stranger.

"I was walking through the forest and heard you singing. Those are some nice fireworks, you've got." he told her kindly. Veldandii looked back at her empty brown bag and her fireworks, strung across the ground. She brought her legs up to her chest and hugged them tightly with a smile.

"Heee heee, yeah." She looked upward toward the darkening sky. "My family back home should be doing the same thing right now, so I'm gonna shoot fireworks with them tonight!" Veldandii got up from her spot and trotted on over to the fireworks. She gracefully picked one up and held it with both her hands. She looked at the stranger and said in a low whisper,

"I heard monsters never come here so we're safe! It's better than being attacked in the forest like last time, man."

And then, she eyed the sunset from behind her. She closed her eyes. It was all coming too fast... and yet too slow, the coming year, the going year. How long has it been since she first set out on her journey? How much has she grown? How much has she learned? "Hey, mister." she turned back toward the stranger.

"You can shoot the fireworks with me, if you want!" she pointed toward the setting sun. "It's almost time for the big bang!"

"I'd be glad to launch off some fireworks with you." Erenoth said, as he stepped farther into the clearing. "May I ask what the occasion is for launching these off?" he asked, slightly curious. Usually, fireworks were saved for holidays or some sort of special occasion, so seeing somebody launching them off made him wonder.

"Monsters are unpredictable, sometimes they go places they usually stay away from. But I believe the light and sound from the fireworks shall keep them at bay." he said. "And even if they should attack, they'll have to get past me first." he said, glancing at his sword. "My name is Erenoth Dagon. It is a pleasure to meet you." he said, bowing to the girl.