Occasional Sputterings

Playing with the small arms, Mary thought “what if I ...” A small whirring sound beneath the base of the object seemed to resonate along the fingertips in contact with the arms. “Of course,” exclaimed Mary as she stepped back from the stone dais. “It is an astrolabe! I used to build these at home when daddy brought home stories!” Excited, Mary watched as the well rotated in place and beneath the aligned arrowheads, a small stone had recessed near her left knee. Bending over, Mary noticed a faint odor. “Is that … violets,” asked Mary as her eyes drew closer to the hole. “Why do I smell violets?” Looking closer, Mary realized the hole into the well went back only a foot; within the hole lay a small bed of blue petals. Amidst the petals lay a small metal object. Near her right foot, Mary picked up a small stick and gently placed it within the hole. Not hearing any response from the hole, Mary moved the small piece of metal closer to the edge. “I wonder what this is,” considered Mary as ...

As Mary made her way along the path, the way grew a little wider; the subtle hint of the crashing waves behind her gave way to a sweet murmuring.  "The air seems cooler," Mary thought to herself, as the murmuring grew gently louder.  Moving along the path, Mary saw the walk bubbling up quietly from some unseen source; where the water flowed, along the path, the slope of the hill fell.  "Wow, natural spring water," Mary thought a she held her flask against the current.  The left and right side of the path were covered in a clear, clean stream, and the center of the path held rocks that continued the path, sloping upwards.  Having taken a few solid gulps and filling her flask, Mary hopped onto the first rock, being careful to land in the center. "How curious," considered Mary, as she looked at the stepping stone.  "It appears to be made of wood but decorated as if it were stone."  Looking forward, Mary noted the stones continued on their steady p...