Hello again. Today was a fruitful day.

Gramma Gimple is a nice old lady with the strength of a monster and the eye of a merchant. She seemed quite interested in my satchel and the tinglewood therein. Specifically the walking staff I had molded yesterday.

She bargained and dickered with me over delicious tea and cookies inside her tree trunk home.

First she asked for the satchel in exchange for a map of the world which I refused. I was not interested in the world. Besides, I quite like wandering aimlessly. Call it a weakness of mine but if I knew where I was going I would be far less interested in going there.

Then she asked for the whole of my tinglewood supply for a map of various treasures. Julius perked right up but I refused again. Tinglewood already is a treasure after all. Why trade a treasure you own for one you might possibly find in the future? Assuming nobody else has stumbled across it since Gramma Gimple found it.

Finally she bargained for the walking staff in exchange for directions to a city and a place to stay there. I accepted. Lenas face grew cautiously upbeat at the mention of a city. I think she wants this, badly. Personally I have no interest in going to civilization but Lena deserves a break. Maybe this will help her with the nighmares?

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I am thankful she didn't decide to just kill us and steal our possessions. Turns out if she had killed us she would have had to wait for a very long time for our tingles, or Aether as she calls it, to vacate the tinglewood. If she bargains for it then I will draw out my tingles and there you go. Nice and easy.

I will still call them tingles. It just sounds better. Aether. Just sounds gross. And boring. 

So Gramma Gimple gets a fancy new walking stick, capable of actually walking, and we get a wee dirt golem to guide us and introduce us to Gramma Gimples friend. Lena asked a lot of questions about the old lady. 'Who are you, how did you get so strong, who is your friend, does the golem have a name?' and more I am sure I missed.

Gramma Gimple dogded most of her questions though. "Why dearie, I am just an old woman, I got so strong because I always eat my vegetables, my friend is my friend, and this is Harry." Then she successfully distracted Lena and Julius with Harry. Making the vaguely human-shaped clod of dirt do dances and acrobatic stunts which they tried to mimic.

After a lunch of something called casserole and pie we set out. Following Harry into the much less threatening woods. We should be reaching the city tomorrow. I am nervous but Lena is super excited to see more people. I fear I may have been unintentionally harming her by always being alone.

I hope Gramma Gimple is one of a few rather than the norm here. I don't think my heart could take it if I find a whole city of monsters like her. 

Dinner was a wolf who got cocky. Didn't taste great either.

Tomorrow we will be in a city. Hope it goes better than last time.

Goodnight.