Talk:The Girl Who Drew Bees In The Vase

"Terralumia Ashia Testarossa, Slipstream in Sleep's Shadow, Girl Who Drew Bees In The Vase. For the last time hath thou drawn bees in my vase!"

"But it wasn't me!"

"Enough! By thy True Name I call thee and grounded I name thee."

"I hate you!" screamed the Girl Who Drew Bees In The Vase. "I hate you forever!

Her shrill cry still echoing through the halls of Hoodswatch, Terralumia Testarossa fled to her rooms in the white tower, where closets – opened then shut – and the spaces beneath beds all led out of the castle to the Shadow of the World.

"Halt!" the aged Dame of Hoodswatch shouted. "Get back here this instant young lady."

With a wave of her wrinkled hand, the doors of the castle shut one after another but they never closed quite in time to catch the lithe girl who leapt and rolled each narrowing gap. Suits of silvered armour crashed from their pedestals to catch her, but she slipped through their clumsy grasps as easily as a phantom. She rushed into her room and dove under her bed, far ahead of the old woman tottering impotently after. In the dark space between rotting walls she found, as usual, that the maws of broken stone pitting the exterior wall had been sealed over by fresh masonry. A useful defense - if you want to stop idiots who can't draw. The Girl Who Drew Bees In The Vase uncorked her Sharpie and drew two lines with a wavy one in between. Then she added a zip, grabbed it and unzipped, opening a maw to the shimmering waste of the world's shadow.

The world's shadow is a shade cast beneath the light of truth, no more true than a shadow is light nor more outrightly false than a shadow is total darkness. Examining the world produces answers but scrutinising its shadow brings only more questions. For example, how was she to get where she needed to be? She'd forgotten her skates. Skates were easy enough to draw but this was a special occasion so she felt she needed something special to move about on, not to mention fast. She needed to find out who the hell had drawn bees in her great grandaunt's vase and gotten her in trouble. Pretty sure she'd only done it twice, maybe three times herself.

Maybe something super simple would be fine. Terralumia drew herself a surfboard and climbed on. Today, instead of the usual off-white with irritating pink, it was dark gray with a sheen that bordered on purple. That actually didn't look bad. She added a few skulls crying blood and a few wings for good measure. Totally radical. Now she added waves underneath and hurtled down along the ensuing surf.

Gradually, the surf turned into a current and Terralumia had to draw a rim that turned her surfboard into an awkward boat to avoid getting soaked by liquid rainbow. The current turned from current to river to stream to trickled and finally, she ran aground in the land of pink elephants. They approached all around as she gave her stuck boat a kick, wearing black robes and standing all upright. They had no tusks, but a dozen trunks each, dangling in a bunch over their mouths.

"Human girl. You have transgressed upon the master's realm," the tallest and closest one slurped for them all. "Who are you? What is your purpose?"

"The name's Terralumia Testarossa and I'm the Girl Who Drew Bees In The Vase," replied the Girl Who Drew Bees In The Vase. "I draw. And your 'realm' has 'transgressed' up on my boat, more like."

"What?!" Pink Elephant's recoiled in surprise, trunks flailing in scandal.

"You'd better watch your step," she added, putting her hands on her hips, "or I'll draw bees in your trunks."

Pink Elephant's eyes widened then squinted. It leaned closer, looming over the girl who stared it back in the eye. "That would be most unwelcome." The other pink elephants' slurped in agreement, ears flapping. "Most unwelcome."

"Damn straight. Now I'm looking for someone. Tell me where she is. Or he."

Pink Elephant tilted its head. "Who or what would the little lady be looking for? "

"Someone drew bees in my great grandaunt's vase but it wasn't me. Only I get to draw bees in the vase, if you know what I mean. I did it first when I was like, four. That's why I'm Girl Who Drew Bees In The Vase."

"Mmhmmslrp," agreed Pink Elephant.

"So now some ass came in and drew bees in her vase again, and got me in trouble. And granaunt wouldn't believe me because she's stupid of course."

"Quite," said Pink Elephant, trunks wiggling as if savoring a particularly well draw peanut. Then, it straightened up. "Yes well, a human did pass through here not long ago, about six-o' clock in fact, interrupted our tea and err...biscuits and such, left rodents behind too."

"Rodents? Oh I get, of course as elephants you wouldn't like mice."

"No. No, we don't."

"So she drew mice- Was it a she?"

"Hmmslrp. It was dressed as a boy but I do believe it was a girl. She."