Dungeons and Dragons Cartoon Stories: Neverending Story: Is Anybody Out There?

It would have been more terrifying if she couldn’t see, perhaps. Sheila sat, looking around the eerily quiet swamp, biting her lip. She was trying valiantly to control the fear bubbling up within her. Fear wouldn’t help; that’d been proven before. She had to remain in control... but it was so hard when she was utterly, unquestionably alone.

She had never liked being by herself, even as a child. When her parents had brought Bobby home from the hospital, instead of rebelling like most of her friends would have, she rejoiced. She would always have someone around her, would never be alone again. As she had grown older, Sheila had weaseled her way into every aspect of her little brother’s life. Not out of a need to control or dominate, but as a need to be with him. He’d accepted it, too, unaware that their closeness was probably not quite as normal as their parents seemed to let on.

But now, she’d sent Bobby home without her. It was perhaps the first time she hadn’t had him there. Shaking her head, she corrected herself mentally. There had been a dozen or more times they’d been separated in the Realm, actually. And both had come out fine. This time would be the same... if she wasn’t alone.

With a sob, Sheila curled into a ball and tried to will her ears to hear something. Not even an insect in the trees overheard, or the ripple of the stagnant, slow moving water around her. No sound, no movement, nobody. She felt herself growing more desolate as she realized that she truly was alone, as she’d only ever been once before... in the tower where they’d retrieved the Circle of Power.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, feeling dejected but trying to control herself still. What had brought her back to the others then? She had been alone, she was certain... then something happened and she’d rejoined them. No... rejoined him. Hank. Hank had called to her and proven she wasn’t alone. And she’d felt so alive when she saw him standing before her, so very aware, perhaps really for the first time, how much she’d come to depend on him, rely on him... care about him.

Pushing to a sitting position in the fetid, wet marsh, Sheila looked around, squinting in the light from the four suns. She still couldn’t hear, but she could see movement... why wasn’t it making noise? There was a soft breeze in the leaves of the trees, and the water was swirling very slightly around her. But her hearing was... gone? Had that numbing blackness deafened her? No! If she were deaf, she wouldn’t hear Hank calling her, telling her she wasn’t alone. And she so very much needed to be able to hear that.

Hazel eyes widening in panic, she stumbled to her feet and whirled around in a circle, nearly falling in the sucking swamp below her feet. "Hank!" She screamed, but grew more frightened as even the sound of her own voice didn’t penetrate the silence. "Diana? Presto? Eric? Dungeon Master? Hey, this isn’t funny guys!"

Taking a cautious step forwards, Sheila quickly broke into an awkward plod across the horrible muck, nearly toppling into the water as she skidded to a halt by a huge mound. "I can’t hear, so you need to show me you’re here. You know I hate being alone, guys!" She looked around again, but no other tracks were there. No other signs of Human life.

Suddenly, it hit her. If she couldn’t hear, maybe they couldn’t either. Something must have gone wrong with Dungeon Master’s spell to deafen them all! Well, then that meant they weren’t teasing her; they just couldn’t hear her crying out to them.

Sheila breathed in relief, and with more confidence the young red-haired girl ran up the hill, eager for the sight of her comrades perhaps sprawled in the grime on the other side. However, upon reaching the top, she found that they weren’t there. Nobody was. She was still alone in this out-of-reach swamp.

Tamping it down ruthlessly, insisting to herself that she’d merely gone the wrong way, that her friends were indeed close by, the Thief turned and headed back down the mound. She would try all four directions. One of them was bound to reveal the others. Thus, she began to plod and slip again.

After moments only, she realized she was on solid land. Her heart lurched as she saw beyond the copse of trees. There was no sign of Hank and the others, but there was someone she knew... or more like some place she knew. A small cottage, on the very edge of a poor village, sat quiet and comfortable, practically right in front of her. She let out a whoop she couldn’t hear. She wasn’t alone anymore!

Sheila pulled out of the muck, heading straight for the familiar cottage. "Marinda! Jaref!" She waved her arms, hoping she was actually screaming, for she couldn't tell without her own hearing. Her efforts were rewarded by a gray-haired figure leaning out of the doorway. With a cry, Sheila sped up.

The woman smiled, though her eyes were worried. She ran towards Sheila, her lightly shod feet much steadier on the still soggy ground of her native lands. Her mouth was open, calling something to her young friend, though Sheila couldn't make it out. For a moment just the sight of the kind older woman's smiling face was enough, understanding could wait.

Jaref slipped out the door after the woman, frowning softly, but not denying the greeting. He strode forward, slow and methodical, as he watched their reunion, a pretty red-haired teen following close behind him. Finally, with a brief smile, he touched Sheila's shoulder and said something that fell on deaf ears.

Frowning, Sheila shook her head and said, "I can’t hear. Dungeon Master sent me through some sort of dark spell and my hearing’s gone... and so are the others." She looked around, sudden sadness welling up. "I wonder if he sent only me?"

In answer, Jaref lightly touched her head, drawing her attention to himself again. He gestured toward the cottage, indicating she should enter it. Sheila didn’t argue, obediently letting him help her inside, teenaged Varla entering behind her, followed by Marinda. The family closed the door softly behind their unexpected, and lonely, guest.

Varla let the door swing softly shut behind her, closing off the darkened room where the newly rescued Thief lay and the mother of the house sat. The daughter of the house smiled at her father and turned towards the low table laden with fruits and vegetables. "She’s still having trouble hearing me. What kind of spell would do that to her?"

The woodcutter let himself smile, though he felt worried about the girl in the bedroom. Shaking his head, he reached for a fruit and started nibbling. "There aren’t many spells I’m familiar with, Varla. But whatever was used has terrified the girl and separated her from her friends. I have never heard of Dungeon Master using a dangerous spell before." The thought bothered him.

Nodding, the girl sighed and helped herself to a fruit found only in her native swamp. "She wouldn’t say much, Father, but she did say her brother Bobby was at their home now."

"I don’t think so, Father. She sounded happy that he was gone away. She thinks he’s safer there." Standing smoothly, gracefully, the teen made her way slowly around the table then sunk down next to her father. "She said that Venger has become good and she is here to fight a new evil."

He looked down at his daughter with a frown, not contesting the claim about Venger, but not believing it either. "And she doesn't know where the others are? That's troubling." Jaref slipped a hand under his chin, fruit forgotten as he brooded over his guest’s problems.

"Varla, will you stay with her tonight? She seems to be afraid that she will wake up alone. Probably because the others are gone."

The girl looked up to meet the troubled eyes of her father with an understanding look of her own. She’d gathered as much when Sheila had all but panicked the first time Varla had attempted to leave her in privacy to rest. It was the reason Marinda sat with the girl. Gathering more fruit, she nodded and stood. "Of course, Father. She should not be alone just yet. She needs to know we’re still here, since she can no longer hear us." Leaning over, she quickly kissed his forehead then slipped back into the bedroom to relieve her mother and to watch Sheila while she slept.

With a sigh, Jaref went back to his pondering, absently touching the hand his wife placed on his shoulder. He shook his head, and a suddenly sad voice broke from him. "Oh, Dungeon Master... when you said you would send me someone to help stop this evil, I did not think it would be a child again. What could you be planning? What could she do for us, injured and distracted as she is?" Marinda did not respond, leaving him to his customary brooding.

Jaref slowly rose to his feet and began to clear up the food, the air about him heavy with the trouble of his weighted heart.

To Be Continued in Chapter Five: Presto Change-o!

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