PlayerOliver

When you were a kid, you lived with your grandmother in the small town of Silvertree, on the edge of a magical forest. Grandma is a witch, and she taught you how to use your magic to affect the natural world, too. “Magic is a part of you,” she always told you. “Learning how to use it means figuring out who you are.”

Now you’re 19 and on your own. After years of living in the forest while you perfected your witchcraft, you’ve returned to take care of your grandmother’s house and crow-familiar while she’s gone. Figuring out who you are feels more important than ever - not to mention, figuring out what Silvertree is. A lot is just as you remembered: the friendly generous next-door neighbors with a kid just your age, the proud town council, the quaint little shops with quirky punny names, the gentle shadowy forest full of magic.

Stone in the shoe

Marlowe laughs, raising their eyebrows.


"I don't know—but I'm pretty sure you snuck up on me this time. And I'm pretty sure I couldn't sneak up on anything riding my roommate's bike, so if anyone around here is sneaky, it's not me."


They smile. A second later, however, they remember their camera and hold it up.


"Oh, yeah—I just have to get a few shots for an article. We won't be too long."


They busy themself with the camera, and out of interest, you step out from under the trees to get a better look at what they're doing.


"Make sure to get as much of the park in shot as possible," someone else is saying to Marlowe, and as you come out into the sunlight, you see a woman holding a hand over her eyes in order to get a good look at the distant fair. Noticing you, she gives you a quick nod before getting back to work.


"Does this look okay, Minnie?" Marlowe asks, having adjusted the camera according to their boss's instructions. After peering through the viewfinder, Minnie nods her approval.


"Looks good! Okay, I'm going to head back; I want to get a few quotes. Just take a few shots, and then come and find me. You still have a few people to interview yourself, don't you?"


"Yep!" Marlowe says, already hunched over the camera. Minnie gives them a thumbs-up, then starts jogging back towards the fair. You hear the camera snap a few times before Marlowe straightens up, stretching their shoulders.


"Hopefully one of these turns out okay," they say with a carefree smile. "I'm not really a trained photographer, but our regular one got sick, and while I'm interning, I'll pretty much do anything if they'll let me. Anyway, I like taking pictures. Speaking of which—any ideas for some cool shots?"


Marlowe snorts but lifts their camera into the air purposefully.


"Don't make promises you can't keep. Also, that does kind of make it sound like you're not enjoying the fair already, and they have a merry-go-round, so I don't see how that's possible. Maybe you could, like, gaze wistfully towards the fair and think about all the fun you could be having riding a fake horse?"


With a few pictures taken, Marlowe starts turning the camera towards different parts of the park and taking shots as inspiration strikes.


"Sorry again about almost running you over yesterday," they say over their shoulder. "I'm not usually in such a rush, but I was helping my roommate with some stuff and I totally lost track of time. I've only been working at the paper for a few months, so I really didn't want to be late—but after I almost hit you, I figured I'd rather be late than dead. Or kill someone else. Minnie agreed when I told her, so basically, I'm never using that bike again."


"Probably a good idea," you reply, and Marlowe laughs.


"Yeah—it's good to be alive," they chuckle, moving around a slender tree to get a better angle for their next picture. "I'm kind of hoping I can convince Minnie to let me write something that isn't about the fair," they tell you as they carefully frame a close-up of some branches. "I'm technically only supposed to write the youth column, but maybe if I take enough amazing pictures…"


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