Enter the Witchwood

The dropoff was sudden, just as the water came to Sam's chest, and it was several more seconds after the man spoke that the boy emerged, then paddled to the other side of the pond, where the dropoff was even quicker. He placed something on a piece of cloth, then swam back to the middle. "I'll show you the next bunch I get!" He grinned, then dove down into the water again. The bottom wasn't visible, and it didn't take long for the boy's strong kicks to take him into the dark depths, where his form became clouded and hard to see.
 
Sam was a bit perplexed at the ponds sudden depth. Since his arrival he'd thought it little more than a hole where rainwater collected and the family gathered whatever it was they did.

Now thoughts began to coalesce like water from the clouds in the sky as to the water's origins. A spring perhaps? He found some issue with managing to keep afloat without some effort and once more Ellith had been right, full motion of his arm was difficult and a definite workout. Below him his feet angled downward, toes seeking something solid to let himself stand upon.

Only after some retreat and the all too real worry of accidentally drowning himself, how foolish she would think he was, did he find the soft and muddy bottom to keep his head above water. Breathing had picked up at the effort it took. This was far from the relaxing floating upon his back, staring at the sky and clouds, that he'd envisioned.
 
From this side of the house, there was no way for anyone inside to see what was happening in the pond-- if he went under, it was only Beliam who could help him.

The boy surfaced with a gasp, then grinned as he swam toward Sam, one hand closed around something as he dog-paddled the short distance to the older male. "Wanna see what's at the bottom?" His grin was wide and excited. "Mama loves them, but I think they're icky." He thrust his hand out toward Sam as he treaded water, only barely out of breath. He waited for Sam to offer his hand. "You should try it when you get out of the water. When they get this big, they're really potent!"
 
Curiosity overrode any true sense of caution he had when debating briefly over whether he should accept whatever the boy had beneath the water. His host and her son had been nothing if not helpful and caring of him in this time. Trust was far from an issue as he ignored his sense of wariness and held his hand out.

A casual glance over his shoulder was enough to confirm it. There was a sense of bravado that had swiftly returned and he'd not known since his youth at the idea of seeing Ellith once more. That was for another time it seemed, for now.

What was he waiting to grab and why was it potent at all?
 
The boy handed over the object-- a single, large berry. It was a full inch and a half long, and an inch wide. It had the same type of top, and the same five lobes that the ripest blueberries had around the edges. It was blue-green, and shimmered to other colors rapidly as the light touched its irridescent, thick skin. It was surprisingly lightweight in his hand, and looked as harmless as any unknown fruit could look.

"Mama loves to eat them. She says you have to eat it all in one bite, or it doesn't taste good, though." He shrugged. "I think they're icky, but you're an adult, so you might like it a lot."
 
Sam looked over the odd berry a few times in his open palm. Even dipping it below the water to see how that affected it's colors. It wouldn't be the first time he saw something unknown like this. Traders often brought exotic fruits and vegetables that he was eager to try at least once.

Besides, even if it was poisonous he doubted the boy had it in him to willingly tell him it was edible. "Tastes change as you grow up. Should always keep trying new things, Beliam. Spice of life is variety, or something like that." His laughter was light as he gave the strange thing one more rinse off.

With a casual shrug he opened his mouth and closed it before positioning it between his molars. Just like that he bit down through its thick skin.
 
The skin was slightly rough, rather than smooth, and when it burst, it filled his mouth with juice.

As if by magic, it sent Sam's mind reeling, back in time, to a memory that never happened-- but oh, it felt like it did. The memory, one of playing in a field and finding a tree frog, was so vivid. He could see the frog, exactly how it looked, and the frog turned to look at him.

It jumped at him suddenly, and a blade on its belly sliced into him. Sam collapsed, still, as it sliced again and again at the younger version of Sam, and then began to lap at the bleeding boy.

The frog eventually left, but Sam couldn't move until sundown, when finally, with a queasy stomach and unsteady legs, he made his way home.

As the fruit dripped down his throat, more pleasant memories surfaced, each one clearer than his own, though not replacing them.

In one, he impressed a girl by telling her an interesting technique for sewing that he hadn't known before-- just a quick thing about how to thread a needle more quickly. She ended up kissing him on the cheek in thanks.

In another, he accidentally found a great way to trap a squirrel.

In a third, fourth, and fifth, he learned still more useful, small things...

And when the berry was gone-- chewed and swallowed in full-- he found himself on shore. Beliam was sitting next to him in the mud, drawing with a stick in the mud.
 
Revulsion was the first thing that filled his mind as it drifted away from himself. Not from the fruit but the flood of new things within his mind that were not his own.

Likely the closest thing his still rational mind thought was his soul was trying to maintain itself under this foreign assault.

Oh! But the wonders and unique things it showed him! How could any man dismiss this as anything but a blessing from the Gods?

Or maybe the Devils..

In another vivid dream, or was it the truth and he lived this? A bird taught him a song that he turned into a rapid song that many around him danced to with cheers and laughter..

It drifted as quickly as it came and Sam, was it really Sam? Was Sam who he actually was here? Samson of the little seaside town who grew and would wither there?

The next and final one had young eyes looking at a device on the ceiling spinning slowly, sending currents of air down to cool his naked torso. Beads of sweat were pushed aside as a hand rode across them and a beautiful face that he didn't recognize asked him if she was all he desired.

With a blink of eyes that weren't there he reopened them to the familiar sky, just a little bit later though and with a choke and a gasp he rose all too quickly. One leg slipped upon grass and splashed into the water yet he still scrambled for purchase.

Soon retching his previous meal onto the ground. One arm held him steady while the other scrabbled for the boy. "Ellith!" It was a hoarse cry. He quickly feared this was simply another illusion. His voice had never failed him like this before.

"Bel! Your mother!" Even when he was sick with fever for a straight week he never knew such fear as this.
 
Beliam yelped and held the man's arm. "Calm down! Calm down! It's over now. You're awake!"

Ellith ran from the house, and behind her, the door slammed as she hurried to him. Already those other visions were fading, to be remembered only vaguely if their knowledge was useful at a point in the future. Ellith, feeling so much more real than any vision, gripped his face and looked to her son. "You fed him a berry?"

"It's not like they're dangerous!" The boy pouted.

"A whole berry is too much for him." She sighed and looked at the terrified man, keeping herself calm as she held his face. "Do you remember your name?" She spoke slowly, clearly enunciating each word. She spoke calmly, as though none of this was unusual.
 
Her face was familiar. Younger than he remembered? The voice was what did it as he nodded, blinking a few more times as he tried pull them away from his pile of vomit, the acid stinging his sinuses.

"It's Samson!" An arm drug over his lips to clear anything. Even if he'd forgotten his identity at least his manners had been intact. "Samson.." It all hurt so much. From his eyes to his ears and stomach.

The face was comforting. He'd seen it quite a lot. From laying breathing quietly on his arm late in the night or smiling as she prepared breakfast. It spoke of nothing but comfort.

"What were those..?" It was less a question as much as it was him begging to know. His only experience with any kind of drug had been rolled smoking pipes with a pungent herb, yet nothing compared to whatever the berry was.
 
"Those are waterberries. They lend life experiences to whoever eats them, in he form of vivid hallucinations. The hallucinations become less potent each time, so if you ever have one again, it won't have quite such an effect." She pulled him close against herself and let one of her hands run through his hair.

"You know who I am?" She prompted. "Answering these will help your mind recover, so even if they're annoying, just answer them." She smiled at him warmly, gently, waiting for his answer as she pulled a cloth from her apron and used it to wipe Sam's face.

Nearby, Beliam squatted, watching the pair. "He's alright, Mama. He didn't get his head under the water."

"I know, Belly." She responded absently. "You're the best in the water." She shot him a quick, warm smile before she returned her attention to the man she held in her arms.
 
It was hard to tell what was water and what was sweat beading his brow at that moment. Though she spoke and his mind knew what the words meant he felt as if trying to fumble with something less than solid, unable to grasp their meaning. Were it not for the gentle tone then the ordeal would have been far rougher than it had ended.

"Ellith." The words blurted too harshly from his mouth and a hand came to wipe spittle from his lips and avoid dirtying her garments. Grass below made for a suitable napkin once his face was clean. "It's Ellith.. Your boy is.. Belly. Beliam." Though comfort had arisen with time being around them he often used the boy's full name, unsure if it was his place to use such the endearing nickname.

"Was it poison?" His tone was weak while he used her knees to push himself up, wholly unworried of his relative nudity. "Am I sick?" Fear crept into him once more with a shiver despite the day's warmth.
 
"Not at all. Not poison at all. Only an entertaining drug. Completely safe, once you get over the mental shock." She wiped his face regardless of his attempts-- it was only a rag she kept if she needed to wipe sweat from her own face. "You're just fine, Sam." She stood with him, helping him remain upright. "Let's go inside, get you a drink of water." She pointed, indicating the way he should go, and remained with him to support him.
 
He found standing to be something far easier than speaking and was ever grateful for her support. Even if he tried to push the rag away like a stubborn child. "It was all.. Real.." The words were mumbled as he rose and tried to shake the flow from his head, only worsening the headache.

With her support the door was far easier to get to before he came to an abrupt halt, whipping his head around to look for the source of some background noise. Some seconds passed before his lips closed slightly and he managed to whistle a short tune that made a distant bird reply. His sudden joy was not so easily contained.

"Ellith.. Never been able to whistle before.."
 
Ellith nodded. "They teach you things-- those berries. Usually about a dozen small things he first time, and less every time after." She smiled at him as she continued to lead him inside the house.

Once inside, she led him to the table to sit, then got him a cup of water and waited for him to drink as she sat across from him. "Do you want to tell me about the memories it gave you?"

(( Sorry, having a hard time typing more than that today. x_x ))
 
For a moment he tried to continue the tune but it soon fell flat as the headache resumed it's slow throbbing. That was enough for him. All he could do was nod as his shoulder bumped into the door frame, turning too slowly to catch slide through alongside her.

With his butt firmly planted on the chair and elbows on the table he grasped the cup, for some reason beginning to worry he'd fall into it's quivering contents.

"I don't know.. Mean I wanna know. But what'll it mean for me?" Sam's face was worry stricken. The news of something that had seemed so mundane and become so profound and strong had his head swimming more than he'd expected it.

((No worries! Love it anyways!))
 
The woman shrugged. "For me, my first vision had me teaching my mother that adding salt and butter to noodles gave a nice texture and flavor. It was so real, that I became mad at her when she didn't use the technique I showed her." She laughed. "It took some time to figure out the memory came from the berry at the bottom of the lake, and my parents forbade me from eating any more of them. When they left, I disobeyed them and got myself some berries, then ate them like a little piggy because it felt... good to learn. I only had to swim to the deep bottom of the pond." She laughed. "It was funny, really-- gangly me with a large belly full of Beliam, diving into the pond after my chores were done, coming up with scratched hands and fish in my dress, and nobody about to scold me." Her eyes shone at the memories. "I half wonder if that's what helped Belly get so smart."
 
((Me and my wife just learned that recipe and omg it's so good. How did you know?!))

Sam listened with intent while the ache behind his eyes began to subside with each sip and recollection of memories that he knew were his own. Playing as a youth by the sea, building a rock fort near the quarry, tending the fields with his friends thinking they would make a castle one day together..

"You did it with him?" He asked quietly with eyes upon the woman, admiring the shine and glimmer in her eyes that spoke of nothing but fondness. There wasn't much he could do to stop the smile on his lips.

"Maybe it is.." A hard blink went together with a wince as the headache peaked and began dwindling into something more bearable. "Do you ever know what it will show you?"
 
(( BWAHAHA! Try adding some parmesian too. ;D ))

She shook her head. "No way to know, really, but the memories are less intense the more you eat-- I suppose it means running out of small things to learn. I know when I start picking up a new skill, they get a little more intense, but I haven't ever learned a whole new skill-- whistling must be part of singing or talking. I haven't written anything since it's hard to study, really." She grinned. "Especially with only me to study." She shrugged. "You should keep a diary for it though, if you do ever want to eat more." She winked. "I'm definitely not asking for selfish reasons."
 
((No garlic, no game!))

What Ellith said made precious little sense as Sam sat at the table with her. How was it possible that such a thing existed that gave you new memories? Had he been a man of strong faith it would've been dismissed as heresy, or a gift from the Gods, depending on the viewpoint.

"Would you like me to?" She seemed wholly unperturbed by his ordeal. If she was so aloof to it then what worry was there to be had? The first time he had drank sickness followed the morning after, the same of smoking. This was simply something he had to grow used to.

"Of course. Foolish of me to ask. My writing is poor but I believe you'll have patience with me.." Selfish reasons of his own began to swell. To learn without practice was a blessing he needed to know better.
 
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