Brain Fog

                It was the smell of food that eventually woke her.  The last thing she remembered was Faeolyn singing his strange tune.  Now she was laying on a soft pillowy surface with the sun warming her face.  Nearby she could hear the mumblings of someone and the gentle shuffling of feet moving back and forth.

                Cait was afraid to open her eyes, but dared the smallest peak to get some bearing of where she was. Perhaps if she kept as still as possible the whoever-it-was would not notice she was waking up.  From what she could tell she was lying in a rounded alcove built into the wall of an expansive round room.  Curtains on either side of the bed blocked her full view, but she could make out a central floor, five steps leading up to a kitchen, high dark beams, and ceilings constructed out of massive tree roots.  She kept trying to see who was making so much noise, but whoever it was kept moving just out of view.

                “What do I do?” she wondered. A myriad of thoughts ran through her head as she debated her options.  She could jump up and sprint for the door, catching her companion unawares.  Yes, but where was the door? Even if she did manage to escape, she had no idea where she was nor where she’d go.  There was a window in her alcove. Maybe she could open it and slip out?  Slow as could be she moved her right hand towards the window feeling for a clasp. A few minutes of scrounging around let her know the window was completely round with no way of opening it up.

                “Well,” she decided, “there is nothing for it. I might as well meet whoever this person is and get it over with.” And with that she sat up, slung her feet over the bed and pulled the curtains to the side.  There was no one there.

                “Hello?” Cait called.  She was sure she had heard someone walking around on rather large feet.

                “Oh hello!” exclaimed a voice from the kitchen.  “I will be right with you, my dear.  I’ve been preparing dinner while you slept.  You were brought earlier than I anticipated.”  A short man with wild white hair poked his head up from behind a counter with a wiry bearded smile on his face.  He couldn’t have been more than four feet in height.  His whole face was filled with wrinkles.  “You slept for quite a while. I was starting to wonder if you were going to ever wake up. Those sleeping spells the elves put on humans can be awfully potent, but you’re not wholly human, are you?”

                “Sleeping spells?  I don’t understand what you mean.  Where is he anyway?  Is he coming back?  Who are you?

                “Goodness, so many questions.  All in good time, my dear.  You are right though, introductions are important.” He stuck out his right hand.  “My name is Nob.”