naomi woodcrest

THE HERSTORY OF NAOMI WOODCREST

 

Some years ago, in a land of thickly wooded forests, there lived a small abode, roughly hewn out of the trees it took to clear a small space.

And in this small abode there lived small people, although you could say that it was rather mid-size, the case being that a somewhat smaller than usual elf and a somewhat taller than usual Halfling had met and created a union.

This union of happiness and brightness and oddity had created five Halflings as a result. As I have not time, I will not go into hereditary specifics of why certain genes expressed themselves in particular ways when an elf and Halfling…ahem. But will only tell you that five very nimble, creative, jolly, hardworking Lightfoot Halflings were a result.

They were so well loved that when they were “Quarterlings” as their parents fondly called them (or “Pints” when they were very small) that they felt strong and safe and they developed roots like the trees surrounding their homes. This would serve to ground them in all that they ventured to do.

But, as happens in almost any story, and in what we call “Life” halflings grow and go out into the world to discover Who They Are. And, such is this story. One in which just such a Halfling named Naomi of the Woodcrest ventures out into The World. Let us start in a more comfortable juncture in the story, which seems fitting for a Halfling. Halflings love comfort. And Halflings also often find that, at the same time, their heart longs for adventure. This sort of conundrum is what leads to great stories. And great stories, heroic stories, terrestrial stories, spiritual stories, all of what Life is made of that speaks to our hearts, they are Life Itself. Sharing them is our communion and our energy flowing in and out, breathing, written, spoken aloud, in sharing we live, we breathe.  The World! That place that is both awful and wonderful. That place in which various parts of our childish nature, beliefs, and habits are tested and we either come to a beautiful balance of maturity and childlike curiosity, a complete blighting of the childish nature we had in which we become jagged, or we retreat into our childish habits and they become horrid adult sized problems that keep us from our true growth. But Life is not even that clear cut, is it? Even when you lay out three options! There is a scale of Balance, and Life is always moving a bit on that scale. But the extremes, both low on different sides, are devoid of true living and there is not much to share there. And sharing, growing, that is where Life is real and beautiful. I’m rather prone to a great deal of prefacing when I begin a story. I apologize sincerely. I can tell you more about her, and less of my philosophy, before we venture into that sometimes intimidating place we call The World and Feelings and Growing. I know you are eager to begin hearing the history of this particular Halfling or “Herstory” an important differentiation she would make sure to correct….

bold= no editing at all (must also be put in some sort of order)

Mothers are a great beginnings to a story, mothers are where Life starts, where Life grows. Luthien Woodcrest was a wood elf, fair, wise, strong, she stood like the trees in the forest from whom were her source of being. If she came from the trees one would not doubt it. As if the wind and the moon and the woods had created her. She had a stillness within that only served as foundation for the exquisite ideas that exuded like a river of water from her mind, from her hands, from all of her being. Naomi tried to imitate all that her mother was. Naomi's mother, seeing her, was wise in what she asked her to do. Was wise in asking what she wanted as she lived her time on this land and what made her own heart sing. From this grew a curiosity about herself and expanded the world she thought could be. In fact, as Time bought her many places and she met many people that is one question she had for them "What makes your heart sing?" But I am getting ahead of myself again. 

Luthien worshiped the gods of the woods, Kurnous and Isha, as those from whom life was created. Her father, Dranon, did not worship any god in particular, although at times he paid respects to Sheela Peryroyl. He always said that Luthien was the only goddess that mattered to him as his world ebbed and flowed with her and that his life with her was the only one that mattered. Although this was not a source of contention between her parents it was given great thought by Naomi herself. So much so that it began a seedling of desire to seek an answer. To what, she did not even know. But it was as if she was being called out, drawn by an invisible force from her home. 

Her Father, Dranon, was a Tallfoot halfling. As halflings tend to be he was fond of delicious food, long (and many) meals, fond of laughing, and merrymaking, he cherished family and friendship, his hearth and his home. As a young halfling he had sought adventure, solely because he was curious and full of questions and in these adventures he had met Luthien. As she showed him her love for nature and respect of all that is living, the communion she had with nature, he fell in love with all that she was. The accruement of things was not so special as far as quantity but beauty and significance. For Luthien made things out of stone and wood that were fair to look at and made with a story behind it. And Dranon collected these stories as other halflings collected objects. And in the many meals that he prepared and merrymaking of friends and family, he took out each one, like a treasure, as he saw fit, to share with others, for them to behold. In this, they were complements to one another. And this Naomi and all of brothers and sisters (2 brothers and 2 sisters) had as examples of love and friendship. Luthien would make bow and arrow and hunt (always asking for permission from Nature) and Dranon would prepare great feasts from these hunts. Luthien would carve a table and Dranon would set those pieces in the most comfortable way.