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History

For a boy of eleven, Anthony sure has gone through a lot. He was born to a couple who were not ready nor equiped to be parents, Teresa and Will Watson: his father had been an alcoholic and his mother had anger management issues. They were constantly fighting, and in fact were preparing to divorce and were disputing custody of the child when the court found neither parent to be a suitable caregiver to the then year and a half old child. From there he went to a foster home for young children, where a family took care of several toddlers, including him. They cared for all the young children, and when they turned three, the children were passed on to another home.

For Anthony, this was the farm of Robert and Janet Teague, of Queenstown. Like many of their neighbours, the pair raised sheep for wool. They were both very religious, belonging to the Roman Catholic church, though Janet was by far the more vocal of the two about it. They raised him with care, though they didn't love him - not quite, anyway. They believed it to be much more of a civic responsibility to look after children like Anthony - in a way, they have been babysitters these eight years. They made sure he was safe, looked after, comforting, but caretakers and fill-ins none the less.

Janet Teague
Anthony's primary caregiver. She made his meals, did his laundry, and all of the infinitely diverse small things that mothers do for their children. She looks after the house, helps feed and work with the animals, and volunteers her time in the community, helping to better it, as she is by being a foster parent. One thing she made sure to do was to pray the Rosary with her charge each night before he went to bed. She stands a good 5'10" tall, with flowing dark brown hair almost to her waist. Given the chance, she'll wear simple dresses, but as need calls, she'll happily don jeans or other work apparel.

Robert Teague
Robert spends the greater part of his time out with the sheep - tending the huge flock in one way or another, or fixing a farm impliment. He has a farmer's tan to a high degree, and wears a wide-brimmed hat most of the time to prevent sunburn. He usually is clean shaven with practical, very short hair, though sometimes he lets his beard grow if he needs the time for other things on the farm and won't be going to the city for a few days. He's generally quiet by nature, believing that actions speak louder than words.

Anthony Watson
Now for the important part - Anthony!
From the time he arrived at the Teague's, he found he had to explore, always wandering off in random directions, over that hill, around the barn. to the point where the Teagues almost put a leash on him. One thing that happened quite early on was that they called him "Anny", simply as a short name - to which he never responded. In fact, when he was still very small he thought that "Anny" was another person, a girl just out of site. So often on his early-year tromps he would go look for this mysterious girl, always just out of sight. Eventually he 'befriended' the girl, imagining her, talking to her. Janet and Robert found it cute for a time, until he was about to start school. When he failed to give it up, even after being talked to about it, they took him to a therapist. The consultation told them that Anthony would eventually grow out of it.

They were wrong.

When Anthony started Kindergarten, he was teased a great deal when he talked to Anny. He was forced to go on the defensive, continually repeating what his mind saw to the other kids - which pushed him farther away. After a time, the bar was raised and shouting matches began, as well as bullying - the kids at his school simply didn't want to play with him. Janet would pick him up after school at a loading area by the school, and it became a place of torment for the boy other kids, bigger kids and older kids, would call him names or even throw rocks and stones. In fact, it was because of this that Anthony found his 'secret' passage. After a rather aggravating stone-throwing by some of the bigger boys, he was literally chased away from the loading point with sticks. Nearby he found a chain-link fence, and almost thinking he was trapped, he noticed a hole underneath it - one that was large enough for him to fit through, but small enough that the other boys couldn't follow. Needless to say, he took it. On the other side was a ravine, stretching a great distance. He explored it with Anny, wiping away the tears and talking to her. It was on that even, walking through the ravine, that he found his first 'Stone.' [See Pukka Post] Eventually he made his way back to a road, where a payphone was nearby and he called home with a little lunch money he lad left over. Little did he know it was long but manageable walk back to the Teague farm. While he was still in third year, Janet and Robert both agreed it wasn't a place for him to go. As time and the bullying went on, though, his pleading with them finally came through, simply because more often than not he was coming home with bruises otherwise. Starting in fourth year, they allowed him in the ravine. Sometimes they would pick him up near where he had found the pay phone, and sometimes they would let him walk all the way home if both of them were very busy. In all, though, it was only 3 kilometers, and after the payphone junction the Teagues had neighbours that could watch out for the boy. It was his preference, also, so why not?

Anthony was thrilled, to say the least. Over time he had adventures there, found more Stones, and as always, it was a good escape route - even too good. There were many a time where he would use it as a passage rightly, but there were other times that, if he felt particularly spiteful against all of the other children, he would call them names or say something mean (because he was far too weak to pick on them physically) and then would run back to the shelter of the Ravine, and then go home.

This continued well into his fifth year and he was nearing twelve years old. And this is where our story begins...

Anthony's Pukka

Anthony's Pukka Object, simply enough, is his anklet. The first time he went into the ravine, he found his first Stone - just a shiny pebble, blue and rounded by the stream that was once there. To him, though, it was a physical symbol of his bond with Anny. Over the two years that he was in the ravine, he had collected several more. He really was picky, though, and only found five in that whole time, with one, green stone being larger than the others. Eventually, he bargained with Janet to make it into a necklace of hemp for him, with the green stone in the center. After he was teased for it, though, he started wearing it on his leg instead, wrapped around twice so it wouldn't sag and catch on something. He wore it everywhere - even in the tub, though he would take it off just to clean underneath, and back on it went. It was, in many ways, the only physical presence of Anny he had.

Needless to say though, as a young boy does, he lost it. One time, when sliding down the side of the ravine after escaping through the fence, a branch was able to expertly snag the anklet and left it hanging there. The problem was, Anthony was far too much on adrenaline rush to notice. Later, nearing the pay phone, he scratched the back of his leg with the other, a subconscious thing he started doing a while back. Realizing the anklet was not there, he told Anny, and they started back, though Anny ran ahead of him for quite a ways, as she was the faster of the two. Finally reaching the fence, he found the Stone anklet hanging there, but something was different - in fact, the green stone had been replaced - but a cut and polished one. He took a good look at it, confused, and was about to point it out to Anny when the world turned upside down.

The Myth

THIS is one of several sites where I have researched the hippopotamus in legend. The sites that provide relatively useful information are limited. Below, I have tried to form a new myth in the style and nature of some others from Egypt, blending them slightly with the Greek tendency for river gods and so forth. A note though; it is not an example of my usual storytelling or roleplay. In fact, most myths are rather vague about descriptions, especially since they change hands so often and they are usually told verbally, so detail is rather irrelevant.

"In ancient Egypt, there was a great river, the Nile. Now the river was a strong and proud one, where many people lived. Beyond was the Great Desert, which was wordlessly agreed upon to be land of Seth. Seth was a very cruel God who demanded much, and killed many who went out into the sands. Every few years, though, Seth demanded a tribute for himself of the people. One time, he desired a piece of the Nile Delta so that he could turn it into desert, so he could rule more land.

Out of fear of the God of chaos and confusion, the many villagers agreed. Therefore, Seth began to turn part of the West Delta into desert, leaving only a small river between green and sand. In the river he put a hippopotamus, his icon, to guard the water.

A year later, a woman of reknown crossed into the desert from the Nile with a small entourage in the hopes of saving time, traveling to the sea. Seth began to chase the woman, wanting to punish her for her crime. She had been prepared, however, and when she was able to make it to the dividing river her men built a raft, and she began to cross. Seeing this, Seth sent the hippo after her.

It just so happened that when this was happening, a soldier of Pharoah was on a nearby road in the delta when he heard the cries for help. He then saw hte woman, and wanted to win her heart. Seeing the hippo, he rushed into the water and after doing battle, slew the beast by removing its head.

Seth was angered greatly by this, and decided to reform the creature, more powerful than before. He was only able to use materials available, though, and saw the man. As a trick, he called forth his power to move the two parts of the hippo to man. Carefully, as to prevent the man's notice, he replaced the man's head with the hippo's, and ever so gently, used the hippo's body to change the man's legs and body.

The man then walked forward, unaware, and to the woman protested his undying love. Horrified by his appearance, the woman screamed and rejected the man, much to Seth's pleasure.

Unaware of the strength and brutality he now possesed, the man slew the woman and her company, and then swore an oath to Seth to prevent anyone crossing the river again. Seth then lifted the veil from the man's eyes to see his hideous transformation, but it was too late. To this day, the cunning hippo-man guards the West bank of the Nile Delta for Seth, and all those who would scorn him."

Hey.

Anny was right, there was something wrong with that stone. And in a split second it was clear why
One moment Anthony was standing there holding the anklet, the next he was being pulled through a vortex of colors. It was a really nasty sensation, like he was underwater and couldn't resurface to breath. His lungs and is ears felt like they were being crushed, as the colors seemed to twist and coil around his body, intruding in his vision and his mind

But when it felt like he was about to suffocate, the colors vanished and he landed with a thud on the muddy, grass covered ground. Although likely blinded by the sudden change of environment, or perhaps by the pounding headache from not landing right, still the air couldn't smell sweeter
But it wouldn't take long to realize it smelled completely different from where he last was. The soil was damp from a previous rain, so the air was filled with that rich scent of wet dirt. And the noises weren't normal as well, because the air was filled with the sounds of rustling leaves from the thick canopy above and the chattering birds unseen in that sea of green
A look around would reveal a chapel only a few feet away, but the forest had long taken over it, so it was in an advanced state of ruin, with crumbling walls and ivy trying to conquer the stone. There weren't any clear roads anywhere either, except for a couple of deer paths for those with a sharper eye

Chris and Anthony with Alex in the forest.

Anthony and Jessibell - Jessi's glass shop.