The Ddiscovery of Norngarden 2
by Uncle Asriel
The Lone Shee faced the door at the far end of the Norngarden, looking very perplexed. Ever since the day, now long faded into the distant past, when the Norngarden first fused to the Capillata and he began exploring the strange new place, he had been incapable of discovering the secret concealed by what lay beyond the door he now stood over, lost in thought. He'd tried everything: prying the door open with brute force, attempting to burn through it with a laser, even going so far as to modifying macrobacteria to eat through it were futile. The Lone Shee was stumped.
He leaned forward, putting his weight on the door's frame as he glared at it. The door was the colour of an old nutshell, and concealed innumerable secrets. It was as if its sole reason for existing was to taunt him, to prevent him from learning more. Frustrated, he forcefully banged on the frame surrounding the sealed entrance. There was a creaking, and a groan as the door shuddered. The Lone Shee stepped back in surprise. Layers of the dead brown colour were shed, to reveal underneath a colour quite similar that of the rest of the Norngarden. The Lone Shee was flabbergasted. He must've pressed a concealed button or something, because the door that stood before him looked so alive. Eagerly, he reached over, and pressed the door. It groaned like the original Norngarden had when he first open it, but this was so much...more. The sound subsided, and through the now open door wafted a fresh, earthy-smelling aroma. It touched his nostrils gently. Cautiously, the Lone Shee entered.
The first thing he saw was flowers. Small, fragrant, and very pretty, they were unlike anything else from the old Norngarden. They sat on the ground beneath him, in the shadow of a ledge far above his head. For some reason, these florals were reminiscent of old Albia. On impulse, the Lone Shee reached down to pick one, when a sound disturbed him. He looked up to see a strange little critter come towards him. It appeared harmless, but a scientific instinct told him that it may not be safe. Fully of curiousity, he ignored this instinct, and he knelt down to take a closer look at the newcomer. It was a small, ground hugging little animal, with skin the same colour as the walls of the surrounding room: a rich, rusty tone. Curiously, it had a small, almost glassy protrusion on one side. The Lone Shee gingerly touched ithis oddity, and was surprised to see the small creature produce seeds, which lazily drifted in the air for a moment, before softly settling to the ground. A strange, mottled yellow creature with wings flew down between the shee and the newcomer, eyed the scientist curiously for a moment, then picked up some of the seeds in its long, orange mouth. It then flew upward into the foliage, and out of the Lone Shee's field of view.
The Lone Shee stood there for a long time, simply staring at all that was around him. "This place is big," he thought as his gaze wandered the room. "Bigger than the Norngarden." He paused for a minute. "Probably better than the Norngarden, too." He though about this statement for a while, then smirked. "A perfect name: the Norngarden Two." He then became still, and stood there for a while more. Then, with a vigorous gleam in his eye, he set off to explore this wonderful place.
