Amanita Nightshade's LS diary

Cover
Herein lies the details of a daring escape, an arduous journey, a small misunderstanding, and a different kind of escape.

Freedom to Bloom
Amanita climbed from the dusty old tomb into the fresh air and sunlight. She had been underground for so long that she had forgotten how good the warmth felt on her face and hair. Amanita's hair was her best feature, or so she had been told - on more than a hundred occasions - and she knew it must me glowing radiantly in the sun. She stretched and held both arms out from her sides until she had soaked in enough energy to make the walk toward the caravan, which she could see in the distance. Glancing down at her pet maggot who was clinging to her sleeve, Amanita was momentarily self-conscious about the clothes she was wearing; for while they had certainly been in style - or rather was the style - when she first put them on, fashions do tend to change over the course of 1300 years. Of course, she would still be beautiful regardless, and that thought warmed her even more than the sun. The caravan seemed to be slowing, as if they were looking for a place to camp for the night. Amanita thought briefly abouit waving and shouting but that seemed so undignified - especially for someone of her status - so she decided it would be best to keep walking until she reached the camp, and that way she could maintain her carefully cultivated dignity. She also wasn't sure if this was a caravan of normies or monsters so she intended to approach with caution. As luck would have it, this was a caravan of monsters, and she was so relieved at her good fortune that she didn't want to ruin the occasion by stirring up a rescue party. There would be plenty of time for that, and since the de Niles weren't going anywhere, it could wait until tomorrow or perhaps the next day.

Transplanted
Amanita moved on with the caravan because they offered to take her to a large city on the coast, and since she could think of no reason for her not leave right away, she went with them. Of course, the monsters in the caravan were immediately entranced by Amanita, as if they couldn't resist such perfection. They even believed her to be some kind of lost princess. How they got that idea she hadn't a clue, but Amanita didn't want to quarrel over a minor technicality. Amanita did, however, become offended after certain uncivilized members of the caravan subjected her to many questions regarding how she walked out of the desert by herself, without supplies or water, and where her other travelling companions might be. Amanita wasn't about to be treated like she was on trial, and it was becoming apparent to her that manners had deteriorated greatly in the past 1300 years, especially when it came to commoners questioning royalty. Eventually, the questioning drew a crowd demanding answers and Amanita felt the urge to flee back into the desert. That is when a ghoul's voice spoke up from behind her. "You cannot uncover a secret by shouting any more so than raising your voice can cause a planted seed to sprout. Leave her be, we all have out buried secrets that will come to fright in their own place and time." The monsters surrounding Amanita stopped asking questions, politely bowed and quickly walked away. Amanita turned to thank the ghoul, but after seeing who it was, almost ran to join the questioning crowd herself. The ghoul was tall and strong, with a dancer's grace and an air of command. She wore a hooded cloak of emerald green over her travelling clothes, and through though the hood was deep enough to cover hide her eyes, it was not deep enough to keep her serpentine locks from occasionally darting out. Amanita, whose knowledge of all things was celebrated throughout the monster world, knew that this must be Medusa, of the legendary Gorgons. While Amanita could not see Medusa's eyes - which was a good thing - she felt there was a connection between them, and Amanita knew it wouldn't be long before Medusa developed a case of hero worship toward her. The way Medusa kept staring at her and not speaking made Amanita realize it had already happened. If fact, it had become rather uncomfortable for AManita who, even though she was used to being gazed at adoringly, was not sure she liked the way Medusa's snakes kept hissing at her. Obviously they were jealous. Finally Medusa said, "It does make one wonder though... it does make one wonder." Medusa said nothing else and pulling her hood down tighter on her head, walked back into the camp. It was plain that she was star struck. Amanita went back to her tent as well, but the bed was lumpier than she was accustomed to and it gave her frightmares all night.

Amongst the Weeds
When Amanita found out from one of the camel handlers that she would be walking alongside the camels rather than riding on one, she insisted on speaking to the caravan master. Amanita was led to the caravan master, who turned out to be a caravan mistress, who turned out to be Medusa. She was moving back and forth amidst the controlled chaos of the packing, issuing orders and keeping everything moving. Medusa's hood was drawn back, and she was wearing a fierce mask with reflective spider's-eye sapphires sit in the mask's eyeholes; one could not see in, but it was obvious Medusa could see out. Amanita had to wait, quite patiently and humbly of course, until Medusa could spare a moment, but the patience was not rewarded in the way she expected. "The camels are for transporting goods; they do not need the extra weight of a ghoul who is perfectly capable of walking herself." Then, to add injury to insult, Medusa considered the matter closed and purposely ignored Amanita, as if her concerns were no longer valid. Amanita had a good mind to sit right down and not move until her needs were met, but the camels had already started to move and no monster seemed to care about her feelings at all. In fact, a dull-witted minotaur even tried to make a joke at her expense by saying if she really wanted to ride, Amanita could probably convince Medusa to turn her into a statue, and then she could be strapped on top of the other luggage. Amanita would have cried, but did not want to lose any moisture on account of these rude and uncaring creatures.

Harshly Pruned
The camp was in an uproar of activity earlier than usual, which was very early indeed, and Amanita was in no mood to be gracious about this disturbance. Lack of sleep led to leaf wilt, root tangle and stunted growth, none of which looked good on Amanita. No one would tell her what was happening, so she decided to go back to bed until the sun had climbed to a reasonable place in the sky. Just as Amanita had gotten comfortable and almost asleep again, there came a nettlesome scratching at the door of her tent, followed by a familiar voice calling her name. "Amanita, come out here now!" Amanita refused to set a precedent by replying to such a rudely toned request, so she simply ignored it. That's when the flap to her tent was thrown open and Medusa stepped inside. A green glow filled her hood and Amanita could see than Medusa's jaw was tightly clenched. Amanita never clenched her jaw like that because it caused headaches and pollen clumping. "Did you go into the supply tent and drink two barrels of shivering spring water?" Amanita was confused by the question and why Medusa was angry. Of course she drank the spring water. What was her alternative, the common well water the rest of the caravan had to share? No no no, that would never do. Medusa's hands grasped the sides of her hood, and for a moment, Amanita could not tell of she was going to pull it back or push it forward. "That water was to be sold in the city, it was not meant for you." Amanita was indignant and said that she could not be blamed if the barrels were not clearly marked. She could not tell if the hissing that she heard next was from Medusa's snakes of Medusa herself. "We will discuss how you plan on paying for that water when we reach our destination," said Medusa, who spun on her heel and left the tent. Amanita was wondering now if it wouldn't have been better for her to have stayed in the tomb with the de Niles.

A Better Garden Awaits
Amanita was happy to see the lights of the city come into view and smell the scent of the ocean. It meant that she could no longer be stuck with this caravan of monsters who were unable and unwilling to treat her in a manner worthy of her obvious beauty and charm. Medusa had not brought up the issue of the water again, so Amanita felt sure Medusa had forgotten, or perhaps realized how selfish she was being toward Amanita. Neither turned out to be the case as Medusa found Amanita and gave her a full bill for the water. Amanita told Medusa the amount was ridiculous and that she couldn't possibly afford to play, so Medusa told her that she could work off the debt by watering and cleaning up after the camels for a month. This time, after she left, Amanita really did cry; but she'd be a stinkweed before she stooped to watering and cleaning up after a bunch of smelly animals. Her reputation, not to mention her nails, would never live through it. Amanita thought that perhaps it was time for another long, long nap, and maybe this time when she woke up it would be in a place where her beauty would be celebrated and appreciated for what it was; without equal.