18 OVER THE EDGE December 5, 2007-January 9, 2008 Oracular Discovery, Book 1 of the Sylvestris Heritage A periodical book: Chapter 4 “Meetings and Leavings” AMANDA RAMSAY CONTRIBUTOR This is a book being written chapter by chapter for publication in Over the Edge Newspaper. The previous chapters were in the previous editions af Over the Edge News- paper. Ligea He had led us safely through the bog and had in fact been right about getting to the other side of the bog. We were camped now, wet and soggy. Hologoud was doing his best to light a fire but his best just wasn’t cutting it. “Would you like me to give it a try? All you’re making is smoke!” I giggled because I wanted him to take it as a joke. I didn’t want him to get offended, but I was choking on the thick black smoke he was making. “I’m trying to make smoke.” Since the bog incident, he wasn’t talking to me and I was kind of lonely not being able to joke with him. “Why? Is it a signal for someone?” He stopped and turned away from the fire to face me. He pointed towards a border of a wooded area just past the clearing from where we were settled. “Over there is the Adamante Forest, we will be going through there soon, but I know how to warn the guards so that they do not think we are perpetrators.” I began laughing, I couldn’t help it. This was absurd. “There is no one who lives in the Ada- mante Forest! No one can even get through it. It’s too dense, the breed of trees there have roots that form an interconnected system that allows them to grow so close. There will be no passing it.” He eyed me. He seemed curi- ous, no happy, no...I couldn’t tell. “There is something I must tell you then be- fore you go entirely crazy. There is a group of people that live in the Adamante Forest and who have been living there since the begin- ning of our civilization. Herodians are a group of people who are of the Pteridomids and have a great sense of nature. Most importantly they work with nature, this is how they formed the Adamante Forest. This Forest did not exist before the time of our ancestors, our ancestors worked the trees from the ground up.” “I’m confused, how do they do that?” “J don’t know, only a select number of people know how. It is their ‘Gift.’” He looked at me and cocked his head to one side. He was waiting for another question, but I didn’t have any. The Adamante Forest was the end of my journey and I would be here for a long time according to Hologoud; I was bound to see this tree cultivation first hand, eventually. Hologoud The smoke warning had been done. It would be another hour or so before one of the Norns would arrive. It hadn’t been my idea and I dis- agreed with it entirely. Norns of such import- ance did not belong out of the safety of their protected realm. Ligea had started wandering around the clearing and edge of the forest looking at the plants. I could see what her first gift was, I was still amazed that such a com- bination could occur. Her gifts were legend- ary within our people. Only problem was, she didn’t know she-was one of our people. A while later Summathri came out to greet us. Ligea had an entertaining look on her face. “Welcome, I will guide you now.” Said Summathri to Lige, focusing intently on her face. Ligea looked at me, “What about you, where are you going?” “He’s going to get the horse he left at the clearing near your house.” Summathri said. “Horse?” She asked. “Dammit!” I had forgotten all about the horse. It was still tethered to the tree. Hope- fully it was still alive. Should have been, but he’d be weak. Summathri smiled and shook her head. “It’s okay Ligea, she’s one of the Norns who sent me.” She was still confused but she followed Summathri to the edge of the forest and disappeared with her into the hid- den passages. I turned and left to go get that horse, the one with all the shit. Craig Cardiff’s Sound Strikes a Chord SimRAN LEHAL Stare Writer This article was supposed to be printed in the last issue of Over the Edge. With a clink of metal upon metal, and a slight cough from the throat, the striking depths of singer/songwriter Craig Cardiff’s soulful strings rarefied the stage, the air, on Saturday night. Newly arrived from a sold-out show in Vancouver, Cardiff opened his voice to Prince George residents and was greeted with much warmth, heart, and thunderous approval. Cardiff, guitar in hand, strummed lyrics and melodies from his latest album, his eleventh in ten years, “Good- night (Go home).” An un-tapping foot, an immobile limb were naught to be found among listeners, as Cardiff’s blend of earthy tones and bluesy sentiment echoed and mirrored the hearts of Prince George. Cardiff’s lyrics touched cords of Canadiana, deep tracts connecting NB to BC, in an embrace of music, emotion, and Canadian experience. As the night waxed, a heady cocktail of song was passed among the audience, conversed in un-silent whispers and audible voices until Cardiff’s own voice was almost drowned by the sea of voices. A sense of intimacy between artist and listener. As the night weaned, time seemed to accelerate unwarranted, leaving patrons look- ing over their shoulders as they were ushered out with an apt but regretful “Goodnight, go home.” A roomful of song placed in memory— kudos to Jenna Pocock for arranging this night. For the upcoming weeks, Cardiff has committed himself to over fifty evenings such as this one in Prince George, as he criss-crosses the Canadian landscape with the release of his new, much anticipated and well- reviewed album. Those tired of the likes of Blue Rodeo and Paul Brandt should give Cardiff’s tracks a spin...a sedation from overplayed music. Cardiff’s sound can be downloaded online at iTunes and maplemusic.com. Tuesday morning, after the performance was blurred in memory, Cardiff phoned from an obscure Ontario highway, a gracious man fulfilling an interview request — no tape recorder, just writing, and here, summarized, is what ensued: Have you always wanted to perform? Yes, I believe so. I enjoy the balance between song-writing and performing and the connection between musi- cian and listener. Describe song-writing. Songs are a collection of bits and pieces of life. Like art, sound is a conversation and my job is to stitch it all together. Memorable performance? It was at Ginger’s Tavern in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Every couple was up dancing and singing along to all the words in the dark. Feeling when you first heard your song on the radio? Well, I actually haven’t heard it on the radio yet, even though it’s been played on the CBC. I did have some- thing like that happen though, when I was in a bar and someone mentioned my song was playing. I heard it, % and it felt pretty good. You performances have been described as small, living room shows. Well, I don’t avoid large crowds — some of my concerts have been to hundreds of people. I don’t fill stadiums or anything, but I like the connection and the enjoyment from a lot of people. Sometimes, though, that is better in smaller venues. How did you find the Prince George performance? Would you come back? Absolutely. Everybody was awesome, and Jenna Pocock was great on such short notice. Prince George was incredible. I would definitely like to come back again and work with the student body in the future. What’s next? Well, I’m in a car with a representative from UBC, and we’ve driven across in Ontario going to pick up more albums. The thousand copies were all sold out at UBC before I got to Prince George, so I’m just going to pick Craig Cardiff playing some more up before I tour up again in Atlantic Canada. Break a leg. Thanks. -PHOTO COURTESY OF MiGkE HasicHer