17 Jul 2024, 05:03
The Summer I Turned Caveman
ICE AGEReducioUpon entering the London Stadium's ephemeral winterscape, one may feast their eyes upon the towering, jagged snow-capped mountains and eroded boulders ahead that spark awe as they oversee the quidditch field's permafrost. You might be thinking: "I like that boulder. That is a nice boulder," but don't be so easily fooled. A closer inspection of the mammoth-sized peaks would reveal these massifs as more than simple decor to adorn the tundra, but rather lofty tents with charmed fabric and hidden cave mouths. These tents may be the most peculiar and incongruous compared to the latter tent themes, but wait until you see the inside and ask yourself: have you ever wanted to sleep in a cave, man?
Step inside the "cave" and journey back millions of years into the Ice Age. Inside the tent, its dwellers will be welcomed to an orange, soft glow from the ambient flame that illuminates the inside and defeats the chilling draft of the outside. A cursory glance displays the walls embellished with interactive Parietal Art of fantastic and prehistoric beasts but lacklustre regarding space. Don't let your eyes deceive you of the tent's size; by adhering to the stony pathway straight ahead, the tent's occupants can continue their descent into an underground cave system that boasts mazes and soundproof rooms for an array of activities: painting, excavating fossils, and carving arrowhead necklaces or simply unleashing your most ferocious roars and hearing its mighty echo. Just be sure not to forget to grab one of the many enchanted lanterns available to willing explorers!
Any weary cave-dwellers scouring for refuge within a cosy haven shall look no further; rather than the traditional bunk beds, residents of this tent will each claim one of eight large king-sized platform beds that line the walls. Each bed, four on each side of the tent, provides a small designated trunk and woven baskets to horde away belongings and keepsakes. They are adorned with thick, faux-fur comforters of various vivid shades and designs, and the mattress itself is plush and pleasantly cool despite the weighted faux-fur blankets, guaranteeing any spelunker a perfect night’s rest.
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And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming
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astra - #136323
@Oonagh Brown ∆ @Aleksandra FairBairn ∆ @Tommy Patterson
Suitcase, check. Backpack, also check. Shrinking Charm-ed pool noodles in her pocket, triple check.
Though, now arriving at camp to a chilly gust of snow in the face, it didn't seem like the pool noodles would be all that necessary. It was likely the strangest and least prepared for thing she had encountered that year, but she felt a sort of numbness to it, heaving a long-suffering sigh as snow dusted her person.
Seeming largely unaffected by the cold, the girl carved her way through the masses, bodies parting to make way for the preteen walking like she commanded thousands of Stormtroopers and wore a big black robosuit. One could almost hear the Imperial March playing in the background.
She'd been directed to one of the "Ice Age" tents, whatever that meant, and she glanced askance at the map in her hand before crumpling it into her free pocket in a bold declaration of independence.
The snakelet in short-sleeves and denim shorts seemed almost superhuman as the snow flurried around her and her sneakers became damper and damper with every step, yet still she marched on as stoic as a statue, not a shiver or a chatter, never even a flush to her skin. If any had doubts the infamous Astra Norrick was a bona fide maniac, this did nothing but confirm them. Her single mindedness in finding this tent combined with a worrying under-sensitivity to the biting chill (must be the Scottish blood) only added to the aura of terrible mystery, evidenced by the looks and whispers and singular shout if "Watch out, she's hunting!"
Astra halted beside the tent she was intended for, blank but calculating gaze sweeping the spaces between tents for the culprit, but they had regrettably made their exit. *Git.* Mum said it wouldn't happen. It just did.
Astra looked up at the tall peak of the tent. Vague wonder colored her features, how did they manage to do that?, before she stepped into the mouth of the cave.
Observation the first: Warm. Orange. Fire. The second: Paintings, seeming to shimmer magically in the flickering light on the billowy tent wall. The third: the path in the middle dipping underground, what seemed to be lanterns. The fourth: big skylight, very pretty.
The fifth, and the most important: Big bed. Astra made a beeline for one of the low sitting king-sized platforms that had a topmost blankets seemingly of polar bear fur and a blue and red also fuzzy quilt. It was right near the skylight, too. She flopped onto it, sinking slightly as she sighed again, taking a moment before she began to unpack. Maybe Aleks or Tommy would get here soon. Maybe she went to the completely wrong tent and would have to go through an Ordeal. But for now, Astra was going to take a moment to herself, to enjoy this wonderful bed and a little existentialism.