Allow us to introduce a lovely gnomish gentleman by the name of-well... Gnomish names much too closely resemble elvish names, and if you know anything about elves, you know how long winded they can be. So let’s stick with David for now. David is much like the forest gnomes you’ll see decorating a lawn or selling prepackaged cookies, except he is a living and breathing creature that gets hungry, that sleeps at night, and occasionally has political opinions. He would often wake up in the morning smelling of rosemary and thyme before watering his garden and saying hello to all of the woodland creatures. Such is the life of David: simple yet intricate. 

The not so ordinary thing about David is that he lives in a world parallel to ours. A world covered in neverending forests, fairies, dragons, and wizards like what you would find in a story book. He is quite the conundrum: not quite fitting in even in his own fantastical world. Most gnomes only have access to stewardship magic: magic for nature and her bounty. It has always been rare for a gnome to have access to Arcane, Black, or Elemental magics. However, David is the exception, having a prodigal depth of understanding of elemental and arcane magic. The only reason why he hasn’t taken on Black magic is due to his direct orders from the Gnome King: Tillus. It didn't matter to David. In his life he only cared about gnomish affairs like gardening and baking, with no ambition for higher things. It would soon come to be known that forces beyond David’s understanding had some special in store for him.

It just so happened that his day of reckoning would be Tuesday. On Tuesday, David is called to a meeting at the King’s Court-something that was frequent to the citizens under his care. Tillus is a gracious king that regularly meets with his subjects, and David was no exception. So David went on a stroll down his lane, passing by all of his neighbors. He had a wide variety of neighbors hailing from a variety of different directions. His backdoor neighbors were a couple of pixies (certified lovebugs), his left side neighbor was a retired minotaur, his right side neighbor was a family of hobbits, his tree-canopy neighbor was a garden snake. He knew them all very well, as this home of his was an ancestral home-a birthright, as were all of his neighbors’ homes. Besides those neighbors, he had across-the-street neighbors, and underground neighbors, although he didn’t speak to them much.

On this particular morning, all of his neighbors had already arrived at the court, meaning David was fashionably late. He knew this, and decided to use his magic to his advantage. In one swift flick of his wrist, he changes the leaves of a nearby tree into wings that fasten easily on his shoulders. He began to flap, and as he spoke his incantation, a hot gust of air rushed below him, jetting him far above and beyond the canopy. Once he had achieved liftoff, he soared along his lane, angled downward to pick up speed. At his stiff angle, he left behind trails of wind that wisped over the tops of houses, mushrooms, and great open fields. Since he lived outside of the city, he had to fly over the villages, the farms, and the outer city markets before he could get to the castle. 

The city looked beautiful this particular morning. A gentle breeze swept the early morning fog across the waves of grain in the countryside, and the mushroom towers sparkled in the distance. Yes, the city was made out of a bunch of jumbo-sized mushrooms, but it was the most durable material that they had available. Plus they absorb water, making for easy insulation when the winters come. On the outer rim of the city, there stands a legion of wizards, holding up the protective spell that contains the city. Recognizing David, they parted the barrier to allow him to fly through. 

The streets themselves were lined with moss and the main road was covered with foot traffic due to the king’s orders. Bears, deer, songbirds, and every manner of woodland creature you might find made an appearance. Bigfoot apparently showed up early, and had already left. As David flew over the lush, green pathway he looked up at the centerpiece: the king’s castle. The center of the castle was a red-topped mushroom sitting at about 10 stories tall. Surrounding the inner sanctum were huge redwood trees that surrounded it in a perfect circle, all connected by their own enchantments to secure the gaps between the trees. It is said that the enchantments are as strong and durable as a solid diamond, but nobody has ever tested them before. At the very front stood a large vine gateway, about 20 feet tall, that rose above the lichenous trail. 

David whisked himself underneath the gate and went straight for the inner sanctum. He landed beautifully in the front garden, covered in every type of flower that you’ve seen, and probably some flowers that you’ve never heard of. Not taking any time to take in the scenery, David shed his wings and trudged straight to the front door. The guards let him in with no worry, and there David stood in the throne room. The floors were made out of glossed obsidian, shined so perfectly that anyone who stood on it could see a perfect reflection of themselves below. David noticed something strange when he entered, though: aside from the normal guards and the King, David was the only one in the room. 

The king was a towering visage of an elf, standing taller than all of the NBA players in history, with broad shoulders and slender arms that all finished in angled, pointed joints and jawlines. He looked as if he was a young man, but he has existed for many millennia, and will likely live another several. His sharp face was complimented by soft, green eyes and a warm complexion. He would often have a smile on his face that would often be conflated with a smirk, despite his sincerity. The elf looked up at the gnome and gestured for him to come closer.

“David, perfect. You are exactly who I wanted to see.”

David bowed at the king’s feet, making sure to pay his respects. The king’s face was scrunched up in a scowl, showing that he was either angry or vexed.

“David, I will be candid and concise with you. I need your help.”

This alarmed David, as he wasn’t sure if the king had ever needed a gnome’s help, least of all _his _help, but he nodded for the king to continue. The king pulled out a sealed envelope with his initials on it.

“This letter is of dire purpose and must be delivered discreetly.”

He hands the letter to David. 

“You are to go to the human world and seek out the recipient. Their name is written in human tongue, so you will have to have it translated. Need you any guidance to accomplish this task?”

David shakes his head. He had many questions, but he knew that if the situation was 

this dire, it wouldn’t do to waste time with queries. As soon as he faces forward once more, a portal opens beneath David. He falls, reaching out as everything he has ever known shrinks to nothingness before his eyes. His stomach turns and his heart drops as the environment changes around him. He begins to burn hotter and hotter until…

David looks around, noting the verdant trees and a floor covered with leaves. The trees are already changing in the autumn air, igniting fires in the blue sky above. This was all strange for David, who was used to evergreen trees that would never turn, and a sky that would change hues like the Aurora Borealis throughout the day. A blue sky is incredibly rare where he is from-only happening once every several years, and never with the same consistency as what he is witnessing.

Humans would recognize this backyard anywhere in the country: a shallow patch of 

trees that lead into a grassy hill that is partially fenced-in. There is an implication of a dog present: half-chewed and colorful toys scattered across the yard, with a well-worn tennis ball in a child’s sandy play pit. David walks out of the treeline, checking to see if there was any foul magic that could be in play. Surprisingly, he feels the smallest amount of magic he has ever felt before, as if in this world it didn’t exist. That’s when he comes out: the house owner. 

The house owner is a car salesman that has owned this house for the past 20 years. You wouldn’t know about his garish profession based on his behavior at home though. He religiously waters his garden every day, weeding every two, and pruning his bushes once a week. He is unmarried, with two children that he gets to see on the weekend, and is overall regarded to be a regular man with very few aspirations. If you ever get the chance to ask him, he is “Living the dream!” every day, and his name is Thomas. 

The marvelous thing about humans is that, while they are not necessarily magical, they

are fairly drawn to it wherever it is. There is almost this 6th sense with every human and magic: if it is dangerous, unknown, and volatile, they must be as near as possible so they can experience this awful event as closely as possible. Why else would there be ghost hunting shows? Thomas is no different, and as soon as David crossed the threshold into his backyard, Thomas knew that something had changed. The actual encounter lasts perhaps 5 seconds: Thomas makes eye contact with David, David turns to run, and Thomas scoops him up like a father carrying his baby out of a bassinet. Thomas says something that, to David, is like speaking in tongues. What he actually says is “Well why would I leave one of you back here?”

Thomas carries one of the most powerful gnomes in the entire realm by the top of his head, moving to the front yard. Around his garden presided nearly a dozen garden gnomes that all resembled David. I believe you can see where this is going. Before David could rattle off any spells or shout any curses, he was partially buried around the ankles in clear vision of the adjacent street. Thomas pats David on the head, smiles, and wipes his forehead. He shakes his head and sighs with relief-he must have been missing a gnome for a long time. And so David sits, waiting for the right time to make a run for it.