The Wilderness: Memory Lane

TheCuriousSeed

Remember the Wilderness? Keep reading to find out what it was about.

~It was around... actually, years are unlisted in my tales lest said tales be egregiously dated, but let's just say the original Hollow was still open. Many a member pixie would try their hand at the Wilderness of the Hollow, but sometimes had to leave. Maybe their Pixie Dust was exhausted because a teammate kept trying to do the challenges while another was too busy to participate or perhaps the sweets were all exhausted or there was another engagement on the Mainland more pressing than the Wilderness. Maybe even a sudden blackout. Whatever the reason, many would go in, but not as many would be prepared the first time.

~Then one day the Wilderness was explorable by all. Now anyone could get sweets or bake them. Pixie Dust was rationed, but unlike in the movies or books, not everyone got the same extra amount. When starting out, only ten smidges a day unless you baked, then twenty, then thirty, sixty and so on until 240 smidges a day. Each increase as of the first one granted you thirty smidges. Other activities required dust too, such as using Talent Skills in various places and growing and singing to plants, but the wilderness was the most intense and only four pixies per adventure tops.

~Speaking of Talent Skills, Tinkers first learnt Fix, Animal Talents Charm, Water Talents Splash, Garden Talents Grow and Light Talents Illuminate, then other skills were learnt. Once all skills were learnt and all levels reached, some challenges grew a little easier. Squirrels, truffles, frogs, spiders, lizards, butterflies, birds and fireflies needed the pixies' help in the wilderness, be such help be healing, protection, distraction, repairs or placation, to name a few of the respective characters and challenges. Sweets often needed to be eaten to replenish dust, but the Wilderness was indeed worth the risks and rewards.

~Upon completion of each challenge of the Wilderness, encouragement to continue and rewards were given and in the final leg, rewards given too. As more and more found out about the Wilderness, updates were made and new challenges given, but rewards and encouragement were still given. It seemed like a very fun endeavour and to many, it was, but...

~It came to pass that the Hollow would close and all the pixies would have to head to the Mainland to live out their days until a new Hollow was opened. A few years came and went. Some returned and many newcomers joined since, some remained on the Mainland and some returned in new forms. Whatever the reason for the return, the Hollow was definitely different: so far, no Wilderness, almost no games, almost no way to do much but fly, decorate, chat, dressup, save images to closets and visit different areas. One day the Hollow will be readily explorable again.

Hope you enjoyed this sort of blast from the past!