Play@YSDC

Paul watches in the direction of the house 'so what you people think' 'you think this guy know anything about the circle' ' seems reluctant to talk about it anyways, maybe he has been really bugged about it before or something, fed up sort of thing' 'maybe some female charm is in order?' Paul glances at Samantha and Petronella 'im wondering how we can drag some information out of the man'

"He does seem reluctant to talk about it, certainly. I was wondering if looking around the house might be a way in." says Samantha. "Perhaps we could discuss the circle with him then, as well as see more of the house? Though I'm not the journalist. What do you think Petronella?"

"It's hard to say why he doesn't want to talk about it," says Laurence as he examines the stone circle. "Maybe it did disturb him. Or perhaps he is simply so keen on his gardens that he doesn't want to talk about anything else. It couldn't hurt for the ladies to have a try."

Pet nods. "Sure....we can ask him about the history of the house, that sort of thing. If the garden is older than the buildings and so on."

As Nicholas is taking pictures of the stone ring, something catches his attention and he points it out to the others. It looks to be as if something, perhaps a rune, was etched onto each of the stones, and then later removed. It seems impossible to tell what runes were once carved there.

Nicholas puts his camera down and goes to take a closer look at the stone.

At the base of each stone are small stone shavings. Where the etching had been carved away, the small bits of stone fell and lay.

ooc - for all,Really isn't much more you can learn from this circle, so if ya'll want to continue, let me know where you're heading next.

"Perhaps we could take rubbings of these markings, but the runes may be too badly defaced for that to be of any aid," says Laurence. "If we can't do anything here, let's head back to the house. Our host may know something about this."

'Nicholas take some good pictures fo those symbols will you?' Paul looks at Laurence 'rubbings seems like a good idea too' 'if no one oposes lets get back to the house and se what we can get out of the man'

"Agreed," says Laurence. He borrows a pencil and paper from Paul and takes what rubbings he can. "All right, let's head back."

Nicholas frowned at Paul and said, "Good pictures? What do you take me for? A hack? I am a professional man! I take nothing but perfect pictures, pictures even better than God intended for man to see with his eye alone. Pictures that can make the most stoic man weep, the most hardened woman cry like a babe. Good pictures... Pish posh to you I say sir!" He let his face glow red as he forced his anger to build. "Just kidding Paul, although I do stand by what I said about my pictures. I once made an American special forces officer cry at the picture I took of an aftermath battle scene. Horror just cannot be reflected in the movies."

Nicholas felt a chill run down his spine as he remembered the pictures he was talking about in vivid detail, he reached out and grabbed Samantha's hand, lightly squeezing it for reassurance. He looked slightly shaken and pale and it was obvious there were tears in his own eyes. He cleared his throat and wiped his eyes and held up the camera for a few shots of the symbol. "Stand next to it darling, that way I have scalability as well." Not only was it true but it was another way to get to photograph his beautiful wife.

"Sure, honey," says Samantha, looking at her husband with some concern. She poses beside the stones so that Nicholas can take photographs of the symbols, and her.

Nicholas managed to get a few breathtaking shots of his beautiful wife posing near the stones.

The group, finding nothing much in the way of answers where the ring of stones is concerned, determined to make their way back up to the Cranborne House, where the found George sitting on the porch sipping lemon aid. "Well, did you find what you were looking for then?" he asked the others with a smile and a lift of his glass. "More drink right here if you'd like to help yourselves," he motioned to a nearby pitcher and several empty glasses that rested on a table next to him.

On the porch there were several wicker seats with flowery cushions to make them comfortable.

"Yeah, it's a strange thing, that ring of stones. But I've never seen anything come of it. Of course, I've been a bit preoccupied with my gardens," George offers.

"Thank you, I will," says Laurence, pouring himself a glass and settling himself into a seat. "We couldn't tell much from the stones. Apparently they used to have runes carved into them, but they look to have been defaced. It might have once been associated with fairies, perhaps. Which reminds me, aren't you supposed to have some photographs that might be of fairies? I'd like to see them. I'm sure Nicholas would as well, he's an expert photographer."

Paul sits down and grabs some to drink. He decides to stay quiet and let the man talk.

George seems genuinely delighted that you mentioned his fairy photographs, "Why yes, I do. Victorian-era... back when the buzz on fairy-folk was quite alive and well." He stood and said, "I'll get them, one moment."

George is only gone 30 seconds before returning with a bulky purple piece of cloth that he unwraps and produces five framed, sepia photographs which he presents with a look of pride on his face. "I picked these up last year. I got a tip that they were up for auction. I think that you will agree that they are something special!"

The first is of two small winged fairies - one male, one female - apparently resting in a group of dandelions.

The second is group of five fairies flying in and around the branches of a bush.

The third is female fairy who appears to be ballet dancing for the photographer.

The fourth is a male and female pair that is in a loving embrace. They are looking towards the camera with a startled look, as if they had been taken by surprise.

The fifth and final photograph is a family group posing outside of their house carved into the trunk of a tree.

Petronella leans in to look at the photographs. She chews her lower lip, looking wistfully at the embracing fairy couple, before turning to Nicholas. "What do you think, could they be real?"