Hi! My name is Ilma. This is my personal page. I write about stuff that I like and stuff that interests me. I love travelling, reading, and birds.
I'm Ilma, a young girl around 10 years old (I think...). I was brought up in a small cavern on top of a mountain by a stork. She was delivering me as a baby, and decided to raise me as her own. I like reading, I like exploring and I like birds... My best friend is my rock dove Piffles.
This big red balloon is the way I get around. My mom gave it to me so I'd be able to fly just like the birds. It lets me go wherever I want to go! I usually tie it up like this outside of my cavern when I'm not using it, even though it wouldn't go anywhere I don't want it to.
These are just some of the things I've encountered on my travels. You might find them more or less interesting than I did :)
I was out over the ocean, flying along with my balloon as I do. Piffles was in my pocket and I remember the way he cooed at me, "there's something in the air, something's about to happen". Soon enough, I saw the sea become uneasy, and I heard a low rumbling noise coming from the earth below. A rocky mass appeared beneath the waves, and broke through the surface of the water.
It was about as wide as a cruise ship. When the noises and the rumbling stopped, I flew down to get closer to the island, careful to avoid the sharp rocks. But the rocks were very hot, too hot to land on. It was beautiful to admire, even if I couldn't get too close to it.
Later, when I returned to the shore, I asked some locals about the strange island, and they said that it appears and sinks again every few years! They even have a name for it, "Ferdinand's Island". Whoever this Ferdinand is, I'd like to meet him.
I was flying over some mountains when we came across a deep gorge, formed by a river cutting through the mountain rock. The wind blowing through it made an eerie noise, and it was foggy at the bottom. It was a bit too narrow to fly down there with my balloon.
Piffles wasn't so afraid of exploring it. He's a rock dove, so this kind of place is exactly his thing. And he loves to explore, just like I do. So, he dove right down into the fog.
At first, there didn't seem to be anything unusual. The water was flowing quickly, with some rocks peppered here and there. He could see there was something shiny and metallic underneath the water, but before he could get a good look at it, he spotted some kind of human-looking figure moving through the fog.
That's what he told me happened. If it was some kind of machine making that noise, it sure was convincing enough to scare Piffles. I'm not really sure. From that moment, we never really went near the gorge again. I'll let someone else explore it, if they really want to.
I was once sitting at a diner by a busy road to eat a warm meal and get some rest. In the corner sat a man staring at an untouched plate of food, holding his cheek with his palm and visibly grimacing in pain. Everyone who saw him assumed that he had a bad toothache, and they tried their best to comfort him. A waiter brought him a glass of cold water and some extra ice.
Then a woman walked in through the door and immediately took notice of the man with the toothache. "You seem to have a toothache, sir?" she asked and loudly introduced herself. "I'm Doctor Fabienne Snazzienne de Valenciennes. If you'd like to try one of my toothache pills, they'll be sure to relieve your pain."
She unwrapped a yellowish-looking pill and gave it to the man, instructing him to place it on the aching tooth and bite on it. As soon as he did it, he got up and seemed really amazed. He made a big show of being cured, much to the doctor's pleasure.
I was just eating my broth in peace and didn't pay the situation much mind. I never really had a toothache before. But soon, a lot of people were asking to buy one of the doctor's pills, and she managed to sell them all for a few coins each.
I observed, and eventually decided to use some of my change and buy one for myself. But when I took the pill between my fingers and took a closer look, I discovered that it was simply made out of bread.
I tried to say something, but it was too late. The two were already out the door and far away, together with everyone's money. At least I could still give it to Piffles to eat.
Later that day, when I was flying, I saw the two riding off together. When I recounted this story, I was told about Marlin and Gianna, two infamous petty criminals and con artists who travel through the country, inventing new ways to sell worthless tat and dreaming of becoming rich one day. I just hope they'll get caught.
It really hurts to make a post like this but I have no choice.. My best friend, my beloved Piffles, has gone missing.
Piffles is a rock dove with a typical grey plumage, but with a distinct white spot on top of his head.
Please help me find my friend. I already checked all of his favorite spots. He's been gone for over a week now; he usually comes back after only a few days if he ever flies off to explore by himself.
I won't give up. I will keep searching for Piff until I find him. Piff is a strong and smart bird, and I'm sure he'll make it through whatever he's going through.
When you know someone very closely, then you'll recognize their face in a crowd. That's even true for birds, too. You might think that all pigeons look somewhat similar. But there are brown pigeons and blue pigeons, some have white wings and some have black wings.
I would claim that no two pigeons look alike. If, like me, you spent hours flying through a flock of pigeons, then it might appear as if they all blend together. But that's only as long as you don't recognize them.
I asked one of the older pigeons if she had seen my Piff, and she answered that a pigeon always knows which direction to fly. That was reassuring, but also worrying. If Piffles knew which way was home, why hasn't he come back yet?
Nevertheless, I'll keep looking for him. I've been flying all through the land, asking people whether they've seen him. So far, I didn't find out much. But I won't stop.
Good news! I finally found my best friend! We are both really relieved and happy to be back with each other. Piffles has sadly been injured on his wing, so he'll be grounded for a while... Mom says it's nothing serious though, and he'll be back in the air soony soon!
And I don't want to withhold the story of how I found him, because it's one of the most exciting things I've experienced.
One of the city pigeons came to me and told me about something that happened in the market square of a certain town in the valley: Those two swindlers, Marlin and Gianna, who were yet unknown among the locals, announced that they had discovered the map to a lost treasure located in the mountains.
The people naturally took great interest in this... It's not every day that you hear about a treasure hunt, and it must have brought some thrill to the townspeople's mundane lives. But when the pair was asked to produce this map, they seemingly could not find it anymore.
The map was neither in their bags nor in their pockets. Their noses reddened as they frantically searched for it, and they debated whether one of them lost it or whether it had been stolen. It was clear that it wasn't just an act.
When I heard this, I remembered the way Piffles would sometimes get into people's things and take things that were interesting to him. He'd never steal, of course, but there were times when he returned from his little adventures and brought pennies or little bits of newspaper he found. They were souvenirs of the places he went.
So then I had a thought... What if Piff was the one who took the map? He's a smart bird. He knew that those two were crooks, so they were probably gonna use the map to scam people. And maybe he'd try to follow the map himself and see where it leads.
I flew over to the plaza where it supposedly happened. It was a day's journey, and naturally, the two crooks were long gone when I arrived. To my relief, the locals remembered very well what had happened, and they were able to recount the events in more detail. Apparently, when they boasted of this lost treasure in the mountains, they had claimed that they would need a volunteer who could climb and dive well enough to lift the treasure, and that they would share the treasure generously with whoever would help them.
That told me everything I needed to know. I thanked them and left the town, travelling in the direction where I suspected Piffles to have gone. It took me another few days of flying, as this spot was quite out of the way, and I was worried I might be too late.
Eventually, I arrived back at that gorge Piffles and I had explored together a while back. I landed on the rocky plateau at the top of the ravine. I stood there and called out for Piff. And I heard a faint response! It was quiet, but it was certainly Piffles' voice, and it was coming from below. So, when I looked down, I could see him perched on a little ledge, underneath a shrub that was growing out of the cliffside. He was flapping his wings and clearly excited to see me. But when he tried to come to me, he couldn't... his wing had been injured somehow. Maybe he got caught in a branch on his way down.
I was afraid of climbing down there myself, and I didn't want to use the balloon because the space was so narrow. But I knew I had to do it, I had to rescue my friend. So I carefully floated down the ravine, with sharp rocks on both sides of me that could poke my balloon and send me falling to my death... I had to be very, very careful, but I managed to do it. I took Piffles in my arms and floated back out of the gorge. When we were out, I simply collapsed on the ground... I was so exhausted, and he was too. Piffles told me he had been stuck there for a few days, after he had tried to follow the treasure map.
We went home safely, and we'll be staying here for a while until Piffles heals up. Thanks for your support, everyone.
