Crumbling around Lisa, the temple - its stone, its glass, its lights, its incense - disappeared into blackness. Lisa now found herself standing outside a cottage, it's back to a piney forest. It was snowing and the tops of the trees were dusted with delicate flakes. In her hand, she gripped the hammer from the temple, and on her back she could feel a heavy weight. On her body and arms lay a quilted tunic and over that, a suit of metal rings tightly fitted together. She shifted the weight on her back to the ground to see a camping pack and thick wooden shield. Lisa tossed the hammer down next to the other supplies and knelt in the snow. It was wet and her still bare feet began to ache. The pain, a sharp searing burn of rime, abruptly interrupted Lisa's survey of her predicament and at that moment she came back to herself, to the woman she was before the beam of light. Memories flooded into her mind, threatening destruction.
Lisa wondered where she was, and why she was dressed like a character from The Lord of the Rings. Her mother must still be looking for her, and yet she would think she'd be here by now if she pursued. Admittedly, Lisa didn't know where exactly she was, or where this outfit came from, or who lived in that house. She had to do something -- to run in case her mother came, or perhaps to get back home, or at least to get out of the gently falling snow. Lisa couldn't believe there was snow. She had never seen snow before, but so far she did not like it. Picking up the pack to throw it across her back, she heard the contents shift.
Curious, she undid the straps to reveal the contents. Tied to the top was a soft looking green bedroll, inside was a closed metal kit that revealed a shallow bowl, a plate, a small cup, and a set of utensils. Another small box contained steel, a piece of rock, and a slightly damp rag that smelled like oil. Next she pulled out a set of thin wooden rods bundled together, each topped with rags. A leather skin filled with some fluid followed, and upon uncorking, the fluid was revealed to be water. Finally, a pouch of hard bread, nuts, fruits, and jerky. The final gift, for how else was she supposed to think of the free swag, was a coil of rough brown rope hooked to the side.
Lisa wondered where this had come from and she wanted to wonder more, but her the pain of her cold feet reminded her that she wasn't safe. She couldn't guess the temperature, but it was colder than Lisa had ever experienced before. Not sure of where else to go, she approached the cabin confidently. Hopefully the people inside would help her figure out what was going on.
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