The crashing of waves echoes in your head and down the arched hallway before you. Along the bright, smooth walls is a vast shoreline. Waves lap and crash at a thin stripe of grey sand. The familiar esk melts from the fog, ambling along the beach. Sand and mist cling to their fur. Something in the sand causes them to still—a single, perfect, peachy-white radial shell. They bend down to inspect it. You feel your own back ache synchronously. There is a phrase you’re sure you heard, barely above the muffled-thundering of waves hitting dense air.
I’m sorry. / I’m proud of you.
But you cannot be certain.
You continue along your journey, leaving it behind.
I’m sorry. / I’m proud of you.
But you cannot be certain.
You continue along your journey, leaving it behind.
Confession
The sound of water can be heard well before you step into the room and find yourself staring into moving water. It seems like a living thing, with a pulse and a mind of its own - it churns, twists, pulls and pushes, and there’s no telling how deep the water goes.
Maybe you’ve come upon a whirlpool, a waterspout or waves seemingly without a wind to cause them; maybe the water is more still but is alive in steam or foam; or maybe the water is pouring down from far above you, creating a waterfall that stands freely and strangely, or rain so heavy the room has flooded.
There’s water everywhere in this room, dripping from spires and archways, splashing gently from ornate fountains, lapping at the feet of elaborate statues. The only light in the room seems to be from the webs of light that the water reflects onto the structures around you, a dim light that is always rippling and moving. You realize you’ll have to step into the water to go through the room, but something makes you hesitate.
You have a feeling that something is wrong. Not that something is coming - more that something is misplaced that you need to find, or that a detail in this room needs to be corrected.
When you step forward, whether with purpose and determination or hesitation and caution, you can feel the undercurrents of the water tug you even further. When you look around you find memories in every reflection, every drop of water; times when you’ve held something back, when you haven’t spoken your truth, when you’ve had to compromise who you are.
The water is loud, almost overwhelming now, as it ushers you where it needs you to go, whether by the force of waves or the gentler beckoning of foam. You have to find it, the thing in this room you need to fix.
You have to find the thing in yourself you don’t speak about.
Maybe you’ve come upon a whirlpool, a waterspout or waves seemingly without a wind to cause them; maybe the water is more still but is alive in steam or foam; or maybe the water is pouring down from far above you, creating a waterfall that stands freely and strangely, or rain so heavy the room has flooded.
There’s water everywhere in this room, dripping from spires and archways, splashing gently from ornate fountains, lapping at the feet of elaborate statues. The only light in the room seems to be from the webs of light that the water reflects onto the structures around you, a dim light that is always rippling and moving. You realize you’ll have to step into the water to go through the room, but something makes you hesitate.
You have a feeling that something is wrong. Not that something is coming - more that something is misplaced that you need to find, or that a detail in this room needs to be corrected.
When you step forward, whether with purpose and determination or hesitation and caution, you can feel the undercurrents of the water tug you even further. When you look around you find memories in every reflection, every drop of water; times when you’ve held something back, when you haven’t spoken your truth, when you’ve had to compromise who you are.
The water is loud, almost overwhelming now, as it ushers you where it needs you to go, whether by the force of waves or the gentler beckoning of foam. You have to find it, the thing in this room you need to fix.
You have to find the thing in yourself you don’t speak about.
To continue on this Quest, you must draw or write about your Esk participating in something inspired by the scene above. You may interpret this prompt in any way you wish, as long as there is a significant water phenomena that the Esk is interacting with. Depict clearly that your Esk is faced with something they have suppressed or withheld from others, and must confess to feeling or thinking.
How does this room manifest for your esk? In what way does the water appear, and how does it act? What else is in this room, and are these items familiar or significant to your esk?
How does your esk react to the memories they are shown? Is it many memories or just one or two specific ones, shown over again? Or is it something they’d almost forgotten that they’re now reminded about? Do they feel regret, guilt or even anger over not being honest in these situations, or perhaps hopeful that they can be honest in the future?
What is the thing in this room your esk needs to fix or find? Is it an object, like a sprouting seashell or a glowing stone? Where and how does your esk find it? Or does your esk have to calm the water phenomena somehow, by redirecting the water or diving into it? How did your esk understand what they had to do - did they intuitively understand it, or was it trial and error? What do these actions or objects symbolize?
If the Conservatory glass panes aren’t visible due to the Temple room’s walls, you must add some elements of the specific Temple’s architecture or other magical or fantasy related aspects in your piece in order to qualify for the Quest. This can be achieved by adding in elements that seem unnatural, odd, or set up in a way they would clearly not be on Earth. (ex. A building floating upside down, floating platforms, etc.) This room will be personalized to your Esk, so feel free to explore its depiction in creative ways.
When you depict any secondary figures, objects, or places in your work, they must appear distorted, dream-like, or obviously out of place. (ex. If your Esk is insecure about their relationship with another Esk, depict clearly that the other Esk is not truly in the same space as them; rather a manifestation of your Esk’s memory.) This goes for objects, places, humans, animals and Esk alike. If other Esk are depicted, they do not receive the other Esk bonus.
How does this room manifest for your esk? In what way does the water appear, and how does it act? What else is in this room, and are these items familiar or significant to your esk?
How does your esk react to the memories they are shown? Is it many memories or just one or two specific ones, shown over again? Or is it something they’d almost forgotten that they’re now reminded about? Do they feel regret, guilt or even anger over not being honest in these situations, or perhaps hopeful that they can be honest in the future?
What is the thing in this room your esk needs to fix or find? Is it an object, like a sprouting seashell or a glowing stone? Where and how does your esk find it? Or does your esk have to calm the water phenomena somehow, by redirecting the water or diving into it? How did your esk understand what they had to do - did they intuitively understand it, or was it trial and error? What do these actions or objects symbolize?
If the Conservatory glass panes aren’t visible due to the Temple room’s walls, you must add some elements of the specific Temple’s architecture or other magical or fantasy related aspects in your piece in order to qualify for the Quest. This can be achieved by adding in elements that seem unnatural, odd, or set up in a way they would clearly not be on Earth. (ex. A building floating upside down, floating platforms, etc.) This room will be personalized to your Esk, so feel free to explore its depiction in creative ways.
When you depict any secondary figures, objects, or places in your work, they must appear distorted, dream-like, or obviously out of place. (ex. If your Esk is insecure about their relationship with another Esk, depict clearly that the other Esk is not truly in the same space as them; rather a manifestation of your Esk’s memory.) This goes for objects, places, humans, animals and Esk alike. If other Esk are depicted, they do not receive the other Esk bonus.