Tonight seems like a good night to be at the Pond.

After all, you’re thinking that you quite miss your little pond friends, and that you really haven’t had a chance to meet the others. (You’ve only really had a chance to meet and talk to Xialong, the Axolotl and Keeper of Magic at the Pond, but you’re keen on meeting Gen and Varian, or possibly Amina, if she’s around!)

You follow the path through the forest, finding the little purple flowers Xiaolong had planted for you to mark the Pond’s entrance, when suddenly —

You walk into … a barrier? It isn’t solid like a glass window and it definitely didn’t hurt when you walked into it. How strange! You put your hand out towards it, and you feel something — soft, silky, and kind of squishy, like you’re pushing against a big invisible pillow.

Before you give walking through the barrier another go, you hear a voice, though it sounds muted and far away.

“Friend!”

You look around, confused. It sounded a little bit like Xiaolong! But it’s only you in the forest, it seems, and the little pink axolotl is no where in sight.

“Down here!”

You look down, seeing nothing but forest and greenery, but after concentrating very intently (what was that thing that Xiaolong always said? ‘Search with your heart and not your eyes?’), you see a faint outline of Xiaolong. Only except, she looks a little different. Is she on the other side of the barrier? What’s going on?

“I’m sorry friend, you can’t visit us right now.” You can barely make out her voice, so you crouch down to listen a bit better, as if she is right next to you. “The source of the Pond’s magic has been severed, and everyone here is trying to fix it.” She sounds rather sad, and you can imagine that her bright gills are droopy. “I’m going to miss you friend, but, please come back another time. We’re going to fix the magic as soon as possible!”

Good morning, afternoon, and evening my friends.

We’re on a short hiatus!

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