Lost Time and The Unseelie Court

I woke up this morning and, per routine, checked my phone.  This can't be right, I thought.  It said 6:30 AM December 14, 2009 and then immediately ran out of juice.  After putting it back on the charger, I set called a gentleman I had gone to see the night before.  His preferred moniker is "Mr. Pocketwatch".  After a brief conversation and some words I won't repeat here, I learned that I've been gone for just under a week.  If I had gone to the meeting last Tuesday and I came back today, which is next Monday, then it's been nearly a week. 

Crap.  Finals Week.

"But it's okay!" he replied, "We left a fetch for you!  He took your tests for you and we made sure he got good grades."

So missing the point, Pocketwatch.  But perhaps I should explain what I was doing "last night."

It's taken a while, but I finally managed to shmooze my way into the local Fae's confidence and last night they took me to be properly presented at the Unseelie Court, which is in power this time of year.  About 4:45 PM, near sunset, I left campus to meet my contact, the aforementioned Mr. Pocketwatch.  He led me through a twisting series of streets I didn't think such a small town was capable of until somehow, we found ourselves standing in front of a palatial manor with so many floors there's no way I wouldn't have noticed it in town before.  He flashed a plastic card to two men who appeared to be carved from living granite and they let us into the house.

As large as it was on the outside, the inside was literally infinitely bigger.  Upon entry, the first thing I noticed (kind of impossible not to notice, really) was what looked like the unobstructed brilliant night sky surrounding on all sides save for a small door through which we had entered.  The ground underneath was an endless grassy meadow stretching off into the infinite distance.  Shortly ahead of us was a large gathering of Fae, neatly arranged with most of them on the ground and several low seats surrounding a throne.  I can't remember exactly but it looked to be made of clear plastic (or something clear, anyway) and rigid Autumn leaves.  Lots of other adornment, too.  Some strange slinky Fae were dancing with scarves that looked like they were woven from Van Gogh's "Starry Night" in the midst of the gathering.  Mr. Pocketwatch stepped into the circle and I followed.

Things get a little fuzzy after that.  I remember bowing courteously to the really thin lady in the throne (I do remember that her crown was made of golden wheat).  Then there was a blur of eating and dancing and as some point I remember Pocketwatch announcing my name with something that sounded like triumph.  And then applause and shouting. And then I woke up this morning with legs sorer than I've ever had them and a mild disorientation.  Don't get me wrong, having a fetch to deal with my tests and my horrible roommate is quite a(n unsettling) benefit. It's just annoying that the meeting took a week.

A little warning would have been nice.