Isn’t it annoying when a perfectly normal day is completely thrown out by a solar eclipse. And let me point out, this was not one where the sun and the moon were meeting. I have no idea who or what decided to wander across the sun’s path but it was deeply irritating.
All the swamp creatures were distressed, understandably. But you try reasoning with a panicked swamp-squid and see how far you get. My walk this morning was completely disrupted. I had to take the route through the forest, rather than across the swamp tussocks to get to town and that is two ridiculously long sides of a triangle.
Not that the forest creatures were doing much better but the canopy blocked the worst of it, they didn’t see as much of what wasn’t there to see, they simply knew it was dimmer than usual and were tense in the way they are when the clouds pile in for a storm.
I hope this isn’t a herald for one of our more spectacular magic storms. I’m well-warded of course but the swamp-squid is the product of an earlier one and we really do not need any more.
I’d had a call from one of the shopkeepers in town about a cupboard that was suddenly refusing to open. Quite why he decided to contact me (via one of the parrots who likes to visit if you must know), rather than the carpenter I do not know. I gathered my hag stone and skeleton keys, and set out, then had to double back into this detour. If I hadn’t bumped into the kelpie, I would not have made it to town and home again before dark.
Yes, I know I could have stayed overnight in town. The locals are welcoming and kind enough, for all I make them nervous. Apparently I make would-be bandits and other oppressors something rather more than nervous and they’re glad of the protection. Regardless, you know what it’s like trying to sleep in a bed that’s not your own, surrounded by sounds you’re not used to. No, I value my sleep and enjoy my own bed too much to be away from it unless absolutely necessary.
I prompted a couple of AI image generators for a pic of the kelpie. One is at the top of the page, this is the other, which do you prefer?
The DNA of Stories 