I might have finished my Inktober drawing and story. Thank goodness for Stream to get a blog published today. And putting off for later what could have been done yesterday and this morning.
Oh, and then. If only I could leave a loom open rather than immediately setting up the next pair of socks, I would have had more writing time. But gifts want to be given.
I had planned to finish my #Inktober for the last three days but, life, you know? I even know where the story goes, so, here’s the first sketch. I’ll finish the rest and add ‘compass’ tomorrow somehow. Below the roof, tick, and helmet sketch.
Sorry. No pick of tick or roof or helmet. I’ll do that tomorrow.
Meanwhile, I’m pretty jazzed with my UPS delivery. No, not the Kalimba. I got that a couple months ago. The book that came with it was unclear. So I ordered that big book. Bonus–I can play the songs on the recorders as there are no sharps and flats. I’m just barely learning those on the recorder. And I have no idea how one would make that happen on the Kalimba. I do love the sound on this beautiful instrument.
Finally, done with the things like my walk, winter clothes out, and summer put away. Hey, did I tell you I’ve managed another 36+ hour fast? I’m pretty jazzed about that. It has taken me a LONG time to get to this point. I decided Sunday is best for the day to skip food. It gets more of a spiritual feeling as I try to find which things to focus my thoughts on. And just like the fast I did with my husband for his procedure last week, I find the hours 24 and 25 the most difficult. After that, it is a piece of cake. I broke that fast with two slices of bread with butter and one egg. And I didn’t get sick from it! Yay!
The fall progress picture was taken after my walk.
The trees and mesquite bushes are shedding quite a lot.
So on to my #Inktober submission and a continuation of the story.
“Crystal, wake up!” Her fan was shaking her.
“Go away. Let me sleep!” Crystal groaned. Then she rolled over. She was cold. She pulled on her hood and stuck her hands in her pockets. “Oh, it’s over?”
The fan was surprised. “Yeah. What was all that? Was it real?” The fan held out her hand. “Cindy, by the way. My name is Cindy.”
Crystal took Cindy’s hand and allowed Cindy to help Crystal to her feet. “Hi, Cindy! What happened?” Crystal knew. But each of her helpers experienced these things far differently from what Crystal knew as the truth.
“Were you a lizard? Who killed the guard? And should we go help that guy?” Cindy asked and pointed to another corner where a barrel seemed to be calling out with a hand waving. “And what is that sour smell?”
Crystal sniffed the air and wrinkled her nose. “Ew! Yeah. What is that?”
Crystal and Cindy walked toward the barrel. As they got closer, the word ‘Pickles’ gave them the odor’s origin. “They must be rotten pickles.” Crystal stated. She reached into the barrel and pulled out a man in a soggy green uniform. A puffy sopping hat was in his other hand.
“William! How did you get in here?” Crystal asked.
“There was a huge wind. It blew off my hat. The hat fell into the barrel. I had to go in and get it. But that was when I got stuck. I’m so glad you found me before I was pickled.”
Crystal laughed. She understood how all this happened. She wanted to hug her friend, but, ick! “Let’s go back to my trailer, and I’ll explain it all to both of you. After you shower and change into clean clothes, that is. You’re quite the guard, Will! And you were put into quite the pickle!” She laughed again.
I was brought up to believe in the value of a meritocracy (my school’s motto was ‘Virtus non stemma’ – ‘Worth, not Birth’). It took me a very long time to recognise that the world doesn’t work that way. Far too many believe that our society is a meritocracy, and that rewards accrue to those most worthy; but the reality is an inversion, and a perversion: ‘Birth, not Worth’.
Toby’s insightful cartoon reminded me of a video by Veritasium on ‘the success paradox’, which questions whether success is luck or hard work. I’ve included that below, too (together with a transcription).
Another hat on the Flexee fine-gauge loom. This yarn is softer, but I still have a bit of the mohair to use up so I’m adding pinkish basket weave band above the brim.
And another pair of socks nearly finished with gifted yarn. I’m including the label of the yarn.
I may or may not finish my Inktober for the day.
It has been a busy day. We’re hitting 17 degrees tonight. We might have had flurries that didn’t stick last night. So we were too cold to be in the living room today.
All that sent me into packing up the summer shorts and looking for warmer clothes and my electric lap blanket for the living room. I didn’t finish that but I found enough to get through tomorrow. Snow is expected Wednesday. I forgot to take a picture of our nearly naked trees and leaf-padded driveway. Hopefully, the wild winds today didn’t get rid of all the leaves. Winter is rearing it’s head before Halloween. Isn’t that against the law?
Well, the story has taken some weird turns today. Wish I knew where it is going. Without further ado here’s today’s installment.
As Crystal stood in the fresh air behind the theater, she felt it happen. She knew what to expect. Time to choose. “I pick you.” She pointed to the fan who had assisted her in getting out.
The fan knew it meant she should protect Crystal at all cost. She stood proudly. There was no greater honor.
Finally, the pressure gave way in an explosion of sorts. The crowd of people surrounding them were instantly transformed into animals. Some the fan recognized, some were beings no one had ever seen before.
Crystal became small, a tiny lizard. The fan scooped up Crystal and held her carefully in her hands.
The animals wandered away. Most were hungry so they headed for the nearby woods.
Now isolated Crystal began to grow. Soon her protector couldn’t contain her. The fan wrapped her ward in her sweatshirt . Soon even that wasn’t enough. “Crystal what can I do?”
The lizard grew large enough to hold the fan on her back. Then she ran toward the candy-striped guard shack. Maybe her friend the watchman could help them.
Crystal nearly dropped her fan as the scene that awaited them was a pool of blood with a pick axe leaning against the shack wall. Where was her friend?
The fan pointed toward another building where the bloody footprints led.
“We need to find a safe place for you. Let’s try the warehouse over there until we feel safe.”
Crystal was now nearly as large as the guard shack. The warehouse would be best.
Though the door was locked, Crystal used her front legs as arms and broke the lock. They went in and found a corner to rest in.
~~~
Now for the #Inktober2021 ink.
Some scary stuff but at least a hero is safe for the moment.
I’m so glad I found this on Libby as an audio recording. The narrators, Heather Corrigan and Zach Appelman, made this story come to life.
At first, the book seemed to have a lot of aspects of things we face today. Not as heavily as the author’s other book I loved Jennifer Government. I highly recommend it also. I am going to need to read his other books now!
Reading this before going to sleep was problematic for sure. First of all, it was hard to put the book aside. Second, some scary concepts can keep you awake.
The most fun concept is the power of words and poets presented here.
This book might be too violent for some. It was for me at times. Still, it keeps you on the edge of your seat as you move through the story. Read if you dare!
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “lid.” Use it in the literal sense, use it in the metaphorical sense, use it any way you’d like. Have fun!
I decided to combine #SOCS’s ‘lid’ with #Intober2021 where the prompt of the day is ‘pressure’.
Here’s the story’s continuation:
Trying to keep the lid on seemed to increase the pressure. The watchman clicked on his watch and scrolled to Crystal’s name and hit send. When her face came on the screen it was full of understanding. Her crystals were growing nearly taking over her irises. It made her look blind, but he knew it was the opposite. He warned her to get out while she could.
Crystal looked around at her fans. She felt the one who had whispered before, tugging at her arm. She whispered again, “Let’s get out of here, this way!”
Crystal let herself be pulled while bowing and thanking the enclosing crowd.
~~~
Shoot! Another cliffhanger! What is going to happen? I wish I knew! Anyway, here’s the #Intober2021 ink.
Working on my series: Haven.
Doodler (zendoodle.com)
Music major: voice and piano
Mom of four great adults
Reiki II practitioner
I have been on disability/retired for 10 years now from depression, anxiety and fibromyalgia.
Books, games, music, and life — filtered through the mind of a writer, drummer, and philosopher who thinks too deeply about all of it. If it moves something in your chest, I'm interested.
Darswords 
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