White Paths and Quiet Shores

What was once left to remember

Hey! How are your resolutions?

Mine doesn’t exist. But if I were forced to lie, I’d say it’s finishing my new book — at least until it’s fully written.

That’s why it’ll be short one this week. I’m going to write this then jump right back into the world of Significatorius.

I’ll have more comments on the process when I’m less in the thick of it, but I have been doing things quite differently than I did in the past.

Perhaps it’s all wasted effort though, we’ll see soon enough.

I don’t want to just leave a “postponed” sign though, so here’s a piece of flash fiction ambiguously set in the same setting as my new book.

Via Alba, Via Lactea

I watched as fog mixed with snow against the bow of the boat. The flakes were chasing some kind of dream further down the canal. I could relate.

The short scouting trip down to the Hermit Islands proved to be more fruitful than the captain expected. The quarantine really did mix up the waters nice and good and there was opportunity waiting at their doorstep across the strait.

“Don’t get your hands all bloody again!” Jeong-uk knew how to play with my stubbornness. He was a good friend from when I first washed ashore. More than two days adrift in the Southern Sea makes you hungry even without wreckage and wandering.

“I’m still cleaning the old bandages!” I joked back and Jeong-uk let out a hearty laugh from the helm. We were a little pressed for time, but there wasn’t much we could do to make the boat go faster.

So I just turned to watch the weather.

The gentle tide of twilight pulling back the stars as another day began.

Jeong-uk told me everyone would be excited for the next event: The White Path. It was set to start today and that’s why we needed to be back. His wife loved the holiday and she had some kind of personal history with that particular celebration.

“We will make it in time for the opening?” I asked as I continued to watch the last bits of fading light from the constellations still in the sky.

“You better hope we do!” Jeong-uk let out another hearty laugh and shook his head. “For your sake and mine!”

“It must be a good show then.”

“So she says.”

We left it at that and made our way through that cold water. It wasn’t like the air was any warmer, but it still felt welcoming to me.

I wasn’t sure how long I’d be back though.

I could already feel Her calling me.

Saint Vinson was either summoning me further out to sea or somewhere else in the Milky Way.

Calm Words

With that, I’ll abruptly end this week’s newsletter.

I hope to have more to share soon, but inspiration and motivation can be stubborn beasts to tame.

Until next time,

—JMB