Changeling's Agony, Chapter III

HIYA!!!! Are you enjoying this series so far? Yes I know it's a bit ambiguous right now as what's going on with Lacy, but I promise that before Changeling's Agony is done, it'll make partial sense.  The next in this series is going to be Changeling's Awakening.  The prologue, after going over my notes for this story I made year's ago, isn't quite right for what this story is going to be telling, so once Agony is done, I will be re-releasing an adjusted version of the prologue so that certain things will become clearer.  For those of you who have been reading my blog regularly, thank you thank you thank you!!!  I do greatly appreciate it and will hopefully soon have something awesome for you. -- Evelyn



This is a work of fiction.  All concepts, characters and events portrayed in this book are used fictitiously and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. 

Copyright Evelyn Hively, 2014

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the publisher, nor be circulated in any form of bind or cover other than that in which it is published without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent publisher.

January 19th, 2012

    Somewhere in my subconscious is a repressed memory of such that no person such ever have to deal with.  

- Lacy's Journal 

    Keep going.

    Katana's voice echoed through her ears. It was a strange sensation having an ethereal creature be able to affect things the way this dragon did. At the same time, Lacy was glad for it. All Mace could do was distract her and make her laugh. Kat could actually talk back with full syntax and coax, cajole or scold her into continuing to work.  

    It was four a.m. in the morning.  She hadn't been to sleep yet. Sleep was refusing to come to her. There was a pile of hats next to her. She had found a basic hat pattern in one of her crochet pattern books three days ago. From there she had been combining two different colors of yarn into hats. 

    Make another one Lacy. Keep going.

    Lacy glanced at her rather large serpentine friend. Her eyes were nearing bloodshot and she exhausted, but sleep wasn't happening yet. The only light was from the fire. It was all she needed for this particular crochet pattern as she could do it at this point in her sleep. She grabbed the crochet hook and two new strands of yarn. She chained four and paused, looking at Kat.

    "Does this really help?"

    Don't be silly. You know it does. It releases endorphin's into your system countering the depression and you end up accomplishing something. You know this. Keep going. You must keep going Lacy.

    Lacy felt herself start crying. She had always had trouble getting to sleep, but staying asleep had become a problem in recent months. DAMNIT, she thought. She was more emotional than normal too and it wasn't that time of the month either as she had just finished that. So what was it? The answer to this was eluding her.
    Lacy wiped the few tears from her cheeks and took a deep breath. She started doing double crochets into the fourth stitch from the hook and kept going until there were twelve. She paused again, Kat watching her from underneath a much bigger carport on spirit side than in reality. Katana kept her agitation under control. There were wounds deeper than she had been led to believe about her little human charge. She wasn't pleased, as those wounds would seriously hinder things in the future if they weren't dealt with.  

   Kat nudged the young woman with her nose.  

   Come on.  Keep going. Just one more hat, then I'll sing you to sleep.  
    Lacy nodded, smiling slightly. Dragon songs she had found were very soothing when done right. She almost always slept when they were singing. They being Kat and two smaller dragons that were practically babies that had shown in the past week. One told her it's name was Gnobin. He looked like a baby Draco. The other was called Snarp. She enjoyed being on top of the fridge for whatever reason. When all three of them sang, there was no staying awake.

    Kat watched the young woman work, keeping her pace steady. The more work she did, the farther she pulled herself out of the blackness that was afflicting her. The closer she get could herself to being in a grey state of being, the easier it would be to pull the memories up that she needed to deal with. They had to be dealt with.

    Lacy found herself on the third row of the hat. She kept going as these hats only took her around an hour to make. For whatever reason, she was sleeping best between five a.m. and ten a.m.. It was only five hours of sleep, but it was deeper sleep than normal and more restful. 

    Mace stuck her head around the chimney and watched her human in it's rocking chair. She looked at the dragon and trilled at it. Kat chuckled.

    You know the answer to that as well as I do.

    "You guys creep me out when you do that."

    Kat laughed. Lacy wasn't able to speak Cat, but dragons could.

    She's being impatient for you to get to bed. Apparently it's cold and she wants snuggles. Snuggles are worth putting down your yarn.

    Lacy stood up, joints protesting the change of position. She put another two pieces of wood plus two pieces of hard wood she knew would burn slow into the fire stove for a total four new pieces and trilled back at Mace. Mace charged up the stairs to their bedroom and waited for her to crawl into bed, before snuggling tight into her back. Lacy fell asleep with a smile on her face to the very loud purrs of an adoring cat.

    Katana watched from her vantage point.  She had her work cut out for her. She slipped back away from the growing quiet cabin and took to the air. The Appalachian mountains, while older than the Rockies, had more hiding places despite their erosion rates. Her mate was waiting for her in one of the hollows. Uchi, looked at her adoringly as she landed. They touched foreheads for a moment before curling around each other.

    How is she, he asked.

    I'm not sure. I'm worried we didn't find her in time to alleviate the damage done.

    Uchi gently nuzzled his mate. They had been asked to find this girl human for reasons he didn't understand yet.

    Think she'll dream tonight?

    No. I've been asked to not let her until she reaches a point of being able to handle the night terrors one at a time, Kat told him.

    He frowned, which was a abnormal thing for a dragon of his type.

    One at a time?

    Oh yes...it's worse than what we were told.  This assignment is going to hell for me. I can see my old friend in her, but I know she's not actually her. I know she's Lacy.

    Uchi covered his wife with a wing.

    The Supreme would not have asked us to do this if it wasn't her. She'll be fine. We must have faith in her.

    Katana snuggled against him.

    I hope you're right.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

    Gnobin curled up beside the bed of his foster mom. Mace looked over the side at him.

    Yeah, I know you're not happy sharing her buuuuuutttttt......

    The cat just huffed at him. He snorted softly and checked on Lacy. She was the human that was to be his constant foster mother while he grew until she passed on or until he hit a hundred. Spirit side time moved differently than normal human time, so he wasn't sure which would happen first. Lacy was the first human he had ever interacted with. She doted on him like a normal mother, but still let him look around. With conditions of course.

    Mace jumped down and curled around him leaving him with a smile. That meant they were going into the dream worlds. Lacy had repressed her memories of being able to do that so it meant they were her backup. He liked it when he got to run with Mace. Mace, on the Dream plains, was actually a very large Jaguar. A very very large Jaguar. While Lacy never remembered while waking, she rode Mace and it was like watching a four year ride a draft horse that was a Percheron or Clydesdale. The cat was massive.

    He closed his eyes and was looking up at his feline friend in seconds. Mace looked down at him chuckling.

    At your size, I'm not sure why you don't just appear on my back.

    I prefer to do such things with permission if you don't mind, he responded back to the massive dire sized jungle cat. She gently head-butted him.

   Come on. We've a Lacy to find.

   He glanced around as he leaped up and flutter down to between her shoulder blades.  

    Shit... where is she?! We usually jump into the Dream Plains right next to her. 

    Mace looked around and sighed.

    It means she's reliving tonight.  

    Damnit...and she's still repressing. It'll be another month before she's ready to deal with it... Gnobin sighed heavily. His foster mother had so many problems that he in his forty-years of existence could not solve. Then he remember he was only a baby in dragon years. He wasn't going to be a teenager so to speak until he was a hundred and sixty. Mace glanced over her shoulder at him.

    Focus.

    Right, sorry.

    S'all good hun.

Heads up!

There won't be a Changelings Agony chapter this week and the next post may not be until Sunday or Monday.

Why? Well.....

These are the unfinished projects I have currently.  I have five open Christmas orders that I'm busting fingers on, so if I am manage to get a couple done by Sunday, I'll be doing good.  

All right, y'all be good (or good at it).

Changeling's Agony, Chapter II

This is a work of fiction.  All concepts, characters and events portrayed in this book are used fictitiously and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. 

Copyright Evelyn Hively, 2014

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the publisher, nor be circulated in any form of bind or cover other than that in which it is published without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent publisher.

January 10th, 2012

I think I've gone through a full bottle of Tylenol in three weeks.  Between my hip reacting to the sudden drop in the weather and massive headaches at least once a week, I'm shocked I don't have a toxic amount built up into my system yet let alone that the stuff still works for me. Spirit World wise even the dragon that's been hanging out seems agitated.  Yes dear poor sap who got stuck reading my journal, I said a dragon.  Her name translates to Katana from what she tells me.  She's okay with just Kat.

Mace has stopped turning into a giant ball of anger fluff finally whenever I am crocheting and the yarn makes a weird sound as it slides across the edge of the plastic tubs I keep it in.  Which is a good thing as she still has her claws and I'm tired of putting band aids on my thighs. 

- Entry from Lacy's Journal

    Lacy wiped the tears from her face. Another pounding headache had woken her early that day after she had a particularly bad night and wasn't able to get to sleep until around four a.m.. The headache had come knocking at five a.m.. She managed to get down the stairs without killing herself, and get something taken but getting back up to her bedroom was out of the question.  She had curled up onto the futon that doubled as her couch, and kept herself close to the end near the fire.  Headaches, she was certain were one of the few that would bring any adult to their knees if intense enough.  

    Her crying intensified as the pain began swelling again.  She reached for the roll of toilet paper that she had brought out with her to futon and tore off several pieces.  She started stuffing them up her nose and not a moment too soon as a familiar stabbing sensation occurred.  Lacy sank back into the futon. She didn't understand it.  Sometimes the headaches went away on their own, other times her nose decided it wanted to just explode. Either way, the pain was gone finally. Mace stuck her head back around the corner and glared at Lacy.

    Lacy just shook her head. There were some things that a cat was just not going to understand. The nose bleed lasted several seconds longer than normal. She waited until it had stopped fully before carefully standing up and heading into the kitchen. She glanced up to find Kat peering in the window at her.  Lacy just about jumped back over the counter to the futon. 

     "Damnit Kat," Lacy managed around the wad of paper product in her nose.

    I thought you were used to be able to see me by now, Kat's voice lilted through her head.  Lacy shook her head slowly, careful not to knock anything loose from her nose. 

    "I'm still not certain you're real and not just a hallucination from my very fucked up subconscious," Lacy told the moss green creature.  Kat gave the woman a head bob, which Lacy took to mean 'point taken.'

    What is it that you're doing now? Should you even be moving around?

    Lacy smiled faintly.

    "Well oh creature of indeterminate origin, I'm actually going to be making a small meal focusing mainly on proteins and irons.  It'll help mitigate the effects of the blood loss."

    Ah, I see.  Smart.  

    "So I'm told."

    Lacy pulled out a couple pieces of fish, fresh spinach and started eating some raisins. Kat settled down into a comfortable perch and watched her. She winced in sympathy when the girl slowly pulled the bloody paper from her nose and went a few shades paler. Lacy frowned at her frying fish and decided to just eat it plain. Anything spice wise stood a strong chance of aggravating her incredibly sensitive nose cavity. It was always best to do without on days like this one. Even if she messed up the fish, she would still have to be the one to eat it.  Mace being the strange little cat that she was, disdained fish. She didn't even like tuna. Lacy had been glad that she had only bought the one can of the stuff. Mace trilled at her human as she sat down to eat.

    "Yes mom, I will eat all of it even if it takes me an hour," Lacy teased her cat. Mace gave an approving meow back to her. Lacy shook her head. 

    "There are days I wonder if I'm imagining her interactions with me."

    I would think that that is the least of your worries my dear.

    Lacy glanced back up at the dragon as she started eating. Kat smiled.  For the first time that day the glint was back in Lacy's eyes. Lacy started to work on her meal slowly as Kat nodded in satisfaction.  Her skin tone was starting to return to normal again and the sick looking pallor that had been her appearance started to fade.

    I'll be back later child.  I have some work to do.

    "Dragon's have jobs?"

    Oh yes indeed dear.  Spirit Side is the same as your side.  We all have jobs and duties we've taken on. It'd be horribly boring otherwise, what with the only entertainment being silly humans.

    With that the dragon took and flew out of sight over the trees that surrounded the cabin. Lacy looked around and sighed.  Despite the fact Kat never came inside, it always felt emptier when she left.  Lacy wasn't sure as to why. 

    "Maybe she's really not a figment of my imagination," she said to Mace.  Mace just tilted her head to one side and started purring very loudly.

Ooohhh... so that's what a weekend is....

which is basically just something that was arbitrarily set as a week's end and the week's beginning.  ...Just another two days in other words.

Being able to take a day off is a privilege.  Not a right.  If I take a day off, it's because I want to.  Sometimes I need to, hence me dancing around like a happy puppy inside my head when I got to go with the hot springs.

Everything has healed up nicely from the hike now.  The right calf is still a bit stiff, but I think it's because I may have over-used it a bit more than the left.  The hips, surprisingly enough are fine.

I'm done to the last two Christmas orders and finishing the one really big order.  Feels good because I've managed also to make a few presents this year as I had deliberately allowed time for it this year.

Which brings me to the facebook break, which will be about a month and a half.  December 19th to January 31st.  I'll need to be able to get in touch with a few folks on facebook as I'll be working on some seriously heavy projects.

Speaking of which, yesterday was.... off.  I know a few of my friends were feeling it too.  Depressive and just.... yucky.  If I had to describe the vibe of yesterday, the best way to do so is imagine you knocked olive oil all over yourself.... now imagine you can't wash it off for several hours.  Pretty much.

It let up when the fiance got back from a few errands, but I can tell you right now, I'm going to need a furbaby once we get to Arizona.  I will need the company.  And knowing my luck, the little brat may even end up being there waiting on the doorstep as we're moving in.

Today, I smudged with sage.  As soon as it was possible too.  That definitely helped a lot.  I'll probably do that a few more times today too.

Changeling's Agony will be up here shortly after this, I'm just doing some polishing on it.  So not really much to chat about today.  Hey, it happens.

Changeling's Agony, Chapter 1

This is a work of fiction.  All concepts, characters and events portrayed in this book are used fictitiously and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. 

Copyright Evelyn Hively, 2014

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the publisher, nor be circulated in any form of bind or cover other than that in which it is published without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent publisher.

January 3rd, 2012

What insane chaos do I have to deal with now?  Couldn't the universe just for a few moments just let me have been killed in the wreck? I don't want to be here anymore.  I find myself saying this, screaming this at the top of my lungs at a mirror that can't do anything. Then my cat trills at me, and the laughter ensues.
Gods help me, I would be worse off if it wasn't for that cat.  There's only so much that she can do though. She can't have the dreams and nightmares for me.  How the hell do you deal with something that you wake up from screaming in terror but can't remember what it was you were dreaming?
- Lacy's journal

  Winter in the Appalachian foothills varies depending on where you are along the chain. Farther south down into Georgia, it's not uncommon for it to be chilly with snow sometimes at the tops but farther north into Maine and West Virginia, it's uncommon for roads to not close down from winter snowfall several times each winter season.  Eastern Tennessee Appalachians were a mixed bag.  Down closer to Chattanooga, it almost never snowed.  Near Bristol though, snow was normal.
  Lacy had found herself with the fortune of a friend needing a cabin babysat for a few months.  It couldn't have come at a better time.  Then Mace, her cat had been gifted to her.  The cabin and the cat, had been a turning point in Lacy's life that she hadn't expected nor realized she needed.
  This particular morning was no different.  Lacy leaned backwards to look at Mace.
  "I take it you want your piece a bit more crispy today since you didn't eviscerate the mouse this time?"
  Mace tilted her head to the side and meowed at her, her eyes twinkling.  Lacy snorted.  If folks could see how expressive and communicative Mace was with meows, eyes and facial expression they'd have no problem with understanding why she dearly adored that cat. Mace was still getting used to being an indoor kitty though when the fire place was going Lacy was certain that that cat would crawl into the fire if she knew she wouldn't get hurt. 
  Lacy pulled out and cut up a piece of the bacon. Putting it on a small plate, she set it down it on the steps between the dining room and kitchen for Mace.  Mace mewed her thanks and munched down slowly on her morning treat.
  "Now if I could get you trained to kill them outside, we'd be golden," Lacy sighed. "At least you aren't dropping them at my feet half-dead anymore."  
  Mace ignored her rather pointedly.  Lacy laughed and sat down for her own breakfast.  Sunrise was always her favorite time there at the cabin because she never knew what kind of animals she'd find curled up on the porch or coming down to the creek to drink.  There were deer, raccoon's, coyotes and she was positive she had seen a couple of Appalachian wolves.  Small shy little creatures that they are, she still counted herself lucky to have seen them.
  Mace mewed again appreciatively and retired herself to her favorite spot next to the chimney.  The oak that had been the fire's food last night was still a decent bed of coals that morning.  Lacy breathed a word of thanks.  It would mean setting the fire back up to a slow burn for the day would be less work than normal.  She finished up her breakfast and scrubbed down the dishes. Her normal day were always like this.
  Fill the wood box back up.  Set some of the slower burning woods into the stove for the day, finish cleaning things up, flop onto the futon and crochet or knit.  Mace would curl up nearby but never to close to the yarn.  She didn't like the sound of the yarn coming out of its holder.
  Lacy had already gone through two journals since arriving in October of last year, and the new one was already several pages into it's use.  She doodled until thoughts came to her or until fragments of dreams arrived. After last night's dream though, she found herself having written dozens of times over after mapping out the dream for the several hundredth time, What does it mean?  
  It was important. It was relevant to herself, her past and her future. But how? How did a meeting of Gods, Goddesses, mythic races and the Supreme Creator have any kind of bearing on her?  Why her?  Lacy shut her journal with an irritated sigh.  The same questions all over again with the same resulting answer: not enough information to even allow for speculation. It wasn't just those dreams. It was other dreams as well, night terrors re-living prior events that left Lacy shaking.  
  Mace trilled loudly at Lacy causing her to chuckle.  Trills were what a mother cat would give her kittens and Mace used trills to talk back to Lacy frequently.  Mace always used a certain pitch to pull Lacy's attention away from what was irritating her.
  Lacy scratched her feline friend's chin.  There was still several hours to the day left and plenty of coffee left.  There would be time for more rumination. Right now, there was a Mace deciding she wanted to be the certain of her human's attention.  Lacy, gladly obliged. 
  

It's Saturday already?!?!

I don't know about you but that week went fast!

So I'm chilling out, as I've got two orders almost 90% done.  With another three at halfway and one more that I'll be starting on tomorrow.  Chilling out though means working on orders around here, so I'm doing one of the knitting orders instead of one of the crocheting ones for a change of pace.

Black Friday has come and gone with its usual amounts of snarling, moaning and not actually saving money.

I almost ate too much on Thursday, and I made enough for food for leftovers for a week.  And that was just with cooking for just two people.  Can you imagine how much food is going to be leftover in future years?  Any guests we have will get sent home to-go boxes of food.  LOL

I'll have the first chapter of Changeling's Agony up later today.  I'm working on it in-between color changes on two of the orders I've made time to work on today.  Which reminds me, must remind fiance to bring home a couple of craft supplies.  =/

That never seems to fail.  I get an order for something, I think GREAT! I have everything I need... wrong....never fails.  Never ever ever fails.  Either I need stuffing, felt for eyes, more of one color or I get distracted by an annoying neighbor.   

So what was there for me to be thankful for this Thanksgiving?

I'm with my fiance, we actually got turkey this year (last year was chicken), we got to spend most of the evening together, watched Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and just had a nice quiet day.  While we aren't living in a better place yet, that's on the horizon and is a very attainable goal.

Also for those of you who are eyeballing things in my shop, there's a 20% off coupon for the Etsy storefront - BLUECOLLARPREP2014 for your entire order.  It's good until the 18th of next month, when the shop goes on vacation for a bit.

So all in all, I had a great holiday.  I hope you did too.

When You're the Wife of a PI

And so begins my next project, right here for you all to see.  Names have been changed to protect privacy and in several instances parts of the story have been fictionalized in order to make them a bit more interesting.  Other parts... needed no such tweaking.  These are just going to be a series of short stories as time allows for me to type up what bits and pieces of interesting or non-interesting fare that occur and a permanent ongoing series here.  So grab some coffee.


When you're the wife of a private investigator....

It ain't what they show on TV or in the movies.  It's never what they show on the TV or movies.  It's boring.  Thank Gods.

I realize that most likely doesn't make sense.  Unless you've been friends with someone in the business or are a PI, then you know what I'm talking about.  Everything a PI does, while it has the chance of becoming H-town exciting though there's a 2% chance of it, is boring.  Sitting in a car on surveillance is boring.  Following people doesn't happen on every single surveillance and those traffic lights are never working in your favor.  Benjamin, my husband, has been doing PI work for a little over seven years now.    I'm Garnet by the way.  (Let's just not go there right now okay?)

Benjamin works in the hub that is armpit of California: Los Angeles.  Before you start pointing out all the celebrities and all of that jazz, most of them don't live in LA.  They live in smaller, quieter areas on the borders.  Most of them don't hire PI's because usually they don't need them.  You know where most of the work comes from as a PI?  Well, the movies and shows got that part right.  Jealous husbands or wives who want proof their significant other is cheating on them. Even those cases are boring.

Benjamin and I met over three years ago.  We've been married two.  When I finally joined him here in LA, I did go with him on a few cases. I only do that now when I've spent too much time in the apartment.  Benji works for three different groups of companies that have PI's on their staff full time.  Only one of those companies provides weekly work.  That's another thing the movies have partially right.  Work comes and goes.  And when it goes you better have money put back and side jobs.

There is no such thing as a set schedule.  Take this morning for instance.  We were cuddling and by cuddling I mean I'm wrapped up around him snoozing on his shoulder while he's goofing off on a social media site and kissing me on the forehead from time to time.  Then the phone rings, and it's his full time boss letting him they tweaked the schedule.  So he has to get up and do a quickie preliminary investigation series of paperwork to find out where he's going.   At which point I hear him cuss (which is dammits and fucking hells in case you're wondering).  Not only is where he going not in LA this morning, but he has to leave as soon as he gets breakfast inhaled.

What folks don't tell you about L.A. is that it's big.  REALLY big, and that while they might call parts of it Glendale, Orange County, or Simi Valley.... it's all Los Angeles.  There's no difference between any of them.  It's also really long and really wide when you drive a lot like he does.  On a good day, when there's minimal traffic, you can get from the ocean to the eastern side into the desert in two and a half hours.  No, you read that right.  Two. And a half. Hours.  That's in minimal traffic on the most direct route, like on a Monday morning at three a.m. .  If you when everyone else does,  bring an audio book because everyone else has the same idea and you're looking at a four hour drive. If there are no accidents.

Then when he gets there it'll be more boring.  He'll be sitting outside an office waiting for someone to finish a meeting and then follow them home.  Where he'll do more sitting.

Did I mention all the driving?  This is one of the only things about his job that actually frightens me. The other is how they send a white guy to some areas of LA that I don't think even the cops go into without full riot gear at hand, if not on.   People in LA, think traffic lights are more like guidelines than hard rules.   It's a wonder this place is still standing.

Even then it gets boring.  You see one fender bender, the drivers flip each other off, trade local colloquialisms and then drive off, you've seen them all.  They're the same in every town or city, although on a good day, you may only see one such incident at every third light.

Even audio books get boring on this job.  Encounters with the cops, boring too.  Even the encounters with bored cops stay boring when they are talking to you.

There's no office at the end of a long hallway with frosted glass and Courier font on the window stating it's Detective So and So's office.  No dames walking in high heels and garter belts, with hats drawn down so low you can only see cherry lips and slender jawlines. (Thank the Gods for small blessings.) No high speed chases... well, not the kind you see in the movies, but that's a story for another time.  The Dick Tracy story lines of noir and Humphrey Bogart lineage... those are either things of the past or happen so rarely that they are the stuff of legends.

I still go with from time to time.  I tend bring my crocheting or knitting with me.  For whatever reason, this tends to help us be ignored.  While this lets me get orders done, it makes for a boring day. I've been on just enough surveillance that got a little too interesting for my tastes, so I like those boring days.  They mean my husband comes home and wasn't shot for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  He's a former Marine though.  That means exactly what you think it means.  He likes the days that get exciting.  Though here anymore, following the subject to the grocery store is as exciting as it usually gets.

You want an exciting investigation career, kiddies?  Don't go private sector.

Saturday Morning rambling on

So, I'm chilling here.  Working on fixing a couple of Toothless wings that I read the pattern on wrong (@^$&#*@$%&#$) and just enjoying a semi-normal morning.  Semi-normal to most folks anyone.

For me it's a normal morning.  Planning out my time for how much I'm going to spend on each project. Hoping the idiot whose a blasted energy vampire practically doesn't come over (you know the kind of folks that always leave you drained).  Wondering how many personal experiences to spin up into Changeling's Agony.  Making sure I'll have eaten before Traveller's Universe tonight.  Practicing yoga sitting positions (which are great when you've hip problems like I do).

If the brat en-vamp will stay away, I'll be on track.  She's one of these people who when she comes in, everything comes to crashing screeching halt.  She knows she's welcome sometimes, but somehow that got stretched to all the time in her head.   *facepalm*

Changeling's Agony has cemented itself for the most part in my head.  I know where I and it want to go.  So far, me and the story/characters agree on the directions and events.  ...so far.

Other stories are coming along as well, but those are coming along at like... a paragraph at a time.

The muse knows, it's focus on crochet orders and that has taken the priority.

Save for where Nuovaria and CA are involved.  I've had two handwritten chapters of Nuovaria that I've been working on getting typed up, and expect to finish those by next weekend.

It literally goes as follows:

*crocheting for several minutes*

*take a break, type up a paragraph or two, save progress*

*go back crocheting*

That's how it goes...like I said... normally goes.

At the suggestion of my big brother, I'm going to get a sign made when we get moved that says:

"The Cauldron Hours are: 10AM - 8PM local time."

So I have this idea....

... that I'm thinking about fleshing out here on the blog.

I have a story idea, but I don't know if it's readable.  So I'm going to be doing the chapters on here, on Thursday's or Saturday's (whichever day the muse decides to cooperate) and then once the story is done, go back and put it all together for a book and be done with it.  This idea has nothing to do with any other story.

If this story seems practically identical to another FOR THE LOVE OF THE GODS PLEASE TELL ME.  I do not want to be writing something thinking it's original to me and find out, no, this author did it and did it better.   Cuz... seriously that would suck. Several of the dreams of the main character are ones I have had, but I'm learning courage.  The courage to present to you some of my darkest dreams, but also this character.  She is me in a few ways, in that, many of these dreams I have actually had.   This blog is my personal blog... and I'm bearing a large chunk of who I am personally to you here... so this is partly catharsis and partly my flexing some creative muscle in an attempt to make my muse happy.  She's upset because I'm not writing enough, so I'm giving her this.

  So... I tentatively present to you...

Changeling's Agony: Awakening
Prologue

     It always started out the same.  Always the damn same sequence of events.  The horns calling everyone in.  The assembly taking their seats.  Everyone bickering and jockeying for position based on their age, pantheon, followers etc, etc. Always her, being guided to the front row.  Always that feeling of unease.

   Assemblies like this were almost never heard of.  Every pantheon was here. Egypt with their anthropomorphic states, Greek with their simple flowing robes but looks of pure emotion, Chinese with their feigned indifference but quick side glances.  Then there were the front rows.  Gaea, with her daughters.  Ma'at with her children.  Lugh, with his heirs. So forth and so forth.  Those who were upheld by universal concepts regardless of culture that had become algorithms of multiple cultures and their worship of certain concepts, like that of justice, the mother earth, the sun, the moon, the sky which gave the rain for the plants which feed the meat. Their families were massive as well, as all could be described as some key Gods' and Goddesses' offspring.  Without light and darkness, there would be no photosynthesis or rest.  

   It never failed though.  She would be seated as an offspring of Gaea... but her father was... always behind her, the Elf King.  She never looked at him as it was improper to look behind at rows towards the back, but she always could tell he was there and proud of her. Her mother was Gaea, to the front and left of her. No one ever knew what was going to happen at the meetings, but this was a meeting of everyone. It was a meeting that had nothing leading up to it. A meeting of uncertainty.  It wasn't what anyone was expecting.  Out of nowhere, the Winged Ones had appeared and handed off notifications.  She had never been summoned to such a meeting before.

   A hush feel over the assembly as It came into the hall.  It was impressive.  One instance it was a rainbow, other It was all of them as they inhaled and exhaled.  IT was The Supreme and they were all it's children.  The supreme intelligence that had been born with their universe that had come into existence in one single explosive microsecond. Everyone bowed their heads in reverence to the All. Even she, though she was headstrong and young, she knew... this was her grandfather and that he deserved every ounce of respect and love she could muster.  She/He was herself and everything around her. She was It, and It was her, even with the separation of identities.

   It greeted everyone with love.  It only took a minute, but the voice in her mind that whispered to her, "Hello my Dear One! How is my most precious love today?"  The conversations happened in only a couple of minutes, but everyone returned their to their Origin in what seemed only a few heartbeats.

   The meeting began with normal formalities, the Fathers of the pantheons announcing themselves and that their families were there for the proceedings.  It was disconcerting when Gaea, Ma'at, Danu, Dagda, and a few of the other who were known as the All's in their titles, stood up and in unison announced their children and It's were all there.     

   And It's?

   That part always gave her chills.  It was capable and willing to produce with those who were the product of energy thought formation to produce offspring.  It's how so many of the races had come into being, but it was still eerie. She was the result of It and Gaea. She forced herself to focus on the meeting.

   "I'm sorry my dears but it would appear that they have chosen their paths and will stick to it until the next Change is upon them or until the other Races have decided that it's time for the humans to cease existing."

    Cries of outrage came up from dozens of voices.  The humans had been beloved of almost all the Gods because of how short their lives were. They appreciated the good things much more than any Elf or Dragon or Dwarf did and it was because they were more mortal than so many others.  Humans were the pets, the beloved ones.  The only ones who would slip among and be among the stars.

    It raised it's hands to calm the Children.  They murmured and restlessness overtook the assembly as a general feeling of indignity arose. It looked the Children over and focused on her. She rose without being beckoned and stepped down the pathway to her what was her GrandFather/Mother.  She bowed, with tears trickling down her cheeks.  She knew what was coming.  A sacrifice.

   It looked at her with love unbound.  

   "I need you all... to save the race.  They can't produce human souls at a rate that will sustain their reproduction abilities, so I need you all to become human.  Will you?" It asked... no, It begged.

   She straightened her shoulders and faced the assembly, haughty but trembling in fear.

   "The Elves answer the Call of the Creator-All.  We will not abandon our baby brethren race as we were not abandoned."

    She lifted her chin in defiance and stared down one particular God who had been very vocal in all the proceeding talking about just smacking the humans down as they had before and forcing them to confront their mortality and inability to be perfect. They were meant for imperfection, but to allow them to get anywhere close was folly according to him.

   Her declaration sent many into fervent whispers and glances to allies or foes that wouldn't have normally occurred.  Her father stood in solidarity with her as did every other Elf, Dwarf and Dragon in attendance.  Many became hushed, and stood with her.  Some the only ones to stand from their pantheons.  Others, the whole pantheon stood. One Race Elder stood and looked around with a most serious look of disgust on her face.
   "This means WE have to leave the Earth as we die off and be re-born as humans, on a world that we have every right to share and walk on with, just because YOU want to save a bunch of mutant monkeys! Fine. You have chosen war and I will bring it to your doorstep when you least expect it. Your precious humans will be destroyed, even if it must be done slowly."
    She left the Hall. Everyone who had not stood with her, left with the Elder.  It waited until everyone who not chosen to stand in solidarity with IT and the others had left. 
   "They too will be born as humans... but they will not be your allies in way or form," Gaea spoke.  It nodded and focused back her, his granddaughter Elf. 

    It gently wrapped both hands around her hands and kissed her forehead. 

    "Let it begin."

   Lacy sat up in bed, panting from the lack of air her lungs couldn't seem to find.  

  The Dreams were back and there would be no avoiding what they meant this time.

   

    

Just in case you need something to read...

I have a recommendation for you.  This is only the second chapter.  His writing style is what I was brought up on in terms of just, down to earth, in your face, this is what it is... So I give you... P.J. O'rourke.

"The top of the otherwise modern cement Kuro gu office was fringed, Burger King fashion, with a mansard roof of traditional tiles. When the students ran out of stones and bottles, they began pulling loose these fat parentheses of baked clay and sailing them out over the courtyard. Weighing ten pounds apiece and coming from fifty feet in the air, they had the impact of small mortar shells. If you kept your eye on the trajectories, you could move out of the way in time. But to stop watching the sky for even ten seconds was curtains. I saw six or seven cops carried away, heads lolling and blood running out from under their helmets. I turned a shoulder to the building to write that in my notebook, and half a tile flew past me so close I felt the wind through the fly of my 501s. If I’d been standing one inch to the south, I’d be writing this in soprano."

O'Rourke, P.  J. (2007-12-01). Holidays in Hell: In Which Our Intrepid Reporter Travels to the World's Worst Places and Asks, "What's Funny About Thi (O'Rourke, P. J.) (p. 53). Grove/Atlantic, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

Get the Kindle Edition, if you can.  It's much cheaper than hard copy.  And this is only the second chapter, and I'm going... hey... Check this out!  

Time for a change.

"Uh oh.... what kind of change Evie?"

Relax.  It's... okay yeah actually it is kinda major.

One of the things that a Witch should be doing frequently, is introspection.  Self-improvement is vital but ego is meant to be a tool, not make you into a tool.

One must be aware of their interactions in every light.

Yesterday I found myself staring back at the realization that I have a large amount of work to do... and that I can't do it with my facebook stuff still active.  We ALL know how much a time sink that place can be.

Well it's also the home of keyboard warriors and their liquid courage.  Loose lips sink ships?

Loose fingers cause episodes.

Last two months have been many micro and small episodes after scanning my facebook feed and coming away dealing with memories.  That's a little too much power over someone.  I can't keep sacrificing my productivity just be online and debate with someone.   I better things to do, than sit on the floor staring at my computer screen wondering how the fuck someone could so god damn stupid.  The site is going full on depression trigger some days.

What happens when something has too much power of you?  You remove it. Completely.

Everything on Facebook is going to be shut down a few days before Yule.  Probably will be back up online there next summer.  The Zibbit and Etsy will be on vacation from December 18th to January 15th.  They'll be online and available for your perusal after January 15th again.  However, there may not be a lot of in-stock things.

I am going to be working on a new website, one where I can have the store, this blog and everything I work on in ONE place.

Yeah, there are folks I won't know how are doing because the only way we interact is Facebook.  There's only a few of folks that I'll actually seriously miss that I only interact with on FB.  Like a Controlled Chaos and MurphyMonster's Dad...  But the site has become a source of stress, and less and less enjoyment every day.  I'm looking at Ello and maybe MiWe I think it was called as maybe a new option over Facebook, but I'm not sure on those either.

But I am dangerously close to burning out.  I can feel that crinkling sensation that seems to happen at the edge when you've pushed yourself on one particular topic for too long.

You do what you have to in order to take care of yourself.  Regardless of what others might think is best for you.  They aren't you.  They aren't dealing with the consequences of YOUR actions.  They aren't responsible for your mess, your emotions, your problems.  You can weigh their advice against a situation, and toss it if you know it's wrong.

Sometimes the only piece of advice that's worth listening to is, "Now I'm not you..."

More Odds and Ends...

I do believe I'm on the upswing from the bummed out episode of the beginning of the month.  Which is a good thing considering the amount of work that I'm tackling in terms of the crochet and knitting orders.  However that means I'll be cutting time online in many ways.

Outside of my music addictions that is...

I've noticed I get a weird kind of lonely.  Like not for a lot of company but one particular person's company.  Yeah him.  Heh, what do you expect?  I love him and we help each other stay happy.

Down side is I have 19 pages to type up (which are handwritten and it translates that three handwritten pages usually equal one typed page... unless you're one of those people with small and neat handwriting which in that case go fuck off.... I hate you....)

Some people are able to force themselves to write and you can't tell the difference between the forced writing and the parts that they wrote in a fit of inspiration that lasted almost all day, and yielded blah-k number of words.  Me... I can't do that.  My muse will give me weird looks when she's feeling writing lazy but wants to crochet.  Or when she wants to write and I want to crochet.

My muse is a multitask-er.  She likes that I can do many different creatives things.  She gets frustrated when I have to remind her I only have two arms. Trust me, I'd love to have two sets.  One doing the yarn work and one typing furiously down all the blasted ideas that roll through my head.

Oh to be Pilot...

I'm actually hoping that once we get the desktop built, I can get one of those write as you speak softwares.  That would make a lot of things easier because I could be on the couch working on the next project and when an idea hits, I can just start talking but keep working.  Being able to do both at once....

Hey a woman can dream can't she?  =D

Also, one more thing.  Yesterday, I grabbed up the The Giver series Omnibus.  The trailers had intrigued me so I grabbed it up.  At least once a month, I have to read a book.  Else the brain fog like I was experiencing earlier this week, just gets worse and it gets harder to get what I need to, done.

It was a pleasant read.  Four books though in six hours time is... well.... I'm a fast reader.  It's just how it is.  However, do not read the books and then see the movie.  You will be pissed.  The trailer has given me enough indications that the movie will be identical in name, character names and maybe a few elements of the story line.  THAT'S IT.

I'm a bit disgusted that the author didn't put her foot down more when they bought the rights for a movie.  There is a good story there, but the fucktards of H-town fucked it up big time.  If you're interested in the Giver series, click that link up there and it'll take you to the Omnibus, which is a better buy than all four separately.

November...

Crikey!

Where'd the year go?

Also, a happy and blessed All Hallows Day to those of you who celebrate it.

Well it's National Write a Novel Month.

"Oooohhhh... will you participating Evie?"

Yes and no.

I have a few ideas, but nothing solid.  Factor in that I just got two new orders for baby blankets from the neighbor. As much as I would like to try my hand on it, I have too much work to devote each and every single day to it.  (Which honestly is a luxury.)

I do however firmly believe in aiding others with creative endeavors, so I went hunted up about four-five writing prompts websites.  Hopefully, they'll have something that you can use.

The Teacher's Corner

Daily Teaching Tools: Journal Prompts (Try not to guffaw so hard there, you might hurt yourself.)

Poets and Writers

Creative Writing Prompts

Writing Forward: 25 writing prompts

Ya'll have a good (and productive for those you writing) weekend!