{"id":812,"date":"2016-12-21T11:01:32","date_gmt":"2016-12-21T16:01:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bethturnage.com\/?p=812"},"modified":"2016-12-21T11:01:32","modified_gmt":"2016-12-21T16:01:32","slug":"wintersolstice-fiction-the-inattentions-of-mr-weatherby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bethturnage.com\/?p=812","title":{"rendered":"#WinterSolstice #Fiction: The Inattentions of Mr. Weatherby"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bethturnage.com\/?attachment_id=814\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-814\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-814\" src=\"https:\/\/bethturnage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/2473065050_693f71feee_z-e1482335340143.jpg\" alt=\"Women in Leather\" width=\"400\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bethturnage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/2473065050_693f71feee_z-e1482335340143.jpg 400w, https:\/\/bethturnage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/2473065050_693f71feee_z-e1482335340143-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><em>Note: I wrote the following piece for a Fantasy Writer&#8217;s.org monthly challenge three years ago. I haven&#8217;t found a market for it, so I&#8217;m publishing it here for Winter Solstice. There is a little fantasy\/science fiction mix here, so bear with me. I&#8217;ve always like this story and whenever I read it&#8211;well, you&#8217;ll see.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #00ffff;\">THE INATTENTIONS OF MR. WEATHERBY<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In advance of the coming cold front, thick flakes swirled and hit the muddy street. Ari\u2019s boots slipped in the mud and the thin coating of melting snow. Her basket in hand, she looked up as the flying ice batted her eyes. She pulled up her scarf over her nose and pushed on, making her way to the little store before her. The storefront was dark, but whether it was because Mr. Weatherby closed the store early, or the sudden storm dampened the light of the sun, she did not know.<\/p>\n<p>She pushed at the door, and it yielded, opening on the slight warmth of an enclosed space holding back the greater cold of the outside world. There was a fireplace off to the left, but it was not lit. The rafters were dark from a lack of light in the shop. She stomped her feet before she entered loosening some of the mud from her boots.\\<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWeatherby,\u201d she called.<\/p>\n<p>Typically, there was no answer. She often remarked he was the worst storekeeper ever, but Weatherby would only scoff.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m here, aren\u2019t I? No one else would supply this sad sack little town.\u201d<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWeatherby,\u201d she called again this time with impatience.<\/p>\n<p>The creak and shuffling of Weatherby&#8217;s desk chair wafted from the office in the back. Weatherby poked his head out of the door.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMatilda,\u201d he said grumpily.<\/p>\n<p>He always got her name wrong, in fact, called every woman Matilda.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCome on out here, Weatherby,\u201d Ari demanded. \u201cI have business for you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Weatherby grunted and shuffled to the service counter.<\/p>\n<p>The shopkeeper\u2019s angular face was quite pleasing even if his white hair straggled down to his shoulders. And his body was lean, perhaps a little too much so. He dressed neatly too, wearing a crisp white shirt under a tan vest along with his black slacks. But his personality left much to be desired.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat is it now, Matilda?\u201d said Weatherby sounding cross.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI brought the muffins I promised.\u201d She shoved the basket at him. Ari didn\u2019t bother to be polite anymore to Weatherby. He didn\u2019t appreciate it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you bring blueberry?\u201d said Weatherby.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know darn well, Weatherby, there are no blueberries on this planet,\u201d she scoffed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was looking forward to blueberry,\u201d said Weatherby prying away the cloth napkins that covered the muffins. I can only give you ten pennies per muffin if they aren\u2019t blueberry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Annoyance crawled through Ari\u2019s veins like a clinging vine. \u201cYou are giving me fifty pennies per muffin and no less! You sell them for a dollar anyway!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo blueberry,\u201d he said mournfully.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCut the act, Weatherby!\u201d Ari said.<\/p>\n<p>There was a flicker of something in Weatherby\u2019s eyes, a look of appreciation perhaps?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay, Matilda. Fifty pennies per muffin as agreed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd I\u2019d like payment now,\u201d she demanded.<\/p>\n<p>He scoffed. \u201cRemember our arrangement, Matilda. I pay all my suppliers at Solstice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDamn strange way you conduct business, Weatherby.\u201d Ari looked around the store. \u201cAnd why haven\u2019t you decorated for it?\u201d she said. \\<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt?\u201d said Weatherby as if clueless about what she was talking about.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSolstice. In two weeks, Solstice. The triumph of the light over darkness? The birth of the new sun god? Lighting the Yule log?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYule log?\u201d said Weatherby sounding confused.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust where do you come from, Weatherby? Everyone knows about Solstice!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He gave a snort by way of an answer.<\/p>\n<p>She tried a different tack. \u201cPeople like it when you decorate. It brings more business.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMore business?\u201d said Weatherby doubtfully.<\/p>\n<p>Ari hated it when Weatherby acted stupid. He wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStop acting dense. Of course, it brings more business. No one likes to shop in a funeral home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow is this decorating done?\u201d asked Weatherby.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, by the triune goddess! If you want me to help, all you have to do is ask.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen I\u2019m asking,\u201d said Weatherby. \u201cYou\u2019re not charging for this service, are you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ari sighed. \u201cNot everything is a financial transaction, Weatherby.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you say so, Matilda.\u201d<br \/>\n#<\/p>\n<p>Ari first laid eyes on the grump six weeks prior to that conversation on Samhain. Weatherby showed up in the on a rickety wagon drawn by a mule. There were boxes piled high on the back of the groaning mass of wood and wheels. The mule look like it would keel over from the strain of pulling it.<\/p>\n<p>He lithely jumped down off the wagon with an agility that gave a lie to his apparent years. Ari, coming out of the yarn shop, stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>Walking to the wagon, Ari greeted him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow are you, stranger?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Weatherby ignored her, took a box from the back of the wagon and walked to the empty storefront.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHey!\u201d said Ari yelling after him. \u201cIt\u2019s rude to ignore people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Box in hand, Weatherby kicked open the door.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd it\u2019s rude to shout at people you don&#8217;t know,\u201d she heard from inside the store.<\/p>\n<p>Ari entered the building that had been empty for some time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t know me, do you?\u201d he asked from the shadows.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course not. You\u2019ve just arrived.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen you were rude,\u201d he said brushing past her and going back to the wagon again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell,\u201d thought Ari, thinking the man very odd.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s your name?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n<p>Just then a wind whipped up driving dried, fallen leaves clattering up the street.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhatever it may be, why would I tell you?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>But with the wind and the leaves Ari heard \u201cWeatherby.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>#<\/p>\n<p>It was shortly after that when Weatherby made his first and only visit to her cabin. She spied him on the road that ran outside it striding down the road looking as if he had someplace important to go. But that was silly. Hers was the last cabin out here and all that was beyond was the wide woods. She sat on her porch knitting a small blanket. She didn\u2019t remember from whom she was knitting for and Ari supposed it didn\u2019t matter. It kept her hands busy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHello, Weatherby!\u201d she called out.<\/p>\n<p>His head turned slowly, and he looked at her as if he was inspecting a bug.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMatilda,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWould you like some tea?\u201d she said feeling it was the neighborly thing to ask.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow why would I want that?\u201d Weatherby said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause maybe you should stop being an old grump and have a cup of tea with one of your neighbors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He stood and screwed up his face as if thinking over something grave.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI suppose so. Got any muffins?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy, yes. I baked some this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBlueberry?\u201d he said hopefully.<\/p>\n<p>She scoffed lightly wondering just where this man came from. \u201cNary a blueberry grows on this planet, Weatherby. Something about this place won\u2019t let them grow.\u201d She paused not knowing what to say next. But then a thought popped into her head just as Weatherby put a foot forward to walk away. \u201cIt would be the wrong season anyway,\u201d she called out. \u201cThey run out before the Fall Equinox.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His eyes glittered as he looked at her. \u201cWell,\u201d he conceded as if offering her a great prize, \u201cI guess I\u2019ll have some tea and a muffin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t wear yourself out on my account, Weatherby,\u201d she said caustically.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot a problem,\u201d he said with a crooked smile and he ambled up the stairs.<\/p>\n<p>Weatherby took a seat at her table before the great stone fireplace. Ari prepared tea from the cauldron of hot water she kept there.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, Matilda, what is it you do here?\u201d he said. He gazed at her intently as if her answer was very important.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo?\u201d The questioned annoyed her mostly for the fact that she didn\u2019t have an answer. She didn\u2019t think about those things.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t have to do anything, Weatherby. My husband keeps me very well,\u201d she said thinking about the bag of coin, albeit shrinking, behind a loose stone in the fireplace.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAh, so you have a husband,\u201d he said with a knowing grin.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIndeed I do,\u201d she said now feeling more annoyed by his prying. \u201cWhat woman comes to a colony planet without one?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd where is he now,\u201d asked Weatherby, \u201cthat his wife has strange men in her house for tea?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, Weatherby. You are a strange man. Drink your tea and stop prying in my affairs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He chuckled but stopped asking questions. They spent a nice afternoon talking, though she couldn\u2019t remember much of the conversation. He did, however, offer to buy muffins for his store, if she\u2019d just bring them by.<\/p>\n<p>#<\/p>\n<p>Ari walked through the woods, the day after she talked to Weatherby about decorating the store, as she cut and gathered various evergreens. Some Earth plants took better to terraforming than others, the evergreens among them, so there was plenty to collect. She cut long branches of pine and holly with its red berries. Even through her thick gloves the sharp holly stuck her. But she cut it anyway. It wouldn\u2019t be solstice without holly.<\/p>\n<p>Weatherby declined to accompany her. This was annoying because the branches and other greens were heavy. It took her several trips. The greens piled high in the center of the store as she brought in one load after another.<\/p>\n<p>Without asking, Ari took a spool of wire and a couple spools of red ribbon from his shelves. Sitting cross-legged in the middle of the store she made ropes of the evergreens and crafted red bows, placing them four feet apart on the ropes.<\/p>\n<p>Finding a ladder she hung the greens in the store on the headboard that ran like molid . Fortunately there were nails stuck in the wood panel around the store all at regular intervals that made the task easier.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAren\u2019t you going to help?\u201d she said looking at Weatherby staring at her on the ladder.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs there a reason why I should?\u201d asked Weatherby with a trace of irritation in his voice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is your store.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy are you putting up these greens?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause since nearly the beginning of time evergreens have marked this time of year. When everything is dead or dying and covered by the dark and cold, the evergreens remind us that life is eternal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd why is life eternal?\u201d said Weatherby.<\/p>\n<p>Ari rolled her eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe sun god and the earth goddess join at Solstice to make the new sun god who grows and increases, bringing the spring of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReally?\u201d said Weatherby showing rare interest. \u201cWhat happens then?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, for Cerunnos\u2019 sake!\u201d she snorted. \u201cThe new sun god joins with the maiden goddess in the spring to promote the fertility of the earth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd then what?\u201d asked Weatherby, his eyes catching the light. They seemed to glitter.<\/p>\n<p>Ari shook her head and sighed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt Samhain he goes to the underworld where he waits until Solstice to meet with the goddess again. It is a never-ending cycle. Really, Weatherby, don\u2019t you know these things?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019d be surprised what I know, Matilda,\u201d said Weatherby said turning away.<\/p>\n<p>#<\/p>\n<p>During the last two weeks before Solstice business was brisk at Weatherby\u2019s store, and Ari noticed his shelves looking a little thin.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWeatherby, aren\u2019t you going to order more stock?\u201d she said. \u201cYou really are the worst storekeeper ever.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He didn\u2019t answer immediately as he studied his ledger.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t you have a husband to annoy, Matilda?\u201d he asked finally.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy did you keep asking about him?\u201d she said. It was only the second time Weatherby did so but she didn\u2019t like the question. Still, he was the closest thing she had to a friend in this town.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo. To tell you the truth my husband ran off last year. Haven\u2019t seen him since.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHmph,\u201d said Weatherby. \u201cWhat about children?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had a boy. He left in the spring to marry some girl. Haven\u2019t seen him either.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t seem particularly concerned,\u201d he remarked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd what business is it of yours?\u201d she demanded. There was nothing she could do about her family leaving her, and it was best not to think about those things.<\/p>\n<p>He closed his ledger book with a thump and looked her in the eye. \u201cIndeed. What business of mine would it be? Okay, Matilda. I\u2019m ordering some stock, muffins, in fact. Bring them two days hence on Solstice Eve.\u201d Weatherby came from behind the counter. He took her arm led he to the door even as more customers came into the store.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut?\u201d she protested.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSolstice Eve, no sooner. I\u2019m very busy right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell!\u201d said Ari indignantly as the door shut behind her.<\/p>\n<p>But two days later she arrived with the muffins just as he asked.<\/p>\n<p>She entered the store to find every shelf empty.<\/p>\n<p>Weatherby came out from behind the counter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you bring the muffins?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWeatherby,\u201d she said looking around, \u201cWhat is going on?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing, Matilda. Nothing at all.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She shivered. The room was cold.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy don\u2019t you light the fire?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShould I?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy the horned god, yes! It\u2019s Solstice anyway. Time to light the Yule log?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAh, yes,\u201d said Weatherby. He walked to the fireplace and with a single spark lit the fire. Before long, flames burned hot and bright. She noticed a white bearskin rug in front of the fireplace. She didn\u2019t remember seeing it before.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCome sit down, Matilda. Let\u2019s see those muffins.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She sat and handed the basket filled with muffins to him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAh,\u201d he said pulling a small leather bag from inside his vest, \u201cbefore I forget.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She shook it and heard the clinking of coins. \u201cWhat is this, Weatherby?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor the muffins,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>She looked inside and saw the coins were gold.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is far too much,\u201d she said and pushed the bag toward him. He took it, but set it next to her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t worry about it. I had a good year. Everyone had a good harvest and sold their crops for a good price. But then it\u2019s like that every year, isn\u2019t it, Matilda, since you go here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI really don\u2019t know what you are talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t you, Matilda?\u201d he said indicating with a wave of his hand that she should sit. When she did he passed one of her own bake goods to her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReally, Weatherby, my name isn\u2019t Matilda.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He didn\u2019t answer. Instead he ate the muffin with a faraway look in his eyes as though he was a million miles away. Ari tried a different tack to get his attention.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you have a wife, Mr. Weatherby?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHmm? Why, yes I do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is she? I have not seen her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI usually spend time with her once a year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat seems like a curious marriage,\u201d remarked Ari.<\/p>\n<p>He raised his eyebrows.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, it is. But we\u2019ve been together a very long time, so it doesn\u2019t seem so long before I see her next.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow long have you been married?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, a little over fifty-two thousand years.\u201d He smiled at her.<\/p>\n<p>She laughed. \u201cMr. Weatherby, I didn\u2019t know you had a sense of humor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He lost his smile. He bit into his muffin and sighed. \u201cI do miss blueberries,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat? Why do you go on about blueberries?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause they were on the planet we came from.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWeatherby, I have no idea what you are talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, you do.\u201d He waved his hand around to all the evergreens she put up. \u201cYou remember, at least some of it.\u201d He sighed. \u201cThe time is getting late. I suppose I need to tell you the rest of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ve been known by many names over the years. Arianrhod is the most recent, but there was also Ceriweden, and the most ancient Semiramus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut each year you remember less and less,\u201d he said sadly. \u201cAs the humans grew as a species, and tamed the fire of the gods, they made their own light washing out the brightness of the stars. The rituals to balance light and dark no longer held meaning for them. They defiled their holy mother Gaia and polluted her. And they fought great wars bringing much destruction, but we could not help, because they no longer knew us. Great were your tears in those days, and your grief also. Though we kept our part of the rituals, your grief was too great and you started to forget.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe left our home world because I thought maybe if we find a new place you could remember us again. We came to this world, where the humans want to keep their life free of the technology and sins of their ancestors. And we consecrate it with our rituals and each time I hope that when we do, you might know us again. But you haven\u2019t. Not yet. So I make you tell me the stories of how the old year ends and the new begins.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ari\u2019s throat grew dry.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut why, Weatherby?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause of what we must do tonight. And you know darn well my name is not Weatherby.\u201d He gave her a gaze that cut to her soul. Weatherby moved closer and whispered in her ear.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTell me my name, my love,\u201d he said huskily. \u201cTell me and remember.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She drew a sharp breath. The low timbre of his voice sent a shiver down her spine. A fragment of a memory crossed her mind.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCeri,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot quite. Try again.\u201d He moved closer pressing his body against her.<\/p>\n<p>This time she caught his scent, the scent of green things and the musty earth. The name came to her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCerrunos,\u201d she breathed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, darling. That is one of the names.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He kissed her and wrapped his arms tight bring her close to him. His first kiss was gentle and filled with love. The second was filled with the first flickers of a flame in tinder. The third was pure passion and desire.<\/p>\n<p>As the log in the fireplace burned bright so did his love. As he moved she remembered their love when it was young and wild when humans lived at one with the land. She remembered when humans called upon them to bring back the light of the sun when darkness threatened to overtake it. She remembered all the times they joined celebrating the endless cycle of life tumbling one year against the other. He sighed as he passed his spark to her. She felt his love blaze within her creating the magic that held back the darkness. When he was done, he looked at her and kissed her one more time. \u201cSleep now, my love. And next year, please make the blueberries grow. Until then, remember . . .\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Feeling as if tangled in the warm glow of a fading sun, Ari could not help but sleep a long and restful sleep. But a sharp pain and then a cry woke her. The bright morning sun shone through the windows blinding her. Turning her head away her eyesight cleared, and she looked for the man, the man whose name she could not remember, but he was gone. Instead there was newborn babe at her feet.<\/p>\n<p>She gasped and picked up the child and held him to her breast. The baby cooed and though newborn, smiled at her. That grin seemed to remind her of someone but she couldn\u2019t place who.<\/p>\n<p>The boy grew rapidly. By the end of the week he could walk. By the spring he ran off to marry some girl.<\/p>\n<p>Image published under a Creative Commons license issued by Flickr user <a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/8143727@N07\/2473065050\/in\/photolist-4Lx75A-aQQExF-94h27q-94dVU2-ct4T5u-95uW6H-5NMB6B-95xY7N-axbo7J-7qn7q2-7xz8vw-ax8GwU-7eC3QN-94gZC9-jmPVrN-ax8Gno-dMKp8f-eG2Dhs-dvNcFN-94dUQp-dA7FjU-8X6fWQ-atomD5-axbo8j-94gTQy-KzfYi-cCctXJ-94dP4P-ax8H9A-ax8FPs-ax8FEu-4BNSep-atomDY-94YYp3-ax5Z2T-94VXu6-ax5YT4-ax8FXS-ax8Hbb-ax61cX-94YYJ1-ax8HhA-dA2c9F-5QJZ7K-ax61oH-ax8via-94VVux-ax8FUd-8X3kup-59v18k\">Davidwhitewolf of Random&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Note: I wrote the following piece for a Fantasy Writer&#8217;s.org monthly challenge three years ago. I haven&#8217;t found a market for it, so I&#8217;m publishing it here for Winter Solstice. There is a little fantasy\/science fiction mix here, so bear with me. I&#8217;ve always like this story and whenever I read it&#8211;well, you&#8217;ll see. THE [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[17,34],"tags":[58,87,248,277,319,341],"class_list":["post-812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fiction-challenges","category-writing","tag-arianhod","tag-cerrunos","tag-sci-fi","tag-solstice-fiction","tag-winter-solstice","tag-yule"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bethturnage.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bethturnage.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bethturnage.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bethturnage.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bethturnage.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=812"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bethturnage.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bethturnage.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bethturnage.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bethturnage.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}