Mawgrim

So much happened in this chapter. Mihkkel turned the tables on the bullies and the last dog race was so full of tension and drama. Mihkkel is so lucky to have a grandfather like that. He is helping the boys to feel accepted, as is Eidno's father. Can't wait to find out what happens next.

Loren is starting to cave in. Just love his frustration at having to play Stratego instead of snuggling.

The rest of the evening was awkward. Kemi persuaded Kadin to play again, but it was evident his heart wasn’t in it. They were all tired, so retired early. Kadin had already put two mattresses side by side in the shelter. Jevikel pulled one further away for Kemi. ‘You two won’t have much space on that,’ she said. ‘It’s fine. We’ll manage, won’t we?’ Kadin caught Jevikel’s eye. ‘Er, yes.’ It felt odd sharing the small space with a third person. Although he fell asleep quickly,

The Good: I've booked myself in on a residential writing course at Arvon in mid April. It's not because I lack inspiration, I just want to get better at what I'm doing. Plus, there hasn't been much opportunity for travel these past few years and it'll be good to get away. The next story I'm working on is set in Yorkshire, not too far from Lumb Bank where the course is being held, so I can do some research at the same time. The Bad: Bloody health again. Had an expected call from the hospital last Wednesday to tell me firstly that they'd suspended my treatment and secondly that they were going to have to have a meeting concerning my latest scan results, to get a second opinion from the radiographer. This is what I call a cliffhanger phone call. I won't get to see anyone until tomorrow, which means I've spent a week wondering what the f**k they've found in there. The Ugly: Have to go in to hospital tomorrow for the dreaded meeting. Since Covid, they usually only want to speak to you face to face if it's (a) bad news or (b) a change of treatment. I always expect the worst and nothing can really match up to those first meetings, when, as a cancer virgin, the phrases 'stage 4' and 'palliative care' made me think I didn't have long to go. And that was over three years ago! New treatment is always a worry too. I've got used to what I'm on now. I can cope with the occasional nausea, peeling fingernails, zapped tastebuds and neutropenia. But starting new medication can bring all sorts of other exciting side effects. Never mind. I've just written a new prompt story for St Patrick's Day - Leprechaun Magic. Maybe the wee folk will grant my wish for a few more months of good health.

For Kemi, the earthquake was a lucky break. Depending on how bad the damage was back at the Hold, they may not have anyone to spare to send out.

Thank you. I found out everything I could about leprechauns, mixed it together and the story arc more or less suggested itself.

All authors have kissed the Blarney Stone! It's what makes us want to tell stories.

Prompt #29 done. Read it here - Leprechaun Magic

Ash Month Day 28 Today is the eve of our annual feast to celebrate the coming of spring to the island. The humans call the day St Patrick’s and although it once held religious symbolism, nowadays they party almost as wildly as we do. It’s a good job we’re solitary folk for the most part. I mean, whenever a whole bunch of leprechauns get together there’s always plenty of: drinking, followed by arguing, followed almost inevitably by fighting and sometimes mating. Alt

That's an interesting theory. Maurice was certainly frightened enough to say nothing and you are right about short term memory being the first to go. George was chief at the cinema, but retired before Maurice took the job, so he'd be in his seventies now.

Maybe he wanted to impress one of the girls who were working at the cinema at the time, or even get a bit of publicity for his dad's company. Everyone loves an animal rescue story, after all.

Dan is typical of a newly promoted cinema manager trying to prove his worth to head office. Yet he's still made an effort to talk to Terry about things that aren't strictly business related.

Dreams are a way for the unconscious mind to process information. They are also free from the constraints of logical thinking, which is why they sometimes throw up a solution to what seemed an insurmountable problem. Your analysis is very much along the right lines.

Dan, like a lot of people, has never had his preconceptions challenged. Terry's family background has ensured he is in tune with his subconscious. It remains to be seen whether Dan can be more open minded when it comes to phenomena he hasn't encountered before.

Yup. The Luard construction company aren't really interested in the cinema's damp problems. Does this mean Bob Luard had nothing to do with the events of 30 years ago? Maybe.

Harold may have been surmising some of it, based on previous experience. When the old house was demolished and the cinema built, there could have been a lot of damage done. After all, they had no intention of reusing the cistern and the watercourses, hence dumping rubble into it. A few 1930's cinemas I know of were built on land formerly occupied by large Victorian mansions. The area around many large towns in the UK was fairly rural during the 19th century, then gradually developed into suburbs in the 20th. I expect the families who occupied those houses didn't like living so close to the common folk, so bought land further out in the country and rebuilt.

Our own minds can scare us extremely effectively. Harold's tale about his accident in the sewers was actually told to me by an old handyman at a cinema where I worked. I was never entirely sure how much of it was made up, but he had a bad cough and every few months had to go to hospital for some sort of treatment, so it might have been!

Harold's a bit old for Terry, I think!

Mr Luard may just be rude... or may not. Harold knows a lot about drains and about the watercourses beneath the cinema, but of course, he wasn't there thirty years ago. It might be very beneficial to talk with Brenda, although whether she knows more or less than Maurice is an unknown factor. Being married, he might have talked about it with her, or he might have been too scared to get her involved as well. Glad you're enjoying the story.

Both boys along with several others, would be the largest group ever to stand, there had been concerns that Mithras may require an additional gift of obligation. Maybe this is the reason Thery wants to see Ned.

That's so often the way!

Cynthia took three different Sunday papers and devoured them steadily through the day. She said she liked to see how the bare bones of a story were twisted to suit the presumed prejudices of each paper's readers. Sometimes she'd read out what was written in one article, then compare it with another. 'You see, Terry, there’s no such thing as absolute truth. It's all relative. Every time a story is re-told, someone adds to certain details and takes away from others to please their listeners,

Mihkkel's mum came up with a good idea there. I was so happy when Eidno told the pastor exactly what he was thinking. Also glad that his father was much more reasonable than his mother, but that's often the difference between someone who has been indoctrinated by oppressive religious views and someone who can think for themselves.

Your writing is what I’d call 'lush', allowing the reader to create a picture of the surroundings and the characters through the descriptions. Through this chapter I not only grew to empathize with both main characters but learn about indigenous people I hadn't been aware of before. Loved the part when Mihkkel's grandfather told him the Sami story about how people become straight, gay or trans.

Emily really is a force to be reckoned with, but sometimes that's just what Eric needs. He's spent his whole life feeling lonely and unappreciated, so of course any sort of change is going to be slow. It was good that Andy mentioned the chicken curry incident as it shows how far both of them have come.