Shel Graves' Sensorium

Stark, cold misty Horrified lies above the frigid sea. Ice chunks clatter in tumult. Ice mist flows from the chilly water cresting and falling in waves over the land. The inhabitants freeze. Their statues line the shore and cliffs. Inland they stand in frozen circles. When the sun sets, it casts their shadows. Bats wing through the black night. Ghosts moan. Their voices crack. The sun rises fearsome red, but hovers pale and bleak above the day. It sets dull, chill blue. Ice dragons loom. They send small planes spiraling. Terrified survivors walk away from the crash landings shivering. In Apprehension, the airport on an ice floe guards, emotionless giants of ice, keep passengers in line.  Visitors arrive at the airport. There are not many of them, but there is no place to go to be alone.  There are many machines with slots to insert coins and cards of various sizes. The whir, spit, and splutter out tickets and receipts which must be held on to and not lost. "No one can...

The great plain Optimism stretches its blue, blue wide open skies to the world. Bison roam. Eagles soar. Fast trains carry visitors through Optimism to the other side. Sometimes they stop and travelers disembark and stand on the platform briefly taking in the breathtaking view before moving on. Clouds of dust rise from the trampling herds. Wellsprings of crisp, pure water run below the plains. Animals drink from Lake Optimism. “Welcome!” they say. “Many blessings!” The bison sing and chant. Bison seers tell fortunes. “I returned, my spirit renewed for the seer said there were many positive options and directions for my life," said Miss Emeline Traveler. Many live on the shores of Optimism to live their lives in bounty, others settle in the village Hopeful on the edge of the plain. Hopeful has a deep well of clear invigorating water. The water lies deep underground where the land beneath hopeful is firm. Wild horses roam on the nearby plains. There’s a community storeh...

The Mollified meadow, a swath of green, blooms after rain. Visitors walk meandering trails in lightweight jackets. Streams run over cool green rocks. Frogs, mistaken for stones, leap and unveil their spritely natures. They plunk into the depths. Algae sweeps back and forth through the waters Deer browse. Raccoons wash their hands. Squirrels scurry. Visitors perch on rocks and contemplate the flow. They walk hand in hand through the meadow. Flowers open after a rain and the wind carries a lily scent. "I remember the scent of Mollified," says Miss Doe Friend. "Delightful, soothing, calming, and pervasive." In the village Soothed, surrounded by fields of flowers, there's a fine community vegetable garden. There's a lake and a stream filled with fresh spring water and is renowned for its healing waters. At the town circle, inhabitants gather to sing and dance with each other. "There are lovely paths around the village Soothed," says Miss Doe F...

In the highlands, sharp rock faces adorn steep cliffs. Winds blow golden grasses on the bluffs. From above, looking down on wave sharp seas hungry ghosts howl into empty air. Moaning travelers walk the bluffs and fail to intervene. They trace the patterns, the white streaks through the slate with their fingers. The many-layered stone goes underground. Ghosts and wanderers see only the peaks. Rabbit colonies live beside the rocks. Moorish hawks spear them with their talons and carry them up into the looming grey sky. Anyone may come to Wronged, but everyone lives underground or wanders on. On the steep Wronged cliff sits the cathedral Infuriated with gothic arches, with a steel paneled door, and thick stained glass windows. It's spire spears the grey sky like the Wronged Hawks pierce the Wronged rabbits. grey sky. Wronged petitioners sit in hard pews preached at by winged men with curved beaks. The Priests of Infuriated make beer and wine and store it in casks in the cathed...

Visitors eat saltwater taffy and fly kites in Relaxed. Gulls circle in rising breezes. Grasses wave along the shore. A beige sand beach cups the deep blue sea. A lighthouse peers at passing sailboats. On holidays, banners stretch across main street and children throw confetti. Visitors stroll down the street laughing and licking sweet ice cones. Sea lions come ashore with their pups. Whales splash in the sea. Shore birds leave tiny tracks of their feet in the sand and peck at tiny little shells which have washed up on shore. Children decorate their sandcastles with purple, orange, and brown shells and Neopolitan-colored pebbles.  “It is a pleasant place,” says Miss Emeline. “The sun is almost always out, shining a little, not too hot. The sea is warm enough to swim in.” By the Relaxed Beach visitors come to the seaside, vacation town of Leisurely. Even the visitors are very familiar with the town and its rhythms. There's a main street, many cottages, a library, park, the taffy ...

Does the land of Fear exist under the fog? A foot plunks into cold water. Everywhere wet walks. Fungus thrives. Coils writhe and teeth scrape exposed ankles. From Fear rises the rock of Terror with caves carved into it. Ants inhabit it. They clear away bits of Terror with their sharp mandible and burrow in. The rock crumbles and falls into the frigid seas where the Fearful live, wet ghosts who move through rock and ice.

The hard rock fortress Resentment sits high on the cliff far from the sea. From this height the flat blue of the see looks  impenetrable. A diver would be smashed against the water falling from this height. It’s a long rocky walk from the sea to Resentment. Travelers pass mounds, circles, cottages, and castles of rock. The structures look like freshly built ruins. Walls are reinforced. The only greenery grows in the cracks, yellow-green moss with tiny white blossoms. Seabirds peck at moss in the rock walls and eat the insects hiding inside. A Stalwart pile of rocks sits behind the fortress Resentment. Rock houses sit closely beside each other, forming a wall. Water trickles from stone fountains. A fleet of grey ships wait near the shore. The sailors stare up at those stone steps. They carry boxes of goods up the rocky path and then the long set of stone steps to the fortress entrance. A stone monster lives in the rock caves in the cliffs. He feats on any sailor who s...

In the sludge Depressed it is ever night. The sun refuses to shine. Webbed and clawed footprints mar the flat mud surface. Something walked through here. The footprints trail off. Did it sink into the slick, sucked underground, or make it to the wide shore, the other side? Tepid mud. Slippery. Sticky thick. The dark sea leviathan makes her home in Depressed, her skin bruised and only her stench rising. The beings here wring their mud hands and woefully shake their dripping faces. In the junkyard around Depressed abandoned vehicles ring the capitol Unmotivated.  Stuck in the mud and dragged away they like in concentric circles around and around the mud pits. Their tires deflate into the mud. Mud coats their glass and metals surfaces. "What are the Depressed inhabitants muttering?" asks Miss Doe Friend. "Once we were told to take inventory," says the Guide. "So they are counting again, picking up where they left off. But there are so many vehicles ...

Seaside grasslands roll into Patient. At night, the full moon rises startling the trembling grasses. Wolves howl. Visitors walk on and on over the green and yellow hills. Sun startles above. Sand flickers in between the grasses. Wind swept dunes make Patient patterns as do the flowing grasses. Beside the Unseen Sea the long shore of Patient waits. Insects fly between the grass. Birds fly over Patient, but do not land. Scattered wisps of clouds flow over it. Few visitors come to walk through the grasslands slowly. It remains wild. They walk to the top of Patient hill. They peer at the Unseen Sea, a circlet of blue far away. They picnic here hiding in the tall grass. In the Collegial Park inhabitants spread picnic blankets among the grasslands and snack on whole fruits and tiny sandwiches. Collegial has swing sets and sand courts for ball games. The inhabitants have sharp teeth, fuzzy ear, lolling tongues, and gull wings. "Forget trying to get anything done," advises th...

It rains into the large pond in the center of the garden town Maudlin. The pond ripples with drops. Koi circle. Lilies float. Long grasses ring the pong. Frogs hide within croaking. They jump onto lily pads. They lick dragonflies from the air with their long tongues. Ponds wet and dripping provide homes. Frogs don glasses and vests. Long-whiskered catfish wear monocles. Water drips down jade-colored rocks. Pale pink stones lie in the shallows. Visitors meet edges of water and barriers of grass. One Maudlin bridge rises over all. Visitors stand at the center and overlook the wet land. The frogs greet everyone and sing. They stand on their webbed feet. Visitors stare into their gaping red mouths. The capitol, Regret, is a house made of mud and sticks. Many people can fit inside. Inside the air is moist and it smells like sweat. The people kneel in a sage smoke and wait for the warm air to lift their burdens from them. The air is dense, hot, and difficult to inhale. People funnel in ...

Taste:  GoMacro Heartwarming Retreat Sound:  silence; mewling Smell:  decomp Sight: the palouse hills, green Touch: fluffy--a dream of soft fluffy hair; wind rocked Extra:  Cafe Flora in dream; "Work for a future where nothing needs to be broken for people to get what they need, and where no one's success cancels anyone else's." — Susan Palwick, "Wishbone,"  All Worlds are Real: Short Fictions "We can have space and a world, this time: if we're smart, and if we're kind, and if we remember where we came from." — Susan Palwick, "Wishbone,"  All Worlds are Real: Short Fictions Grateful for: waking up well-rested

The jade jungle Relentless goes on and on and eventually reaches the Relentless River where pink dolphin swim. In the thick of the jungle, vines overlap with snakes and monkey tails. On the jungle floor, little jungle cats hunt tiny jungle deer and pigs. Rains stream down tree trunks. The ground squishes underfoot. Fungi grow gills. Broad leaves hide the sun. The jungle writhes in the dank dark. It slides and softens. Insects trill. Monkeys hoot. The plants eat meat. From the towering pyramid Courageous golden steps lead deep into the middle of the jungle. Adventures stumble across it, covered in flowering red vines, on long searches for other treasures. They look up astounded at the gold pyramid tip piercing the one spot of vivid blue sky that can be seen within the entire Relentless Jungle. Dogs who walk on both two-legs and four inhabit Courageous and cranes with four-legs and winged cats. From the spike of the Courageous pyramid, cats jump straight down into the courageou...

The mountain peaks of Friendly can be seen from distant lands and sailing ships. Up close visitors walk through wildflower filled meadows. They traverse the land with friends following the well-maintained hiking trails and paths. Friendly is easy to find, easy to enter. Many ways lead to Friendly’s open gates. Friends stay in mountain lodges with doors that shut against cold wind and rain only. Denizens and travelers huddle around the fireplace and tell stories. All dwell in harmony and enjoy abundant fruits together. Denizens work side-by-side to prepare meals in the communal kitchens. In summer, everyone goes outside. The lodge Familial sits atop the Friendly mountains. Familial catches first light and the last rays at night. It has many guest rooms prepared with warm beds and windows overlooking the Friendly peaks and forest. Denizens gather in the enormous library. They tend the fire in the large stone fireplace and cook communal meals served at a long table. "From the ...

The mud of Shame sticks to those who cross its marsh. Hulking monsters live here, faces dripping mud. They stalk passersby on two legs, four, or eight. Small creatures drown in the mud and leave their bones. The noxious air chokes. The gray mud roils and burps sulfur gases. Bare trees weep from the sidelines. The marsh goes on and on. "If anyone gets in, who finds their way out?" asks the Guide. From the mud marsh Shame terraced marble steps lead up and down to Guilt, an open marble platform surrounded by marble statues, worn, mud-stained, and pulled from the muck. "There was civilization here long ago before the waters rose, filled, and buried it in muck," says the Guide. Only the marble platform, on the Hill of Guilt remains. Travelers comes to see the ruins. "We didn't listen when the waters rose," says one. "We thought we could live underwater and become marvelous beings. Maybe, we thought, we belonged in water all along. Instead, ...

Imperative wild flowers blossom in the valley Rapturous. Daisies with jagged-edged leaves and slim yellow petals flutter in the breeze beside frozen orchids with thick, dripping red and purple folds. Honeydew shimmers on erect stamens. Visitors walk through hallucinogenic pollen seeing vivid colors and laughing with delight, “We are like honeybees!” Rapturous honeybees have the capacity to sting, but rarely do. They contain their rage and live full lives. "Rapturous remains a secretive place and hard to find," says Miss Emeline Traveler. "Yet, anyone committed to walking toward it eventually arrive." She herself air dropped in, floating down from the sky and landing on soft, open blossoms. "In Rapturous, everyone sleeps out of doors in the mild, fragrant air," says the Guide. Dew waters the plants and evaporates in the sunshine. Sunbeams awaken the blossoms which unfold in glory. Visitors pick petals and smash them into wine. “One can live for d...

The teardrop-shaped island Focused floats in the middle of a small green sea. It has cliffs not shores, a sharply defined edge against the sea. Atop Focused long grasses blow in the wind exposing rock. Daisies dance on the hillside. Wild horses graze. Ponies with shaggy manes circle protecting their foals. Seabirds dive straight down into the chill waters. Hermits erect easels and paint landscapes. Travelers stay in huts overlooking the sea. They learn to paint and hand feed the equines fruit. The next island over from Focused is crescent-shaped Aware: larger, flatter, and closer to the sea. It rises in the center and flattens toward the sandy shore. An alfalfa and floral scent rises. Bees buzz from flower to flower. Travelers walk the beaches picking up bits of maps, messages, and bottles which wash ashore from far off places. "This activity was surprisingly pleasant," said Miss Doe Friend. All the items are taken back to low lying communal cottages where the hors...

Carved into a rock cliff, Vengeful visitors cross flat grey borders and ascend steep cliffs. The residents live in caves. They rappel down the cliffs to harvest and then climb up carrying grains in woven baskets upon their backs. They sleep in the fields below when they take their afternoon breaks from plowing. They rappel down to harvest and then climb up to sleep in their dens. Fire lights the cave dens. From the sea it looks as if the entire cliff burns. Lightening falls. Storms shake the sea. The boulder atop the Vengeful cliff becomes charred with lightening strike. The grasses burn leaving scorched, burnt, and blackened patterns. Knives in hand people ascend the cliff looking for shelter. "When you climb into an empty cave and overlook the sea, you feel safe," says the Guide. "Watch the lightening flare and the sea shake." The city within the Vengeful rock, Spiteful, hosts would be farmers and sailors, who instead spend their days burrowing into the w...

Masoleums, half-erect under craggy trees, lean into hillsides in the cemetery Dismayed. People walk slowly from stone to stone looking at dates and names trying to find connection with the past. Gloom hangs over Dismayed. Mist falls from heavy clouds. Wolves howl at a shrouded moon. Colonies of bats hang in the trees and rise as one when startled. Colonies of rats burrow under the mausoleums and birth litters of pups. They scurry from stone to stone. Owls hoot. Cats yowl. The caretaker of Dismayed leaves bowls of food and refills water. Many monstrous creatures make Dismayed their home. "They say the caretaker imagines monsters and they come to life the next day," says Miss Doe Friend. "And it is so," confirms Miss Emeline. The caretaker’s Sullen shack sits at the edge of the Cemetary Dismayed. Inside the caretaker ruminates in between tasks. They pull weeds from beside stones and sweep around the mausoleums. The listen to the directives of rats, bats, and...

Stacked high upon the hills sits Eloquent, a land of stories. Castles made of books dot the highlands. Cobbled streets and steps lead to terraces. Everywhere one comes upon little free libraries filled with treasures. Animal speak words and people vocalize with animals. Everyone understands one another through words or gesture. Animals think books and they appear. People write them painstakingly. Nothing needs translation. Eloquence does that and the wind. Hope rises in Eloquence on high winds. Balloon ships sail above. Parachutes carrying plush books fall. Everyone lives in a castle or in modest homes along the book terraces. Animals librarians can always find what you are looking for. The wind sings a soft song about all the words the land has spun. In Thoughful, a low city perched on high steepes overlooking all of Eloquent is thoughtful, the denizens lift in their balloons to enjoy the view. All are welcome here and everyone is considered. Many owls make their home in the Tho...

Horses roam the grassland Encouraged. Spires with bulbous tops rise like stalks of garlic from the cities. From the top rooms, windows overlook the grasslands which blossom with daisies—red, purple, and black woven like tapestry. The denizens of Encouraged weave wreaths of flowers to place around the horses’ necks. The dappled horses approach with confidence and let the garlands fall around them. Encouraged smells of lavender and sage. From a rock plateau on a nearby mountain, visitors gather to watch glorious sunrises and sunsets. The spired city Supported provides views all around from its bulbous rooms and round viewing decks. An open walkway through the center of the city permits herds of horses to pass through. The city center provides good grazing land. The horses come here more often in winter and stay fat. Inhabitants cross walkways through the grasslands to pick flowers. Supported has abundant resources. Birds fly over the horse herds and look after their health. The c...

A huge pod lies in the center of rainy, marshy Dismayed. Visitors arrive in fall. It’s always bleak and dreary, when the flattened brown and yellow grasses lie in a smashed mat of color. Red, yellow, and orange leaves fall in jagged patterns across the pond. The denizens live in bamboo homes and cross wooden bridges over the marshes to go to school. They clutch their shoulders and shiver. Occasionally, the rain stops and the red sun rises. Everyone looks around and sighs happily at the sudden warmth. Mist rises from the leaves. “Did you take photos?” Miss Doe Friend asks, as she missed this adventure with her companion due to unexpected illness. “Did they capture the chill beauty of Dismayed?” Of course, Miss Emeline Traveler did capture Dismayed. And her photographs are chillingly beautiful. Tea is served in the garden Insecure within Dismayed. Here plants are carefully trimmed and tended and little foxes live. They are shy, but poke their noses out from behind the hedges. They...

Perfect for sailing, the Silly chain of small islands attracts many visitors. Inhabitants row across the calm sea to the islands or walk over on the high arching bridges which connect them. The boats and bridges have glass bottoms. They look down onto schools of colorful fish. Fruited palm trees drop mangoes and dragonfruit. Tiny palaces made of gemstones dot the land and everyone wears tiaras. Flocks of colorful birds whirl overhead. “We’re island hoppers!” the Guide explains. Lemurs, storks, and kangaroo live here. Gemstones lie in the shallows waiting to be gathered next to starfish. The night-blooming lavender bushes scent the skies bright with stars.  “One can wish upon the stars!” visitors exclaims. “And the wishes come true,” Miss Emeline Traveler whispers. On an island lives the Palace Frivolous, made of soft malleable gems, inhabited by bird avian-sapiens with fluffy feathered wings. They Frivolians fly over the islands, distinguishable from other storks an...

The icy ocean Depleted grows warm. Algae begins to color the water jade. The ice fish die and minnows choke on the algae. Fat creatures swim in the choppy frigid waters, but find less to eat. The once sleek creatures become haggard. The algae sloshes. Whales died and their carcasses sunk into the shoreline. Only single-celled creatures remain—reverse evolution. Ships pass Depleted—there is nothing to see. People live on the shores of Depleted and wait for ships — like the great ship Ornery —  to take them away. Metal Ornery passes by. Its sailors throw heavy, ugly, metal spears at land and water. They frighten all they pass. Visitors board Ornery and over drink stiff alcohol. They take odd pleasure in the sailing life on the metal clanking tub — whose entertainments are drink and spear-throwing —  as it drifts from place to place. Other ships steer clear. When Ornery comes to port, the inhabitants make way and hide until the ship departs. Only the bravest offer the Ornery...

Taste:  blood Sound: Sebille's Theme, the music in Divinity 2: The Original Sin by Borislav Slavov Smell: sage Sight: Black Lives Matter Touch: a glass vial Extra: a dream of Belantis; a dream of orange half moons, of flying of a sledge filled with friends towards auroras; ocean kayaking watching creatures underwater, an easy warm still stream, a challenging ocean route with swift waves and someone gave me the advice, along the lines of: "It can be stronger than you think." which I heeded; “Nolite te bastardes carborundorum,” Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale Grateful for: imagination

Phosphorescent flowers glow in the space city, Vivacious. Electric tropical-colored trumpet blossoms hang. Fruits grow here. Humming birds suckle. Inhabitants rejoice and in their flamboyant costumes dancing in Vivacious gardens. Viviacians pluck the flowers after they blossom, but before they wither. They stitch the petals together and make long colorful skirts. They parade through the garden with trumpet flower hats. They sip nectar from flute cups and sing songs. They stop on their way to the Palace of Vivacious to recite poetry. Then they dance all night beneath the flower dome. In the Jubilant Palace, the clear dome shows the wide sky. Revelers come here to relax after their celebrations. Bells ring in jubilant. They are made of flower blossoms dipped in the Shimmer Gold Pond. The bell bearers walk through the Jubilant wearing only shimmer gold, themselves. "Everyone shines in all their glory," says Miss Emeline.

Toads wallow in the mudflats of Dull. In the middle of the flat strip of land flows a wide, flat river. Inhabitants pole through the river on woven rafts or sleep on the river banks. Carp swim here and crawfish walk the mud bottoms. Visitors come to watch the 1,000 year-old fish. Fern Grove Forester wrote a treatise on the Dull land and the Dull river, so travelers want to see the famous river and its famous fish. Their feet sink into the grey-green, gooey, clayey land as they cross the mudflats. They lay grass mats beside the river and contemplate its still waters. In the capitol Sharp, the mudflats turn to glass. Mud shows through the glass walkways. Visitors searching for meaning, have glinting shining moments of insight here and then quickly loose those moments among the mud. In Sharp, inhabitants appear vivacious. They walk the glass stairs to the towers in bright clothing. Many bright birds live in the glass Sharp city. They have long pointed beaks and drink sparkling...

Night falls over the dusky land of Bored. Coarse grasses grow across the soggy plains. The old marsh, has dried out. The frogs have been silenced. The grasses shush-shush in a light breeze or when the great cats stalk through hunting. The grasses part for the cats and wave at their high-held tails. A Bored cat watches from a craggy trees. Visitors get lost in Bored where no one comes willingly. “It is difficult to find one’s way out. There’s a lot of trudging through wet grasses with no way to see anything,” says the Guide. A landing strip and a small plane sits on an open field in the middle of Bored. A busy pilot dressed in brown carries groups out six at a time. She has excellent night vision. Passengers wait, but never in long lines. So many remain lost in the grass. Many are accosted by, or even turned into, Grass Cats.  Many visitors get stuck in the capitol of Bored, Unmotivated. There are long lines here: to get in, to get out, and to attain an audience with t...

Trickling streams lined with tall yellow grasses wind through Spent. The Spent breeze ripples the waters, shakes out leaves, and bends grasses. Storks pole boats through the waters. They walk through the rice fields harvesting white, pale yellow, brown, black, and red grains. They live in grass huts close to the water. Buffalo stalk through the mud. They reap, sow, and harvest. At night, they boil pots of water and rice. In the morning, they eat cold grains. They wear knee high boots through the water. Cranes dip their bills into mud and snag tadpoles and minnows. Frogs croak at night and their song fills the black air. Many live here far from cities, sticking to the old ways and doing things without electricity, invention, or innovation. A great figurine, a stone symbol of a person, watches over the capitol Tired from her spot carved into the cliffs over spent. Her yellow-brown eyes wink with goldfish glints in the rising sun. She wears a cool blue stone around her neck. Petiti...

Foreboding fills the cold, flat land of Terror. Wind whips a harsh chill into frenzies. Snow drifts across sharp ice blades. It buries footprints. “It’s bleak and inhospitable. Why would you wish to visit, but as a kind of punishment to yourself? You have done nothing so wrong," says the Guide. Dry ice, stings fingers and toes. It saps their blood and leaves them frigid. Paralysis sets in and limbs become immoveable. Terror lies inland away from sea and ice floes. The wind howls all night long. Snow boulders tumble. At dawn, a dead yellow sun rises. It offers little warmth. At dusk, the grey sun sinks and creatures miss the warmth. Terror’s beings stand as ice statues frozen in place across the land, feet lifted a step above the snow. Their limbs reach forward, but become stiff. They hover in place and later some fall heavily, blown down by wind. Others stiffen and freeze slowly eroding away. A dark flow in the cold, opaque, endless choppy Sea of Terror off the ice Isle...

Visitors get lost down the brick alleyways of Curious gazing up steep hills at the houses on pillars and stilts. A variety of animals make their home in this teeming city. They wander the stacks in libraries reading magic spells. They propel creaky vehicles this way and that down the streets. A few large rivers run through Curious and sometimes flood. Inhabitants live along the banks. They steer ferries up and down the waterways. Some of the inhabitants have bug eyes, multiple legs, and insect wings. They lift over the land and look down upon the houses, libraries, land vehicles, and boats. Often, a great fog rises imbuing the Curious touches with second sight. The fog sight of Curious allows denizens to occasionally find hidden treasures. Sometimes it inspires them to write books to fill the libraries. In the capitol Ecstatic, there are castles, turrets, and, of course, more libraries. Bookshelves wind around circular stairways. The librarians wear shimmering gowns with slots ...

The woodland forest of classically beautiful Beautifully Confident sometimes seems dangerous. It harbors large large-toothed animals: bear, foxes, and wolves. Deer, raccoons, and black, brown, red, grey, and golden squirrels run here. Ravens call out to lost travelers. They find ingredients for spells and drop them outside witches' windows. They perch on the shoulders of wanderers. A golden path leads to the Castle Sated with dusk colored walls and spires that pierce the sky. The rivers sing. Fairy queens wear magic coats and cast enchantments. Travelers inhale honeysuckle and jasmine scents. Hallucinogenic pollen grants magic powers of speech, spell-casting, and shape-shifting.  “Never fear. We are the witches," says the Guide. "Sometimes, we eat from the shack made of candy and turn into wild pigs, but nothing comes of it but some happy rooting and truffle eating. We fall asleep sated and wake up as ourselves." In Sated princesses bake cookies and the ...

Ennui has moons, but no sun. The city by the shore is mostly shore. Flat moonlit sea laps the sand. Sea stretches into darkness. Monsters lie below: juggernauts and leviathans. She walks the bare and shell-less sand. On approach, Ennui is ruins: half towers and crumbled walls. Moonflower vines and lunar orchids grow through the holes and the cracks carpeting the ground with velvety leaves. "Why does do one dance here in the moonlight?" asks Miss Doe Friend. Shiny polished onyx shards lay on the long shore of ebony sand. Black trumpet flowers blossom exposing stamen dusted with violet pollen. The tall ship Sympatico sails in the Sea of Ennui, it carries travelers, those who lift a hand to wave to it may come aboard. The sailor with the long black braids rows her companion out to the lagoon where black porpoises play. "The sailors of Sympatico sing delightful tunes," says Miss Emeline. "And the food they served was delicious." "We danced al...