Shel Graves' Sensorium

Stone walls divide barren, grey Excluded into small sections. Seen from above Excluded looks like a jagged, slate mosaic. Each farmer in Excluded grows a subsistence crop on his own soil and does not try to sell it. No one shares. The sullen Excluded keep to themselves. No one wishes to visit, but many must pass through Excluded on their way to better places. The fishermen of Excluded sail on small ships each casting his own nets. The seas are barren, the land miserly. The best fed in Excluded live near the fruit trees which grow limbs over Excluded, but have roots in other lands. They pick fruits from these trees and bake pies and tarts and nearly feel satisfied.

The bustling city Boisterous attracts many visitors to its museums, art galleries, and open air markets. Boisterous welcomes guests from afar to all of its celebrations. Many festivals honor adventurers and explorers for their discoveries. Boisterous also holds festivals of plays and storytelling and reenactments of adventures.  “Shy people are advised to keep their visits to Boisterous short,” says the Guide. “There are few spots to find quiet or to be alone.”  Dances and festivities take places at all hours. Restaurants are always open. The streets are always full and loud. Parties of Boisterous sing and laugh through the streets wearing loud clothing. Everyone travels in packs.

It was a horrible year! There was a pandemic with infections, masks, lockdowns, isolation, fear--very zombie apocalypse. The horror was still president with all the adjacent horrors. There were terrible forest fires. I participated in a puppy mill rescue which was an honor, but there were horrors there, too. I had anxiety dreams about terrible things happening to dogs and waking anxieties about terrible things happening to people and fears of infecting people through terrible accidents. Taste: crisco thick bland grease, vegetable oil (this is how not to frost a vegan cupcake) Sound:  a roomful of silence, hours of mewling, the rumbling in her stomach  Smell: smoke, urine, feces, decomp; tar, in dream  Sight: yellow sky, haze  Touch: stiff hands  Quote of the Year:  “Well, the weather today is still dystopian hellscape.”  — Sam

The Animated love to show visitors around their land of colorful rolling hills and bright, blossoming trees.   “Taste the Animated fruits!” they exclaim. “Like no others!”  Year round adventurers and explorers visit Animated on quests. Hikers enjoy the crests and cascades. The Animated travel to other lands renowned for their energy and derring do.   “Animated's overrun with squirrels,” says Amma-Pom.  “I loved the rivers and waterfalls and leaping fish,” says Miss Doe Friend. "The eagles soar in Animated. The land is beautiful, but I most enjoyed the capitol Boisterous, a city like no other."

In a pandemic and election year of lockdown, isolation, and strife it was wonderful to note how my reflections back on the year's Sensorium (although the entries were sparser--I usually try to blog the senses once a week and this year there were just 13) contained rich and delightful memories. 2020 was the year in which I got my first tattoo, started the dog training Academy, framed more art, adopted Lily and Tish, played a lot of Divinity 2, and published a second solarpunk story. In 2020, I also discovered the importance of rest. My word of the year for 2021 will be Restorative . Standout senses: Taste:  elderflower and rose lemonade purchased at the local drug store and snap peas because the dogs loved them, too Sound: Sebille's Theme, the music in Divinity 2: The Original Sin by Borislav Slavov and Jean Donaldson's phrase "happy snacky" the ideal state of a dog ready to learn Smell: timothy grass from working on the farm Sight:  green leaves and blue sky ly...

The brick walled tower of Masculine sits within the meadow Feminine. The Monks of Masculine wear formal attire. They have tusks, hulking shoulders, and bulging forearms. They use their strength to build their tower higher. The tower rings with proclamations, but the Fairies of Feminine flit as usual. Ornate and robust, the city Masculine attracts visitors. They admire the architecture and stroll the bricked streets and stairs in the heavy hats and boots of the Masculine. They visit the Room of Scrolls where the pronouncements lie unfurled. They barter for goods in the open air market. The Masculine are excellent traders. They load ships with bricks and Feminine perfumes and potions and ferry them to other lands.  “The traders are not always successful,” says the Guide. “Many other lands have no use for bricks and proclamations. Although the Feminine perfumes and potions are always welcome.”

Daisies grow in the peaceful meadow Feminine where spring and summer reign. The Fairies of Feminine wear daisy crowns and petal skirts. Their skin shimmers and their laughter sounds like birdsong. A stream glides through Feminine: on one side crops grow on the other a city rises. The Feminine work together to create shelters, store grains, make daily meals, bake breads, and prepare the occasional feast. Feminine welcomes all, loves animals, and encourages cooperation.

Included sits in the cozy center of Snuggly. The buildings are soft and welcoming with open air courtyards and gardens for strolling. Included sends out missives to all the other lands and shares their news. A billboard stays updated in Included which lets visitors know which lands welcome others for visits and vacations and which may be closed.  The Included share news of the Personages, Wizards, Beasts and Prominent Plants of other lands, too. A tower in Included broadcasts information directly into the minds of the Included. The Included tune in and out to the messages of their capitol at will. Even those who do not physically visit Included know that the capitol cares about their welfare.  “Anyone who needs Included is welcome and that knowledge alone is enough for most. So, while Included is populous, it is never overcrowded,” says the Guide.

Floofs inhabit warm, puffy Snuggly. The Snugglies eat warm, puffy, smooshy foods. The fluffy clouds over Snuggly are pale yellow, light blue and soft pink.  “Don’t worry about falling,” the Guide tells the visiting group of spelunkers. “Everything is soft.”  “Soft landings!” the Snugglies say. “I landed in a briar rose patch, but the thorns felt like rubber nubs. It was a delightful massage,” says Miss Doe Friend.  The puffy Snuggly unicorns have soft tipped horns. The Snugglies love to roll down hills and roughhouse. They hug and cuddle. They travel by balloon to other lands, but love Snuggly best. Snuggly charms visitors. The soft land envelopes them.   “But,” warns Miss Emeline Traveler. “There are no books.” What is this? Emotion 365: Every Day a New Emotion

In Flux, the capitol of Dazed, changes location every now and then, but can always be found by train if one knows which line to take and when to get off. Regardless of its mutability, all business must be conducted In Flux. In In Flux all marriage licenses, visas, birth and death certificates, and deeds are writ. The Dazed must travel to the capitol, where ever it happens to be that day, and then find the appropriate government office. The offices also move as the numbers of staff required grows or shrinks. In Flux can be a bustling city or a small town depending. It’s population is held down by the constant shifts in space. Not all who would live there can find it. Most of the positions in In Flux are elected so the In Fluxians constantly worry about upcoming votes. “Who knows who will be here next!” they exclaim. What is this? Emotion 365: Every Day a New Emotion

A haze lies over Dazed where it’s always dusk or dawn. Trains fly through the land at top speed.  “It’s difficult to travel on foot,” says Miss Emeline Traveler. “The haze and the lack of signposts.”  “And no one seems to know the way,” says Miss Doe Friend. “We asked for directions several times.”  Visitors frequently ride the train too long, get off at the wrong stops, and must rebound. The Dazed live in villages in long rectangular homes with frosted windows. All the houses look the same.  “The Dazed are contented philosophers,” says the Guide. “They consider the meaning of life, but come to few conclusions." Visitors wander around Dazed, stumbling across its tourist information centers and gift centers. They carry around bags of things that later they won’t remember buying.  “Where did this come from?” Miss Doe Friend asks, holding up a trinket. “We never shop!”  “You meant to give it to Alobar,” says Miss Emeline.  “I did? Alobar? But this doesn'...

Lentils, rice, and beans grow in Poor. The Poor work the fields, but the lands are fertile and unpolluted. They give what they have to visitors.  “They are kind,” says Miss Emeline Traveler. “But not more kind than other places. That’s a misconception.”  “The Poor can do much with very little,” says the Guide.  Poor ends the day with golden sunsets, the only gold in the land. Many birds and bugs, small creatures and critters make their home here. All roam freely. The Poor live in huts. They work on Community Shelters and these are their most elaborate structures, while still modest. Here the Poor gather to celebrate and meet to discuss what crops to grow in the new year. Few visit Poor. Other lands disregard it but many, many, many people live here.  “They are inventive. I learned a lot from them,” says Miss Doe Friend.  The circular desert Hungry lies in the middle of Poor, a fallow patch, surrounded by a deep and tall wall. No food can be grown in Hungry a...

Off the charts, lies cold flat Abandoned unmentioned in geography classes. Even cartographers ignore it. Low buildings lie scattered across its surface shuddering in the cold winds. From above, it looks like fields of junk. But impoverished beings erected these shelters intentionally. They eat leftovers donated by other lands (who did not care who received them). The supposedly kind people of other lands know nothing of the wants and needs of the Abandoned. They do not give to them directly. A large sightless organization distributes the goods. The dregs end up in Abandoned by accident.  No one visits Abandoned on purpose (except, of course, Miss Emeline). Travelers here fell behind on other journeys. They lost sight of their traveling companions and companies, not being the kind of brave souls who travel on their own.  In Abandoned, lies Ignored an ornate city with a sprawling palace at its center. Ignored is made of the stuff of other lands that no one was paying attention ...

The wide plains and open skies of Astonished appear to go on forever.  “The pale pink sunsets and daisy yellow sunrises of Astonished are some of my favorites,” says Miss Emeline Traveler.  “The birds of Astonished are breathtakingly beautiful," says Miss Doe Friend. The trees of Astonished go up and up. The vines touch the sky and continue to climb.  “The mountain peaks are surprisingly easy to climb,” says Miss Doe Friend. “And the views are incomparable.”  “In Astonished you can see everywhere, everything. You can focus on the microscopic or look at a bird perched on the highest peak," says the Guide.  In addition, everyone says the finest wines are made in astonishment. “The first sip even made Miss Emeline gasp with pleasure,” says Miss Doe Friend.  On the plateau Wonder, Wonder-Seekers live. They learn the arts of Wonder and then travel the lands finding gifts to hang on the Wonder tree. Wonder-Seekers love to travel to nearby Curiosity.  “Welco...

Useless oil slicks Corrupt. Oil coats the tops of the Lakes of Corrupt in grey-green and black swirls. Corrupt Armies march through the barren land on their way to torment others. Corrupt spies sneak into other lands. The good spies escape into other lands and turn their backs on Corrupt. The rest carry out the orders that come from the Towers of Corrupt. The Corrupt invite visitors and seek to fill the ranks of their armies.  “They are easy to spot,” whispers Miss Doe Friend. “Oil oozes from their mouths and they leave oily handprints and footprints.”  “They are actually made of oil,” says Miss Emeline. “They rise from the Pits of Corruption and into those pits they will return.”  Inside the warehouse Evil has winding chambers and passageways without windows. From the outside, it’s a long straight box. Evil looks in upon itself. The Evil grow alone in vats. They live in cramped spaces where they sort objects. They dress in grey shirts and slacks with tight black belts a...

Few may visit the marble temples of the plateau Aloof. Those privileged to do so love to soak in the lilac and lavender pools. Tropical plants and orchids simmer in the moist mist around the soaking ponds. Palm trees grow in ceramic vases. The Aloof gods retreat from humanity. The ethereal Aloof believe that they live the best life. They do not travel and know very little of other lands. They do not care to know. They have large libraries which contain their memoirs and self-published works which only they read. They sit in throne-like armchairs in their libraries and read glossy, gold-leaf pages with ornate fonts that most, but not the Aloof, find difficult to read. The Aloof abstain from politics. They do not care.  The jagged pinnacle Anguish rises from Aloof. Hands clench in the brisk cold. Ice slices the walls. Skilled climbers make ascents. Angels help some of the stranded.  “Elevators exist within Anguish,” says Miss Emeline Traveler, “But many Guides neglect to provi...

Nurturing cares for its denizens. It feeds and protects them. Ready to eat foods grow in abundance year round. Nurturing grows shelters, too. It rains softly. The weather stays fair. Nurturing speaks to its denizens in soft whispers and tells them they are beautiful and worthy.  “When the land itself cares for you, you no longer  feel depressed, alone, or unworthy,” says Miss Emeline.  In return the Nurtured care for the land and each other, too. They keep the land fertile. They trod carefully. They help keep the rivers clean. They spend much time outside.  “We love to be close to the land which cares for us,” says the Guide.  “It was not an adventure. Babyish,” complains a disgruntled visitor.   "We got bored,” says another.  "How can they complain of such a warm, peaceful place?" asks Miss Doe Friend. “Nurturing is a gift,” says Miss Emeline Traveler. “Which not everyone understands.”  The capitol Relief stands at the gateway to Nurturing. ...

Wildlife roam through the lush rainforest Fat. Orchids bloom. Vines wander over the thin trails.  “You will definitely need a Guide,” says Miss Emeline Traveler. “It’s impossible to walk through.”  Small deer, cayman, and rats wander the trails. Monkeys drop fruits. Loons fly above. Insects whirr. The large river Fat winds slowly back and forth. It must be crossed, more than once, to get in and out of Fat.  Fat cities have rich trade goods, but a trek must be made to find them and a trek or more to free them from the Fat borders.  “Keep your machete sharp!” says the Guide.  In the middle of two wide bends in the Fat River lies the capitol Bloated on alluvial plains. It’s flooded and soaked and filled with sodden cloths and grains. A virulent mold clings to the walls of Bloated. The Bloated drink it in teas and offer it to visitors as a cure all.  “It made me feel soggy and listless,” says Miss Doe Friend. “I cannot recommend it.”  Visitors come to ...

Affectionate teems with tiny animals with twitching noses and whiskers. They are curious and crawl all over newcomers applying little presses of their pink and black noses. Kiss. Kiss.  To engage in Affectionate politics: Welcome all and greet newcomers cheerfully touching and stroking.  Soft furrows run through warm Affectionate.  “The farmland is excellent,” says the Guide.  Pink and orange leaves float in the River Affectionate. It’s a simple place.The Affectionate spend most of their time enjoying each other’s company. Groups of friend live together in compounds. They share ideology in which they know and honor each other. They grow fur, whiskers, and long tails. Visitors come to see what kind of a tail they will grow.  “Your tail type in Affectionate says a lot about you,” says the Guide.  The capitol, Cuddly, is made of floof and fuzz. It floats through the air in pink and brown tufts. The Affectionate burrow through the floof.  “Everyone is w...

“Beware Pain,” says the Guide. “It’s made of glass: sharp and slippery.”  Few can withstand the hot burning deserts and cold burning fields of ice. From above, the land looks like fields of bruises. No one lives here, but visitors arrive to suffer. They wade in to the blood lakes and hike in to the Pain Caves. Sometimes the tunnels collapse. Some never come out.  "Being air lifted out of Pain is most wonderful,” says Miss Doe Friend. “We recovered in the Fields of Relief.”  Visitors wander the deserts of Pain in anguish. They arrive through tunnels unexpectedly.  “Many wander Pain, yet all feel alone,” says Miss Emeline Traveler. “Never, have I been more grateful for Miss Doe Friend and Amma-Pom who never let me forget they were beside me." Razor thin walls surround the capitol Excruciating. It grips all who enter in a dimension from which they cannot escape without aid.  “Who controls Excruciating? What is their agenda?” asks Miss Doe Friend.  “It’s diffic...

The Castle Attractive sits before a meadow in the land of Flirty.  “Because the castle is so prominent many visitors think royalty live there and only royalty may enter,” says the Guide. “In fact, the castle is a communal space open to all.”  In Flirty everyone considers themselves royal and they take turns living, dining, and working in the castle and sitting upon its many thrones. The back of the castle blends gently into the Attractive countryside.  “The weather is always fair,” says Miss Doe Friend. “The animals are gentle and roam throughout the castle and kitchens.”  The most beautiful flowers grow in Flirty. Visitors are welcome but must pass under the floral archway where the Good-natured-ometer rests.  “Those with a good-naturedness deficit may not enter,” says the Guide. "You can hear the sensor's soft buzz." After a trip to Flirty, visitors receive a pass for another visit. After 10 visits they may apply for residency. Then they must pass under the fl...

The cracked clay of Lonely lines a dry creak bed. Runners plod across Lonely through searing heat to prove their worth and stamina. People cheer, but the runners barely notice for they are lost in their own thoughts and dreams of the finish line and fears of whether they will ever reach it. A hawk flies over parched Lonely circling for prey. It must move on, if it wishes to eat.  Visitors come to Lonely to run races, cheer on loved ones, or to explore the terrain. Sometimes, they get lost in the dry crevasses. Visitors wander in groups through indistinct scrub brush and past gnarly trees forgetting how they arrived at Lonely and seeing no landmarks to show them the way out. They stumble across a circle of scrub brush, the capitol Unattractive. The water in the well there looks unappealing and undrinkable. Here the Lonely run ends.  The runners arrive in Unattractive sweaty, spent, and anguished on blistered feet. Their throats ache and, to them, the Unattractive well water t...

Pleasure peaches grow golden bright and strongly scented. Hibiscus blossoms beside saffron fields. Pollen billows in the air, but it soothes breath. Pleasureans float. They invite travelers in. They greet everyone in their own language. They touch whiskers and tails. They nuzzle necks. Pleasure blossoms sweep over their backs. They wear pleasure petals and drink nectar. They roll down the pleasure hills into the pleasure valleys. They dance, sing, and float.  At the heart of the land lives Alive, a city which pulses and shines and provides rain from which the blossoms grow. No one lives here, but a part of everyone does. The soul lights of Alive meditate ecstatically. What is this? Emotion 365: Every Day a New Emotion

Stars keep Amazed bright. The Amazed live in towers with spiral staircases. The Amazed sheep graze on luminous grass in a velvet pasture. In the daytime, the pastures look pale blue. The Amazed make vases, ornaments, and jewelry from starlight.  “These are precious gifts,” says the Guide.  The Amazed wear soft robes of silver. Once a year they line up in silver gradients from palest to the darkest and walk in waves. They sing star songs.  “Any one who sees The Ceremony of the Amazed cannot forget it,” says Miss Emeline.  “Nor properly describe it to anyone who wasn’t there,” adds Miss Doe Friend. Inside Amazed lies the bright star Rejuvenated. The Rejuvenated have huge eyes which take in little light and soft skin and hands. Even the adults look like newborns. They swim in deep star pools and drink the dew that falls from starflowers. They dance slow, light, step dances and softly sing.  “Many wish to visit, but Rejunventated accepts few travelers,” says the G...

The lowland meadow Genderless surrounds a placid lake. The emerald green grasses vibrate. The marine blue waters shimmer. The silver scaled fishes shine. They leap at dusk and dawn. The Genderless live in the lake and in modest huts in the grasses. They study the movements of fish. They walk the trail around the lake, hold hands, and talk over their ideas. “One day the ideas of the Genderless will be used to build great utopias,” They say.  Visitors to Genderless stumble upon the village. Some decide to stay. “It’s a quiet life, but fulfilling,” They say.  Attractive sits in the middle of Genderless Lake. The people flash their multicolored scales. When the Genderless need to reinvigorate their creativity they jump into Genderless Lake and swim down to the capitol. They become brilliant fish with enormous flowing fins, whiskers, and beautiful pearly eyes.  “You must become fish to visit it,” the Guide says, but only if asked.  Attractive keeps to itself. It eschews...

Taste: soy curls in peanut sauce or BBQ; tart cherries in dark chocolate  Sound: poetry, enjambment Smell:  oatmeal shampoo, dog fur post-bath Sight: her false eyes, the reddish brown spots that the hawk swoops down and pecks while her own dark soft brown ones remain safe, seeing only safety and you and love  Touch: chewy - soy curls, dried cherries  Extra: dreaming about skiing and learning to ski; "Rain, midnight rain, nothing but the wild rain/On this bleak hut, and solitude, and me" — Rain, Edward Thomas  A jolt of joy: a friend's voice, a poetic line, dogs on a car ride, dogs cozy in bed Grateful for: being at home, video games, gaining skill

Visitors sink into the mud pit Thirsty. The land slides. The ooze clings, sucks, and cements around legs.  “Turn back!” shouts the Guide.  The mud puffs clouds of dry choking gas. The trapped visitors cough and heave. The mud pots bubble grey-green, ochre, chartreuse, and slime pink.  “Why did we come?” the visitors wail.  “The mud pots are beautiful, but dangerous,” says Miss Emeline Traveler. “The land along the woods feels cakey. When it becomes sticky, it is time to leave.”  No one has mapped the edges of the land. A vein of mud runs throughout.  The outpost Dry sits in Thirsty. A High Council Member of Thirsty sits atop a tower and uses a telescope to map the edges of Thirsty, but they cannot complete the task. The next High Council Member ascends the 500 stairs to relieve them.  “Who can say if the task will ever be done?” says Miss Doe Friend.  Some of the High Council are poor mapmakers. Some lack the proper appendages to use the telesco...

Best experienced from above, birds inhabit the mountain range Stoic. They live in enormous nests built from sticks and moss, and shed tufts of fur gathered from the mountainsides.  “You must see its waterfalls,” says Miss Emeline Traveler. “And the Lights cascading over the mountaintops.”  “For most, the air is too thin for a proper breath,” says the Guide. “But the Stoicians skim the skies unbothered.”   Visitors too become birds. They love to swoop over the beautiful land and look down upon it.  “It is a wondrous place to visit when one is not feeling well, but it is best not to visit for long,”says Miss Doe Friend.  The residents of Stoic protect their nests and begin to ignore those who linger. The Stoic birds gather at the mountain lake Maudlin during mating season comes. Here they flit, swoop, and dive in an effort to attract mates. They cry, sing, and make a fuss. Feathers float down into the lake.  “The feathers make potent talismans,” says Mi...

Gentle grasses and wide, slowly flowing rivers fill Nonplussed. Birds’ wings graze the top of the grasses and skim across the rivers as they fly. Birds swoop down and land on the sandy riverbanks. They stand perfectly still with one foot raised. The Nonplussed live downstream from a giant dam created by a giant. If the dam should burst they would be swept away, but here the Nonplussed live long-legged and stork-like in houses on high poles. They weave grasses into mats and roofs. They sell jars of their magical river sand said to soothe burning skin and allergic reactions.  Visitors to Nonplussed find it dull for the most part although they always point out the dangers of the dam: “Aren’t you worried? It’s an old dam, see that crack.”  “Hmm, no, if you lived here you wouldn’t worry either," say the Nonplussed. The capitol Placid sits on posts and piers beside the lake below the Giants’ Dam. Few visit Placid and few stay. They make their way down to Nonplussed and soon tire of ...

“We are excited to go,” says Miss Doe Friend. “There is everything in Abundance.”  “I love the forests of redwood trees,” says Miss Emeline Traveler. “They remind me of the size of the world. There’s so much to explore.”  “Abundance makes you feel alive, awake, bountiful, and fulfilled,” says Miss Doe Friend.  "It's alive! Like no other place!” exclaims Amma Pom.  Wishes take visitors to Abundance, but only some wishes come true. The walls of Abundance, strong and alive, are made of redwoods. A thick canopy of the trees shelters all. Visitors cannot arrive by air. The soil is moist and full. Visitors cannot arrive from underground. Yet, the animals of Abundance roam unhindered. They build treehouses. They fear no thieves for there is too much to go around and too few to use it. The denizens of Abundance do not know how to share for there is so much it is not something one needs to do.  “Unfortunately, they also do not share with the outside world,” says Miss Em...

Difficult to traverse, the rocky spires of Failure pierce the sky. Photographers point lenses at the blurred wings of vultures and hawks diving through the sky. Overexposed pictures show gleaming orange and gold sunsets upon rocks. Failurites live on dry plains in feeble houses which they rebuild after windstorms. They wear strips of torn clothing which fill with dust and bits of rock by days’ end. Visitors arrive on the River Failure which runs through Failure Canyon. They are awed and horrified by the ancient rocks of Failure.  The ghost town Defeat lines the top of the cavern. Rafters purchase supplies there and ride away on helicopters, getting a beautiful view of the river canyon below. From above, the rock spires are grand. Ghosts make their homes in shanties and empty mine shafts. They pour stiff drinks in the Defeated Saloon. There’s an old school house and a mansion where someone wealthy and peevish once lived. Most visitors arrive for the curiosity, but some with now...

“When you are traveling always remember to look up and look down,” says Miss Emeline Traveler, the most experienced Traveler in all the lands.  "Cobalt skies and jade ground," says Miss Doe Friend. The blue lakes of Trusting reflect its snow-capped mountains. The Trusting leap from the cliffs and dive head first into the clear waters. Trusting mermaids live there and play with the divers.  A long tunneled passageway leads to Trusting. Travelers come by foot. Few live in Trusting. The Trusting mermaids know their fears. A lake creature guards the waters.  The city Forgetful lies in the underground passageway to Trusting. The city welcomes travelers. Bleu spires and domes cap the buildings of Forgetful. It’s made of winding paths and spiral staircases. Pale blue light illuminates the streets. The Forgetful have soft, flat features and muted fur. They create blurry paintings. A rock dome painted with murals covers all. Painted tiles lay across the floor.  “Look up an...

The rocky seashore Clumsy lies in a difficult to reach inlet. Inept sailors stumble across it. Others come to the land on foot. The bumpy way in discourages faster forms of travel. Clumsies live in villages and shanties. They gather decorative seashells and nourishing kelp from the rocky shore. The church remains the tallest building.  The pastor stutters short sermons: “Pray for the way to be smooth.”  It never is.  “Pray for old wounds to be healed.”  There are always more. Visitors stumble into Clumsy and drink too much Clumsy Ale and trip and fall and tell their stories out of order.  "At least, the Clumsies are accepting," says Miss Doe Friend. "For everyone bumbles about. It doesn’t matter how much you try to be careful." "Sometimes, that only makes the clumsiness worse," advises the Guide. The Clumsy capitol city Nervous lies atop a small hill. The circle of oddly built houses with five spires looks about to topple. Visitors to Clumsy climb up to Ne...

The flowers of Blossoming include dainty ones with spiky petals which grow in the grass and fluffy and lanky ones which reach for the skies. The rolling blossom-covered hills bloom. The sweet air attracts butterflies and bees.  "We share our sweetness," says the Guide. "We welcome all. Visitors have only to give up their skin to the petals, unfold, and become." "Everything's sweet in Blossoming," says Miss Doe Friend.  "Your fur shone as never before," says Miss Emeline Traveler. "And Amma-Pom also has in fine shiny, shaginess." The Queen of Fairies, Ami-ha-ha, makes frequent visits to Blossoming. She loves to spend time as a flower surrounded by all of her fairy court in floral form. Gentle rain falls.  Photographers from other lands love to come to Blossoming to document its beauty in all its stages.  “It is the most beauteous land,” says the Guide. “Poets write of it. Artists capture it.”  In the center Blossoming, the transparen...