“This isn't going to work,” Sherani said, throwing the scroll to the ground. “I've tried it a bazilliontine times.” She made as if to stomp on the delicate paper, thought better of it, then turned her back and flopped to the ground like a ten-year-old having a tantrum.

“You'll get the hang of it, Sheri,” Old Wingdo said. “It's in your blood.”

The candlesquid harvest has been low this year. Lower than I've ever seen it, and I've been doing this since I was a boy. There have been times they pretty much jumped in your baskets. Also times when you had to be out all day just to fill the quota.

“It's time, Mr. Jacobs.”

Jesse pried his eyes open as the sun came in the window at entirely the wrong angle for sunrise. It was also entirely the wrong window. And the wrong bed.

Oh, right.

“How is the shifting?” Carol asked. She asked softly, carefully, as if afraid she might set me off.

“Well,” Kitt said. “This day couldn't possibly get any worse.”

Jesse stirred the dregs of his drink and took another over-shoulder glance a the door. Another no-show. He turned back and signaled the bartender for a refill. Big surprise. That was what, three in as many weeks, now?

I pulled the next knot to the appropriate length, adding a slight yank to the end to secure it.

“Ow!” Beth said, trailing off into a small whimper. I knew it wasn't actually too tight. She'd tell me if it was.

“Seriously, mate?” Beth said. “I told you to buzz off.”

The sound of thunder echoed through the room. “You lost it?” Marada yelled, her voice roaring above the storm.

“Well, I just set it down while -” Garudesh began.

“How do you lose a fragment of the First Creation?”

Nobody warned her there would be so many cats.

I mean, technically they had. “So many cats,” they'd said. That still did not adequately prepare her for the Isle of Cats.

“Wheeee!” Charlie announced. “I'm tipsy!” The slur in her voice agreed with her statement.

“You've had exactly two shots, Charlie,” I said.

“Don't look now,” Kirey said. “But there's three girls staring at you. And giggling.” She smirked and sipped from her soda.

I looked over my shoulder anyway, then turned back and rolled my eyes. “They're nymphs. Staring and giggling is kind of what they do.”

“It smells like rain,” Jacky said sagely. He peered out the window, content with this great insight.

“That's because it is raining, goofball,” Kelly said.

I met a fox in the woods today. What kind of fox, you ask? Well, clearly not the ordinary kind, else would I bother mentioning it? Honestly.

Jennene tossed her bra over her shoulder onto the pile behind her. Her face didn't move from its persistent smirk.

“Can we call this one yet?” she asked. “We're all naked and you still have your shirt on.”

“Screw you, man!” Billy exclaimed. He threw his cards across the table, scattering the chips and deck to the floor.

“Sore loser much, Billy?” Jennene asked.

I sit down at the stump where the tree used to be. The one my father and I sat down under so many times before.