Kevin L. O'Brien's Blog: Songs of the Seanchaí, page 30

Tree Bog

A concept similar to the arborloo is the tree bog. In this case, bog refers to the British slang word for toilet. It doesn’t use a pit, thereby making it ideal for locations where flooding of the pit is a serious problem. Instead the structure is raised about three feet off the ground. Below it is an area left open to the air to encourage rapid decomposition. It is closed off by a double layer of netting filled with straw that allows air circulation but keeps out insects, larger animals, and children, and acts as a screen. The straw also acts as a wick to absorb excess urine. Waste simply collects in the open space below the structure.

The main feature of this variation, however, is that the structure is surrounded by willows, nettles, and other nutrient-hungry plants. They enhance the composting by drawing off nutrients from the waste. Unlike other variations, a tree bog never needs to be emptied as long as the plants are actively growing. However, the high nitrogen content of the waste needs to be balanced by a high carbon source added to the mass, such as sawdust, straw, woodchips, ash, or bran. These also help to contain odors. The plants themselves may be harvested each year to recover some of the biomass obtained from the waste.

Food in the Dreamlands

As in the Waking World, Dreamers and residents of the Dreamlands require three things to survive: water, food, and shelter. The presented order is not accidental. Most people accept as a matter of consensus that no one can survive more than three days without water, that people can survive at least three weeks without food, and that in temperate climes they can survive at least three months without adequate shelter. However, a number of different factors can affect these estimates. For example, a person's overall health determines how long they can go before needing water or food, and the local environment has a very strong influence on how long someone can survive without some sort of shelter. People have been known to freeze to death or die form heat exhaustion or sunstroke within a single day, or sicken and die in a few days to a week from exposure to the elements, infection, or fever. Nonetheless, many people can place undue importance on acquiring food in circumstances where it is has a lower priority than the other two.

This is because food enjoys a special status not shared by water or shelter: it is the one requirement that gives us the greatest pleasure. It doesn't matter whether we eat a meal of bread, cheese, and porridge, or sit down to a Roman-style 50-course banquet of exotic dishes; they both provide a certain amount of emotional and psychological satisfaction the others do not. This is why we have a phrase like 'comfort food' but not 'comfort drink' or 'comfort home'. In other words, while we eat to live, we also eat for enjoyment. We drink water because we need to, but for the same kind of comfort we look to coffee, tea, soft drinks, or alcoholic beverages in particular, none of which we truly require. This is why people tend to fear starvation more than a lack of water or no shelter, why we have such a greater variety of dishes than we do forms of drink, and why we ritualize eating to such a greater extent than we do drinking.

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Next eBook: Rhapsody in Orange

The next story in my schedule to be published through Smashwords will be:

Rhapsody in Orange

Sir Differel is slowly going insane! And no one in the Caerleon Order can help her. Aelfraed calls on Eile and Sunny, Team Girl, to get to the bottom of the situation. But can they solve the mystery without going insane themselves?

This will be another free ebook.

Synopsis: Team Girl/Differel Nativity

As a special Christmas treat, I present a synopsis for a future story starring Eile and Sunny of Team Girl and Sir Differel Van Helsing, with special guest star Medb hErenn:

Mabuse meets with Differel and Team Girl, and tells them about a new innovation she’s made to her time travel technology. Using the Uncertainty Principle, she’s now certain that she can connect with the times and places when and where certain events whose occurrence is unknown actually happened. She’d like to test it by sending Differel and the Girls back in time...

...to the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. The catch is, since she can’t know in advance when and where they will arrive, they must play everything by ear, but considering their considerable experience, in the Dreamlands, exploring alternative Earths, and investigating the past, she has no worries they can’t pull it off. Besides, with their transponder implants and emergency transport bracelets, she can pull them back anytime. The transponders send signals through time to the base unit in her lab, allowing her to maintain a fix on their "position" at all times, and if the bracelets are ever removed from their wrists the base unit will automatically bring them home.

In any event, they have no objections, and for once Differel states that she will go alone if the Girls won’t accompany her, but there is no danger of that.

Meanwhile, they have preparations to make: they need to learn languages, at the very least Aramaic, Latin, and Greek (in the end they also learn Hebrew and Egyptian, while the Girls learn Irish Celtic, Coptic, Arabic, and Persian); they must devise a cover story; and they must learn everything they can of the time and the region. The languages are easy; they can use Mabuse's sleep learning device, which actually works. The cover story takes a bit longer, but finally they decide on posing as merchants from the Land of the Rus north of Sarmatia, offering furs, amber, and beeswax in exchange for spices, silk, and ivory brought in by Roman international overland trade with India and China. Though an anachronism -- the Rus won’t exist for another thousand years -- it's highly unlikely anyone they encounter would have traveled that far north, except for Medb hErenn, but that's a chance they will have to take. However, educating themselves on contemporary history and culture takes much more time and will be incomplete, since historians don't know everything. Plus, they must read books to get what they need, since Mabuse has no tapes on this subject for use with her sleep learning technology.

A week later they meet with Medb hErenn. She explains that she witnessed the Nativity as Mary Magdalene. She remembers interacting with them, but she warns them that at that time she had not yet “died” and gone to the Dreamlands, so she won’t know who they really are. In fact, it was only after Mabuse told her about this adventure that she finally realized the three companions of the Holy Family she remembers were them. It will be a dangerous encounter, but she tells them to stick to their cover story, and not reveal they are from the future no matter how suspicious or demanding she becomes. She assures them that in her memory everything worked out okay, but they must be careful or they could change history.

Another week later they stand in the transport chamber with their pet Snowshoe Kitty, and Mabuse throws the switch. When the effect fades the find themselves inside a city placed on a plain between parallel mountain ranges. They are equipped with gender-neutral period clothes, sample trade goods to support their cover story, a miniature computer system contained in jewelry Sunny wears and linked to her glasses for visual display (an anachronism Mabuse permitted for practical reasons), object d’arts they can sell to obtain local money, and knives and swords with a bow for Sunny. Everything else they will have to buy on location. (Differel also has a Mabuse needle pistol with 100,000 rounds for emergencies, but she keeps that carefully hidden.)

It only takes them a short time to discover that they are in Petra, the capital city and center of trade for the Nabataeans. The time is harder to pin down, as there are no transponders permanently placed in “nearby” (temporally speaking) sites in history off which to bounce a signal to get a reading of the “time” delay. However, as they tour the market (pretending to find buyers for their samples) and talk to various people, they learn that they are in the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus, and that he has decreed a census, so that many of the travelers are passing through on their way to the towns of their ancestral homes to be enrolled. Yet they also learn that Herod the Great is still alive and Publius Sulpicius Quirinius is not yet governor of Syria. That doesn’t tally with known history, but Differel figures records could have been lost or confused and the Bible mistranslated, but she remembers Luke also refers to a prior registration. The only date they can be sure of is 4 BC, when Herod died, and since Herod is alive they must be earlier than that. Meanwhile, based on events they hear of (most notably the recent execution of Herod's sons Alexander and Aristobulus) Sunny estimates they in turn cannot be earlier than 7 BC. Until she has further information, she decides to call it 6 BC for convenience.

They sell the art objects, getting a princely sum in gold thanks to the Girls bargaining skills. They buy camels and supplies for the trip north to Bethlehem, but decide to wait out the heat of the day. As they sightsee, a group of ruffians accost them. The scoundrels are rank amateurs, however, and easily put to flight. Nonetheless their fighting skills, for young women, are noted, and it isn’t long before they are contacted by a huge woman who introduces herself as Mary Magdalene, but whom they know is Medb. They tell her their cover story and show her their samples, but she is not impressed. They suspect that, having been a world traveler, Medb recognizes they are lying, but she doesn’t challenge them on it. They show her their weapons and she questions them about their fighting prowess, and acknowledges that, wherever they come from, they must be formidable to make it to Petra alone. She offers them a lucrative trade deal through her partner, Joseph of Arimathea, if they will travel with her caravan to Jericho. She wants extra protection, not from bandits, but from Zealots operating in Judea. That will take them further north and west beyond Bethlehem, but they agree to the deal; alone, they could make tempting targets to the Zealots, or ordinary bandits.

Medb takes them to where her caravan is camped north outside the city. They speak with Joseph and exchange their samples for pieces of ivory, bottles of spices, and a fold of silk, for their return journey. Then they are introduced to the caravan’s cargo: six “magi”. One is from Arabia, one from Ethiopia, one from Persia, one from Scythia, one from India, and one from China. Differel is flabbergasted at first, but then realizes that the Bible never specified a number, and they all come from international Roman trading partners. The gifts are the same, though: gold, frankincense, and myrrh, but those are the traditional gifts to a new king. Also, the gold is not in the form of coin, but in knickknacks and trinkets. Because of the richness of their gifts and their personages, they are traveling incognito and their true identities are top secret. They assembled in Petra, but they go to see Herod, to find out where “the King of the Jews” has been born. Differel and the Girls retrieve their camels and load up their supplies, but before they depart Differel gets a chance to warn Medb about Herod. However, she assures her she knows Herod intimately.

It takes them four days to reach Jericho, resting for six hours during the heat of the day and for three during the cold of the night. Though Differel is certain they’ve been shadowed at least part of the way, no one confronts them. Differel and the Girls ride at different places along the caravan, and the Girls sing to relieve their boredom [We Three Kings]. When they camp Differel associates with Medb and the Magi while Eile and Sunny associate with the camel drivers, exchanging stories and singing songs [God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen]. Differel learns from the magi that the “star” they saw was an astrological event, something she had always suspected. Oddly enough, Medb tells her she is in Palestine because she herself had a vision, though of a very different kind. Joseph had been in Ireland to trade wine, oil, and glass for tin, but she had convinced him to cut his venture short and escort her back. She can’t blame her -- Joseph is a young man at this time, in his late twenties, and quite handsome -- or him for agreeing. She also explains that she first met Herod some 20 years ago when she saved him from an assassination attempt. They became lovers for a time, but his growing paranoia, his scheming, and his faithlessness turned her against him, and she left when he married Mariamne II. Her statement supports Sunny's estimated date of 7 to 6 BC, but Medb's dating is imprecise and she doesn't care to pin it down any better.

When they arrive in Jericho they head straight for the palace. Medb is admitted without question, and gets the Magi an audience with Herod the afternoon of the next day; they all stay in the palace as guests. However, after their belongings have been given to them, Differel and the Girls realize they were searched first. When they tell Medb, she is unconcerned, and seems surprised they did not expect it. Fortunately, Differel had taken the precaution of carrying the needle gun under her robe, so it wasn't discovered. However, Medb warns them that their rooms are likely to be searched as well, so if they have anything they wish to keep secret they should entrust it to her. Differel and the Girls parley, but decide they have no choice but to trust her with the needle gun; they can't afford to lose it. Medb takes it and examines it, but asks no questions, and promises to keep it safe. She also invites Differel and the Girls to attend the audience tomorrow, and she supplies them with proper clothing. They then go to eat with the Magi. It appears to be a banquet held in their honor, but Differel and the Girls realize that it is actually a private dinner attended by only a few courtiers. When they return to their rooms, however, they realize they had been searched as Medb predicted.

The next day, Differel and the Girls explore the palace in the morning, guided by the resident cats. They overhear people whispering of Herod's move against the Pharisees; this establishes an upper limit of 6 BC, but since no mention is made of the trial of Antipater, Sunny believes it's unlikely they are as late as 5 BC.

During the audience in the afternoon, Differel is surprised to see Herod virtually decaying before her eyes, giving every indication of having senile dementia. The Persian Magus, the unofficial leader, explains their mission and asks him where they can find the new king. Differel is suspicious when Herod doesn’t get upset. When he retires with his advisors, Kitty sneaks off after them. Later she returns and tells the Girls that Herod’s scheming mind is still as nimble as ever. His astrologers have also seen signs that warn of a usurper, and the ancient prophecies speak of Bethlehem as the location of his birth. Herod intends to let the Magi find this “new king” while his spies keep an eye on them, then he will send agents to kill the baby. Differel and the Girls decide to go on ahead to find Mary and Joseph and warn them. They secretly pack their supplies, but are not allowed to leave. Fortunately, Medb arrives and she gets them past the guards and out of the palace and city. Differel suspects Kitty told her what she told them, but Medb approves of their plan. The caravan won’t leave until after midnight, and if they don’t stop to rest they can be in Bethlehem at least 12 hours ahead of them. She wishes them luck and they depart at dusk.

It takes them a day to reach Bethlehem, and they eat and take turns sleeping as they ride. During the night they notice a curious nocturnal phenomenon in the sky. They can’t identify it; it’s not a star or supernova or comet or planet, but it glows, it twinkles, it has a tail, and it moves. Sunny’s convinced it’s the Nativity Star, and they record video and take pictures for Mabuse to study upon their return. Its appearance prompts them to sing [Do You Hear What I Hear]. It fades with the dawn, but doesn't quite disappear.

They continue through the hottest part of the day, and by late afternoon they arrive just north of Bethlehem. As they top a rise, ahead of them they see a group of bandits harrying a man and woman with a donkey. They ride to the rescue and chase them off, though not before realizing that they were the ruffians who had accosted them in Petra. They have someone else with them as well, and Differel and the Girls are certain it is a Fomorian; they had encountered enough to recognize even a disguised one.

Fortunately the man and woman are okay, though the woman is pregnant and very near her time. But when they introduce themselves as Joseph and Mary from Galilee, come to Bethlehem to enroll in the census, Differel and the Girls are so stunned they nearly faint. Even more incongruous is the fact that Joseph is in his fifties whereas Mary is not yet twenty. Differel offers to escort them the rest of the way, which they accept. Later, though, Sunny remarks privately that that scene was never in the Bible. Differel wonders if history is being changed, or if instead it was one of many incidents associated with the nativity that no one ever knew about.

Towards evening they approach Bethlehem. They encounter a group of shepherds at a waterhole, who welcome them. They agree to watch over the camels and the supplies, and the Girls stay with the Holy Family in their company. Meanwhile, Differel and Kitty go on into the city. Kitty consults with the resident cats and discovers a number of establishments where they might stay for the duration, but when Differel visits each one they deny they have any room left. After about 20 rejections she loses her temper at the latest establishment when the owner is particularly rude to her, and forces her way inside. He is clearly frightened, but Differel calms him down and explains that one of their party is pregnant and ready to give birth. The owner’s wife hears this and tells him to let them stay in the stable; a gold coin from Differel convinces him to agree.

Kitty goes off to find the others and lead them back. Once there, the Girls make Mary comfortable, but even as they consider returning for their camels she goes into labor. The Girls take charge while Differel has the landlord's wife boil water and then cuts their court clothes into pieces. Joseph hastily departs, whether from squeamishness or shame she cannot say. She is surprised that the birth is not painless and gentle, and then Sunny announces it’s a breech birth. She and Eile manage to turn the baby, at which point the birth proceeds well without further incident.

As the Girls clean the baby and Mary, Differel feels a crisis of faith. Though spiritual, Eile and Sunny are pragmatic; witnessing the actual birth of the Savior does not phase them. But before that moment, Differel would have considered the idea that the birth had been anything other than miraculous and pristine as blasphemy. For a moment it makes her wonder if Jesus was really God incarnated as the Son, as she had been taught. Her shoulder devil Differel Diabolique appears beside her and whispers that she cannot deny the evidence of her own eyes; in fact, had not Team Girl been on hand, he and his mother would have died. He must have been a mere man, whose disciples made into a god after his death. Can she now trust anything that the Bible says, even the Resurrection? She wavers, and her shoulder angel Differel Angelique appears, telling her something she already knows, that God moves in mysterious ways. Diabolique derides that as a meaningless cliché, but Differel seizes on it as an anchor line. Perhaps their being on hand was a miracle in and of itself. That makes her realize a trap inherent with time travel: the belief that since history records one specific outcome, that outcome is inevitable, or for that matter true, and the time traveler need do nothing to insure history comes out right. Granted, there is the supreme risk that intervention can cause the very alteration it strives to prevent, but she believes the difference lies in being swept up in historical events and having no choice, versus being outside and choosing to interfere. The latter is avoidable; the former is not.

Then she remembers something else she believes: that God became the Son of Man to save humanity from sin. She considers the possibility that God realized it wouldn't be enough just to take on human form; He would have to BE human in every way, including all the dirty, disgusting aspects that are unavoidable.

The Girls swaddle the baby in cloth taken from their court cloths and give him to Mary, then go to retrieve Joseph. When they return, Mary names him Jesus and begins to nurse him. Diabolique disparages the display as unworthy of the King of Kings and the Son of God, but when the Girls invite Differel to come closer, the sight of it brings back memories of her nursing Henry. She realizes that all she sees is the profound beauty and simplicity of a mother’s love for her child. Sunny whispers to Eile something about the cup of a carpenter. When Eile asks what she means, Sunny mentions “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”. Differel realizes what she refers to: the scene where Jones and the villain Donovan must decide from a host of cups which is the actual Grail. Jones’s choice is based on his belief in the humility and humanity of Christ, and he selects a plain clay cup, which turns out to be right. Diabolique scowls and disappears, and Angelique smiles and winks before she too vanishes.

Differel goes outside to have a smoke. Kitty joins her and she listens to the Girls sing a carol as a lullaby [What Child Is This]. The city’s cats assemble before the entrance. At first Differel thinks they are merely curious, but when they commence a choral harmonic purring, she realizes that even as they are devoted to their Great Mother Bast, they can nonetheless feel veneration for the Son of Man. Later, when Mary and Joseph are asleep, she talks with the Girls about how soon Mary can travel. There is no knowing when Herod will initiate the Slaughter of the Innocents, so the sooner they flee the better. They understand, but the soonest would be a week. They decide to keep a watch, though they expect the cats will help in that matter too. The Girls place Jesus in a manger and sing another lullaby [Away in a Manger] before they turn in.

Differel takes the first watch, and Medb arrives. The caravan is camped outside of the town, and she slipped away during the midnight rest to find them. Differel suspects the cats told her where they were. She wants them to escort the Magi inside in secret. She will watch over the baby. Differel wakes the Girls and they head out, accompanied by a mob of cats. They return to the shepherds and pay them for their trouble, but as they load the camels, the “star”, which had been hovering over Bethlehem, resolves into a winged humanoid form. The shepherds fall on their faces in fear, and even Differel and the Girls drop anxiously to their knees. It announces the birth of “Christ the Lord”, then divides into a host that sings praises to God and offers blessings to Mankind. Then it disappears, nor does the star return. They don’t know what to make of it, and later Sunny derides herself for not recording it on video, but Differel speculates that may have been the point.

They direct the shepherds to the stable, and note that the cats remain behind, as if to watch the sheep. They head out, but as the anxiety wears off they feel a great euphoria. The Girls break out in song, and keep it up until the reach the caravan [Hark! The Herald Angels Sing; Joy to the World; O Come All Ye Faithful]. When they arrive, Kitty warns the Girls that she has discovered there are spies for Herod in the caravan. Differel keeps them busy as the Girls get the Magi ready, then they sneak out of camp. They take them to the stable, where the shepherds are kneeling in adoration, and they present their gifts as the Girls sing [The Little Drummer Boy]. Medb then takes the Magi back to the caravan. Differel beds down as Mary and Joseph go back to sleep, but the Girls sing another lullaby [Away in a Manger] before they settle in to keep watch.

The next day Differel and the Girls confer with Medb and the Magi. Mary must rest a few days more, to make sure there are no complications, and Joseph insists that she complete her purification before they leave. Even then, they must go to Jerusalem to present the baby to God in the temple, despite it being the heart of Herod's kingdom. Medb has no tolerance for what she considers superstitious religious rituals and threatens that if she must she will take the child herself and hide him away. Meanwhile, she won’t take the Magi back to Petra; instead, she’ll take them north to Caesarea where they can be placed under the protection of the Roman authorities as trade delegates. Even Herod, "in all of his madness", dares not challenge Rome; he could lose his right to rule, if not his life. However, if they leave immediately Herod will know they found the new king. Instead they will wait until Mary can travel, and once she knows the Magi are safe she will take the Holy Family to Galilee and place them under the protection of friends there. Then she will deal with Herod.

However, later Kitty informs them that the spies have discovered the treasures are missing. Medb confronts them with Differel. At first they deny everything, but then Medb recognizes a camel driver as one of Herod’s best agents. Differel realizes he must have killed the real camel driver and taken his place. The spies try to flee but are intercepted by the Girls and some cats. However, the best agent gets away. Medb kills the others, over the objections of Differel and the Girls.

Medb decides to take the Magi north that night, contrary to her original decision. She tries to get Joseph and Mary to come along, but they refuse to budge. To keep Medb from acting on her threat, Differel and the Girls guard the baby. Medb confronts them, but decides not to fight them, and instead disguises servants to look like the Holy Family with a fake baby, Differel, and the Girls. With luck, Herod will think they all went north. She in turn instructs Differel and the Girls to take the Family south, to Alexandria in Egypt. There is a large Jewish community there, where they will be safe, and she will rendezvous with them somewhere along the way. She and the Magi then leave that same evening. Differel and the Girls speak with Joseph and Mary, warning them of the danger. However, the best agent on foot will take longer to get back to Jericho, and Herod will need time to assemble forces, so they should be able to wait. But they must be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. The couple agree. Differel and the Girls sell the camels and buy donkeys, extra supplies, and “trade goods”, and make it known that they are planning a venture to the Alexandrian market. In reality it's a smoke screen to hide their actual mission and the Magi's treasure.

Finally after eight days Mary’s purification is complete and they leave in the night. And not a moment too soon. Troops arrive from Herod, with orders to kill every male child under the age of three. They hide with the shepherds until the troops enter the city. As they flee the area they hear screams of both children and women as the slaughter begins. Differel is tempted to turn back; Diabolique actually criticizes her for abandoning the innocents. But she realizes that alone she could only save a few at best, and would probably get herself killed. Her primary responsibility is to the Family. Even so, she prays to God to forgive her and the Girls for letting the children die. The Girls sing to assuage their own guilt [The Coventry Carol] and Joseph chants the Shema Yisrael.

They head north to Jerusalem. Though in the opposite direction, the way south is blocked by troops, and they can hide in the crowds until it is safe to leave. They arrive before dawn and city cats lead them to a secret worshiper of Bast, who gives them shelter. She calls a blessing on the baby, and asks Bast to watch over him and protect him all his days.

They rest for a day, then on the next Differel and the Girls accompany Mary and Joseph to the Temple for Jesus’s circumcision and the required sacrifice of two turtledoves. Though the capital of Herod’s kingdom, his concentration is fixed on Bethlehem and Caesarea, but they keep an eye out for trouble. They witness the encounters of the Family with Simeon and Anna, but there are no other incidents. That evening, however, the Bastian warns them that the incidents in the Temple were reported to Herod, and his agents now search the city for them, led by his best agent. They leave the city that night, following secret tunnels the Bastians use for their worship, and find themselves outside the city walls. They strike out west before turning south to avoid Bethlehem as much as possible. They decide to travel by night and hide by day, but along the way shepherds and cats guide and watch over them.

As they journey past Hebron they encounter a patrol. It spots them before they can hide. They flee into a deep ravine which dead ends in a cave. With nowhere else to go they hide inside. Eile and Sunny stay with the Family as Differel lies in ambush just inside the entrance with the needle gun. The troops catch up with them, but then go away. Puzzled, Differel approaches the opening, and finds it covered with several large spider webs. The spiders couldn’t have spun them in the few minutes since they entered, yet there they are. Differel decides to remain the rest of the night and not leave until next evening to make sure the patrol has stopped searching and moved on. She takes the first watch to have a smoke, and listens as the Girls sing another quiet lullaby [O Come, O Come Emanuel].

The next evening the webs and spiders are gone and they continue on. Halfway to Beersheba, however, they are waylaid and captured by Zealots. They heard that these travelers had treasure, and they thought they were rich merchants or Roman travelers in disguise, but when they explain they are refugees from Herod’s campaign against Bethlehem the mood changes. The leader’s sister and her family were killed trying to protect their son. He negotiates with Differel and she agrees to give him the gold (he has no interest in frankincense or myrrh) in exchange for which he will have some of his men escort them via secret ways out of Herod’s kingdom.

He is as good as his word and they pass the border into Arabia. They continue south to Nessana, where they hope to join a caravan headed for Alexandria. When they arrive they discover the soonest they can leave is in two days. They find an inn and take a needed rest. They believe they are now safe. During the night, however, the inn is attacked by a group of men. Differel and the Girls help beat them off, but afterwards discover that Joseph and Mary were assaulted and the baby taken. Joseph is badly hurt. While the Girls remain behind to tend him, Differel and Kitty track the assailants. They find a dozen men in the desert, led by the best agent. Cats from the city and the desert join them, and they attack. While Kitty defends the baby and the other men are attacked by the cats, Differel duels with the agent and kills him. Fortunately, Jesus is unharmed. They return to the inn and reunite mother with child.

The caravan arrives at Rhinocorura on Sinai shore of the Mediterranean Sea. The road to Alexandria is clearly marked, and it bears enough traffic that they should be safe from attack. Besides which, there are now Roman garrisons for protection and tabernae for rest and food. They find Medb in the caravansary, and she takes them to a friend, a devotee of Isis, who shelters them. After a meal she intones a blessing on the baby, asking that Isis watch over him and protect him all his days.

In the morning they set out, pausing during the heat of the day to eat and rest at a tabernae. They attract undue attention, and the resident cats warn Kitty that Herod has put a price on their heads. Medb decides to leave, but they are followed. Differel and the Girls hang back to confront the men behind them as Medb gets the Family away, but when they slow down and even fall back, Differel realizes they are a diversion. They rush back to the Family and Medb, and find Medb locked in a duel with the Fomorian as Joseph tries to hold off the ruffians from Petra. Eile charges in to help him while Sunny holds off the men following them, who are rushing to catch up. Differel shoots the Fomorian with the needle gun. As she expected, it did him little harm, but it distracted him long enough that Medb was able to deal him a serious blow. He reverts to his horrific form, and Differel is struck by how much it represents classical medieval depictions of Satan. He comes close to vanquishing Medb, but Differel fires at his face, distracting him again, and Medb blasts him. Critically wounded, he flees, and his henchmen turn tail and run away as well. Medb is grateful for their assistance and calls them generous, loyal, and brave. She expresses the hope that one day she can reward them.

They arrive in Alexandria without further incident, and Medb takes them to the Jewish quarter, where she finds them lodgings. She sells the frankincense and myrrh for gold, which she places in the temple of Bast for safe keeping. It should allow them to live comfortably for the remainder of Herod’s reign, which she predicts will not be much longer. Nonetheless, she encourages them to practice a trade or some kind of profession, to keep busy, to avoid suspicion, and to bring in spending money. That won't be a problem for Joseph; as the son of a tekton, he is knowledgeable in general wood, stone, and metalworking. In his youth he had been an itinerant worker, but eventually he settled in Nazareth in Galilee and ran a workshop as the village craftsman. He could do so again in Alexandria; there is a shortage of skilled artisans in the Jewish community. But Differel and the Girls would have to think hard to find something appropriate.

Once Herod dies they can return to Judea or Galilee as they see fit. When Differel asks why she speaks as if she won’t be there, she explains that she must return to her kingdom in the west, to Ireland. She counts on Differel and the Girls to be her proxies, but Differel cannot promise that. She asks if Medb heard about the slaughter. She states that she had returned to Bethlehem as soon as she did, but she arrived too late. She adds that in a life notorious for bloodthirsty crimes, this is the one for which he will be remembered for all eternity. But she assures her that he will not escape judgment. Differel does not inquire further. She knows that Medb is a law unto herself, and she knows that Herod’s fate was as excruciating as it was appropriate.

After a few days making sure the Family gets settled in, Medb shares a final meal with the Family, Differel, and the Girls, then makes ready to leave. Sunny asks her what year it is. She flashes a puzzled look, then a knowing smile, as if guessing their secret. She replies that it is the 21st year of the reign of Imperator Caesar Divi Filius Augustus, then vanishes. That tells Sunny the year is 6 BC. In two years Herod will be dead and the Family can return home. The question being: do they stay or do they return to their own time?

Later that day Differel sits outside smoking. Diabolique appears and encourages her to return to the future. She has succeeded in getting the Holy Family safely to Egypt; events can manage themselves from here. Even as Differel considers it, the shoulder devil adds that surely God would not let anything happen to His Son. That brings to her mind the temptations the Son of Man will face before he starts his ministry 30 years from now, especially His own response to a similar statement by Satan: “Do not put the Lord God to any test.” Differel responds that God has already provided the means by which to watch over His Son: herself. Diabolique accuses her of hubris, but she responds that, though she may be right, it can only be hubris if she considers the honour greater than the responsibility, which she does not. After all, no one besides the Girls and God will know what she did. Defeated, Diabolique vanishes. Angelique appears and praises her on her devotion to God. Differel asks if this is her destiny, the fate God chose for her when she was conceived. Angelique replies that in a world of free will, there can be no destiny, just as there can be no coincidence; only opportunities to serve God and one’s fellow Man. Differel realizes that her earlier supposition, that she and the Girls had become swept up in events and had no choice in their actions, was wrong. Looking back, she can see how they had been able to choose what to do all along, even if their choices seemed inevitable at the time. At any point they could have at least had abandoned the Family, and in most cases several alternative choices had been available despite appearances. Whether they understood it or not, they had been exercising free will all along.

She asks if it is a sin to feel happy that such an opportunity was offered to her. Angelique replies no, and adds that she can justly feel pride that she has accepted the responsibility. The sin comes from believing that it could only have been offered to her, and that only she can do it. As long as she knows otherwise, there is nothing wrong with believing that she has found favor with God by accepting a task no one else would. She then vanishes.

In the evening, she confers with the Girls. She tells them she’s staying, not just for two years, not just until the Holy Family returns to wherever they wish to make their home, but for as long as she’s needed, even if it’s a lifetime. But they don’t need to. In fact, she encourages them to return to their future lives. She isn’t surprised when they refuse. Aside from the adventure, they believe she’ll need them. Differel then understands what Angelique meant. God gave them the same opportunity He gave her, and they have accepted it as well. She knows that if anything happens to her, they will be able to protect the Son of Man until God is ready for Him. She just feels honoured to be able to help.

She asks them what they plan to do. They want to go sightseeing, but they may also dabble in trading. It’s been a long while since they’ve had the opportunity. They ask what she has in mind. She grins and replies that Alexandria will be the center of learning for the next six centuries. There’s no way she can pass up an opportunity like that.

New eBook: Redshirt

I have just published my latest ebook:

Redshirt

Theodore Thompson is a salesman visiting Cairnsford in Colorado to generate more business for the web design firm he works for. When a morning meeting ends early, he has the entire afternoon to kill, and decides to find a good lay, so as to relax and enjoy himself.

In a bar he finds a practicing witch who is into fertility rites. She also lives close by, and invites him back to participate in one. She assures him she doesn't worship Satan and has no intention of sacrificing him to The Evil One.

Ted believes he's hit the jackpot. Unfortunately, he didn't bother to inquire about who she does worship.

This ebook is free and can be downloaded from Smashwords.

Merry Christmas!

Next eBook: Redshirt

The next story in my schedule to be published through Smashwords will be a special for Christmas:

Redshirt

Ted was only looking for a good lay, to help a boring afternoon pass more quickly, and he thought he had hit the jackpot: a practicing witch who liked to perform fertility rites.

Unfortunately, he didn't inquire about just what kind of rites she participates in.

Look for it on Christmas Eve.

This will be another free ebook.

New eBook: The Golden Mushroom

I have just published my latest ebook:

The Golden Mushroom

Having proven themselves intrepid and experienced adventurers in the Dreamlands, Eile and Sunny of Team Girl now receive regular commissions to undertake risky, sometimes dangerous, missions on behalf of others for pay. Some of their clients have become repeat customers; one is Mephitis, the Apothecary of Ulthar. Her medicines, ointments, potions, and poisons require a wide variety of natural ingredients, and she prefers to spend her time preparing the former rather than gathering the latter. With few exceptions, the ingredients can be gathered with no special preparation, so anyone can do it. Since Mephitis is friends with Team Girl's mentor Medb hErenn, she trusts them and gives them most of her business.

However, some of these ingredients are only located in perilous locations, requiring the special talents of adventurers to brave the dangers and overcome them long enough to collect whatever is needed. One such location is the Dark Wood, a remnant of the ancient forest that used to cover the Dreamlands in the dim past. Its reputation is even worse than that of the Enchanted Woods, and few people who enter its precincts ever leave. Yet it contains the rarest and most powerful ingredients in all the Dreamlands.

Eile and Sunny knew what they were getting into when they accepted the commission to enter the Wood and collect a dozen or so of its most important medicinal plants, but from the beginning their excursion proves to be disappointing: it turns out to be so pleasant and relaxing that they become bored.

Yet very soon they would find themselves in a battle for their very souls.

This ebook is free and can be downloaded from Smashwords.

Arborloo

Just how do latrines work? Essentially, like a compost heap. As long as the material discarded is limited to organic solid waste and a minimum of liquid waste (such as urine and gray water), organisms from the soil will invade the growing mass and break it down into usable nutrients. At the same time, the liquid will leech into the ground where it will also be processed by other microorganisms, thereby cleaning the water before it re-enters the aquifer or a body of water.

If the rate of influx of waste does not exceed the rate of decomposition, an individual latrine can be used indefinitely. However, if influx does exceed decomposition, the pit will eventually fill up. At that point it needs to be buried and a new latrine pit dug.

A good way to take advantage of the old buried pit is to plant a tree or shrub over it. This is called an "arborloo". The growing plant will use the nutrients released by the decomposing waste (and help speed up decomposition), growing faster and larger than plants in surrounding soil, especially if the soil is nutrient poor, and there is virtually no danger of contamination. If the plant produces food, or is a non-food plant that can be regularly harvested for needed material, it can return some of the waste biomass to the family or community that used the latrine, and any extra food or material can be sold to provide needed cash. Similarly, a cash crop can be grown over the buried pit for the same purpose.

Soft Drinks in the Dreamlands

As revealed in the essay on alcoholic beverages, the Dreamlands is awash in beers, wines, and spirits. However, not everyone drinks alcohol all the time, and some never do. As such, acceptable alternatives are needed. The most widespread non-alcoholic beverage is water, but concerns over its quality cause many people to seek out alternatives. Milk and fruit juice are second only to water in prevalence, but both have their own quality concerns, and large segments of the population cannot obtain them except at high cost, or at all, or only in some kind of processed form, such as cheese and evaporated juice concentrate. More coffee, tea, and to a lesser extent hot chocolate are drunk than alcoholic beverages, but they are considered to be meal beverages rather than recreational ones like spirits. In fact, the most popular beverages used as substitutes for alcohol are soft drinks.

The term "soft" is meant to contrast with "hard" when the latter is used to indicate the presence of alcohol, such as in "hard liquor". Soft drinks have either no alcohol or levels so low they are virtually undetectable. In fact, the primary ingredients for any soft drink are water, a sweetener, and a flavouring agent, though caffeine and fruit juice are often used as well. As a result, pure juice, milk, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate are not considered to be soft drinks, because they normally have no added sugar or flavourings. (Notwithstanding the fact that these can be added, they are not required to make any of these beverages.) In fact, soft drinks fulfill two roles simultaneously. The first is to provide an enjoyable substitute for alcohol, while the second is to make water and/or fruit juice more palatable, especially if they have partially spoiled or become stagnant.

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Caerleon Order Heavy Ordinance

Heavy ordinance are weapons that need more than one person to operate effectively, though a few can be used by one person with some difficulty. They have a longer range and provide greater firepower than personal firearms, and are generally used against large groups of monsters.

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