Book One: The Eiffels

This week I will share another race that has a great part in the story of Book One. Before I dive into it, I wanted to give a quick update on what I’m working on.

I am in the process of finishing illustrations for the short story, Wipple and the Siren. This book will be available for purchase (hopefully) by the day of the Book One reveal. I plan to sell it to raise money for the editing of the big book and also gift it to those who make large donations (will specify an amount when the day comes). I am also spending several hours each day daydreaming and building the world for Book Two- I’m already SO excited for it by the way, especially in light of how happy I am with Book One.

The Eiffels

The eiffels are small people with large eyes and long noses and tall hair that will not come down no matter how hard they try. They are a whimsical race who can often be found singing whilst building, hollowing out a tree to make a home, herding, or sewing special clothing for the kafārba (see last week’s blog for details on their race).

Beyond their incredible creativity in building and herding, eiffels don’t have many other talents as their minds are flighty and forgetful. Because of this fault, their songs, though nonsensical at times, are extremely important for them. These ditties are sung to remember the great and little things that they need to remember. For example, some of them are made to remember where their hollows are or how to find the watering hole. Still, others are warnings like their song about sirens which they normally sing as they fish or when they relieve themselves downstream (for they are very adamant about keeping their forest clean).

Eiffels, at first, might seem simple and even silly, but their story is far from either of those things. During the Vêrinquôr [vare-in-quore] Divide, when the inhabitants of Ore were given their abilities and separated into races, the eiffels were made small because of their part in the attempted destruction of the realm. They had been talented beast tamers and used their army of creatures to help the evil power of death, called Îrenôr, to kill many good people. The eiffels born in the first couple of generations since the divide felt vulnerable and afraid. They lived as empty shells of who they once were. (My short story, Wipple and the Siren, actually gives a good example of their struggle and how they must find the courage to live bigger than what they have become.)

The eiffels of Book One live in two different areas of the valley (see map above). Whittle Woods is home to the eiffels who love to build (if you can’t already tell from the name). The other eiffels of the valley, who are more of the herding type, care for large cow-like creatures called bigalows in either the Darling Forest or the Troll Dell. (The female bigalows were called Darlings and the boys were named Trolls by the eiffels to help them remember the temperament of each.)

I love the eiffels because they represent all of us at some point in our lives. We all have times when we are tempted to look at ourselves and decide whether we are capable to do a big thing. I always hope we decide to look at God to do the big thing, whether it be a lifelong dream or simply an act of kindness. The reason why I hope this is because my faith always challenges me to do the big thing and gives me what I need to do it. I can look at God and know that He will always be enough for me to do more than what I would normally be capable of.

Next week I will share another race that is near and dear to my heart. They also are short but their characteristics and abilities are far different.

Enjoy a nice cup of iced raspberry tea and enjoy the rest of this hot, summer week