A Letter to School (Fiction of the Apocalypse)

[faeapoclive]

First: How Long?
Previous: The Castle That Fell

June 8

Shahin hand-wrote the letter, dip pen and India ink on expensive paper, both because letting it touch a computer didn't seem proper, and because, if one was going to do the thing, one should do it right.

Dear Professor Pelletier, sa'Skin-Taker,

I know it has been a while since I wrote to you, but life has been rather busy lately. The children are growing well, but are at that point where every day is a new adventure - indeed, as they have been since Arturo and Xiuhcoatl first learned to crawl.

Between children and college, children and career, husband and children - we do have four of them between us, you'll recall - there has perhaps just not been all that much time for the visions, and they had, for many years, subsided. A dream now and then,; an unfortunate foreknowledge of a colleague's early heart attack, a memory too sharp to be a memory: that is all they had become.

Now, however, I find that they are back in force.

And what is more, Professor, I find that they are beginning to touch my daughter Belladonna as well.

She is only nine, Professor, and only barely nine. It is too soon, and I am worried.

I eagerly await your reply,

Shahin Morn
Ice Rapier

She signed it with the long blue glyph, both ice-bolt and sword, that she had come to use on most correspondence, sealed and stamped it as was the modern tradition, and slid the letter in the mail.

Now it was down to waiting, but she had practice with waiting.

Next: Here Yet?

Comments

[clare_dragonfly]

Sa'Skin Taker? a) ew, b) is that a Candle Cove reference, and c) why?!

[faeapoclive]

What's a Candle Cove?

c. She's a furrier, a pelt-taker.

[clare_dragonfly]

Ah-ha, no wonder I never got an answer to this question--it did not go as a reply to my comment. Also, Candle Cove is awesome ;)

[faeapoclive]

Whoops, sorry!!

[lilfluff]

Ooh, you haven't run across Candle Cove yet? I think I didn't run into it until last year.

[faeapoclive]

ooh oooh ick.

[lilfluff]

You know the bit from Dr Who:
"You know when grown-ups tell you everything's going to be fine, but you really think they're lying to make you feel better?"
"Yeah?"
"Everything's going to be fine."

I'm almost seeing this as Shahin begging to be told, "It's going to be fine," even if she knows it's actually going to be really bad.

[faeapoclive]

Yes. Yes, there's some of that going on, definitely.