There’s a ceiling over our heads, because we live underground. That’s what the elders say. And there’s a great tree–a mighty plant–with roots thick and plentiful, and those roots are lodged in the ground, in our ceiling. There’s a mighty lumberjack up there, they say, and sometimes he takes an axe the size of fifteen men and he strikes the tree with it. When he does, the earth trembles, and rocks fall from the sky. Big bro says, he says, “I’ll go up there someday and beat the shit out of that lumberjack!” But big bro. When the lumberjack falls, his body will come crashing through the ceiling, and we’ll be crushed.

“This thing has been around longer than any of us, you know.” He nods. “It’s older than any human, and it’s older than our country.” He nods again. “It’s been here forever, watching as we go about our business. It’s like a god.” He shakes his head, laughing softly. “It’s just a bunch of molecules, silly, and it wasn’t around ten thousand years ago.” “You ruin all my fun.” He laughs again and looks up at the foliage.

It’s been a kind of hectic week for me. I spent a lot of time on buses just going around Berkeley, moving between various places. I didn’t get much of a chance to write. I’d say “I’ll pound out TOH Chapter Twenty today,” but I’m expecting the delivery of a new laptop tonight and that’ll be a major distraction to top all major distractions. Even if I weren’t, it’d be a shoddy chapter if I forced myself to write it in a twenty-four hour period.

So yeah. No TOH this weekend. I’m pushing Chapter Twenty to next Sunday (July 5th), and regular schedule should continue after that. In the meantime, I’ll continue putting out shorts.

Thanks for your patience!

I take a stack of printer paper, maybe two hundred sheets thick. A kitchen knife. Carve a face into the block. Memories of my first AIM conversation. Before I knew the word “emoticon.” I don’t use this one much anymore. Webcam was on. Maybe I’ll upload this to YouTube, think about how the Brits can’t watch this. Maybe that’ll elicit this emoticon again.

(A) Social. Alcohol. Loose humor. Loose pockets. This place is a gold mine. The gentlemen’s wallets. The ladies’ jewelry. Can take their necklaces right off, they don’t even notice. Maybe I’ll try snatching a dress or two. Is that real fur? Could sell for a bit on the black market, but don’t want to embarrass anyone. I appreciate a degree of privacy. Hah, this guy’s loaded. Fifteen cards in addition to generous wads of cash. Haven’t touched identity theft to date, but it’s mighty tempting right now.

On lighter news than we’ve heard recently, I just got a job. I’m a computer technician at a local school district. The pay is good, and I get comp time for hours I go over (basically, free time for when I want a break). It looks like I may be able to do this job after all, which greatly pleases me.

On an annoying note, the two new shirts I just got don’t seem to fit me well. I was hoping they would, since they were bought at a store where I got a shirt that fits me -perfectly-, but I guess the brand is wrong.

This job should be tight.

There’s a tree on a hill. The wind sometimes blows through its branches, and the music it makes lulls me to sleep. Between naps, I watch. Lovers meet in secret beneath this tree. Friends sit and laugh about the old times beneath this tree. Heroes kill evil gods beneath this tree. Sometimes there’s a bench, sometimes a tombstone, sometimes the stump of another tree. Around the hill, sometimes a verdant meadow, sometimes a frozen wasteland, sometimes a bustling city. And I, I sit at the foot of this tree, sketching what I see and recording history.

IcyStorm, you’re gonna love this.

First off: apologies for not having any drawings in this. I intended to, and I might add them later, but for now, enjoy horizontal rules. I don’t have access to my tablet.

Next: this is a Grandpa Snow chapter. No Commander Ynthon here. Next chapter will be Ynthon-only.

Not sure what to say here without spoiling the chapter. If any of you feel like engaging me regarding the creation of the chapter or whatever, I can talk about it in the comments. Otherwise, I’ll leave you with this and the chapter itself.

Enjoy and, as always, please comment!

She stares out at the sea. “It’s bright.” I nod, even though I’m standing behind her. “It’s pretty.” I nod again. “You think so, too.” I nod a third time. She runs her left index finger over the ring. “It’s smiling,” she says, “look, it’s wet.” The wind is strong, and sea spray makes its way through the window. “This pearl will always be at home by this sea.” I nod again. Clouds billow in overhead, propelled by the same fierce wind. A few rays of light peek through the clouds, and I wish she could see them.