Tricks to the trade

This was one miserable weekend. All our stuff got wet and such and we were pretty dang miserable! Not sure if ya'll care, but I got an email from someone who asked me where we sleep. That's a really simple answer. We sleep under the sky. Doesn't matter if its raining or snowing, we sleep beneath the stars and though winter is cold, we have a few tricks. What we do is find a pine tree like this one here. 

Some of you may or may not know that pine trees repel snow and water at their base. So what we do is get under the skirt of the tree. You might want to sweep away all the needles, at least that's what I do. Go ahead and put your bag down and lay on it. I recommend trying out the ground because you might find a rock or a pine cone underneath the bag that is just going to dig in your side all night and make you miserable. It's much easier to move the rock or pine cone before you get ready for bed than in the middle of the night. In fact, Moonshine and I had an interesting talk about that the other day. He always thinks on a higher plane than me, so he likened the rock in your bag to life's challenges. He said, "it's easier to deal with a pain in your side early on, than try and get cozy with it and wrench it out." Of course, I agree with him, so for those of you who might have problems in your life, don't wait to get cozy, just go on and deal with them now. Anywho, we get in our bag and if it's raining like it has been, you just put trash bags over your bag. I recommend the home depot construction bags. They're cheap and you can do a lot with them! Now if it's snowing, and you can't find a pine tree, hunker down in a snow bank. Just dig a slight hole, lay in it, and burry yourself. Believe it or not, the top layer of snow will collect rain, snow, whatever and basically waterproof you. And while the outside of your bag is cold, the inside is toasty warm. The hard part is getting up and moving around the next day. I hate climbing out of my bag on a cold day. Most of the time, I just stay inside until I get so hungry I can't no more. Anywho, this is the life of a traveler. Aint go no worries of bills or anything like that and though some might view it as a hard life, the truth is, comfortable lives are hard too. I suppose that's just the way of life, it's meant to be hard, and if it aint, I suppose you just aint doing it right. Well, anywho,  I hope ya'll liked this here post. Worked on Chapter 3 a bit more. Hope ya'll like it!

CHAPTER 3 (cont'd)

The crisp air changes, welcoming the cool evening and the return of Setchra’s sight.
She continues comforting the distraught child and reluctantly sets Princess on the dry, dusty pier. Setchra props herself up on the side of the pier with her hands. Scales around her waist reveal her true form. She feels the child’s warmth leave her arms. The intense and sudden withdrawal sends immediate stabbing pangs to her heart. Am I doing what’s best? she wonders to herself, as warmth is replaced by frosty nothingness. The mermaid fights back an ocean of tears and reminds herself a thousand times that the child cannot come with her to sea.

Princess stands alone on the dock, her dress rumpled and dark circles beneath her young eyes. She stares at the merwoman blankly, and toys with Setchra’s hair.

 “Follow the path,” Setchra directs Princess to the dirt road just beyond the dock, “it will take you to the kingdom Tremble Nemble. The people are like you and they will be kind to you.” Setchra longs to reach for the child and reignite the blaze, but instead she refrains. “Be sure to stay on the path!”

“Kind like you?” Princess asks, wiping her sniffling nose with her forearm.

 Setchra nods, as tears pool at the base of her cupping lids.

“Even better than I,” she warmly replies, blindly looking past the child. Setchra longs for nothing more than to see the child one last time.

Princess takes a deep breath. She leans over the water’s edge and hugs Setchra for the last time. The mermaid feels a surge of warmth overwhelm her and knows that if she doesn’t leave now, she never will.

“Will I ever see you again?”

Setchra nods and sweetly replies, “As often as you like.”

“But I don’t want you to go,” Princess protests, poking her bottom lip out and cocking her head to the side.

“I don’t want to go either,” Setchra responds, lowering herself into the water.

“How will I find you?” Princess asks.

Setchra reaches up and pinches a pearl in her hair. She twists it back and forth. Princess hears a noise like breaking glass and flinches when Setchra winces in pain. A little blood seeps down her perfect blonde locks. The mermaid dips her crimson pearl in the water, rinsing it clean before she pulls herself up with one hand.

“Bring this to the shore,” she places the rare jewel in Princess’ open palm. “Cast it in the ocean, but remember, I can see it best on a full moon.”

Setchra lowers herself in the water and pushes away from the pier.

“What if you don’t see it?”

The mermaid slowly swims away, her blank silver irises shift back and forth, displaying her inner struggle.

“When I sing, like in the forest, it has a certain tone that draws me near it, and to you.”

Princess, enraptured by the smooth white pearl between her fingers, gratefully whispers, “Tinksel.”

Setchra wades in the water and gently moves herself out towards the faster current. Her heart breaks as she waves and swims a distance away.

“Wait!” Princess shouts, as tears well in her eyes, “I’m all alone!”

With a heavy heart, Setchra exercises every ounce of will power to push herself further and further away.

“Don’t weave me here!” Princess screams as tears stream down her cheeks.

Setchra feels the pushing current sweep against her side and accepts the invitation to reunite with the cold darkness. Like the child, tears flow down her cheeks.

“I will never be far!” she shouts, then sinks down into the glistening river and exposes her magnificent tail for the last time. A swirl of murky current disturbs the water’s surface and the mermaid is gone, as well as the setting sun.

Princess draws a shuddering deep breath and wails as another guardian disappears. 

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