Illegitimate Sun

Emilee was the Pirate Princess of Toronto.

With her wooden sword and row boat, she terrorized the merchant fleets that sailed the Great Lakes.

She always took the merchant’s best toys and candy.

With each raid, the merchants became more and more fearful. Eventually, they stopped sailing altogether. They waited out at the docks, watching as Emilee rowed back and forth - daring them to come closer.

One day, Emilee was rowing her boat about the bay watching the distant merchant fleet. Suddenly, a goose landed right on the bow of her boat! It was a huge goose with wings that cast a shadow over the entire boat.

Emilee looked at the goose in amazement. Never had such a large bird been in her little boat.

Emilee went to shoo the bird away.

As she got close, the goose stretched out its long neck and bit her arm with is strong beak!

Emilee looked at her arm. Already a red mark was forming where the goose pecked her.

Angry, Emilee turned to the bird and hit hard on the beak.

‘That’s for biting me!’ she cried.

Instead of flying away, the goose looked angry. It lifted a wing and hit Emilee on the head, knocking off her pirate hat.

Emilee was mad. She and the goose fought all over her little boat. They bit, and punched, and kicked, and pushed.

The fight rage on and on.

Tired, Emilee and the goose sank down on opposite sides of the boat. Both were sore and exhausted. Emilee was bruised and the goose was missing feathers.

Suddenly Emilee noticed that the merchant ships were no longer at the docks. While she was fighting the goose, the merchants had hurriedly sailed past her into open waters.

They were escaping and Emilee’s little boat would be too slow to catch them.

It was the goose’s fault. The goose must work for the merchants!

Emilee started at the bird, anger clear on her face.

Scared, the goose sprung into the air to fly away.

Emilee caught the goose by it’s feet and quickly tied a rope from the boat to it’s feet.

Trapped, the goose still tried to fly away. It flapped its mighty wings harder and harder.

Soon, the large goose was pulling the tiny row boat across the waves.

Emilee pulled hard on the rope, steering the goose like a kite. Her little boat headed out across the water to the merchant fleet.

They would not escape the pirate princess Emilee!

Of all the Emperor’s forces, none are more dangerous and anonymous than the Emperor’s Cartographers.

The Cartographers are a select order of well-trained explorers. They each have a personal letter from the Emperor giving them free leave throughout the land. These letters are even effective outside of the Empire, granting each Cartographer the status of ambassador.

The stated-mission of every Cartographer is to more closely document the lands they travel. Adding hills and trees and roads to every map they make, the Cartographer’s add to the military might of the Empire. Know the land you fight upon, and you know how to defeat your enemy.

Yet, the Cartographer’s possess more secret skills. Their steady, map-drawing hands can also copy and forge many documents. Each is trained in traveling fast & light over tough terrain and in the worst conditions. Finally, no one questions the martial prowess of a man that passes through the domains of bandits, monsters, or worse.

Each Cartographer is a man trained in observation and hardened by the road. Together, they serve as the eyes & spies of the Emperor.

Crows circle my neighbor’s house.

Continuously. For the last seven years.

Day and night, a murder circles above.

A dark cloud of caws and wings and crooked glares .

One time, at a backyard barbecue, I asked him about the crows.

He just smiled and went back to basting the ribs.

Rendolent: a rich full word that rolls off the tongue. Unfortunately, I most often associate this word with my urine.

The coffee I drank gave my piss a rendolent aroma.

The life of a raindrop is all scream until impact.