Hidden/Haunted Tales

Little bit of fact. Little bit of fiction. Endless curiosity.

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Low banks the sun to my feet made of lead,

A sprinkle of rain on my arms not my head.

The snarling pack of clouds dark grey,

By a stranger's kindness are kept at bay.

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Scenery! Definitely not haunted

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*looks at how long since I last posted* so it turns out that writing 5 chapters of a rough draft in a week and a half really keeps you off of tumblr, huh

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WHEN WAS SOMEONE GOING TO TELL ME THAT REFERRING TO EYES AS ORBS ACTUALLY COMES FROM POLARI??????

The 13 year old fanfic girlies have been using slang from the early-1900s British queer carnies and sailors this whole time???? And no one said???

Hello????

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St Petri Cathedral, Bremen. A few details of the crypt and the inner arches that caught my eye.

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If the earth were a marble

And the moon were a pea,

Would that change the distance

Between you and me?

The world that I live in

Is not that of outside;

Though much time I spend there,

Through dreams I do glide.

Those who live loudly are others to me,

So, better or worse, an other I'll be.

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Early evening on the Gnarrenburger Moor.

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Refuge from the rain.

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A swift hidden glimpse and the nod of a child,

Time turned to bone, every flavour gone mild.

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Beautiful Buxtehude!

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The tunnel under the river Elbe, first opened in 1911, connects downtown Hamburg to the main port on the south riverbank. Not only is it an impressive piece of historical engineering, but it's also still practical for use by pedestrians and cyclists, which is why there's no toll fee (very handy, since this was the route I took out of the city).

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Hallo Hamburg!

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A long end to a long day.

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Snippets From a Gaslamp Fantasy, Part One:

The dragon warning siren hasn't been sounded in months now, which is the longest it's ever been silent. If you head down to the port, you can find several salty old sea elves who'll gladly tell you all about the 'old days' for the price of a bottle of halfling whisky, and about how the dragons used to swarm the harbor nearly every afternoon, eager to snatch the fishermen's catch from them. Back then, they had nothing but simple fireproofing enchantments to keep the ships and warehouses intact, and had to scramble to get the fish into barrels before it was time to run for cover. There were no lightning cannons or air pressure shields to defend themselves, which feels unimaginable nowadays.

It must be noted, though, that the reason why today's children have never known the fear of dragons that used to be in the hearts of all isn't just because our capabilities to fight them back has improved, it's also because there are fewer dragons about. The great ocean wyrms, their legless bodies making them adept at both flying and swimming and who can be seen leaping from the waves like dolphins before taking off into the air, each wingbeat whipping the waves around them into foam, have been shifting their migration routes further and further north for decades and are now only rarely seen in our skies. The ice dragons, too, with the stiff hollow bristles that cover their bodies to insulate them from the harsh winters, no longer venture so far south. Only the forest dragons, their bodies long and lean and their faces whiskered like a cat's or wolf's, still dare to raid us from time to time, and their numbers are dwindling fast. Once the new, more accurate tracking spells were developed, the dragons simply had no chance against the mechanised efficiency of the extermination troops, and it won't be long now before they're wiped out altogether.

It's a shame, really. We have so many stories about dragons. They've been the foes of mortal folk since time immemorial, and the emblems of our greatest warriors. It'll be sad to see them go. But progress makes its demands, and it waits for no one. The sacrifice will surely be worth it. One day.