Merry Christmas!
24th December 2021
Text Story #11 - VOID: O Tannenbaum is published:
"Are you bored?" Austin asked, brightly, as he strode into Couper Hall's library and found Angela ensconced in one of the battered leather armchairs beside the large, stone fireplace.
"Of course I'm not bored, why would I be bored, I have loads to occupy me..." Angela answered, pointedly. "I also was not born yesterday," she added, in emphasis.
Austin placed the bulging file on the side table, regardless. Angela had been, genuinely, engrossed in a book she'd taken from the shelves at random and so merely made one, derisory glance at the file before returning to her book.
"Kirkebo's cat used to look like that when we tried it with new food," Austin observed. Sunlight was streaming in through the tall windows, being lent a sharp brightness by the snow lying on the ground outside and Austin was a picture of winter cheer. His cheeks had a glow as if he'd been for a brisk walk around the estate before starting work for the day. Angela thought, after a moment, that this was probably exactly how his day had started. She had merely trudged up the drive from her temporary home in the middle lodge and made for somewhere she might find peace from some of the grating jollity that had begun that week. The run down to the Year-End Festival had begun.
"C'mon, read it. Chance to be Interplanetary Woman of Mystery and Adventure again - you hijacked my daughter into that with you last year. Early present: you get to do this on the clock - with VOID blessing!"
Angela bookmarked her page with the exaggerated care that Austin had once demonstrated as being required with the library's contents and picked up the file.
"Is there a quick summary?" she asked.
"Umbriel has vanished," Austin beamed.
Angela looked levelly at him: "The moon of Uranus, Umbriel?" she asked.
"That one. Read. I'll get some tea organised. Dhaljit Patel is on her way down to talk to you," Austin pointed at the file.
Read the story here: https://images.on-this.website/userfiles/25736/otannenbaumillustrated.pdf or navigate to the 'Text Stories' page under the main menu.
"Are you bored?" Austin asked, brightly, as he strode into Couper Hall's library and found Angela ensconced in one of the battered leather armchairs beside the large, stone fireplace.
"Of course I'm not bored, why would I be bored, I have loads to occupy me..." Angela answered, pointedly. "I also was not born yesterday," she added, in emphasis.
Austin placed the bulging file on the side table, regardless. Angela had been, genuinely, engrossed in a book she'd taken from the shelves at random and so merely made one, derisory glance at the file before returning to her book.
"Kirkebo's cat used to look like that when we tried it with new food," Austin observed. Sunlight was streaming in through the tall windows, being lent a sharp brightness by the snow lying on the ground outside and Austin was a picture of winter cheer. His cheeks had a glow as if he'd been for a brisk walk around the estate before starting work for the day. Angela thought, after a moment, that this was probably exactly how his day had started. She had merely trudged up the drive from her temporary home in the middle lodge and made for somewhere she might find peace from some of the grating jollity that had begun that week. The run down to the Year-End Festival had begun.
"C'mon, read it. Chance to be Interplanetary Woman of Mystery and Adventure again - you hijacked my daughter into that with you last year. Early present: you get to do this on the clock - with VOID blessing!"
Angela bookmarked her page with the exaggerated care that Austin had once demonstrated as being required with the library's contents and picked up the file.
"Is there a quick summary?" she asked.
"Umbriel has vanished," Austin beamed.
Angela looked levelly at him: "The moon of Uranus, Umbriel?" she asked.
"That one. Read. I'll get some tea organised. Dhaljit Patel is on her way down to talk to you," Austin pointed at the file.
Read the story here: https://images.on-this.website/userfiles/25736/otannenbaumillustrated.pdf or navigate to the 'Text Stories' page under the main menu.