Chapter 15: Day 15

Day 15,

It’s raining this morning.  I think I’ll stay home today.  I slept better last night but I still feel… off.  The rain helps.  I wouldn’t want to make the walk all the way to town in it, but just sitting here on the porch watching it, listening to it, simultaneously calms and energizes me.  The essence of life returning to the earth after a sojourn in the heavens.  Yes, spending the morning just sitting here on the porch watching the rain sounds nice.

---

Figured I may as well take some time, write a little more.  But what about?  Ah, yes, Vernon’s role in the Village.  I didn’t get around to that yet.

Apparently that dapper mantled coat of his is a uniform of sorts.  Something like a judge but he doesn’t like that term.  “Too harsh sounding.  Like I’m looking down on everyone from on high.”  While the guardsmen act as mediators in disputes between villagers, if something can’t be resolved by a few minutes of a third party stepping in and helping the involved parties come down the issue gets escalated to another not-judge like Vernon (I’m sure he must have told me a more proper name for it, but I can’t recall at the moment; still too shaken by the shades at the time I guess).  If the not-judge can’t get the disputers to come to an agreement of their own accord, then it falls to the not-judge to conceive and mandate a resolution that everyone is expected to abide by.  As I understand it, things almost never get that far.  That said, since their primary role is needed so rarely they spend most of their time in a secondary role as organizers for community events.  Mostly seasonal festivals, name-givings to newborns, weddings, and funerals.

When I pointed out to Vernon that he seemed a bit young for that sort of responsibility he admitted that his was more of an apprenticeship role and that he’s supposed to consult with the Village elders and run it by his mentor before making any final rulings.  Still, it’s easy to imagine him keeping a cool head walking into the middle of an argument and getting everyone else to follow his lead.  As I said before, a charming sort.

---

Finally gave in to the urge to go dancing barefoot in the rain.  It was… invigorating.  Freeing even.  I must have looked mad, spinning around, laughing, my arms outstretched to the falling sky.  And – in that moment – I didn’t care.

At some point in my impromptu revelry I caught sight once again of that red woman watching me from the tree line, both hands resting on a tree trunk in a way that made me think of a novice swimmer not wanting to let go of the edge of a pool.  In a rare mood I smiled and waved her over to come join me.  She took a hesitant step forward, began to reach an arm out, and then turned and bolted back into the forest.

I didn’t further call out or pursue.  I figure, someone that skittish, chasing after her would only upset her more.  A bit like befriending a cat.

---

I’ve started keeping a second journal, that one for things that I remember about myself and the world I came from.  If you’re reading this and I start making cultural or technological references that don’t make sense, reading that one might help.

You are reading story The Archivist’s Journal at novel35.com

You can find story with these keywords: The Archivist’s Journal, Read The Archivist’s Journal, The Archivist’s Journal novel, The Archivist’s Journal book, The Archivist’s Journal story, The Archivist’s Journal full, The Archivist’s Journal Latest Chapter