Chapter 234: Day 233

Day 233,

Another day of transcription done.  There’s something about the illustrations that I feel like I should be recognizing but I can’t quite put my finger on what.  At any rate, they’re not stylistically what I was expecting.  I’d imagined something like (to use a reference that only outsiders are likely to understand) antique illuminated manuscript - more symbolic and evocative than representational.  Instead I find myself looking at almost diagrammatic figures that look like they would have come out of something like a technical manual or anatomy textbook.  Between the apparent link to the ruined cathedral and the mystical significance that it had sounded like Iole was ascribing to it, I was expecting something like a religious text, but now I wonder if that wasn’t the case at all.

On a similar note, it’s hard not to see the little statuette that the crone has made and not think of the Reader statue from the cathedral.  I’ll need to check the local inspiration for it out sometime before we leave.  After we finish with the transcription though.

I should probably spend more time talking with and interviewing Iole herself but… well, I don’t really have a good “but” for that beyond maybe “I’m the Archivist, this is what I do.”  That said, Lin’s found Iole to be in better health than she expected, so it’s not like she’s going to keel over on us while we’re here.  I’ll talk to her more when we’re done.  Give myself and Cass time to draw our own conclusions about the text before comparing with Iole’s thoughts.  You’d think the evenings would be a chance to talk, but at that point she just wants the book back for her own “readings” and meditation and isn’t much inclined to converse.

Speaking of Cass, she’s doing an admirable job so far of not complaining about copying a book all day when she could be out exploring an unknown island.  I feel a little bad about keeping her cooped up inside all day with me on this, but on the other hand she signed up to be the apprentice archivist and this is part of the job.  Not to mention that when I did suggest that she could take a break if she wanted she refused to do so unless I was too.

Meanwhile, Maiko’s settled into the same routine she did last time she was here of joining Iole in her daily chores and Lin’s followed suit.  There’s been some talk of the two of them going off and doing more exploring on their own, but no solid commitment to doing so yet.  I wonder if they worry about making Cass and I feel left out?  I suppose there’s a difference between scouting out an island to make sure it’s safe to spend the night versus investigating a place where someone’s been living for decades without issue.

I suppose I should head to bed(roll) soon.  Still feel a bit of pent up energy from sitting still all day though.  Maybe I’ll take a walk down to the spring and back first.  Heh, feels weird to write “the spring” and not mean “the healing spring” after the time spent on that island and all the time spent looking forward to getting there.

 

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