[Just a little snatch from Runeclock that I wrote today and liked. Surprisingly, all this time playing hooky and writing this thing gave me a nice boost on The Riddle Box — I think I’m going to start viewing Runeclock as my ‘writing warm-up sketch’ every day, like I see a lot of illustrators do on the Tumbles. Nice five page burst on RB yesterday, plus incorporating a short story I wrote for something else put me at 82 pages in the draft! I know I have a lot of distractions coming up, but I still want to be at 100 pages by the 10th of August, the International Holiday of Arbitrary Deadlines.]

 

The odd group of children chattered and gamboled in the gazebo’s shadow. They began to make slow progress towards the Ferris Wheel, but the sugar-arguments made them lag and stall like a herd of dizzy turtles.

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Jak and Kanley ran through the Fair, despair and anxiety nipping at their heels. Interestingly, the Sgt’s punishment of choice was to have his pet terriers, Despair and Anxiety, nip at the heels of soldiers that displeased him.

“We’re never going to find them,” the portly guard moaned, nearly caroming off a passing cotton candy stall.

“We will, we will.” Jak insisted. “We just have to figure out where kids would go. Where do kids go?”

The fat guard did not answer, but continued to pant as they ran. After a few moments, he worked up the breath to speak again. “Jak, I know we’re in trouble, but I’m about to split my sides. There’s a gazebo right around the corner. Can we please, please stop for a moment and catch my—-our breath?”

“I don’t know, Kanley.” the tall guard whined.

“It’s tall! It’s tall! We can get a better view of the Midway.” Kanley insisted.

Jak nodded his assent, and the two guards made their way in the direction of the gazebo.

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pop

In the middle of the children, a red node appeared. A light on the top of it pulsed a bright sun-flare yellow.