The World According to Maggie

[Mairead Harker]

16 Oct 2023

Since I last made an entry, I rented a place in the Canopy section of the Gloaming on the Isle; #9 Halflight Hallow. I started renting it in June, planning for the time when I was no longer able to stay in the Citadel in my own right. The strategist in me is often planning ahead. It’s become second nature at this point. Gran says that’s perfectly normal given everything I have seen and done in the last couple of years.

Uncle Eregor is now the Archmage, so the place is in very good hands. I knew my time as ArchClover would end eventually and it feels right for Uncle Gory to be the one stepping into that Keepership. I’m fully prepared for him to be there a year from now as he did when he held Water. I hope he’s buckling in for a possible long haul. Unlike the Elemental Towers, where one can be challenged just about every month, holding the Celestial Tower leaves out the element of surprise of when your next challenge will come and from who.

Planning to go to the Shadowfall carnival. Something about the name speaks to me. I’m hoping the younger kids will enjoy the rides and carnival food. I’m not taking Gale; Mama has volunteered to look after her if Aunt Rhi and Uncle Gory want to have a date night. While she’s a very well behaved child, I don’t feel comfortable taking her to places filled with strangers on what might be unfamiliar ground. This time of year, things both strange and wonderful happen. Gale is a sweet and beautiful two year old. She’s smart, but doesn’t fully understand that some people are not kind and might mean her harm. The other kids are old enough to understand certain things need to be avoided and they aren’t always able to see them.

Brian already knows that things that go bump in the night are a crapshoot. Not always good, not always evil, and, usually, somewhere in between. My bear of knight will be in charge of him, providing Brian is allowed to go. The Lady of Autumn is also planning to go. Her presence might be a deciding factor.

[Mairead Harker]

17 Nov 2023

Shadowfall was best described as a mindbender and I still need time to process what all happened. People disappeared. Some were recovered; some are still lost. The Sluagh may have recognized me for what I am and gave me, as well as my companion and charges, a wide berth. Maybe they just sensed the unseen bears that walked with us. Then again, when one started watching Maddie too closely, I growled at her. While Brian was the youngest in the group that went along, Maddie was more of a target. Brian is lively, curious, and has learned to pay attention to what his senses are telling him. Madison has limited hearing. Her other senses compensate for most things. It left her unable to hear the whisperings of those that might have intended to do her harm. Unlike Abby, who sometimes has Niko to watch her back, Maddie tends to prefer solitude. It isn’t that she doesn’t like people, it's that she can have trouble keeping up. I half expected to see Mr. Dark rearing his head to search for those of us that could reveal his trickery to others. Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade couldn’t even begin to imagine the tools our merry band could pool if needed.

Some might say the carnival was too dangerous for the kids. They probably forget how dangerous it can be for children just trying to walk home from school. Even if one has guards, those guards could be disarmed … or worse. Better they learn how to recognize these things with people watching over them. The other lesson was that not all things that look bad are evil and not all things that look beautiful are good.

A while back, I was trying to explain that some people want a better life for their children, but for whatever reasons, they don’t feel right about leaving what’s normal for them. I find this to be especially true with women that were raised from birth as or with slaves. It can be hard to leave what you know for something new. For some, it can be terrifying. I suppose there’s a sense of security about the known no matter how difficult a life one has. It takes more courage to leave a life, a home, and everything you know behind than some might realize.

Speaking of which, I have some proposals to leave for Gatito since he is now the Governor. Nothing earth shattering. I was thinking about the Women’s Shelter in Old Market and how that facility and others like it might be in need of supplies and upgrades. Some kids are being raised in shelters because their mothers have difficult circumstances. I have seen too many cases of women, and by extension their kids, remaining in abusive environments because they don’t want to leave a pet behind to suffer when they leave. It isn’t just women that are abuse victims. Men, however, are less likely to report those incidents. I don’t have a lot of data regarding domestic violence involving the trans and nonbinary parents of the population. I try to concentrate on helping the children. Bottom line is that no matter what gender their parent/parents are, the kids shouldn’t have to stay in unhealthy environments. They’re my charges on many fronts.