smokingboot

Went out for a walk down to the ponds, where the cygnets are pretty much grown, all except for the grey down that's yet to give way to white. One bold character marched out of the pond straight at me and hung around. When my lack of treats became clear he hissed and I took the hint, walking off down a birch dappled path into the wood, and there thought about Ken. I thought about a lot of things.

I turned back up the path to where it joins the main one, only to find two startled little boys staring at me.

'I've never seen that path before,' said one to the other who nodded and then called out to the man with them, 'Dad! Can we go this way?'

'No,' said their father, giving me a glance not dissimilar to the swan's. They forgot their disappointment quickly and they'll forget the path too for a while. Maybe they'll rediscover it before unmagic takes over and they realise it's just a ... Disenchantment's not an age thing, though obviously anything looking for you is more likely to find you given time. Sometimes it misses you altogether. I get miserable but I haven't been unmagicked. Not yet.

Ken's work fought disenchantment. His life was all about learning, now on he goes to learn more. I trust to that.

The frost has come, the sky is clear. It's a cold but beautiful day.