Smokingboot

'And another thing,' said the bride-to-be in clear if heavily accented English, 'Nobody comment on Che-che's boyfriend's head, OK?. I know what you lot are like; no pointing, staring, joking or anything at all. Just ignore it.'
'What's wrong with Che-che's boyfriend's head?' larians and I waited while opinions flew through translation. Everybody in the family had something to add.
'It's huge!'
'It's odd!'
'It's shaped like a mushroom!'
'It's like a satellite-dish - '
'Or just a dish. '
'Or just a satellite.'
'It's different, that's all,' concluded my Aunt Fatima, a gentle and lovely lady I've not met in 20 years or more. I hadn't seen most of the family since I was 9 and my cousins were toddlers. The elders have shrunk, the younger are huge. Things have changed.

( Bride, Groom, Aliens, Soup )

( Waking the Witch )

( The city )

( More about Head )

*Or something like that.

No, it's not good. Ralik brought in his first kill of the year, a butterfly. Surya brought hers in days ago, a wee mouse. I object to the mouse less than the butterfly, because lets face it, meeces are cute but very dirty. Butterflies, on the other hand, are just lovely. I know it's just nature, but I felt sad and weary to see it dead.

What of today? Well, due to a shifts cock-up, I am in danger of offending everybody and missing a very important night. I have juggled and talked and wheedled and the scheduler will come back to me hopefully tomorrow with a replacement plan. He is sanguine we can work something out, I am afraid he will give me a show worth less cash and therefore paying less. But never mind. I just want this out of the way.

( Muvvah )
( Bruvvah )
( Fahvah )

I want just now to be little and lost enough to bury my head against someone's chest, and listen to gentle words and a strong heartbeat, and forget Maelstrom at the weekend, forget shifts and shows and dates and times, forget everything except dark and candlelight and maybe some music and a kiss or two. I don't feel sorry, don't need to cry. But I know I could write later, sleep perhaps, if I just stop for a while and feel cherished and empty.

Gah! Enough. I know what's wrong with me. I'm tired.