Kevin's Watch

After over two years of gestation and false starts, I've finally completed a story I really wished to write. I first came up with the basic concept, including the final scene, over two years ago; but despite several attempts at starting the story, it never progressed more than the first few paragraphs. Eventually, a few months ago, I realized I might have been trying to approach it the wrong way; and after thinking about who I wanted the narrator to be, I realized that I had simply made a wrong assumption. See, I had long known what kind of person the narrator was supposed to be, and how she would relate to the various characters in the story; what I had never thought of was her race. I had simply assumed she would be human, but when I thought about it, I finally realized that was my mistake: she obviously was not, and forcing the story in any other direction was the reason of my false starts. As soon as I hit the right race, the story started flowing; but it still surprised me several times, squirming as if it had a life of its own. Several scenes were not planned, and other scenes and characters I had planned do not appear in the final version of the story; but the most dramatic development is that I had originally envisioned the story as something no more than 12 pages in length, and the first draft instead was 54 pages long...

I'm in the process of rewriting and trying to polish it, but in the meantime, I thought it might be nice to share some of it with you all. If you have read some of Ghostblood, you might recognize a couple of names of locations: The North Star is the fifth story I set in the world where Ghostblood was also set. I hope you'll enjoy!

Look at the night sky, at the stars sparkling in the cloak of darkness, glittering jewels of fire and dreams; the tales, legends, omens and secrets they spell, laid bare for all to read, if one but has the skill and dedication to learn their celestial language. And to those who prefer otherwise, what are stars if not omens of hope and desire, of dreams yet unfulfilled, of a longing which stirs the soul? What are they, if not the wonders of the night, drops of bright silver that shine upon us, and comfort us, and give us hope that tomorrow will be a better day?

And of all those who watch at the stars with longing in their soul, thrice blessed are those whose eyes behold the shining North Star, creator of dreams, fulfiller of wishes, harbinger of hope, for they are the lifeblood of the world, for it is in dreams and desires that the power to change the world resides, and greater miracles than magic could accomplish can take place under the benevolent gaze of the North Star, herald of the Ilelorn, for those who have the courage, the strength and the faith to believe that the Gods look upon the world they created with love and fondness, and that even the most ineluctable laws of the world can be broken, if one has sufficient will, sufficient desire, and even the most unlikely dreams and hopes can come true, if one but has the courage to try.

The Twin Worlds have changed, and much has been lost with the passing of the Ages; lore and knowledge that might never be recovered. But the North Star still shines serene in the velvet night sky, beckoning to those who might be brave and faithful enough to follow its light, and there are still eyes which look to the night sky with longing and desire, eyes which will follow the light of the North Star in search of their dreams…

-From “The Star of Fulfilled Dreams”, by Miril Maidelin Tornorin