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If Women Captained Ships in the Nineteenth Century...

 On a fresh summer's day, a ship set sail from shore. It was an average ship, with only a crew, sailing to discover unknowns, as ships are wont to do. The crew had hopes that the ship would get them all the way around the world. And so, it was unfortunate that several days into their journey, they were set upon by pirates.

     The pirates held up the crew, in their usual pirate way.

    But the crew did something, then, that was most unusual. When the pirates had nearly all boarded the ship, holding the crew at sword point, the crew, as one, jumped overboard, and landed on the back of a sea monster.

    The sea monster proceeded to crush the ship with its giant tail.

    The sea monster, ever so gently and ever so kindly, placed the crew onto the pirate vessel. The crew tossed the remaining pirates overboard. They saluted the sea monster. Then, they set sail.

    As the pirates tread water, they tried not to gulp, sea water being what it was. One could only hope that they knew how to pay regard to leviathans...

 

The Wind Itself

 Once upon a time there was a wind.      It blew and blew.      It blew itself out.     Then, of course, it stopped.      The wind laid down, curled around, and breathed. Only small breaths.       And so doing, kept being itself.
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The Peasant, the Bully, and the Queen

 Once upon a time, said the farmer to his son, there was a queen.      Now, the queen ruled over a kingdom, but near her court was a village. And from time to time she would step into the village in disguise, looking over its keeping in a more direct manner than monarchs are wont to do. But this queen was particular, and believed that she could gauge the health of her kingdom by the doings of the village, and as such, she paid attention.      On such a day in such a village, a merchant bully pushed a peasant.       A moment later, the queen's power hit the sky, in as much as her fists hit her side, and she marched toward the fallen man and his aggressor. She breathed once, her power fading, and extended her hand to the peasant, who rose, and offered his hand to the merchant. The bully, on the other hand, was shaking too hard to do anything but stare at his feet.      'Never. Do. That. Again.,' said the queen when she ...
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A Conversation

 Once, there was a little girl who stood behind the village fountain and listened to two witches talking. The topics of conversation were wide-reaching, which is to say that they were about the whole of the world and all the big things in it.      The first witch was all a' fluster with 'oh-the-shames' and 'hell-in-a-hand-baskets' and 'woe-to-those-fellows-who-nevers.' The second witch said many 'yes-buts' and 'I-agree-but-have-they-considereds' and 'but-don't-you-think-that-if-theys.' And so on they went, dissecting and diagnosing, taking the world apart, sure that it could not be put back together. The contents were quite gloomy, and the little girl grew certain that things were not well in the world.      After a time, however, the witches walked away, lighter and brighter as though the conversation had solved the world's problems.       The little girl looked after them, confused.      But, of course, it was ...
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Of Being and Essence

 The sun streamed, as sun has a tendency to do, through the cottage window. The witch sat down in one of the rays and watched it. She stared at the sunbeam until her eyes hurt. Then, naturally, she blinked.      At this very moment, she had a choice.      The potions were made, the stock completely full to bursting, the bandages wrapped and clean, the herbs harvested, the cottage freshly cleaned. Even her darning basket was empty, all threads having been deposited through all holes last evening.      The whole of everything was set to move seamlessly—a perfectly conducted pattern that could repeat itself mostly without thought.      Mostly.      The people, though. The people who came for her help could not be set in a seamless pattern. They were all kinds, with all kinds of messes, sorrows, joys, trials. They made life interesting—and kept her from thoughts of life's futility. People, she knew, were f...
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