Nanowrimo Bits - 11/22/19 (Patreon)

A snippet from today's Nanowrimo -

When Flannery next found herself aware of anything, it was midmorning and the sun was shining right in her eyes. She groaned, squinting against the very rude sun’s rays, and found that Matilda’s book had fallen from her lap at some point in the night. Rolling her neck and wincing at the popping sounds it made, she looked about for the old tome. She found it, miraculously, on her desk where she’d picked it up, open to a page somewhere towards the middle of the book. Atop the book was a doodle of something. It was a circle with several stars around it. A full moon. 

Flannery picked up the book, but nearly dropped it as someone knocked on her door. Granny poked her head in, a concerned look on her face.

“Oh, you are up. We were starting to worry about you.” She wandered into the room, stopping to look at what Flannery had in her hands. “What’s this?”

Flannery held the book up for her to see. “I think Matilda is giving us a little hint.” 

Granny looked at Flannery incredulously. “It’s a doodle of a circle, Flannery.”

Flannery scowled. “It’s got stars around it, Granny. Clearly that’s supposed to be a full moon! Matilda is telling us to wait until the full moon!” 

Granny shrugged and walked out the door. “If you say so dear. I just think it’s a little hard to get advice from a dead girl.” 

“You’ve lived in this town all your life, surrounded by magic,” Flannery argued, chasing after Granny with Matilda’s book tucked under her arm. “Why are you always so dismissive of it?”

“I’m not dismissive of magic, Flannery,” Granny corrected. “I just think you have too grand of ideas of what it can do.”

Elwood and Conor stood at the bottom of the stairs, sharing concerned looks. 

“We saw William take on the form of a beast made of smoke and bones,” Elwood said. “I don’t think I’m in any position to argue what magic can and can not do.” 

“What are we doubting anyway?” Conor asked.

“I couldn’t sleep last night,” Flannery said, pushing passed Granny to descend the stairs and show her friends Matilda’s book. “So I asked Matilda for some kind of hint. I fell asleep in the window seat. When I woke up the book was on my desk, open to this page.” 

She showed them the doodle of the moon and the stars. “I think it means we need to wait for the full moon.” 

Conor stared at the page, hyper focused on the details of it. “Those stars make a constellation.” 

Flannery turned the book back towards her to look. The stars sure seemed to make some kind of shape, but couldn’t tell which one. 

“What constellation is it?” she asked, turning the book back to Conor.

“Ophiuchus,” Conor said. “The serpent bearer.” 

“I know that one,” Granny said. “He’s supposed to be a great healer.”

“Okay, but when is it supposed to be visible?” Elwood asked.

“July,” Conor said, his voice clipped. “It’s visible in July.”

Flannery paled. It was July right now. If they were going to do this magic they were going to have to do it now, the very next full moon. She closed the book with a loud snapping sound, her palms suddenly feeling clammy. 

“You know a lot about stars, Conor,” Granny commented. 

Conor stiffened. “Yeah. It’s a hobby of mine.”