My storyteller falls silent, staring at the distant smudge-blue mountains. Sitting on the still-warm rocks, he is a ‘there-not there’ presence beside me.
The sun sets quickly here. Now the great African moon, reclining serenely on her back, casts a soft glow over the darkening veld.
All is still.
Soon the broad African sky is star-pricked velvet. Orion, the hunter, with his belt of three she-tortoises hanging on a stick, stalks across the western sky. The frothy plume of the Milky Way is a handful of ashes, cast into the sky by a Bushman girl to light the way for her people to return home.
Long, long ago was that past-time when the great herds roamed the plains: springbok in their multitudes, steenbok, kudu, eland and wildebeest. Then there were lions and elephants in the veld; and jackals, wild dogs and hyenas; great giraffes and rhino, small hares and porcupines. Now only their ghosts remain, painted on the cave walls behind me.
A huge 4×4, lights ablaze, erupts across the highway below, shattering the silence. My storyteller shakes himself and stands. He turns to me, nods and walks away.
I remain.
All is silent again, but the spell is broken.
In case you missed it, this is the story my storyteller told
luna's on line 
Lovely evocative folklore images throughout! Great story 🙂
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Thanks Tom 🙂
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Wonderful, Chris. You describe your settings so beautifully.
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Thanks Ellie 🙂 – so nice of you to say.
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I felt i was there, and feeling every word.
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Thanks Paul, that’s a lovely compliment 🙂
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Wonderful piece.
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With a bow in one hand, and an arrow stretched out in the other, I hunt down the 4×4. And then, along a shoreline, I shall be spellbound, so then can enjoy the view forever 😉😄 Beautifully expressed. I love it Chris 👏👏
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What a lovely response to the story 🙂 Thanks, Joseph. It plays out so well!
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Oh how I yearn for these moments! You’re right that no matter how long you linger after the Interruption, the magic never can quite return.
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Time to create more during NaNo eh? 🙂
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I’m hopin’! 🙂
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[…] You See? prompt, our lovely moon popped up in the second verse. She also puts in an appearance in Trance, one of the lyrical pieces from my San Man series written earlier this year. Moving hemispheres, […]
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