Mother Mayai's House

An illustration for an unpublished short story (at least unpublished here), The Choice. I've been a little cagey with it, as I'm not even 80% happy with it; it seems so damn allegorical, but it a way neither subtle, nor obvious, nor particularly entertaining. If it has a broad theme, it's how we must make choices in a world where things are not always what they seem.

The boy looked moodily into the fire. "But did I make the right choice?"

"Sometimes the right choice is just to choose," the man said wearily. "And you make it right, by choosing it."

From "Capitulation"

Scenes from my short story "Capitulation", one of the Tales from the Bureau of Shadows available on this blog. Senator Lovett, Senator Connover, the outer office of the Department of Extranatural Affairs, and the 'gremlin' on the plane. Hm. I should have removed the phone (they have to use the one in the hall; the Department is in a rather underfunded condition at the time) and persisted in making the gremlin less apelike but still inhuman. But perhaps I quibble.

Oak Tree Tea, Revised and Illustrated

I hadn't used ChatGPT for a few days, and when I decided to make an illustrated edition of Oak Tree Tea, I discovered I did not have to keep inventing the wheel as I built each page. I loosened up a bit about my original vision, and that, in turn, allowed me to make a few variations on the verse itself, variations that subtly improve it, I think. The 'chubby chum' originally was dressed in a robe; the 'withered witch' looked more aged and less charming than she appears here. The background made some mutations that I did not realize at first; I may especially point to Page 17, where the venue changes from a treetop gathering to a garden party. Also that the expressions of the characters were a little monotonous for several pages. By the time I noticed, I had closed the project and 'returning were as tedious as go o'er.' I probably will correct it sometime. Here is the character sheet I accepted for the project before I began, from my original prompts: 

The Bone Pile

Sorry, no animations today - yet. I'm having some difficulties with my service. Also, I went bed at 11 PM last night, and got up at 1 AM; I haven't been able to sleep since, though I've gone cross-eyed with the need for it. Maybe posting this heap of dry bones will help me relax, one more daily chore checked off. Cue the Ray Harryhausen music.