08/04/22 Snippet, THE FIGHT IN THE GROVE.

Yonder!

Should I speak of Yonder? I have only been there thrice, though my ancestors came from that wondrous place. Would you like to see how it looks, through my eyes?

Some priests disdain and even fear it, for Yonder is a place of metal and oil. There are places there where things grow poorly, shut out by great buildings and roads of stone and tar. I will not dispute how there are unfortunate smells and sights. If one is not careful, one can find himself in a place of bad air and foul water.

And it is so loud! You will never find a quiet moment in Yonder: there are few animals, but many Men, and other races — and even some Those Who Speak, although they are much not like their cousins here. And the devices of Yonder speak, too, if monotonously. So many sounds, at all hours of the day and night.

But the people of Yonder are kind. They are all rich, and well-fed; they also have a deep respect for the magic of these lands. Or perhaps it is a wise fear for what our magic and our gods would do, if provoked? No matter. We have our place, and those of Yonder have theirs, and we respect each other’s.

I still wished we had one of their vehicles.