Closed The Gathering Storm PV Simon Kincaid

17 Sept. 2024 - Tuesday

AngelFyre stood on the eastern edge of the Great Lake. The afternoon was only slightly overcast at this point, but the sky was filling with a tumble of lofty and darkening bluish-black clouds in the distance. It would be storming within the hour. It was not yet cold, but it was brisk. The cold would come within the hour as well once the wind picked up. Looking across the lake to the west, lightning was flashing in quick intervals through the sky. It reminded her of watching sci-fi movies as such scenes were often a portent of the alien invasion to come. Then she watched, a little mesmerized, as a particularly long succession of extremely rapid flashes sparked reds and yellows and blues within the clouds. Those, of course, reminded her of every cinematic representation of synaptic messaging she had ever seen. It was hard to look away, but time was growing short.

She turned her eyes back to the lake and lifted her wizarding camera. The wind was picking up and already beginning to push against the water’s surface, creating something more than just ripples. She was out here hoping to catch Herman on film. Simon had had one of the thrills of his magical career at Hogwarts when he got to meet the squid up close and personal in a broom race a year or so ago, and she knew a photo would never top that, but the squid had proven to be quite an elusive character unless broom races were involved. Since she had needed a break from relentless patrols, studying, and research, she thought this little excursion would offer some much needed fun. If that fun could also garner a memento of one of Hogwarts’ most reclusive denizens for her very favorite, non-reclusive denizen, then that would just make her time spent out here all that much sweeter.

Her focus was dialed in on the lake’s surface, out towards the middle. The water would be deeper there and a little calmer for the time being until things really got to rocking and rolling. If Herman was about, she thought that would be the most likely spot, unless he had already chosen to go deep and wait out the gathering storm. The rocky shore was now and again slapped with spits of water, but she was oblivious to the light spray’s dampness seeping through to her calves. The infrequent, but powerful, gusts of wind were whistling through branches and leaves in concert, producing what AngelFyre had long ago described to her father as a tree’s audible murmuration interpretation equivalent to a flock of starlings visual one. He had just looked at her, puzzled for a moment, and then smiled while cocking his head a little off to the side as he did when he was thinking about something. She was not entirely certain why he had smiled, but that he had was good enough for her.

All of it was going on around her but it was just white noise to the singular parade of thoughts circling in her mind in the moment. “Come on Herman. Show yourself. Just this once. Pretty please?”

She still had some time. Conditions were not so bad yet that they required her to get back to the castle, but they would be soon. She figured she had about 20-25 minutes before it would still safely be time to call it quits. Dinner would start in about 40 minutes anyway.

Lost in her thoughts and calculations, AngelFyre failed, initially, to hear the approaching footsteps.

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