STALKER

Chapter 117 - 3rd February, 2024

So where to start filling in the important bits of the last six months?

Before I set down my boring ordinary biro to it, I look one last time at the journal's pristine state, letting my fingers run over the smooth surface. My old journal with its broken spine, loose binding, and torn-out pages where I rewrote entries is back home hidden away, keeping my secrets safe for me.  

....

In front of me on the desk is sitting a deep red leather-bound book. It feels good, weighty. If it could talk it would say I WILL STAND THE TEST OF TIME and it smells wonderful. If a book can be sexy this one is smooth leather and scented handmade paper. I bought it a few days after we arrived in Venice. Weirdo and I found this great little shop near Ponte de le Ostreghe while we were wandering the streets munching on bussola biscuits and roasted chestnuts out of paper bags.

It took a couple of days to get used to having to put on multiple layers of clothes to stay warm after leaving Sydney's high 30s summer days. We went from brilliant sunshine to damp foggy days. For me seeing San Marco Square and the canal as a faded grey canvas was nothing unusual but I hoped that weirdo wasn't put off. That he only wanted to see the picture-postcard-perfect Venice like any other tourist. I liked the contrast from the city's iconic golden sunshine.  

For me, the haziness that lasted the first few days of our holiday made the place more mysterious. My heart leaped with excitement when on several occasions costumed figures emerged from the fog and passed us silently, totally committed to their roles. This was cosplay before there was cosplay, these characters dressed in elaborate boldly coloured costumes made from silk, lace, furs, and velvets.  They drifted from one street to another like ghosts from the city's glory days, carrying delicate parasols and huge fans as they swept gracefully down narrow crowded streets, oblivious of the excited tourists aiming their phones and cameras in their direction.

So...back to the fact I have a new journal. The old one having seen better days has been retired, especially as the last few months I have been slacking off in regards to writing up my entries. Maybe I'm writing less because I'm truly happy and content, or maybe because I've been more of a control freak than usual, obsessing about making this holiday perfect. The second half of the year entries look more like checklists of things I need to do, rather than recording important moments. Whatever, I've been slacking off and I want to stop that, hence the new and impressive book before me.

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I'll start with my business "Blast from the Past"  which is flourishing thanks to my new partners in crime.  Although it wasn't planned Weirdo, Ben, and I have become an effective team.  Weirdo is a director of the company now and Ben has projects that keep him occupied and less hyper.  He feels like he is contributing and damn, the boy is smart.  We have big plans for when we return from Venice.  

What changed the course of my business started by accident with Ben's frustration at not being able to source a particular plant for his latest project, another candle, this time for deep, recuperative sleep.  His research lead us to find out how many useful magical and ordinary plants are endangered.  On our return, we plan to focus some of our time on saving as many as we can, partly for selfish business reasons, and helping the environment where we can.

Another by-product of Ben and I making a candle to replace the one Nana Ovia gave me, was me finding out that you need to set a spell in the candle to make it work, otherwise you can say the incantation a million times but nothing happens, it's just an ordinary candle.  Ben dropped this last bit of information once we made that first candle.  He assured me I could cast the spell, it was simple, and it would be child's play for me.  He told me all this as if he was talking about me filling the car up with gas and not some weird bubble bubble toil and trouble shit.  In the end, I trusted him and his vast knowledge of all things witchy. I followed his instructions and attempted to set a spell in to the candle.  I shouldn't have been surprised that he was right. It worked on my candle on the first try and has on every candle we've made since then.  So Ben inadvertently added to my list of talents, casting simple spells.  Which is kind of cool, but definitely not the highlight of the last few months.