more fic-itude
Some Pimichu for all y'll Pimichers out there.
Chapter 7
February, 2012
Gillichu Chandler was a well-known writer for the Wizarding World Geographic, respected and admired for carefully researched and painstakingly written articles about all sorts of magical creatures as well as world events and natural disasters.
But Gillichu Chandler was not, in fact, Gillichu Chandler. Gillichu Chandler was the pseudonym for Pimento Pepper, who had taken her boyfriend’s name as a joke when she first began freelancing for different publications in the world of wizard publishing. Gillichu Chandler had then taken his girlfriend’s name when accompanying “his” articles with “her” photographs. It was just another of the complicated games they would play in their complex “mating dance.”
It was early morning in Rajasthan, where Gillichu and Pimento had traveled in order to document the decimation of the ossamies. They had spent several weeks camped out in the ruins of a fortress in the rocky desert, sleeping side by side in the oppressive heat. Pimento had thrown her arm over her partner, snoozing soundly, while Gillichu thought over the instructions in his last correspondence.
LB TO ARRIVE IN MUMBAI 20 FEB STOP MEET LEDGER WITH BIRD IN LONDON STOP STOP REGARDS ETHAN TIBBLE… STOP
Gillichu dreaded the reality of what was happening around them. He didn’t want to leave his world with Pimento, a world of exotic creatures and travels and adventure - but in a few short hours he’d have to wake her up and the world would fall down around them yet again. Since they had both left Hogwarts, they’d been nomads, wandering around and helping who they could, where they could: a two-person outreach program. They’d always been together, and things hadn’t seemed so bad. When he woke up Pimento and they caught the next train for India’s capital, however, they’d return to England and become soldiers on the battlefront - something they’d so far avoided successfully.
He didn’t even know where the damn lyre bird fit into the whole plot, but he suspected it had to do with the growing populations of so-called “dark” or “evil” magical creatures. Some seemed to even re-emerge from extinction: harpies began reappearing along the coasts of Greek islands; lindworms were overtaking cemeteries in Sweden; calchonas were frightening travelers in Chile. Of course, those were the stories they weren’t allowed to report. The readers of Wizarding World Geographic preferred pretty pictures of serpents with silver eggs than close-up, terrifying images of monsters.
The growing twilight indicated that sunrise was fast approaching, and that meant Gillichu would have to rouse Pimento soon.
But what’s that speck growing on the horizon? An owl? Another telegram from Tibble, no doubt.
The owl swooped downward, landing on a low decrepit wall just a few feet from the couple. It cooed a little, dropping the letter on the ground, bobbing his head up and down in anticipation of a treat. Gillichu reached into his pack, which he’d been using as a pillow, and pulled out a dead mouse. He’d collected a few to feed the ossamies in order to get close enough for pictures; he’d soon realized that owls quite liked dead mice in return for post.
Gillichu couldn’t reach the letter where it had dropped - for it was a letter, and not a telegram like he expected - so he had to wake Pimento a little earlier than intended.
“What is it, arsehole?” Pimento groaned. Gillichu loved to fall asleep beside her, but she wasn’t always pleasant to wake up to.
“I can’t reach the letter,” Gillichu said, gesturing towards the envelope on the ground. “You have to get up now anyway, don’t be such a grouch.”
Pimento growled as she sat up and reached the letter. Without pausing to ask from whence it came, she opened it quickly and withdrew the letter, flipping the paper open while she skimmed it.
“What the bloody hell?” she muttered, as Gillichu took the letter from her to read for himself.
Dear Pimento,
We’ve kidnapped your cousin. Hope you don’t mind. It’s all for the best. See you when you get in town.
Sincerely,
Brian Ledger.
“Well.” Gillichu was astounded. “How do you like that?”
Pimento balled up her fists to wipe the sleep from her eyes. “Well, let’s get going, if we’ve got to get going. Get the damn bird and let’s get to Britain and find out what the hell is going on.”
I should have another chapter up later today - that's for you, Kim.
Chapter 7
February, 2012
Gillichu Chandler was a well-known writer for the Wizarding World Geographic, respected and admired for carefully researched and painstakingly written articles about all sorts of magical creatures as well as world events and natural disasters.
But Gillichu Chandler was not, in fact, Gillichu Chandler. Gillichu Chandler was the pseudonym for Pimento Pepper, who had taken her boyfriend’s name as a joke when she first began freelancing for different publications in the world of wizard publishing. Gillichu Chandler had then taken his girlfriend’s name when accompanying “his” articles with “her” photographs. It was just another of the complicated games they would play in their complex “mating dance.”
It was early morning in Rajasthan, where Gillichu and Pimento had traveled in order to document the decimation of the ossamies. They had spent several weeks camped out in the ruins of a fortress in the rocky desert, sleeping side by side in the oppressive heat. Pimento had thrown her arm over her partner, snoozing soundly, while Gillichu thought over the instructions in his last correspondence.
LB TO ARRIVE IN MUMBAI 20 FEB STOP MEET LEDGER WITH BIRD IN LONDON STOP STOP REGARDS ETHAN TIBBLE… STOP
Gillichu dreaded the reality of what was happening around them. He didn’t want to leave his world with Pimento, a world of exotic creatures and travels and adventure - but in a few short hours he’d have to wake her up and the world would fall down around them yet again. Since they had both left Hogwarts, they’d been nomads, wandering around and helping who they could, where they could: a two-person outreach program. They’d always been together, and things hadn’t seemed so bad. When he woke up Pimento and they caught the next train for India’s capital, however, they’d return to England and become soldiers on the battlefront - something they’d so far avoided successfully.
He didn’t even know where the damn lyre bird fit into the whole plot, but he suspected it had to do with the growing populations of so-called “dark” or “evil” magical creatures. Some seemed to even re-emerge from extinction: harpies began reappearing along the coasts of Greek islands; lindworms were overtaking cemeteries in Sweden; calchonas were frightening travelers in Chile. Of course, those were the stories they weren’t allowed to report. The readers of Wizarding World Geographic preferred pretty pictures of serpents with silver eggs than close-up, terrifying images of monsters.
The growing twilight indicated that sunrise was fast approaching, and that meant Gillichu would have to rouse Pimento soon.
But what’s that speck growing on the horizon? An owl? Another telegram from Tibble, no doubt.
The owl swooped downward, landing on a low decrepit wall just a few feet from the couple. It cooed a little, dropping the letter on the ground, bobbing his head up and down in anticipation of a treat. Gillichu reached into his pack, which he’d been using as a pillow, and pulled out a dead mouse. He’d collected a few to feed the ossamies in order to get close enough for pictures; he’d soon realized that owls quite liked dead mice in return for post.
Gillichu couldn’t reach the letter where it had dropped - for it was a letter, and not a telegram like he expected - so he had to wake Pimento a little earlier than intended.
“What is it, arsehole?” Pimento groaned. Gillichu loved to fall asleep beside her, but she wasn’t always pleasant to wake up to.
“I can’t reach the letter,” Gillichu said, gesturing towards the envelope on the ground. “You have to get up now anyway, don’t be such a grouch.”
Pimento growled as she sat up and reached the letter. Without pausing to ask from whence it came, she opened it quickly and withdrew the letter, flipping the paper open while she skimmed it.
“What the bloody hell?” she muttered, as Gillichu took the letter from her to read for himself.
Dear Pimento,
We’ve kidnapped your cousin. Hope you don’t mind. It’s all for the best. See you when you get in town.
Sincerely,
Brian Ledger.
“Well.” Gillichu was astounded. “How do you like that?”
Pimento balled up her fists to wipe the sleep from her eyes. “Well, let’s get going, if we’ve got to get going. Get the damn bird and let’s get to Britain and find out what the hell is going on.”
I should have another chapter up later today - that's for you, Kim.