Half-realized Dreams, Dragons, And The Cord…

A lone bellman wheels his wobbly, off-kilter cart down an empty hallway that appears to stretch on forever. All around him, ghosts swirl and hover. They are echoes; the last vestiges of guests vanished and gone.

He pays them no heed. Why should he? After all, he made peace with these specters long ago.

He has traveled this path a million times before- at least – but he is lost in the winding maze of his own consciousness.

“There is so much to do,” he reflects as his cart bounces over the worn green, stained  carpet, “and so little time in which to accomplish it all.”

And indeed there was. A book lay unfinished, its life hanging in limbo, waiting to be shared with a world that may or may not even care. Tales of travelers, some odd, some harmless. some truly terrifying, were percolating in his mind, bubbling at the edges, screaming to be released. An unfinished home waited to be completed. There were books to be read. No, scratch that, there were  books to be absorbed.

But those tasks will have to wait. His progeny needs guidance if she is going to slay the first real dragon she will face in her lifetime. To be clear, there are five Dragons she will face – assuming she passes the first test, that is.

And so the day-to-day operations that occupy his existence will be put on hold, gladly. After all, some things are worth the sacrifice.

In the meantime, his small legion of merry followers will have each other to relate to – five questions at a time. And there will always be The Cord to turn to…

And turn to…

And turn to…

I’ll say this: In a world of false idols and prophets, Becca Cord never disappoints.

And so this is where the tale… halts. This is not an ending, by any means, but merely a deviation from the norm. Although, to be clear, words like “normal” have no place in the lone bellman’s world.

But he wouldn’t have it any other way.

See you in the lobby, kids… eventually.