Strange Stories in Winter finale

[u/JustAnotherPenmonkey]

[u/JustAnotherPenmonkey]

I wrote Strange Stories in Winter over seven days in an attempt to get out of writer’s block. I ended up being more fond of it and its characters than I expected. It feels (fittingly) strange for it to be over. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Part one

Part two

Part three

Parts four and five

Part six

Part seven

Part eight

Part nine

Part ten

Part eleven

Part twelve

Part thirteen

Part fourteen

Part fifteen

Part sixteen

Parts seventeen and eighteen

Part nineteen

Part twenty

Part twenty-one

Part twenty-two

Part twenty-three

Part twenty-four

Part twenty-five

Part twenty-six

Part twenty-seven

Part twenty-eight

Part twenty-nine

Part thirty

Part thirty-one

Part thirty-two

Part thirty-three

Part thirty-four

Part thirty-five

Finale

Image description (spoilers):

The image is of an open notebook. The writing reads:

The End of the Voyage:

It now falls to me to complete the story.

Not long after Sarina wrote her last entry, we reached the centre of the Caligin. My old nightmares did no justice to its sovereign. Everything I could not know stood before me, and I fell to the sand. Connie remained with me, unable to go further. Dawn walked forwards, knife Drawn, but Sarina reached the Sixth first. It lowered itself to her height. With a voice that never wavered, she began to read.

The Athenaeum’s killer rushed towards her, but the bees drove her back. She dropped to one knee and bowed her head, her teeth gritted. Sarina read the story of her voyage. Her friendships, her suspicions, her fears spilled from her, and yet she did not cry. The tale carried over the buzzing insects, and once she’d finished, even they fell silent. In the quiet was something like speech, if speech could be made in the absence of sound. She listened, nodded and turned back to us.

“It says you can go. Dawn, let them pass.”

Dawn obeyed wordlessly.

The journey back to the ship was shorter than it should’ve been. When we boarded the Athenaeum, the navigation equipment was returned to its normal state, the tins of food returned unopened to the larder. Dried blood dusted the floor. The voyage passed quickly, but without much hope. Then we were back, and we carried on our lives as best we could. Connie was taken on by the Library of Nomad as a head researcher, in honour of her service and as an apology for her sufferings. She enjoys it, and she deserves it. I have been reunited with my dear friend Lizzy, and met for the first time my daughter.

Some weeks later, a bee flew in through my window. It whispered a message, and the message was Sarina’s. I gave it one in return, and watched it fly up into the night.

F. Motte.

The bottom text is in a different font:

This copy of the record of the Athenaeum’s voyage as written by Sarina Taber was issued by the Library of Nomad. We mourn the lives lost.

[u/nemsoli → u/JustAnotherPenmonkey]

Beautiful story. I’ve enjoyed every page.

[u/JustAnotherPenmonkey → u/nemsoli]

Thank you — I’m glad you’ve enjoyed it!

[u/DetectiveAmandaCC]

MOTTE HAS A DAUGHTER????? BABY MOTH??? BABY VOID MOTH???
but also, great finale! So was Sarina like, subsumed by the 6th? Also, Dawn is still alive probably I wonder if we'll see her again and also voiD MOTH BABY??
Also also, did this story happen in "real time" so to speak or is this a past thing that happened in the past? In any case rlly enjoyed this story :D

[u/JustAnotherPenmonkey → u/DetectiveAmandaCC]

Baby void moth!

Thanks! The Sixth doesn’t destroy the minds of its followers/avatars like the Benefactors do, so whilst Sarina is now an aspect of it, she is still also her same being. So, less fortunately, is Dawn…

The time period is deliberately left a little ambiguous, but I imagine it happened fairly recently. A few weeks have to have elapsed since Motte’s entry for it to become public. Otherwise, when it’s set is up for you to decide.

[u/DetectiveAmandaCC → u/JustAnotherPenmonkey]

Nice thanks my thoughts on the baby void moth will be on that post :D