The third leg of their voyage sees the Visund tackle the toughest leg: upstream with no wind assistance, crossing the main current. This involves almost everyone taking an oar. Once past the obstacle, the next reach proves easy sailing, but just before they reach their stop for the following night, the lookouts spot something.

The Voyage of the Visund

A tale of Anmar by Penny Lane

3 - Crossing the Current

What would you do if you know that tomorrow is the last day of your life?

Very soon, the sun will go supernova. There are ten days left. The planet, Betelgeuse VII, is being evacuated. The last survivals are being rescued and moved to a new planet, Betelgeuse S, located at ten light years away.

FireBlast is getting ill, children burning Place (non-sense words from a heavy metal song).

Once, Betelgeuse VII was a paradise for rare sexual minorities and transgender people. But now, things are changed. The sun will soon go supernova. The economy collapsed. Things like electricity, automated trains, distribution services, money or internet, are long gone. There is no institution left, the planet is ruled by anarchy.

A man found a thirsty dog near a fountain. Since he had no bucket and no rope, he went into the fountain and took water in his shoe and gave it to the dog to drink. In that moment, he felt very happy and his sins were forgiven (from a Muslim story).

I found it terribly difficult to carry all those shopping bags into the house, not only because they were heavy but also because of the delicate fake nails that I now had to cope with. I was afraid of breaking them whenever I clenched my fist around one of the bag handles, but at the same time I feared for the bags safety because these nails were quite sharp. 

I didn’t spare much time to examine my new nails, as I hated every moment I spent looking at them. They had this strange effect of making my fingers look longer and thinner, more feminine than they had been before. 

"Hey, Kaleb! Can you come over and babysit Courtney for a couple of hours?"

My neighbor David had just called. He and his girlfriend Jenny had just had a baby a couple of months earlier. I easily said yes. Not only is the baby cute as a button, I could engage in one of favorite activities.

You see, I'm a combination transgender teen baby. So, not only could I indulge in the simplicity of baby things, I could also rifle the drawers of the bedroom.

Part 1
A Storm is Coming

Early January 2007 – Outside the gates to Whateley Academy

In the docks at Dekarran, a visiting ship is being made ready for a voyage upstream along the Sirrel...on the dockside above, Captain Eriana Embriktsdottir receives unpleasant news. Although her initial fears are calmed by those in authority, she still has concerns. Meanwhile, her ship must be victualed, crewed and prepared for impending departure.

   
 
The Voyage of the Visund

A tale of Anmar by Penny Lane

1 - A Disappearance and a Departure

This account begins approximately two bells after Garia's disappearance on her second visit to Blackstone.

A few hours later and I'm seeing my boyfriend off on another potentially fatal trip. Naturally, I concentrate on being perky. However worried I feel the last thing Michael needs is me bringing him down ahead of a mission.

“Be careful while I'm away,” Michael warns me “I worry about you.” He does too. He's off to the wastes of northern Canada where literally everyone will want to kill him and he's busy worrying about me.

“Do you have your pistol handy?” He asks me