The Quicksilver Sphynx
Miscellanea, November 1993
Nick 'Winter
Aha! The guilty party has been found! Josh Neumann made that chocolate cake! He even gave me the recipe, with permission to print it.
Lupe Ravenflight and her partner Gwenna Merilon are offering to teach classes in pottery and hand-weaving respectively over the winter to anyone interested, and they're willing to divide it into beginner and advanced groups. They'd like to get started soon, so give them a call.
Make sure you read Trista 'Merrymoon's article on smith-magic on the front page. If you find it as wonderful as I did, let us know, and maybe Trista can be persuaded to do more for us.
There's a personal peeve I really have to bring up. Over Samhain, I heard a hundred references to Alessandria 'Starluck's seventh child being conceived on Hallowe'en night. Not having been there two centuries ago, I can't say for sure, but would people please think? Alessandria, practically the founder of Haven, had six known children. Seven makes a nice round magical number, sure, but really, folks—a wolf as strong as Alessandria, bearing a daughter with the father variably a demon, a faerie, a predator, or something unknown, depending on which version you hear? A daughter no one knows anything about? If someone can show me some reference to any child but the six, from whom descend as we all know very nearly every Haven wolf of today, I will gladly apologize publicly and print the information. Until then, stop talking about it like it's history and keep in mind that it's a legend! Despite the fact that we all grow up hearing it, “Black wolf, demon wolf, Shadow in the night, Wild heart, wild blood, Born and die to fight,” does not count as conclusive proof of anything, either, so don't try throwing that at me.
I have been informed by our local guitar-god Alex that his new band will be playing for us on the solstice. They'll be at the school gym, and they'll be playing off and on all night, including the sun-setting and sun-rising. I guess not even they can play all the way through the longest night of the year! The cafeteria will have lots and lots of food (if you have something to offer, call Avery 'Prism), and the library will be open as quiet space. Wild-sounding party in the plans! Cari 'Dragonfire tells me Exotica are planning a Yule Mystery play for us, combining elements of just about every midwinter festival ever, it sounds like.
There's going to be a dance at the school on the full moon (the 29th) at 7 pm. Usual school dance rules: preferably students Grade Nine and up, covens permitted.
I'm told Coven Tabbycat are contemplating a role-playing game weekend in the near future, no experience necessary. Give one of 'em a yell if you're interested. I'd be going if I weren't working every weekend. Have fun!
Breaking news: Our mysterious Cinderella in the red and gold belly-dance dress, who had the amazing dance moves giving ideas even to those of us happily committed to covens, has let herself be identified. Yes she's new at the college this year, no she's not part of a coven yet (I've been asked that about fifty times), and her name is... Darik Albertine. Yes, the sexy blonde woman in fire colours is a male dryad. Genderbending may be normal enough but not like that! It's tricky to get noticed at the dance when everyone is trying for the same, but that worked. And cheers to those from Falias who knew and those with senses that let them see who “Sabine” was but played along anyway. Hm, I know someone who did something similar, not many years ago. I hope this works out just as well!