| The Hidden Almanac for Monday November 9th, 2015 |
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| Episode 332 |
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| Previous episode: 2015-11-06 |
| Next episode: 2015-11-11 |
Summary
Today a Sphinx appeared in Echo Harbor. Again. It is also the day the nus arrived on the Isle of Shun. It is the former Feast Day of Dragons, and in the garden, there are mushrooms.
Be Safe, and Stay Out of Trouble.
Transcription
Welcome to the Hidden Almanac, I’m Reverend Mord.
Today is November 9th, 2015.
It was on this day in the Year of Arsenic that a sphinx statue reappeared in downtown Echo Harbor. The sphinx had appeared previously in the Year of Mud-Turtles and stayed for eleven days before vanishing. This time, it stayed for ten days before vanishing. Local records were studied, and it seems that the same statue has appeared several times before, staying for fourteen, thirteen, and twelve days respectively. The chronological distance between the appearances may also be shrinking, but the peculiarities of naming in the Echo Harbor calendar make it difficult to determine.
Several prominent citizens complained about traffic being snarled by “that damn sphinx again” but the highway department was glad to get its traffic cones back.
And it was on this day in 1713 that nuns arrived on the island of Shun. It was overrun with rabbits. They would begin building their convent some days later, but on this day, they arrived and gave thanks to the saints for their deliverance. They had, in fact, mostly delivered themselves when their ship was overtaken by pirates. The crew handed them over without a fight. They endured three days of captivity before poisoning the entire pirate crew, throwing the weakened men overboard, and crashing the pirate ship on the island. The Convent of the White Goat would eventually be constructed from the timbers of the destroyed pirate vessel.
It is the former Feast Day of Dragons. The date was moved owing to an extremely dry autumn in 1188. While dragons are, of course, fictional, there is nevertheless a small statistical correlation between the feast day and raging wildfires. Dry leaves make excellent tinder. The current Feast Day falls on March 30th, when it is usually very damp, and has seen a subsequent reduction in fire damage throughout the ecclesiastical calendar.
In the garden, we have received a note under the door, which indicates that George’s representative will be visiting family during the holidays. It also requests that we bag George’s droppings for the next month for testing in the lab. This is why we have interns.
A number of mushrooms are growing in the garden at the moment, including shaggy manes, mud-caps, and those enormous violet ones that make Pastor Drom snicker.
The Hidden Almanac is brought to you by Red Wombat Tea Company, purveyors of fine and inaccessible teas. Red Wombat --- “We Dig Tea.”
Also brought to you by the Sacred Order of Bull Moose Men. Come on out for our Meet ‘n Greet! It’s nearly time for the running of the Bull Moose Men, and you’ll want to meet the people who will be running with you—or after you!
That’s the Hidden Almanac for November 9th, 2015. Be safe, and stay out of trouble.
Outro
Out of Character
The Hidden Almanac is a production of Dark Canvas Media, written by Ursula Vernon and performed and produced by Kevin Sonney. Our theme music is Moon Valley and our exit music is Red in Black, both by Kosta T. You can hear more from Kosta T at the Free Music Archive. All other content is copyright 2013 through 2015, Ursula Vernon.