I swear, you cannot make this up.
So yesterday, I sent an email about how, on Monday, Lady Laura and I planned to take Master Liam and Master Nathan to the local farm.
Then tragedy struck:
Within 1 mile of arriving at the place, we learned that it was closed on Mondays.
Whilst rallying to salvage the situation, black clouds came in and unleashed a deluge of rain, which had killed Monday’s plans before the afternoon had fully taken grip of the day.
So we pledged to the little ones — mostly Liam, as I suspect at 8 weeks old, Nathan isn’t too privy with linguistics yet — that we’d have another go on Tuesday.
And we did.
We arrived just shy of midday…
Parked up…
Unbuckled our seatbelts…
Only for a fire engine to roar past us on the pebbles.
Then, like a termite nest being disturbed, people — I presume workers — poured out of the nearby barns to have a gander at what was taking place.
Everyone looked confused, bemused even.
Then I saw it.
In the distance, before a wall of trees, plumes of smoke are carried on the wind.
“Oh my God… It’s a fire,” I heard someone say.
(No shyt, Sherlock.)
While I couldn’t see the actual flames, the smoke was undeniable.
Take a look for yourself:
So, for the second day in a row, we had no choice but to abandon the farm (again) and think up ways on how to salvage the day (again), quickly settling on a nearby stable (again).
Only…
When we arrived at the stables, the main gates were padlocked with a warning sign stating:
DO NOT ENTER.
GUARD DOGS ON SITE.
Wonderful.
Just wonderful.
I turned to Laura and said I think we’re not destined for farms or stables. She snorted, and we ended up heading back home for a second day running.
… Not before stopping off at the local park and picking up some freshly cooked British chips with lashings of salt and vinegar on the way home.
Our boy Liam loves a chip.
Joking and disappointment aside, this demonstrates something important:
Sometimes, things aren’t meant to work out as we had hoped.
Sometimes there are no happy endings.
It’s the unfortunate thing about life.
Yet, being the eternal optimist (I mean, pessimist!) I am, I can’t help but believe these things happen for a reason. It’s not always clear why, but with enough time, everything makes sense in hindsight.
Dare I say, some good can come from these setbacks.
Hell, just look at today’s and yesterday’s email.
I turned these mishaps into content for the Legion that will no doubt garner replies and ‘deepen’ the bond I have with some of you misfits.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d have much preferred to have had the experience of seeing Liam point and squeal at all the animals on the farm.
However, sometimes life just wants to give you lemons, no matter how hard you try to avoid them.
You just got to eat ‘em.
Something Darius in The Divided Region knows all too well (and has the receding gums to prove it).
Across all five books — in almost every chapter — the sky gods, the realm, and just plain lady luck can’t help but launch curveballs his way.
Sometimes in the darkest possible way.
But he trudges forth.
He continues in spite of betrayal, loss, and horrendous injuries.
The journey to saving Estos depends on it.
A journey you begin here:
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/Exiled
DJJW