A couple of months back in June, Lady Laura, Liam, and I got together with my mother and sister.
We hired a lodge about an hour from home in one of our favourite little spots to just kick back, relax, and escape the constant drone of sirens that’s sadly becoming all too commonplace in Greater London.
For four glorious days, the weather didn’t disappoint.
Everything was perfect… until the evenings.
Specifically, 9:30 PM.
Every night, we had this little routine: get Master Liam strapped into the car seat and take a slow drive around the holiday park to lull him to sleep. Worked like a charm. And the added bonus was getting to park up by the seafront to watch the sunset — all those vibrant orange hues spilling across the water and sky.
Mm, I can still see it now.
Anyway, we weren’t the only ones enjoying the view.
Other folks parked up with their windows down, whilst even more holidaygoers sat by the shore.
Then 9:30 PM swung around.
Out of nowhere, the ground seemed to erupt with thousands of cockroach-like beetles taking to the air.
These things were the size of a carpenter’s thumb, and if one landed on you, I’m fairly sure they’d have taken a part of you you’d never get back.
The seagulls, however, were having the time of their lives swooping down and snatching them mid-air like popcorn at the cinema. Quite the spectacle, honestly. The only thing missing was David Attenborough’s sage commentary.
Meanwhile, the poor souls who’d been enjoying the sunset on foot were suddenly running for their lives.
Men, women, kids — everyone scrambled.
I swear it looked like a scene straight out of the plagues of Egypt.
They swarmed everything, including our car, which admittedly, had Laura and me clamming up a bit (yes, your Overlord & Saviour does have sweat glands). All I could see was insect after insect appearing out of the air vents and turning our metal sanctuary into a container of screams.
This happened every single night that we were there.
Right at half nine, as if some underground war drum sounded, and boom…
Out came the swarm.
I’m sure there’s some wildlife biologist out there who could explain the phenomenon with perfect logic. But in all the years we’ve visited this place, we’ve never seen anything like it.
It just goes to show how an environment can change seemingly overnight.
Sometimes literally.
And in a strange way, it reminded me of storytelling.
Unpredictable events — whether it’s a plague of beetles or a change in who sits on the throne — are what keep a fantasy world feeling alive. The same setting can be calm and familiar… until suddenly it’s not.
Maybe a dark lord edges closer to the edges of a civilised world.
Maybe a new ruler shifts the balance of power.
Or maybe a completely inexplicable beast shows up that shatters the people’s reality.
What I’m describing here isn’t just the tropes we love, but The Divided Region.
All of these things take place (and plenty more), which forces the protagonists to adapt, change, and sometimes question their own eyes.
You’ll find terrifying, unexplainable creatures lurking in the Forbidden Forest, the restless spirits of fallen warriors, and a dark lord long believed dead. Lots and lots of unexpected turns to be enjoyed in this puppy that even took me by surprise.
So, if you enjoy fantasy with gritty worlds and strange, unsettling creatures that make both you and the characters wonder, “What the hell was that?”
You know where to go:
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/TDR-Bundle
DJJW