Happy Hallowe'en, everyone.
I was happy with my last skip, 2559, but it had a very strict, serious tone to fit its content. I wanted to write something softer, more emotional to prove to myself I had that range. I also wanted to write it fast - 2559 took me almost a year of procrastination and 80+ edits before I posted it, and I didn't want that to be a pattern. So I set aside this weekend and told myself I had to post a good article by Hallowe'en. I started with an image that had been stuck in my head for months - a baby owl swaddled in the tight embrace of its dead octopus mother - and worked from there. The format screw came out of necessity - once I'd figured out the story I wanted to tell, it became obvious I'd need to tell it somewhat unconventionally.
Thanks to minmin,
Agent MacLeod and
AbsentmindedNihilist for crit. Minmin, in particular, really helped me find a shape for this and let me realise it was OK to go for a non-standard format.
