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I spent a few hours today with Werner Hertzog. Or with his book, anyway. https://stevendbrewer.com/review-the-future-of-truth/

I sent this picture to @philipbrewer with the caption, "I am reading in tent ly."

He was not amused.

She stirred for a moment and then her eyes sprang open. She clapped one arm across her chest and the other hand over her nether regions.
"Ugh! What a nasty, perverted spectre! Do you know what it said to me?"
The Hero shook his head.
"It said… It said…" she began, then she stopped, reddening. "Never mind. Would you turn around while I clothe myself?" (3/3) #wss366

The Hero looked around and, seeing no other threats, retraced his steps back through the doors of the temple. He did a double take when he spotted the Saintess lying naked on the cobblestones, her clothes scattered around her. He trotted down the steps and knelt at her side. He inspected her carefully — checking for injuries, he told himself. Finding none, he gently shook her shoulder.
"Saintess! Saintess!" he called. "Are you alright?" (2/3) #wss366

The Hero struck the coffin with his sword shattering the lid. A dessicated skeleton enclosed within was dressed in a purple robe. The Hero's sword struck a locket around the neck of the skeleton, from which had issued the thread of vapor. The locket split open, revealing two delicate paintings of a woman dishabille. The sword smashed the hinge and the locket fell into pieces. The thread of vapor dissipated in the still air. (1/3) #wss366

Now hiring! @SFWA is searching for an Executive Director: https://sfwa.org/2026/07/10/hiring-call-july-10-2026/ #fediHire

An awesome bolete under an oak tree… #FungusFriday

Before the altar, was a rotted, wooden coffin, as though a funeral had been the last act in the temple. The trail of vapor went down through the lid of the coffin.
"Well, here goes nothing," he muttered. He lifted his sword over his head and stabbed down through the coffin. (4/4) #wss366

"Help me!" she whimpered, as the vapor threatened to engulf her.
The Hero noticed a thread of vapor that led back up the stairs. "I wonder where this goes," he murmured. He vaulted up the stairs, followed the thread back through the doors, and into the roofless sanctuary. (3/4) #wss366

"What? No!" he said. "It's just some kind of iron-nickle alloy."
"Don't breathe the vapor!" she gasped, as she kept moving back. "If you do, it will try to control your body!"
"It doesn't seem to be pursuing me," he said. "Maybe because I didn't recklessly attack it." (2/4) #wss366

The Saintess cast her spell again, but this time, the light passed harmlessly through the vapor with seemingly no effect.
"Use your sword!" she screamed, backpedaling as the vapor got closer.
"Against vapor?" the Hero asked.
"Isn't it made of silver?" (1/4) #wss366

#ScribesAndMakers Do you prefer when a time traveller can choose a specific time/place to go, or when they don't have control over it?

I only like time travelers that travel forward one second at a time.

The Saintess began to chant and weave her hands in mystical patterns. She struck a pose and a beam of light issued from her hands, smiting the spectre. An unearthly howling assaulted their senses. They covered their ears, but it didn't help.
The spectre collapsed back into vapor and began to flow toward them again.
"A pointer," the Hero said. "When you want to talk, using your words is more effective." (3/3) #wss366

A dark shadow emerged from the gaping doors of the temple and flowed down the stairs like a vapor.
"There it is!" the Saintess screamed. "The Dread Spectre of Despair!"
"Are you sure?" the Hero asked. "Are you certain this is not some other spectre?"
"I'm sure!" the Saintess cried. "Kill it!"
The vapor began to coalesce and tower up, rearing over them.
"Maybe we should try talking to it first," the Hero said. (2/3) #wss366

The Hero and the Saintess emerged into an opening in the forest. The forest path became paved with cobblestones between piles of jumbled blocks of stone covered with vines.
"We finally made it!" the Saintess cried. "We've found the ruins!"
The followed the road into the ruins where walls began to emerge from the piles of rock and finally some buildings still standing. In the central plaza of what had been a prosperous city still stood the remains of a temple. (1/3) #wss366

RE: https://wandering.shop/@wss366/116889197085381077

Today's Wandering Shop Stories prompt word is "pointer" which seems like it offers a lot of options: a pointer could be a device (like a mouse or stick or laser). Or a dog. Or a tip you give someone. Or a memory location (like in programming). So many possibilities!

It would be great if someone sold bags with just the skins of Spanish peanuts.

True
False
What?

"Oh, okay," the Hero said, handing it back.
"Where did you even get that?" the Demon Lord said, cautiously replacing the now-humming rod back over the mantel.
"Huh? Oh, from the Saintess' bedroom."
The Demon Lord raised one eyebrow. "What were you doing in her bedroom?"
The Hero shrugged. "You know how women are about… doing things… in their own bed."
"Well, no," the Demon Lord said. "No, I don't actually know anything about that." (4/4) #wss366

"Huh," the Hero said, fishing in his pocket. "Is it like this?" He pulled a large jewel out of his pocket and turned it this way and that trying to fit it into the setting.
"Wait! What are you…" the Demon Lord said, reaching out.
With a loud click, the Crystal fit into the setting and the rod activated, emitting a loud hum.
"Ooh! Cool!" said the Hero, waving the rod back and forth.
"Be careful with that!" the Demon Lord said. "Who knows what you might summon if you're not careful!" (3/4) #wss366

"When you live a long time, you just end up with stuff."
"What's that?" the Hero said, pointing at an item hanging over the mantel.
"Ah!" he said. He got it down and handed it to the Hero. "It's a #Rod of Summoning. As you know demons are not born, but summoned."
"Hmm," the Hero said, inspecting it carefully. "What's this place?" He indicated a setting that seemed to be missing something.
"That's where the Crystal of Calibration went. It was lost during the Demon Rebellion." (2/4) #wss366