The 3 AM Whispers: A New Year's Fight in the Cabin
Well howdy, folks. It’s Tuesday, January 6, 2026. I’d like to say it’s been a festive start to the year, but the truth is, me and Uncle Bill have been flat on our backs. We’ve been hit with the real-deal influenza—not a sniffle, but the kind of bone-deep ache that makes you feel like you’re made of wet lead.
We’re here in the cabin, tucked into our beds with a sickly green haze hanging in the air. It’s just us. No Aunt Peggy Sue to mind the stove, and that "Hedge Wizard" persona has vanished into the fever dreams. It’s just two old men, a pile of used tissues, and a temperature that won't break.
Uncle Bill: (From the other bed, sounding like a rusty gate) "Earl... the shadows are too loud. Tell 'em to pipe down."
Bayou Earl: "That’s just the fever, Bill. Just keep breathing."
The House Call from the Mist
Just when the room was starting to spin too fast to catch, I heard it—the slow, rhythmic thump-slosh of a pole hitting the water. Most folks stay clear of the preserve when the fog is this heavy, but Doctor John ain't most folks. He drifted out of the grey soup in that old wooden skiff, looking like he’d stepped right out of a different century.
He didn't knock. He just stepped inside, his eyes taking in the green haze and the two of us looking like half-drowned rats in our beds. He didn't say much—he never does—but he reached into his coat and pulled out a jar of that dark, vibrating liquid I hadn't seen in years.
Doctor John: (Voice sounding like dry leaves on a tombstone) "The mites are burrowing deep to hide from the cold, Earl. You won't break this fever with store-bought pills. You need to shake them loose."
He went straight to our stove and started brewing up a pot of the Silver-Scale Purge. The smell of Blood-Vine and D-Mannose Root hit the air, cutting through the sickly scent of the cabin like a sharp knife. He stood there and watched us both until we drained every last drop from our mugs.
Uncle Bill: (Wincing as the brew went down) "Gah... Earl, I think I can feel my fingernails vibrating. Is he still there, or am I seein' ghosts again?"
Bayou Earl: "He’s still there, Bill. He says the 'Flush' has to happen before the sun comes up."
Product Identity & Legal The following items are designated Product Identity of Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. / The Adventures of Captain Hedges: The world of Zimrala, the Tygerian Isles, the Ether Dragons, the Tiger Force Shadow Saga, the specific "Hedge Wizard of the Shreveport Cabin" persona, the "Royal Cartographer" archetype and the character "Emperor Rajah". Unique Items: The Ink of Anticipation, The Compass of Lost Things, Parchment of Echoes, The Scope of the True Meridian, The Rod of Infinite Spanning, and The Plumb of Gravity’s Anchor. Monsters! Monsters! and Humans, Humans (1st Edition) are trademarks of Ken St. Andre and Troll Godfather Press and are used with permission. The statistics and game mechanics provided herein are designated as unofficial playtest material for the Tygerian Isles campaign setting. © 2025 Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. All rights reserved.
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