Good evening, fellow travelers. If you’re looking for the Hedge Wizard, you’ll find him on the veranda of the Cypress Shadow B&B tonight. We’ve turned the porch into a high-tech observatory.
Between 6:00 and 6:30 PM, the sky over Shreveport began its transformation. The Planetary Alignment—a rare six-planet parade—started its slow march across the ecliptic. To make sure we didn't miss a single celestial detail, Kurtz spent the afternoon working his magic on our equipment. He hooked our high-powered telescopes directly into a real-time internet feed, projecting the telemetry onto a bank of monitors so we could watch the transit of Jupiter and Mars while we ate.
The dinner party was a masterpiece of Cajun hospitality. We had blackened redfish, crawfish etouffee, and spicy boudin laid out on the long cypress table. The Hot Shot Crew—my old Tiger Force brothers and sisters from the Afghanistan days—were all here, trading stories and laughing as the gold and silver light of the planets reflected off the dark bayou water.
Winter was keeping a close eye on the Ink of Anticipation, which sat in its crystal well near the telemetry screens. At 6:30, the ink was calm, just a deep violet swirl, suggesting the veil was stable. We had the telescopes calibrated to track the alignment all night long. It was supposed to be a journey of discovery, a peaceful night of watching the heavens from the safety of the B&B.
The wine was flowing, the telemetry was humming, and for a few hours, the Twelve Mile Terror felt a world away.
Stay tuned. We’re leaving the feed running all night. We’ll check back in with you in the small hours for the 3 AM Whispers. Hopefully, the stars are the only things moving out there in the dark.
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