snowyYesterday, after the journal entry, Spooky and I discussed what should be covered in the epilogue of The Red Tree and what should not, and how the presence of the epilogue will effect the novel, and, indeed, whether or not there should be an epilogue at all. I made notes. The epilogue is meant, along with the preface, to bookend Sarah Crowe's narrative, conveyed by the manuscript published after her death. The prologue is written by the book's fictional editor, who had been Sarah's editor. The epilogue would be written for a second edition release of the novel, by someone who has spent several years investigating the validity of the manuscript, its origin and authorship, the legend of "the Red Tree of Barbs Hill Road," and the possibility that the entire matter is a literary hoax.
We talked, and I stared out the office window, and I made notes. Finally, about 2:30 p.m. (CaST), it occurred to me that I needed to see Moosup Valley, where the story is set, in the snow, and it was a seemingly valid excuse to escape the house for a few hours. I'd not been out more than ten or fifteen minutes, all told, since the Great Extraction of January 10th. Spooky agreed, we quickly dressed for the bone-chilling cold, and left the house about three o'clock.
Here in Providence, the snow quickly becomes ugly, as it does in any city, I would suppose. But it's beautiful beyond the city's borders. There were clouds moving in from the south and west, and the sun was a dim blot that offered no heat whatsoever. We followed 6A to 102, passing through Chopmist and other towns whose names I can't ever recall. The Scituate Reservoir was frozen over, as were all the other lakes and ponds we passed. The woods were stark, brown and grey slashes against all the white. The town of Moosup Valley is located about twenty-six miles southwest of Providence, near the Connecticut state line. I'd not been there since the early summer. We stopped a while in town, and I took some photographs, mainly of the snow-covered cemetery. There were boys playing hockey on the small pond behind the cemetery. After Moosup Valley, we folowed Barbs Hill Road south towards Coventry before heading back home.
Last night, we watched the latest episode of Battlestar Galactica (thank you, Hulu), which I'd rank as one of the best in the series so far.
And now, I need to work, and try not to be distracted by the snow. If you've not yet ordered A is Alien, I do hope that you will please take a moment to do so. Thanks.
All photographs Copyright © 2009 by Caitlín R. Kiernan and Kathryn A. Pollnac
