10. The Wordling

There are people born with the Wordling nestling in the corner of their eye.

When the Wordling has fixed upon their first story, it will drop from the eye, deep down into the spine of a book, sustaining itself, as it must, until a new story is found.

Not that the Wordling ever forgets its Parent, the relationship between Human and Worm remains symbiotic throughout their lifetime and when the Wordling has something of significance to share, it will call to the Parent and they will feel the urge to open up the binding of a book and search the pages within.

Illustration by Robyn Hunt

The Parent may not always see their charge, but they may sense the presence of their Wordling or trace the course of the little worm’s journey as their eyes skim through the pages before them - or even, happen upon the journey of another Wordling bonded to another person.

Some stories are yet to be written and a Wordling that chooses to settle within blank pages will mature at a much slower rate.

In any case, the process of digesting its way through life’s stories and histories proves something of an ordeal for the little creature. Its unique secretions change colour with every new emotion and fresh experience, so much so, that its markings, or rather the eventual, or some might say, inevitable, route of its journey, ends up signifying many different things to different people, and is a source for much passionate debate. Scholars have been known to devote entire lifetimes to the study of these mysterious and fascinating little creatures, creating new Alphabets and decoding their Hieroglyphs.

By Robyn Hunt (c) 2020