Stonehaven, 9FYS, Govien's office
-= 9 YFS =-
"I'm sorry to disturb you, Mx Mayor, but we have a problem."
"Does this have to do with the dredging of the watchtower?"
Phyllis winced. "Perhaps indirectly."
"Indirectly? How's that? The watchtower looks magnificent, better than it has since our founding. We have actual office space for our city officers. These dwarven immigrants work for a treat, and they have a gift for earthworks."
She exhaled loudly, steeling herself for the awkward delivery. "Yes, it's a nice change from the wooden shacks we started with. Especially after that fire in 2BYFS."
"Indeed. So what appears to be the issue?"
"We misspelled the name on the town charter. One of the kiddos at the new school noticed it."
"Misspelled? What do you mean? Stonehaven. S-T-O-N-E-H-"
"E-A-V-E-N."
Govien's pacing comes to an immediate halt, one foot still in the air. "What? --No, two Es, not three. H-A-V-E-N."
Phyllis hands them the charter. "I'm sorry, Mx Mayor, it's not 'Haven'. It's 'Heaven'. Stoneheaven."
They peer at the charter, realization dawning on their face, before collapsing into the nearby chair. "The wave of immigrants..."
"Can it be changed?"
Govien drops the charter onto their desk, looking up at her wearily. "Do you remember how much paperwork it was to get established in the first place?"
"I do."
Their head drops bonelessly forward. "There's nothing for it then. Stonehav-- heaven."
"Mx Mayor?"
"Yes?"
"What if... we just kept pronouncing it the same?"
"You mean, saying 'haven' even though it's spelled 'heaven'."
"Yes."
"That feels like false advertising."
"We're already developing a local dialect. What's one more word?"
"Are you sure?"
"It's that or the charter."
"Fine. Do it. Just don't put it on my headstone."
"I don't understand."
Govien weakly hands the charter back to her. "It's my handwriting."
She stares at the ink on the charter, her eyes drifting to the paperwork strewn across the desk bearing the same loops and whorls. Govien Primus Praefectus, First Prefect of Stoneheaven.
I'm trying something new (which is rather old-hat for me, if I'm honest).
I'm building a collection of stories into my newest Minecraft world, in an attempt to help me maintain it for longer, as well as helping me build it into more than just a shell of a world.
All too often, I try to bring life into these worlds, but I get bogged down in the lingering dread that I'm likely the only person who will ever see them.
Once, I tried to do it the other way around, build the world to suit the story, and it didn't turn out well.
Maybe I'll have better luck if I turn them into found stories, scattered throughout the world as I build it.
I can only hope.
BYFS = Before the Year of Founding
YFS = Year of the Founding of Stoneheaven
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