35 Saulen, 2032
Visitors to downtown
Serendipity may have noticed a new fixture in the last month--a man standing outside the
IAF Building with a sandwich-board that reads "The janishbu will return."
The hand-made sign, now dirty and faded from use, also bears a common drawing of a
Janishbu. Alex Moss, or the "janishbu man," as he is more commonly known, has been coming to this spot, no matter the weather, every day this month.
...they were from the Homeworld, and they were coming back, and when they get here, the whole world will be in danger.
Moss, aged 37, says he had a dream about janishbu at the
The Rings of Auras. He decided to visit the town, where he met
Miep Atlam and her doomsday cult. "I talked to her afterward," he told the
News, "she said they were from the
Homeworld, and they were coming back, and when they get here, the whole world will be in danger." After that, he returned to
Zenxon, intent on sharing his news.
Moss took up his position near the IAF Building because he believed
Astromythologists would be most receptive to his message. He arrives shortly after 7 in the morning, and usually stays until 5 or 6, in order to present his message to the biggest number of people possible.
Moss does not call out to passersby while at his post, though he is happy to strike up a conversation with anyone who speaks to him first. "He's very polite," said Ruby Moore, who works at the IAF building. "I had gone to lunch when my ten year old daughter came looking for me, and she was very upset. So Alex walked her across the street to the cafe."
Many locals like Moore have become accustomed to the janishbu man and are not bothered by his presence. Some even stop by to make sure he is eating and drinking during the summer heat. "It rained last week," Moss reported, "I thought I would have to leave, and then someone offered me their umbrella. They were like, 'no worries, I'll get it from you tomorrow.'"
He's not harming anyone. And to be honest, we've had even more visitors since Alex showed up.
Others are less happy about the situation. "He's crazy, telling people the janishbu are returning," said Casey Fisher, a local who frequents the cafe across the street. "They're fiction. They were never here in the first place." Fisher, among others, has suggested the IAF President call the Keepers to arrest Moss. Some argue he should be jailed, while others believe he needs a psychiatric evaluation. The IAF president, however, has shown no interest in removing the man from the premisis. "He's not harming anyone," the president stated in an interview, "and to be honest, we've had more visitors since Alex showed up."
Though Moss is receiving attention as an oddity, most people do not believe his message. Moss, however, is not phased by this. He's sees his new post as part of a larger mission to prepare the world for Atlam's prophesied doomsday. "I know I'm not going to convince everyone," he said, "but it's okay if they don't think it's important. I think it's important. So I'm going to stand here as long as they let me."
Comments
Author's Notes
Most of my articles are written to so the "current date" is the same as my novel, Natural Magic, but this one takes place about 75 years after that.