{"sf1_id":941546,"sf2_id":"dePkY6q1","title":"The Little Gul: 1st Letter","author":"LyAmaranth","words":459,"posted_at":"2015-12-06T16:46:00.000Z","tags":["Dark Fantasy","Experimental","Fantasy","Horror","No-Yiff","Series","Supernatural","Suspense"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/941546-the-little-gul-1st-letter","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/dePkY6q1","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/91/8b/918b99f5-4917-460e-8677-ab3f1b96211b","description":"#1 of The Little Gul: Letters from al-Siada\n\nHeyhey~!\nJaaaackal, heeere! Yaysqueeps on my first upload! I'm so excited.\n\"The Little Gul: Letters from al-Siada\" shall follow a foreigner to the \"Mamlaka\" (or Kingdom) of al-Siada. It'll serve as a way for me to world-build, as Rahim--the protagonist--adjusts to the customs and culture, while also setting everything up for the horrors to come~\nThis is the first, in many to come, of my endeavor to become a good writer. Each time I upload a piece in this series, I'll talk a little about the techniques I'm trying out.\nThis one is very simple, as I'm fleshing out what I already know how to do. Namely:\n-Refraining from the use of any adverbs, except in dialogue.\n-Refraining from overuse of adjectives, when teasing the imagination is better.\n-Maintaining readability.\n-Avoiding passive voice--or, as I like to call it, essay-speech (dead and dull).\n-Voice.\nAside from those, I also employed a special little trick related to languages. If you screen through the story above, you might notice a certain vowel totally absent~ This is to create the illusion of the writer being a foreigner, without endangering the integrity of the language it's written in.","content":"My dear sibling,\n\nIn sha' Allah, all is well with the family. \u0026nbsp;I am adjusting, and managing everything I face.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;In fact, it is why I begin writing this. \u0026nbsp;But, first,\u0026nbsp;let me share the way life has been.\n\nAll, I have met, are friendly--I am received, wherever I am, with grace. \u0026nbsp;Several have invited me with bread and bedding, giving me shelter in the nights. \u0026nbsp;And the nights, the nights are\u0026nbsp;chilly. \u0026nbsp;Very. \u0026nbsp;But as beautiful as anything I have ever beheld. \u0026nbsp;The stars are breath-taking and the night skies purple--imagine it! \u0026nbsp;Purple, like the black hibiscus. \u0026nbsp;I am ever in awe, each time my eyes rise at nightfall.\n\nAnd the things I have eaten! \u0026nbsp;I wish it were simple, sending a taste back. \u0026nbsp;Alas, it shall be a treat withheld--kept in mind and just in mind. \u0026nbsp;If paper and text were ever a way I might share the experience, then I'm certain the pages might end up eaten! \u0026nbsp;Divvied at the evening meal, and had with a nice wine by all in the family!\u0026nbsp; Hahaha.\n\nBut ah, I am faced with a challenge. \u0026nbsp;It became immediately clear, when, first, I arrived...that learning the language will be hard.\u0026nbsp; It is different in many, many ways. \u0026nbsp;But beautiful like the nights. \u0026nbsp;A kind man helped me find industry and humble wealth--where I can still help the ill, as I first intended. \u0026nbsp;Yes, I am aware that many may\u0026nbsp;find this duty shameful--but judge me by the aid I give, rather than the ways and wheres.\n\nWhat is this mystery task? \u0026nbsp;My sibling, it is as a guard within\u0026nbsp;an asylum. \u0026nbsp;A place where the sick-minded may heal, rest, and be safe. \u0026nbsp;Law is kind, here. \u0026nbsp;A man, ill in mind, is never blamed when his sick mind leads him astray--his mind eludes him. \u0026nbsp;It is unlike where we lived, where the sick receive but hate, and end up left in the streets--even jailed. \u0026nbsp;This land shames us.\n\nBut, I digress.\n\nHere, in this asylum, my tasks are simple, and need little speech. \u0026nbsp;Many here are incapable, as it is, and we must usually speak in gestures. \u0026nbsp;Yet, my kindred guards speak the language and are helping me learn. \u0026nbsp;They suggested I begin writing, and little-by-little, include what I learn. \u0026nbsp;As practice. \u0026nbsp;It is clever, rewarding, and--as I am sure it is clear--beneficial in its familial duty.\n\nI have a bunk in a barracks, and a chest I can use as a desk. \u0026nbsp;We carry few armaments--namely just cudgels. \u0026nbsp;I pray I'll never need mine, but madness can give a man incredible strength. \u0026nbsp;A guard shared a tale with me, in which\u0026nbsp;_six\u0026nbsp;_men failed in restraining an angry madman!\n\nIt is but the first day, and--in sha' Allah--it will teach me much.\n\nBlessings and warmth.  \n~Rahim\n\n  \n  \n\n"}