Above, us, in the dark shadows of the outer solar system, there is the shape of something unknown, something unspeakable. It waits, it bides its time, and as the days of summer grow longer, so does its voice grow louder.<br><br>On the quiet island of Sarah Ann in the Pacific Ocean, home of the renowned Firmament Foundation, awkward teenager Eirian Calohan has come in search of the mystery of their father's recent demise. Instead, they are confronted with the stark contrast between languid life on the tiny island and an unspeakable cosmic horror.<br><br>Together with their new friends, they set out to unravel the truth surrounding the death of their father and to also uncover just what it is that the Foundation has reached out to in the dark eternal night of the distant void.

All Cats Are Beautiful

“The answer,” he said, turning back to the blackboard and scratching out drama with his piece of chalk, “is resolution.”


“In order to progress your story towards that sense of an ending that Mr Hidaka’s so keen on, you need to first focus on your narrative conflict, then you need to work out how you’re going to resolve that scenario; how does the situation escalate, what are the steps the characters will take to put an end to the drama, all of the good stuff that keeps people actually reading your story. Are you with me?”


He looked around at the faces of his class once again, Calohan and Labyrinth’s expressions unchanged.


Desperate times, he thought grimly, call for desperate measures.


“Right,” he announced, with a clap of his hands, “homework time.”


The class let out a collective groan, just as the bell for lunchtime resounded from the corridor.


“Groups of twos,” he smirked, “and before you get excited, I’m picking the groups.”


Chapter 16