Today I have been drawing this owl and it’s possible that the part-finished version will be haunting my nightmares
Carrie Jenkins
@carriejenkins.net
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Philosophy prof. Author of What Love Is and What It Could Be, Sad Love, Victoria Sees It, and some other things. Sphynx cat staff. On unceded land. she/they www.carriejenkins.net
![A page from Murdoch’s 1956 novel The Flight from The Enchanter. Text reads:
… tears, "Poor thing”,
“Yes,” said Jan. “She was beautiful, as such women are. She come from town, but she is peasant woman, not lady, like you. She have long, very long black hair, almost is two metres long her hair, and like tail of a horse. Is not silk, like yours, but so strong, she almost embrace you with her hair. And eyes, very big, on side of face like animal, and going up, so.”
"And she wear always four black petticoats,” said Stefan,
“What happened to her?” asked Rosa.
"Funny thing, she fall down a well,” said Stefan.
"The well in the village?” asked Rosa. "The one where you waited?”
“Yes,” said Stefan. “She not fall by accident. She jump down herself.”
"Why?” asked Rosa.
“Because Hitler,” said Stefan. [editor’s note: Carrie has circled “because Hitler” in pencil]
"Was she Jewish?” asked Rosa.
Stefan shrugged his shoulders. “Perhaps was Jewish, perhaps Socialist, I don't know.”
“I think she was gipsy,” said Jan. “Hitler not like gipsies either, he kill gipsies too, so they say in Poland."
“Was funny thing about that,” said Stefan. "When she fall in the well, she not do it properly, but catch her foot in well rope, and hang upside down half-way in well.”
"What happened?” asked Rosa.
“Someone of our village come past, said Stefan. “Who was it, Jan, who come past?”
"Nikolai the carpenter,” said Jan.
“Nikolai come past,” said Stefan, “and see her there down well. All he see is her black petticoats. And he ask her, "You Want to come up or to go down?" She say "Down.” So he
shake well rope, and she fall into well and drown for good. That was funny, wasn’t it? You want to go up or down!”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:bmqf2jhf2npxcrsqicwqofz7/bafkreibjb6m5td2xl4zamxpvi7vbs5idd73c2q4nj4ep65czjuixfflxii)
