Life is all about beginnings and endings. Very soon I shall be facing an important new beginning: next week I’m going to move into my new home, and finally become fully independent. It’s a big step for anyone to make; I’ve heard it called one of the most stressful events of a person’s life, and I believe it. Scary, but exciting. I know I’ll definitely enjoy inviting people over; I love to play host, and I’m a pretty good cook, too.

Since I’m moving out I’ve been going through some of my belongings and came across a stack of old sketchbooks. I often draw to help myself think while developing new ideas. I’m not great at it and I rarely share the results, but in one of those sketchbooks I came across an old picture of mine which I really liked and have decided to put up here. It seemed very appropriate to post now, with the series within sight of ending, and with myself about to begin a new life. It’s not a picture of an ending, though – it’s a picture from the very beginning.

Readers may remember The Dark Griffin, in which Arenadd called himself Arren and his best friend was a Southerner named Bran. This picture is of them in happier times, drinking together at the Red Rat tavern with Eluna looking on. I’m not great at drawing “action” – most of my pictures are of characters just standing there. This is a rare example of a drawing where they’re actually doing something, and I like the effect.

I wonder what story Arenadd is telling his friend?

I like this picture not just because it’s better than my usual efforts, but because it makes me think about how we never know what the future will hold. These three here might just be imaginary characters, but I can still picture them together, going through their lives with no way of knowing what will ultimately happen to them. It’s the same for all of us, and every now and then it’s important to be reminded that we shouldn’t take what we have for granted. Our friendships might not last, our jobs might be lost, our security could be taken away from us, and our lives won’t last. In the end, nothing really does.

~KJT, feeling a little maudlin