A Seasonal Tale
If you go out on a dark, moonless night and look to the north, to that area of apparent starless sky to one side of the Pole Star, you may, if your vision is exceptional, discern an area that is just a little darker, blacker than the dark surrounding it. And if your vision was way beyond exceptional, you would see that this blackness was, in fact a deep, very deep, blood red.
What you are seeing is the Zan Tak Lorz, but what that may be is a matter of some controversy. Is it alive? Is it intelligent? A God (or goddess, of course)? So distant is it study is not possible. All that is known is that its life is governed by natural cycles and once a year it moves, at breakneck speed, across the cosmos.
On the winter solstice, the ZTL (as it is known) arrives above our north pole. It has been suggested that the closeness of the Earth to the Sun at that time of year may set up some subtle resonance that acts as a beacon for it, but that is little more than speculation.
Once at the end of its journey, it waits for several days. More speculation here – to recover after its journey? To cool down after acquiring the heat of friction? Who knows? Who will ever know? Once ready, it starts to move again, slowly, downwards. Once it is hanging low above the North Pole, it starts to extrude, southwards, following the curve of the Earth, forever remaining a constant distance above the ground and sea. This takes a day or so and eventually, it has become a thin line, tracing from the North to the South Pole. Still an almost black red in colour but some people believe they can just discern a vague white border to the line.
The line complete, it lowers itself even further, almost touching the Earth and, while apparently here, it is not here. While the Earth spins, the line remains still relative to the Earth, as if the Earth was moving past an infinitesimally thin ghost. This moment always happens towards the end of 24th December.
Now, the ZTL has an odd effect on those it comes across. It enhances mood and disposition. Those with a sunny, happy, friendly, well-behaved disposition are made to feel even happier, more friendly, helpful, etc. Those with a more morose, unhappy, disruptive personality, feel such negative feelings even more so.
Which is how, every year, good children of all ages everywhere are visited by someone very special at midnight on Christmas Eve and wake up in the morning to find they have received a present that is just what they had always wanted. And the rest? They have a year to get it right next time.
If you go out on a dark, moonless night and look to the north, to that area of apparent starless sky to one side of the Pole Star, you may, if your vision is exceptional, discern an area that is just a little darker, blacker than the dark surrounding it. And if your vision was way beyond exceptional, you would see that this blackness was, in fact a deep, very deep, blood red.
What you are seeing is the Zan Tak Lorz, but what that may be is a matter of some controversy. Is it alive? Is it intelligent? A God (or goddess, of course)? So distant is it study is not possible. All that is known is that its life is governed by natural cycles and once a year it moves, at breakneck speed, across the cosmos.
On the winter solstice, the ZTL (as it is known) arrives above our north pole. It has been suggested that the closeness of the Earth to the Sun at that time of year may set up some subtle resonance that acts as a beacon for it, but that is little more than speculation.
Once at the end of its journey, it waits for several days. More speculation here – to recover after its journey? To cool down after acquiring the heat of friction? Who knows? Who will ever know? Once ready, it starts to move again, slowly, downwards. Once it is hanging low above the North Pole, it starts to extrude, southwards, following the curve of the Earth, forever remaining a constant distance above the ground and sea. This takes a day or so and eventually, it has become a thin line, tracing from the North to the South Pole. Still an almost black red in colour but some people believe they can just discern a vague white border to the line.
The line complete, it lowers itself even further, almost touching the Earth and, while apparently here, it is not here. While the Earth spins, the line remains still relative to the Earth, as if the Earth was moving past an infinitesimally thin ghost. This moment always happens towards the end of 24th December.
Now, the ZTL has an odd effect on those it comes across. It enhances mood and disposition. Those with a sunny, happy, friendly, well-behaved disposition are made to feel even happier, more friendly, helpful, etc. Those with a more morose, unhappy, disruptive personality, feel such negative feelings even more so.
Which is how, every year, good children of all ages everywhere are visited by someone very special at midnight on Christmas Eve and wake up in the morning to find they have received a present that is just what they had always wanted. And the rest? They have a year to get it right next time.
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