Moriarty has developed a following here at The Scheherazade Chronicles. He is The Phantom of My Blog. He tidies up, hangs fresh headers, cooks, cleans up after parties, and recently he built a folly with the help of Russian immigrant laborers on the blog grounds. But he doesn’t dust.
Sometimes I bake a salmon dinner with basmati rice and steamed artichokes and we sit at the blog round table, eating and drinking wine by candlelight, tossing morsels to his black, fluffy dog, Dickens, listening to music and talking long into the night.
One time, Moriarty simmered his homemade borscht all morning while he was in the back kitchen sweeping up enormous droppings of Japanese blog spam, bagging it into large, black lawn bags and hefting them outside. “You let this stuff pile up and it gets all greasy,” he said.
In between holding the back door open for him, I sat in an old wooden straight back chair and stroked Dickens. I stroked the white patch under his chin, scratched deep behind his ear, finished by running my hand along his back, ruffling his coat. He shook, then, sending pieces of disconnected Japanese character strokes flying, like loose spider legs.
“He rolled in the spam,” said Moriarty.
I think Moriarty’s and my discussion in the cupola one evening about the masqueraders attracted the Japanese blog spammers.
The borscht is particularly good at lunch with chunks of baguette on a cold, snowy day when Moriarty says he has misplaced the blog snow shovels once again. In any case, visitors observe our discussion and sometimes join in and comment.
On a late afternoon I sat down by the stream until the sun got low in the western sky, and I thought I must go inside. About to arise from my rock, I look up. I see dear Moriarty’s face filling a windowpane in the cupola, Moriarty who would be dismayed to learn he is but an illusion. Wildly gesturing, waving his arm, he is pointing to someplace over my shoulder. I turn, and there is the Blue Deer, the Blue Deer with her blue and white spotted fawn, Batik.
Moriarty hasn’t been around during this 2015 A-Z Blogging Challenge. With his banjo and Dickens, he has taken this time off and gone to visit his family in Willynilly, Arkansas. His family recently retired to the Arkansas Ozarks although they hail originally from one of those towns in Eastern Massachusetts. Moriarty tells me that during his vacation he has received many fan texts. He is grateful and says thank you.
Samantha Mozart
For some reason the images no longer show here, but when you click on the question mark, it links to my books on Amazon.
You have again proven that imagination is another word for reality!! Moriarty is as real Mozart and me. Thanks again for a very entertaining chapter.
Just wait till Moriarty finds out all I’ve been saying about him behind his back. He is comforted to know that you and my other readers believe in him, though.
Moriarty and I are pleased we have entertained you, Marsha.
Thanks!
Hi Sam – I totally agree with the others .. Mozart is the pseudonym .. Moriarty is real, real and has just been rejuvinating himself and giving Dickens a break from all that stroking …
The A-Z finishes in a week .. and Moriarty, the Man, needs to be around to help us all return to sanity .. wonderful tapestry tales .. cheers Hilary
Moriarty will be delighted to hear you say this, Hilary. I’ll pass this along to him. I’m sure he will thank you. Dickens, well, you know, he’s a dog. He does relish the break from all that greasy spam in his coat, though.
Moriarty will be back in time to help me clean up from the A-Zs. I doubt he’ll be pleased about the mess I’ve strewn all over the blog. 🙂
Thanks!
Absolutely wonderful. I LOVE your writing, Samantha 🙂
Fee | Wee White Hoose
Scottish Mythology and Folklore A-Z
What a great compliment, Fee. Thank you. And thanks for visiting again. 🙂
Oh Sam, absolutely love the big M! I sure wish I had one. I do have a white dragon named Marigold (her official name is Magic since she is an old Beanie Baby…even has the pink thread in her wings). She helps out when I get stuck with plots or story lines. She has been a really big help with the A-Z challenge.
She says “hi”
I forwarded your message to Moriarty, Val. He says hi back to Marigold. Moriarty’s thinking of taking his next vacation to Canada and visiting Marigold. I suppose, though, since he’ll be visiting a white dragon he ought to leave Dickens at home….
Nice you have help with plot and story lines. Moriarty would be more inclined to trip me with one of the snow shovels as I walk over to my computer. 🙂
Thanks!
WHAAAAT! make him real immediately please. I know he’s real. He makes borscht, has a dog, points out the blue deer .. Please Samantha, send smoke signals to him to say he can’t be gone too long in Willy Nilly and that we want him back pronto onto.
HE knows he’s real, Susan, even though his appearance is rather nondescript. I’m making myself hungry thinking of the borscht. Yes, yes, let’s both send smoke signals.
Actually, Moriarty will be back in a few days. He has to help me clean up after the A-Zs. 🙂
Thanks!
i am laughing. This one is excellent! I love how you bring Moriarty into the picture. Of course, he would be upset to know that some people think he is not real. He is just like one of the main characters in my series who thinks he is the boss. And what a lovely way to introduce Moriarty and his dog.
I think Moriarty has the upper hand on all of us. He knows how to take vacation! 🙂
Shalom,
Patricia
Yes, these characters somehow get to thinking they have the upper hand, Patricia, and run away with the story. 🙂
Not only does he know how to take a vacation, he knows how to hide snow shovels and avoid dusting. I do need to learn from him.
Thank you, my dear friend. Glad you are laughing.
Shalom,
Samantha
That Japanese blog spam is real problematic. I try not to let it pile up, but when the grease sets in… yeah. Fun post, hopefully Moriarty is having a lovely vacation. 😉
Finally, I found a free version of Akismet to use on WordPress, so I no longer have the spam problem. But it was awful.
Yes, I imagine Moriarty is enjoying playing his banjo in Willynilly, Arkansas. He’ll be back soon. He’s gotta help me clean up after these A-Zs. 🙂
Thanks, Sara
Before long I expect Moriarty to walk right out of this blog as a real individual. I imagine him pictured, probably looking like R. 😉
{{{ }}} Moriarty would be mortified to learn he is not a real person, Gwynn. And, no, he looks nothing like R. Trust me on that one.
Thanks. 🙂