Away with the fairies, sketch

For fun, I'm calling this project 'away with the fairies.' It's hopefully going to be a creepy psycho-horror short opera, about choosing to be lost. Not intended for live performance, I'm making use of recording techniques in my composition, so the score might not look particularly interesting when it's finished.

I'm flying to the US tomorrow, so I probably won't post - maybe I'll have finished something along these lines by the time I arrive, who knows. 

Opening sentences (Carnival of the Chinese Animals)

Today's beach-side contribution :)

This is the draft opening sentences of Carnival of the Chinese Animals. You should be able to read the handwritten text despite the photobombing by the harbour :) And yes, the pen really is bent, that is not an optical illusion ….

There are two main variants of the Zodiac animals' 'amazing race' folk story, and they differ only in whether the central character is the Jade Emperor or the Buddha. 

I asked my parents which one they knew as kids, and they said the Buddha version. So I've based my narration on that choice, and it also gives me the added benefit of writing some kōan-inspired sayings in the story. 

I've never encountered a telling of the story with this feature even in other Buddha versions, so that is an original touch I am happy to contribute because I find kōan and Buddhist wisdom and teachings quite beautiful.