Day 1446: Dec 16, 2025

It’s a glorious day when I get to start a new Stephen King book! Today, I continue my journey with a stop at 2003’s 𝗪𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗮.

I read these final Dark Tower novels when they first came out at a furious pace just to get to the end. Do I remember anything about the plot? Nope. So it’s going to feel like a brand new experience and I couldn’t be more excited!

In the Introduction, King reminds us that there are subtitles to the Dark Tower novels:

The Gunslinger: RESUMPTION
The Drawing of the Three: RENEWAL
The Waste Lands: REDEMPTION
Wizard and Glass: REGARD

(The Wind through the Keyhole is subtitle-free)

𝘉𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥’𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. 𝘐𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘱𝘦-𝘴𝘢𝘪 (𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩-𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳), 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘬, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯.

I don’t recall seeing “seppe-sai” used in previous novels.

According to this page:

“Seppe-sai was the name Roland’s mother gave to the pie seller in the low-town of GILEAD. It meant death-seller. During the heat of summer, his pies often became poisonous.”

Doesn’t mention what book it came from, though.

The Dark Tower – Glossary

https://stephenking.com

A brief glossary of terms within Stephen King’s Dark Tower series.

Reading King’s plot summary of the previous four Dark Tower novels must’ve been sooooo perplexing to anyone who picked up Wolves of the Calla without having read the previous 4 books. It truly reads like the ramblings of an insane person!

𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘳𝘥’𝘴 𝘎𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯—𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘙𝘩𝘦𝘢—𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘪𝘥-𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢.

Finally, onto the next steps in the ka-tet’s journey!

Wolves of the Calla opens with this title page. Interesting that it starts with what looks like an indicator of “Chapter 19”.

I know the number 19 has significance throughout King’s work, but I don’t recall it having been mentioned in prior Dark Tower novels. I wonder if this is the book where that started.

The story opens with Tian and Tia, brother and sister, with the sister being a large “roont” individual who is pulling her brother on a plow through rough, rocky terrain.

“Roont” apparently means “ruined” – developmentally disabled, yet strong as a workhorse apparently.

“𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘴𝘢𝘪,” 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴. “𝘓𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴.”

A 7-foot-tall Andy the android suddenly walks into the picture.

𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘺’𝘴 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘥—𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘵, 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘉𝘳𝘺𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥…

Here’s a map showing where Calla Byrn Sturgis is located in the greater End-World map.

If I went dressed up as Andy for next Halloween, would anyone for miles around get the reference?

“𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘺𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴? 𝘈𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦! 𝘐𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴? 𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘱?”

𝘛𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘺’𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯, 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘰, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘈-𝘋𝘢𝘺𝘰,” 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴.

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘸𝘢𝘴: “𝘠𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘢𝘪.”

𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘹𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴—𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵…

The second indication that being 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘵 was something you turned into, not something you were born with.

𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴, 𝘴𝘢𝘪. 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘸𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘮, 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘖𝘶𝘵𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥—”

“𝘉𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘮, 𝘣𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧,” 𝘛𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘦, 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘺.”

I have a feeling that Tian should’ve paid attention to what Andy was foretelling!

And that’s a good enough start for this massive book (714 pages on first print!).

I stop here only 2% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1447: Dec 17, 2025

It’s only my second day with 𝗪𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗮. Yesterday, we were introduced to the twin brother and sister Tian and Tia (who came back “roont” from the east) plowing god-forsaken land. And Andy the Positronics robot comes by to warn them the “Wolves” are coming.

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴: 𝘓𝘺𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘪𝘢, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘸𝘰. 𝘈𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘵, 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘮! 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘈𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘏𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘢…𝘓𝘺𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘪𝘢…

Looks like the town folk are under some sort of China one-child policy…

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵,” 𝘛𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥, 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸—𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳.

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦.

“𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘩𝘢𝘱 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘰.” 𝘛𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

I appreciate how quickly King got to the crux of the plot here. At least I assume this is the key point of this story.

𝘛𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘰𝘯, 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥.

“Infected blood” is a color?

“𝘛𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺-𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺-𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳, 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦,” 𝘛𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘶𝘱 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘱 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴. 𝘈 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯.” 𝘏𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥, 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥. “𝘐𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵. “𝘐𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘵.”

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘏𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘕𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯, 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘪𝘢𝘯, 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘥.

No… This couldn’t be… Is this Walter, the Man in Black?

𝘛𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺, 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥. “𝘐𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘺! 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘺, 𝘛𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘑𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴, 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘶𝘬𝘦! 𝘐𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴!”

𝘓𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 Hear him! 𝘌𝘹𝘶𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳’𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘴. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦.

A small town rising up to fight bandits. Hmmm… Where have I heard this story before?

The Magnificent Seven (1960)

https://www.imdb.com

Seven gunfighters are hired by Mexican peasants to liberate their village from oppressive bandits.

While google-searching just now, I learned that there’s going to be a “The Magnificent Seven” TV series remake written and produced by Tim Kring (of “Heroes” fame).

MGM+ Greenlights ‘The Magnificent Seven’ Series Remake From Tim Kring

https://deadline.com

The streamer and linear network has greenlit a series adaptation of The Magnificent Seven from Heroes creator Tim Kring.

“𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦-𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴—𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵-𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘴, 𝘺𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘯—𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘶𝘯𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘐 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦—”

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘻𝘻-𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴,” 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥.

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴,” 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦.

“𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘴!” 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥.

“Sneetches”?

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦,” 𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯, 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵. “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘧𝘶𝘭. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘱 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘳. 𝘝𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴, 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥. 𝘔𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘴, 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘩𝘢𝘱. 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯-𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘮 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘯. 𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘌𝘺𝘦.”

A great description of the baddies!

“𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬, 𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.”

𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘨𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯. 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦-𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥-𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥—𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴—𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘴.

𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘭𝘥 𝘍𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢.

𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦, 𝘛𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥. “𝘉𝘦𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘰𝘯, 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳—”

It’s NOT the Man in Black but rather Father Callahan of ‘Salem’s Lot!

And with THAT shocking reveal, I stop here 5% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1448: Dec 18, 2025

Finishing off the lengthy Prologue of Wolves of the Calla. When we last left the story, farmer Tian was trying to convince his fellow townsmen to fight back against the mysterious force that rode into town once a generation to gather up half of each pair of child twins (and there are a lot of twins). Just as the men were losing courage, a priest from another story stepped in!

“𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘢,” 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴. 𝘏𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯, 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘹𝘦𝘥𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯. “𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘺. 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳…𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳…𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳…𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥, 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦.

I’m so glad I read ‘Salem’s Lot not too long ago. This line hit hard.

“𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥, padrone,” 𝘈𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘺 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵. “𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦. 𝘠𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘩𝘢𝘱. 𝘏𝘢𝘺𝘤𝘰𝘹 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘮. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴?”

“𝘉𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯,” 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥.

Hmmmmm… I wonder who those “armed killers” for hire will be… 🤔

𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘭𝘥 𝘍𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘑𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘮’𝘴 𝘓𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥, 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵. 𝘐𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘮.

What is this thing under the church floorboards? Sounds very interesting.

“𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯,” 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘉𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘴. 𝘠𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯. “𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘱, 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯. 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦.”

That’s all the reading for today as I reach 6% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

I now turn my attention to The Cast of Ka as they cover this prologue.

The Cast of Ka – Episode 68

https://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay kick off our review of Wolves of the Calla with a discussion of the prologue, wherein something is “roont” at the heart of Calla Bryn Sturgis.

Day 1449: Dec 19, 2025

Now heading into Wolves of the Calla proper as I start Part One (“Todash”) Chapter I: The Face on the Water.

But that Prologue – what a great start! I knew that Father Callahan was in this story but I didn’t remember that he made an appearance so soon in it.

A little sketch that was found on the first page of the chapter. Are these creatures? Land minds? Weapons? I’m not sure.

𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴—𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦, 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩, 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦, 𝘖𝘺—𝘵𝘰 𝘔𝘦𝘫𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘐-𝟩𝟢, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘒𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘴 𝘛𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘱𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘒𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯 𝘋𝘦𝘭𝘨𝘢𝘥𝘰, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦.

Oh yeah. The Prologue was so good, I almost forgot about Roland and his current ka-tet!

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯? 𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘕𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘥.

King is really shoe-horning the Number 19 bit right at the beginning of this story.

“𝘚𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 ‘𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴,’ ” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥.
…
“𝘕𝘰,” 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥. “𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦. 𝘐𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴…𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴…𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘴…𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴. 𝘎𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵?”

“𝘠𝘦𝘴,” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘋𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺-𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦? 𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘴?”

King’s sending a blatant message here.

“𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦?”

𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘯𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯—𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯—𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦, 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦: “𝘕𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯!” 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘖𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦: “𝘕𝘪𝘦-𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯!”

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 “𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯” 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘫𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮…

King was DECADES ahead of the “6-7” phenomena we’re experiencing now.

𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦’𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴. 𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦; 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘳, 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭—𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩-𝘣𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥.

“𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘵,” 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥

Well, my guess about that illustration above was completely off base! 😂

I end my reading for today with a strange group of people not so subtly following Roland and the others through the woods. Of course, it’s the contingent from Calla Bryn Sturgis, but that particular meetup is going to have to wait for me until tomorrow.

I am now 8% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1450: Dec 20, 2025

Now playing The Cast of Ka as they cover Part One, Chapter I of Wolves of the Calla.

The Cast of Ka – Episode 69

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay discuss Wolves of the Calla Chapter 1: The Face on the Water, where we catch up with our ka-tet lost in a kind of time wasteland. Also, muffinballs.

Day 1451: Dec 21, 2025

Now reading Wolves of the Calla, Part One, Chapter II: “New York Groove”.

Roland and the ka-tet are being “stalked” by a contingent of townspeople from Calla Bryn Sturgis who want to seek their help in fighting back against evil “Wolves” who steal their children once a generation.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 him, 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨.

Jake went to sleep and then woke up back in New York City with Oy and Eddie. They are observers only, seeing but are not seen. And Jake gets a glimpse of himself walking by.

How weird!

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦!” 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥. 𝘏𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘮. “𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦, the rose!”

“𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵?”

“𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘐 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘵!” 𝘏𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦’𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥. “𝘐 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦…𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘵. 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯—”

𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧. “𝘛𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘑𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘺’𝘴 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘋𝘦𝘭𝘪, 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘺-𝘴𝘪𝘹𝘵𝘩—”

Only the day’s not quite right, 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵—𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧. Something about it…

This has a strong Back to the Future II vibe to it.

Stephen King inserting himself into this story – a mere taste of what’s to come.

“𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸,” 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘰𝘰-𝘊𝘩𝘰𝘰, 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦!”

𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨—𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦: 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘦𝘺𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵-𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦-𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘸𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦’𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘶𝘱.

“𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘰𝘰-𝘊𝘩𝘰𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘉𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘭 𝘌𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘴,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥.

𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥. “𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥, 𝘵𝘰𝘰.”

“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴—” 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬. “𝘞𝘩𝘰’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘢 𝘺 𝘐𝘯𝘦𝘻 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘮𝘢𝘯?”

𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘯 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘳 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱. 𝘐𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘣 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘺𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘭, 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦’𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳.
…
“𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵,” 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥. “𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴?”

I end here on this cliffhanger, 9% through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1452: Dec 22, 2025

Continuing to read Wolves of the Calla, Part One, Chapter II: “New York Groove”.

After eating some wacky-berries, Jake and Eddie go on a spiritual quest in their dreams, landing back in New York City where they stalk an earlier version of Jake on the day he discovers The Rose.

“𝘌𝘯𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘰 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘻𝘢𝘳. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳. 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦-𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥!”

“𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝟣𝟫𝟩𝟩,” 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥: “𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥?” 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺

When we last left Eddie, he was shocked by who he saw exiting a Lincoln Towncar – and now we’re back to HIS story from Drawing of the Three. Timeloops within timeloops.

𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘨𝘶𝘺𝘴,” 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥.

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵,” 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥.

“𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘭𝘺𝘯.”

“𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘩.”

“𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘨𝘶𝘺𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘭𝘺𝘯 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥-𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘯?”

“𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵. 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦, 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘐 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳?”

“𝘐’𝘮 𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.”

“𝘕𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘰 𝘐. 𝘚𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘨𝘰.”

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘯 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘥.

Did the Crimson King hire mob hitmen to off Jake back in the day???

“𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶,” 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘻𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘹𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺. “𝘞𝘩𝘺? 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵? 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥. 𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶?”

Trying to imagine The Sopranos in a Barnes and Noble’s.

No – the gangsters weren’t there to rough up the bookstore owner. They were there to get a signature…

The agreement continued.

So… Sombra Corporation (parent company of Northcentral Positronics) wants legal rights to the abandoned lot where the rose is located.

Who knew the fate of the multiverse rested on a real estate document?

I pause reading Wolves of the Calla for the day.

I am now 11% of the way through this epic novel.

Day 1453: Dec 23, 2025

Listening to The Cast of Ka review Jake and Eddie’s ghost trip back to NYC in Wolves of the Calla.

The Cast of Ka – Episode 70

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay discuss Wolves of the Calla Chapter 2: New York Groove. Jake, Eddie, and Oy do some “chime traveling” to 1970s New York and discover a potential world-ending conspiracy.

Day 1454: Dec 24, 2025

I return back to reading Wolves of the Calla, Part One, Chapter III: “Mia”.

Eddie and Jake had a muffin-ball induced vision quest back to NYC were the gangsters from Eddie’s story waltzed into the book store from Jake’s store and made some sort of real estate deal to secure the lot where THE ROSE was found.

I feel like I might’ve eaten a muffin-ball or two after reading that summarization.

A quick summary of the multiple personalities of Susannah Dean and then this:

𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘖𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘢, 𝘋𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘢, 𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩; 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥.

And right away we remember that she had been impregnated by a demon.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘋𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘢 𝘞𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘔𝘪𝘢. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 mother.

Four different names for the same person… gonna be tough to keep up with that!

…𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘱𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦-𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘴. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘫𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴.

“Blue chambray” was mentions – everyone take a shot!

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵. 𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱. 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵, 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵.

Susannah/Detta/Odetta/Mia is herself tripping on those muffin balls and is dreaming of being in a dark, ominous castle gorging on a ton of food to feed her growing baby.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘸, 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘯𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘴. 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭, 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥.

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦, 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘖𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘴𝘩.

“Went todash”? What’s that?

I’ll stop reading here for the day, letting that question linger until next time.

I am now 12% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1455: Dec 25, 2025

Merry Christmas! Can’t think of a better way to spend it other than finishing off Wolves of the Calla, Part One, Chapter III.

The impregnation of Susannah by a demon (several books back) has largely been forgotten about until just now. She has developed a FOURTH personality, 𝘔𝘪𝘢, whose sole focus is the caring of her unborn demon-baby.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘯𝘥, 𝘢𝘴 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘫𝘦𝘳𝘬𝘺 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘴𝘦𝘴. 𝘖𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘌𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘶𝘻𝘻. 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩.

𝘋𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘴𝘩, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘴.

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘢 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘰𝘻𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳.

Not quite “The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed” but close.

𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘔𝘪𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘵.

This would be an award-winning performing for the actress that pulled this scene off in Flanagan’s anticipated adaptation.

Susannah’s/Mia’s gross excursion into the wood (where she ate half the swamp’s critters) now over, I finish reading on this holiday.

I am now 13% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1456: Dec 26, 2025

Had a fun time listening to The Cast of Ka relive Part One, Chapter III of Wolves of the Calla.

The Cast of Ka – Episode 71

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay discuss Wolves of the Calla Chapter 3: Mia, in which Susannah has an, ahem, stomach-turning secret.

Day 1457: Dec 27, 2025

Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came review the beginning chapters of Wolves of the Calla.

Wolves of the Calla — Prologue and Part 1, Chapters 1-3

http://twoguysdarktower.blubrry.com

In this episode of Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came, we explore The Dark Tower, Book V, The Wolves of the Calla, the Prologue and Part 1, chapters 1-3.

Day 1458: Dec 28, 2025

The Kingslingers begin their deep dive of the prologue and first three chapters of Wolves of the Calla.

Wolves of the Calla (Part 1)

https://podcastaddict.com

This week, Scott and Matt get ever closer to The Dark Tower as they begin book 5: Wolves of the Calla. The Prologue and the first three chapters of Part 1: Todash are discussed in today’s episode.

Day 1459: Dec 29, 2025

The Kingslingers finish their deep dive of the prologue and first three chapters of Wolves of the Calla.

Wolves of the Calla (Part 1)

https://podcastaddict.com

This week, Scott and Matt get ever closer to The Dark Tower as they begin book 5: Wolves of the Calla. The Prologue and the first three chapters of Part 1: Todash are discussed in today’s episode.

Day 1460: Dec 30, 2025

crack open the text of Wolves of the Calla and continue reading. Roland had just had an extremely weird night watching a possessed Susannah (Mia) swimming naked in a swamp eating the wildlife. He left behind Jake and Eddie who were phasing in and out of Mid-World as they went “todash”.

I’m sure things will get back to normal here in Part One, Chapter IV.

𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘥. “𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺. 𝘈𝘴 𝘐 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥?”

“𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵,” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. 𝘈𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘭 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦.

Has holding back secrets from his ka-tet members ever worked out well for him?

“𝘏𝘶𝘩!” 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘺𝘴! 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘋𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.”

“𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘋𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭?” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥.

“𝘈 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭’𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬,” 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘋𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘻𝘦𝘯. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥. 𝘐𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘬𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘓𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯 𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘨𝘰. 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥. 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘋𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘴’𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴.”

Once again, King is being very blunt in his meta-ness.

These four subsections were solely about Eddie and Jake talking about their todash back to the NYC bookstore and the confrontation between the store owner, Tower, and Balazar’s gang. Lots of hypothesizing about the importance of the corner lot in Tower’s possession and the rose that lived on it.

“…𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥’𝘴 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘊𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘯 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘥-𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘺𝘴. 𝘐𝘧 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘭 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘵.”

“𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘩,” 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦? 𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘈𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘯 𝘋𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘶. 𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦. “𝘚𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰?”

“𝘉𝘶𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴,” 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘭𝘺. “𝘖𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦.”

That’s a helluva plot course I didn’t see coming!

That’s all the reading I’m doing for today. I completely a 12-hour, 700 mile drive earlier today and my eyes are losing the battle to stay open.

I am now 15% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1461: Dec 31, 2025

I spend the last day of 2025 continuing to read Wolves of the Calla. Where I last left off, Susannah recommends that the ka-tet cross into another world and purchase real estate.

A plot device I didn’t see coming!

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺. “𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵? 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘢 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵—𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘨𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵. 𝘚𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘸𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘶𝘺 𝘪𝘵. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘩𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵? 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘺? 𝘍𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘺? 𝘐𝘧 𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳, 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘭𝘥 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘤𝘶𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴.”

A perfect Eddie response!

“𝘏𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 would 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘴, 𝘪𝘧 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦’𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘮,” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘐 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘳. 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵—𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦—𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘴.”

This plot turn feels so contrived, so forced! I don’t know if I’m reading an actual King work or a parody of one.

𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥. “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥. 𝘐𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴. 𝘔𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴; 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶.”

Some good info about the Manni, a group of which exist at Calla Bryn Sturgis (where I hope this group will get to eventually!)

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦, 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘛-𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳. “𝘔𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘫𝘦𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘣 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘸𝘢𝘺. “𝘐 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘉𝘳𝘺𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦. 𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘋𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘪𝘵, 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘈 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭. 𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵—𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦—𝘛𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘬𝘢, 𝘒𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘴.”

Father Callahan finally introduces himself to the ka-tet!

I’ve always found these moments, where major characters meet up, to be some of King’s most compelling writing.

𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥. “𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭-𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘭𝘭, 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬.”

“𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰,” 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥.

“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥,” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳.”

And here I end for the day, eagerly awaiting the palaver with Father Callahan. I am now 16% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1462: Jan 1, 2026

Kicking off the new year reading Wolves of the Calla! I left off with Father Callahan introducing himself to Roland and the gang. I’m eagerly looking forward to reading more of this blend of fictional worlds.

“𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 middle 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦?”

𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦, 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘸, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥. “𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘬. 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘋𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘺?”

𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦, 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮: 𝘋𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘥 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯. 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯.

I’m getting a little bored of all this forced “nineteen” stuff… Here and there, ok. But it’s literally in every conversation they’re having now.

“𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴,” 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘱 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘹. 𝘛𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘑𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘰, 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴—𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘴𝘦𝘳—𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴.” 𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺. “𝘞𝘢𝘺𝘯𝘦 𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯. 𝘏𝘦’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧𝘧…𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮…𝘐 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.”

Callahan (from the Calla – coincidence?) provides Roland with a pretty good plot summary.

𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥. 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮. “𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥. 𝘐𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺, 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬.”

“𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘰?” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥.

𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥: “𝘛𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘴𝘩.”

And now I recall that Callahan has something hidden under the floorboards. I think this is what he’s referring to.

𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦’𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳. “𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵?” 𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥. “𝘐𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘔𝘦𝘫𝘪𝘴, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘵, 𝘪𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘴𝘩. 𝘚𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘯𝘦?”

𝘈 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘬, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺. “𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵. 𝘍𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳. 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘯 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘮𝘦, 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦?” 𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘵 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴. “It’s come alive.”

Oh wow. I definitely didn’t expect THAT!

“𝘏𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵,” 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥, “𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬.” 𝘏𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦, 𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦-𝘥𝘶𝘧𝘧, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩:

𝘾𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙖 𝘾𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙝𝙖𝙣

“𝘓𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘔𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘹?” 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩’𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯: “𝘐𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨?”

Hey – I just said the same thing a few posts ago!

I end reading for today as Jake and Roland noticed that their copy of “Charlie the Choo Choo” has been altered with the author’s name (Beryl Evans) suddenly removed. Reality is shifting right around them!

I am now 17% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1463: Jan 2, 2026

Taking a short break from reading Wolves of the Calla to hear some reflections on this chapter from The Cast of Ka.

The Cast of Ka – Episode 72

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay discuss Wolves of the Calla Chapter 4: Palaver, in which the gang meets Father Callahan and, well, a lot of palavering takes place.

Day 1464: Jan 3, 2026

Finished off this episode from The Cast of Ka about Wolves of the Calla.

The Cast of Ka – Episode 72

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay discuss Wolves of the Calla Chapter 4: Palaver, in which the gang meets Father Callahan and, well, a lot of palavering takes place.

Day 1465: Jan 4, 2026

Returning to the book and reading Wolves of the Calla, Part One Chapter V.

We left off with the biggest revelation that Father Callahan was in possession of Wizard’s Glass “Black Thirteen” – the most powerful of the bunch! I bet he just has a Magic 8 ball that he carried over from our world.

𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴: 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘯 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘮, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘗𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺-𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘚𝘩𝘦’𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯.

A lot of morning sickness and pregnancy talk inside Susannah’s head. But this certainly provided an interesting contradiction.

𝘜𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵. 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘯𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘣𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘯𝘰-𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮.

Never heard of “riding drogue” before. Learn something new every day I read a King book!

“𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺?” 𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺. “𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦, 𝘴𝘢𝘪.”

“𝘐’𝘮 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥,” 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥.

“𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘭𝘥? 𝘠𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵?”

“𝘉𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵,” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥.

“𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘎𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥…” 𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥. “𝘎𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥’𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦.”

“𝘐,” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘢𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵.”

Overholser’s the “big wig” farmer of Calla Bryn Sturgis and does not support going against the Wolves. Bet he feels a lot smaller when talking with Roland!

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦. “𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵!” 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥. 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩’𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘨𝘶𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯. 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩.

I can only imagine it looked like this:

IG-11 – Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org

IG-11 is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise who appears in the Disney+ television series The Mandalorian. An extremely deadly and efficient bounty hunter droid, IG-11 initially attempts to capture and kill an alien known as the Child but is stopped and destroyed by another bounty hunter known as the Mandalorian.

And with the ka-tet’s introduction to Andy, I leave the book for the day.

I am now 19% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1466: Jan 5, 2026

Recapping the Overholser chapter of Wolves of the Calla with The Cast of Ka.

The Cast of Ka – Episode 73

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay discuss Wolves of the Calla Chapter 5: Overholser, in which Susannah and the gang meet the Calla Bryn Sturgis crew.

Day 1467: Jan 6, 2026

Reading Part One, Chapter VI: The Way of the Eld from Wolves of the Calla.

I like this chapter title. Hope it leads to something majestic as King has been a bit chatty over the past few chapters with tons of dialog but little action.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘴, 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘉𝘳𝘺𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘴. 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘉𝘳𝘺𝘯 𝘓𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘈𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴.

And on and on with the geography. Grateful there are maps out there!

“𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵?”

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯. “𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘱,” 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳. “𝘕𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.”

“𝘞𝘩𝘺?”

“𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦,” 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦, 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘱. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦. 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘔𝘪𝘥-𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦,” 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘖𝘳 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦…” 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦’𝘴. “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘱, 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥. 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦.”

Ah, Thunderclap. I think that was last mentioned at the end of Wizard and Glass. Good reminder here.

“𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘴𝘢𝘪,” 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘶𝘨.

“𝘎𝘶𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘨𝘶𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵?”

“𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨,” 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘢.”

𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩. “𝘖𝘩 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘩. 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘦-𝘴𝘢𝘪, 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯.”

I just might have to use that last line from Eddie in a conversation today. Somehow.

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘴𝘩, 𝘴𝘢𝘪 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦! 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯—𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭—𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵.”

“𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘧𝘧?” 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥.

“𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨,” 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥.

Very weird how a robot knows all about todash.

𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘠𝘦𝘴, 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰’𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥.”

“𝘞𝘩𝘺?” 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥.

𝘏𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘺 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘰𝘯𝘦. “𝘋𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘕𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯.”

Eddie had asked how Andy knew that the Wolves were coming. Andy’s response sounded just like what DARIA said in The Wind Through the Keyhole.

“𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦, 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘬𝘴, 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶?” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥, 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘭𝘺. “𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳. 𝘞𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘴, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘦’𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘴, 𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴.”

“Talk sickens.” You can say THAT again, brother!

𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵… 𝘩𝘦’𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘯 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴.

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸,” 𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘬𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸.”

“𝘡𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨,” 𝘡𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥.

With that horrific and very depressing description of how children come back “roont” from Thunderclap, I end reading for the day. I am now 21% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1468: Jan 7, 2026

Finishing off Part One, Chapter VI: The Way of the Eld from Wolves of the Calla.

The ka-tet are being treated to dinner and conversation with the folk of Calla Bryn Sturgis and more disturbing details emerge about what happens to the kidnapped children after they’ve returned.

Also, Andy the Android help Eddie wipe his ass. (I kid you not).

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘱𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘭𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥. 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 (𝘢𝘴 𝘛𝘪𝘢 𝘑𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴’𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘡𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘏𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘬’𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸) 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱. 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭.

Ugghhh – even more details about the “roont”! A terrible ending.

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺? 𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘯? 𝘖𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦?”
…
“𝘕𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦,” 𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘴.”

“𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘧-𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘴,” 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥.

“𝘈𝘺𝘦, 𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘺, 𝘸𝘰𝘭𝘧-𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘴, 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴.”

“𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴?” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥.

“𝘞𝘦’𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘱,” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩’𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵.

“ ’𝘛𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘷𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘰𝘨𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘺,” 𝘡𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.

Vampires? Like the ones from ‘Salem’s Lot or from The Little Sisters of Eluria?

“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥, 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘢. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘶𝘯𝘴—𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘺𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘦𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘴, 𝘵𝘰𝘰—𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭. 𝘍𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘭𝘥 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦. 𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵-𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩, 𝘧𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘶𝘻𝘻-𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵—𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭, 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦, 𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦—”

𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘴𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘵-𝘕𝘖𝘔𝘐𝘊. 𝘈𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 “𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘺.” 𝘈 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 “𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤.”

Gunslingers vs atomic weapons? C’mon, man!

𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘵, 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵-𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘴—𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥?—𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘮 𝘏𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘰. 𝘗𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘮, 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥.

I was reminded of this ball from Phantasm back in The Waste Lands in the City of Lud as well.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘚𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘉𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘒𝘪𝘥, 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘖𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦, 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦—𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘋𝘪𝘤𝘬, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵.

“full of the” whaaaaaaat?

𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥. “𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘵, 𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦.”

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴,” 𝘛𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭.”

And with that insight, I conclude the chapter and reading for today. I am now 23% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1469: Jan 8, 2026

The Cast of Ka discusses the palaver that Roland had with the representatives of Calla Bryn Sturgis.

The Cast of Ka – Episode 74

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay discuss Wolves of the Calla Chapter 6: The Way of the Eld, in which we learn about the true horrors of the Roont children of the Calla.

Day 1470: Jan 9, 2026

Finished off this episode from The Cast of Ka about Wolves of the Calla.

The Cast of Ka – Episode 74

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay discuss Wolves of the Calla Chapter 6: The Way of the Eld, in which we learn about the true horrors of the Roont children of the Calla.

Day 1471: Jan 10, 2026

Back to reading Wolves of the Calla. In the last chapter, Roland and the ka-tet were debriefed by the Calla Bryn Sturgis dispatch party about the troubles they’re having with the “Wolves” from the east.

It was a talky chapter, but now I’m onto Part One, Chapter VII, a lengthy chapter called “Todash”.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱. 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘯-𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴.

Don’t they remember the wild-ass evening they all had the LAST time they had muffin-balls?

𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥, 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦. “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦? 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵, 𝘸𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘨𝘰, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦—𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦—𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬, 𝘐’𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳.”

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘺. 𝘐𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘻𝘢𝘳’𝘴 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘥. 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘐𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘊𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘰, 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘥𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭. 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥’𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘱𝘶𝘻𝘻𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘴; 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯𝘴’𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘠𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥’𝘴 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦’𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 “𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵.”

This passage was very moving. I’ve come to know ALL of these characters over thousands of pages. And I love that Stephen King doesn’t take for granted our understanding of their relationships with each other. This explanation of the bond between Eddie and Roland was special.

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘊𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥. 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘬𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭—𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘴𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸—𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘦𝘮.”

Eddie is feeling suspicious that this town, and all of the places and adventures they had throughout Mid-World were somehow not fully 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭. That’s a lightning bolt of a foreshadow if you know how these books evolve!

𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨… 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺, 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩: “𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵…𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦! 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘮-𝘣𝘰𝘶-𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘦…𝘠𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘺𝘺𝘺-𝘋𝘖𝘓!”

I tried to find these lyrics in the “real world”. This was the closest I could get – but it wasn’t exact:

𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘈𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦; 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘥 𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳, 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱. 𝘋𝘦𝘔𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘙𝘪𝘮𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘈𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵…𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘨𝘶𝘯𝘴…𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘩, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘈𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴—

Roland todashes back to the Battle of Jericho Hill, a tale less expertly told in comic form earlier.

𝘊𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘵. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴? 𝘍𝘪𝘷𝘦? 𝘚𝘪𝘹? 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯. 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥; 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘺𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘬. 𝘠𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥’𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘳 𝘌𝘭𝘥, 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘺. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬. “𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘐 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘥,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. “𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐’𝘮 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘕𝘦𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘱, 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘺.”

The Horn of Arthur Eld also feels vaguely important to the upcoming plot line as well, if I recall correctly.

***side note***
I’m listening to the audiobook version as I read the text (a technique I’ve been enjoying very much) and I notice this reader says “Cuth”-bert with a soft u instead of the previous book (Wizard and Glass) where it was read as “Que th”-bert.

𝘊𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵—𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 (𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘯; 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦), 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵. 𝘐𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘌𝘭𝘥’𝘴 𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘯.

This too… is important?

Roland is yanked out of this vision of the final moments of Jericho Hill and with that, I stop reading for today.

I am now 24% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1472: Jan 11, 2026

Roland and gang popped another round of muffin-balls and settled in for another night of going “todash”. Roland was first taken to the tragedy of the Gunslingers’ last stand on Jericho Hill but then was whisked away to a new location.

I continue to read Wolves of the Calla, Part One, Chapter VII,: “Todash”.

𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘵 𝘑𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘰 𝘏𝘪𝘭𝘭, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴—𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘯, 𝘧𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘍𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘺-𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘫𝘰𝘺, 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵.

“𝘔𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘴!” 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦. “𝘔𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘴! 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬! 𝘖𝘩 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘭, 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘯 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴, 𝘐 𝘏𝘈𝘝𝘌 𝘔𝘠 𝘓𝘌𝘎𝘚 𝘉𝘈𝘊𝘒!”

Back in NYC now, but Susannah’s joy is temporary 😢

“𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬, 𝘴𝘶𝘨𝘢𝘳?” 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘰.

“𝘈 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵,” 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘢𝘮!”

I’m really curious how Mike Flanagan will pull off this legless/legfull switching of the Susannah Dean character in his series.

“𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴,” 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 ‘𝘗𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘐𝘵 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬.’ ”

“𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦?” 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥.

“𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘩, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦.”

“𝘖𝘩, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥,” 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘐𝘵’𝘴 ‘𝘕𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘩 𝘕𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘉𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯.’ ”

The Rolling Stones must’ve known about The Dark Tower series way in advance.

“𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦,” 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨.”

“𝘐𝘵’𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘵,” 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥. “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘦.”

And with this, I end reading for today. I am now 26% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1473: Jan 12, 2026

The Cast of Ka was moved by Roland’s emotional spirit trip back to the Battle of Jericho Hill in Wolves of the Calla.

The Cast of Ka – Episode 75

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay discuss Wolves of the Calla Chapter 7: Todash – Section: 1-8. The gang takes a trip to New York and the heartbreaking truth about Jericho Hill is revealed.

Day 1474: Jan 13, 2026

I check back in with the ka-tet as the look for the lot with rose in this slightly altered NYC timeline.

𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘺-𝘴𝘪𝘹𝘵𝘩, 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩. 𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴. 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘚𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦.
…
𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. “𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘪𝘵?” 𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥. “𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶?”

This beautiful, otherworldly description of being near THE ROSE is very reminiscent of The Waste Lands.

𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴: “𝘖𝘩 𝘚𝘜𝘚𝘈𝘕𝘕𝘈𝘏-𝘔𝘐𝘖, 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘋𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘙𝘐𝘎 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘐𝘟𝘐𝘌 𝘗𝘐𝘎, 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 ’𝟫𝟫.” 𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩. “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯? 𝘈𝘯𝘺 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢, 𝘚𝘶𝘻𝘦?”

While I don’t recall the details, I do remember that the Dixie Pig plays a big role ahead.

I end with Roland, Jake and Eddie gathered around the glorious rose in the vacant NYC lot. Susannah was left behind (she mysteriously did not want to join them) and watched a dead woman cross the street.

I am now 27% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1475: Jan 14, 2026

I continue in the pages of Wolves of the Calla, returning to Roland, Jake and Eddie who are in the vacant NYC lot with the rose that is the center of all that is good.

𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘵. 𝘈 𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥—All I need’s a cardboard sign and a tin cup.

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘺-𝘴𝘪𝘹𝘵𝘩 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵.

That’s a shame – Susannah gone and lost her legs again! Apparently, those legs belonged to her dark alter-ego, Mia. But now she’s back to herself and legless in this bizarro world inside Black 13.

𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴. 𝘈𝘭𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘌𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘬-𝘸𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵. 𝘈 𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘈𝘭𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘻𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘵𝘶𝘣 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘢𝘱 𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘶𝘨. 𝘈 𝘕𝘢𝘻𝘪 𝘖𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘶𝘵𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋-𝘋𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘵. 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘯 𝘐-𝟪𝟢 𝘪𝘯 𝘐𝘰𝘸𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘤𝘋𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘥’𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘱. 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘑𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘪𝘹𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦. 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘺𝘦.

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘴𝘵, 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘬.

𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮, 𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴.

Wow – that’s a lot… a lot to take in.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥. 𝘈 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘥-𝘢𝘯𝘥-𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘳, 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘺-𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘴. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘴. 𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦. 𝘈 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭’𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘐’𝘮-𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨-𝘵𝘰-𝘵𝘩𝘦-𝘤𝘢𝘳-𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵-𝘢𝘯𝘥-𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵-𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸-𝘪𝘵 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦.

There are some passages that ChatGPT rightly refuses to create images from.

“𝘐𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘴,” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. 𝘞𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦-𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘱 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩’𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥? 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘔𝘪𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴, 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘗𝘶𝘯𝘹𝘴𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭 𝘰𝘯 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘨 𝘋𝘢𝘺? 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵.

Um… If we’re in Roland’s head at this point, why would he bring up Punxsutawney Phil? He would never have known about that.

Jake yanked a bowling ball bag from the vacant lot with the rose and dragged it back to Mid-World when todash was over.

I bet this will be used to eventually hold & carry the Black Thirteen orb.

And with this, I finish reading this chapter. I am now 28% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1476: Jan 15, 2026

The Cast of Ka was equally confused by Roland reference to Punxsutawney Phil!

The Cast of Ka – Episode 76

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay discuss Wolves of the Calla Chapter 7: Todash – Section: 9-16. Most of the gang has a spiritual experience in the abandoned lot, while Susannah makes a troubling discovery and meets the vagrant dead.

Day 1477: Jan 6, 2026

Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came discuss Wolves of the Calla, Part One, Ch 4-7.

The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla — Part 1, Chapters 4-7

https://twoguysdarktower.blubrry.com

In this episode of Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came, we explore The Dark Tower, Book V, Wolves of the Calla, Part 1, chapters 4 – 7.

The hosts bring up this artwork from the book. They point out that Roland and Cuthbert are standing on a giant stone-carved face.

They claimed you can see it in this picture if you pull back, but I’m not seeing it. Just seems like a regular rock face (not human face) to me.

Day 1478: Jan 17, 2026

The Kingslingers have a lot to say about Wolves of the Calla, Part 1: Todash, Ch 4-7

Wolves of the Calla (Part 2)

https://podcastaddict.com

This week, it’s even more Todash as the whole Ka-tet heads to New York and gets a look at the rose. Also, Pere Callahan introduces Roland to some farm folk in need of saving. We’re covering Part 1: Todash, chapters 4-7

Day 1479: Jan 18, 2026

Finished off this lengthy episode from The Kingslingers about Wolves of the Calla, Part 1: Todash, Ch 4-7

Wolves of the Calla (Part 2)

https://podcastaddict.com

This week, it’s even more Todash as the whole Ka-tet heads to New York and gets a look at the rose. Also, Pere Callahan introduces Roland to some farm folk in need of saving. We’re covering Part 1: Todash, chapters 4-7

Day 1480: Jan 19, 2026

Radio Free Mid-World begins their review of Wolves of the Calla.

Wolves of the Calla, “Todash” (Part 1)

https://podcasts.apple.com

Time has resumed. Zack Johnson joins me to talk about the opening of Wolves of the Calla, which finds our ka-tet approaching civilization once more. The Wolves are about to return to Calla Bryn Sturgis. Their goal is to steal half of the children and return them Roont, or ruined. And among the simple farmers is a remarkable man, another castaway from Earth. Someone we’ve met before.

Day 1481: Jan 20, 2026

Radio Free Midworld wraps up Book One of The Wolves of the Calla.

Wolves of the Calla, “Todash” (Part 2)

https://podcasts.apple.com

Let’s go back to the vacant lot, because the Rose is in danger. Zack Johnson joins me once again to talk about the remainder of the Todash portion of the book. Our ka-tet begins to understand the nature of their nocturnal travels, while Father Callahan makes his introductions. Roland and company learn more specifics about the Wolves, and decide that it’s their duty to protect this town, even if they don’t want protection.

Day 1482: Jan 21, 2026

After 6 days of listening to podcast episodes, I’m roaring to get back into the book! I start with Part Two of Wolves of the Calla, titled “Telling Tales”. Looks like we’re still stuck going over backstories!

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘐: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯
…
“𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸,” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸, 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘉. 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘢𝘪 𝘌𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘳.

Sounds like it’ll be a while before we get to see any action. A lot of ridin’, talkin’, and lookin’ I reckon!

𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢; 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩. 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦, 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨’𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦, 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘏𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦—𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦, 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.

𝘏𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘖𝘺’𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥. 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢. 𝘖𝘩 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘩, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘵. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳.

𝘖𝘧 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨.

And with that pleasant image, I finish reading for the day. I am now 30% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1483: Jan 22, 2026

Continuing to read Wolves of the Calla. I move forward in Part Two, Chapter I with a lengthy subchapter 6.

The ka-tet have finally arrived into Calla Bryn Sturgis.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮—𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬-𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘺’𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘯—𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘴, 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦.

“𝘞𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘛𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘑𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴, 𝘎𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘋𝘪𝘦𝘨𝘰 𝘈𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘏𝘢𝘭𝘭,” 𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧. ‘𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯,’ 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘢’𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦, ‘𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘚𝘰 ’𝘵𝘪𝘴, 𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦.’ 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘩𝘢𝘱 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘺.”

A rather bold admission from the wealthy farmer to the crowd!

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘖𝘺 𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘴, 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘵. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘱𝘢𝘸𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘴 𝘶𝘱, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥’𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘴, 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦. 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘬.

“𝘖𝘺!” 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘳. “𝘌𝘭𝘥! 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘦!”

Even my jaw is hanging open, thunderstruck by what I just read.

Eddie delivered a speech to the crowd that reminded me of Stu Redman’s speech at the Boulder Town Hall in The Stand – a simple man saying simple words but endearing himself to the crowd nevertheless.

With this section, I leave the reading for the day. I am now 31% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1484: Jan 23, 2026

The welcome festivities continue in Calla Bryn Sturgis as Eddie just wrapped up a rousing speech to the townfolk and all are feeling good.

Except Eddie Dean. He’s got a baaaaaaad feelin’ about all this!

I continue reading Wolves of the Calla.

The ka-tet have finally arrived into Calla Bryn Sturgis.

𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 “𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘵” 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. (𝘓𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦—𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩.)

Well, that’s sweet.

𝘈 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘪𝘭 𝘍𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘺 (𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘳 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥) 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘳.

Now where have I heard THAT name before? Oh yeah, the final words of The Stand:

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘙𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘍𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘺’𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩. 𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘥.

𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.

𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳 𝘚𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩…

Star Search! My goodness, that brought back an ancient memory.

𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 “𝘔𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘚𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸,” 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭. 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘑𝘰𝘢𝘯 𝘉𝘢𝘦𝘻, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦, 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

The song was actually “Girl of Constant Sorrow”. However, Judy Collins did have an album titled “Maid of Constant Sorrow”. It’s the same song, but Baez titled it differently.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯—𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥—𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘴 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯.
…
“𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨?” 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥.

“𝘕𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯, 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘰,” 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥.

And with the promise (threat) of Roland singing, I end reading for the day. I am now 32% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1485: Jan 24, 2026

Finishing off reading Part Two, Chapter I of Wolves of the Calla.

Where I last left off, Roland was about to serenade the good people of Calla Bryn Sturgis.

𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘺, 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘬. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘻𝘪𝘭𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢-𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘬 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦: 𝘢 𝘫𝘶𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦. 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘩𝘦’𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰.

Roland as a rock star? I can see it.

“𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰?”
…
“𝘎𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴!” 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘥. “𝘎𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦, 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘦! 𝘚𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘎𝘰𝘥’𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦!”

I was mistaken. After a night of singing, Roland wasn’t going to croon himself. Instead, he essentially bound the town with a gunslinger’s verbal contract.

𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘸, 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘫𝘪𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘱 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦.

Even worse than singing… Roland dances!

“𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧𝘧,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦-𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘑𝘰𝘦𝘺 𝘙𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦.”

“𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘴𝘶𝘨𝘢𝘳?” 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥.

𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥. “𝘋𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺.”

𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩, 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳.

“𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘵, 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘦?” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥.

“𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘓𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺.”

𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥. “𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩.”

“𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴,” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯. “𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦, 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘴𝘩? 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶?”

“𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵,” 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘔𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘤𝘰. 𝘈 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘓𝘰𝘴 𝘡𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦…𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬…𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦.”

I’m getting excited to hear Callahan’s story. He promised to tell it to them after a night’s rest.

Turned the page and saw this artwork displayed. Not a big fan of it, personally. Roland’s legs look… odd.

The gang checked out for the night and thus ends this chapter and my reading for the day.

I am now 34% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1486: Jan 25, 2026

The Cast of Ka begins to describe Roland & the gang’s entrance into Calla Bryn Sturgis.

Episode 77

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel is joined by a guest host, Justin of the Here’s Johnny Podcast, to discuss Wolves of the Calla — Part Two: Telling Tales: Chapter 1 – Sections 1-7. The gang reaches the Calla, Eddie has a bad feeling, and Oy speaks.

Day 1487: Jan 26, 2026

Completing this episode from The Cast of Ka about the opening chapter in Part Two of Wolves of the Calla.

Episode 77

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel is joined by a guest host, Justin of the Here’s Johnny Podcast, to discuss Wolves of the Calla — Part Two: Telling Tales: Chapter 1 – Sections 1-7. The gang reaches the Calla, Eddie has a bad feeling, and Oy speaks.

Day 1488: Jan 27, 2026

It took The Cast of Ka a second episode to cover this chapter from “Wolves of the Calla”.

Episode 79

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay discuss Wolves of the Calla — Part Two: Telling Tales: Chapter 1: The Pavilion – Sections 8-14. Roland puts on his boogie shoes.

Day 1489: Jan 28, 2026

On to Part Two, Chapter II: “Dry Twist” in Wolves of the Calla.

It’s been a few days since I’ve picked up the text, but from what I remember, Roland danced a jig in front of the townspeople and then they all went to bed at Father Callahan’s place.

𝘕𝘰, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘩𝘦𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘻 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰, 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴.

For a man that was already a thousand years old, it’s depressing to hear him worrying about arthritis.

𝘙𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘱 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘺. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳. “𝘋𝘳𝘰𝘱 𝘺𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴, 𝘐 𝘣𝘦𝘨,” 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘉𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘺, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘎𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴.”

“𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦,” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭.

If she next says, “Now turn your head and cough” I’m gonna spit out my coffee!

𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥. “𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥.” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘱𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵. 𝘋𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘦. 𝘓𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘺𝘳𝘶𝘱.

Roland finally has gotten around to telling Eddie about Susannah’s demonic excursions through the swamp.

“𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵,” 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰, 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘨𝘰 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨—𝘪𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳, 𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘔𝘪𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳—𝘸𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳.”

“𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳,” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧, 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦—𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳—𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴.

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵?” 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥.

“𝘠𝘦𝘴,” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘯. 𝘐𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥, 𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘺𝘴𝘴.

Wow – a very powerful exchange.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯. “𝘞𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘩𝘢𝘱 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.”

Callahan’s story and then a visit to Black Thirteen! I’m looking forward to THAT for sure! But I’m done reading for now.

I am 36% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1490: Jan 29, 2026

Listening now to The Cast of Ka review the chat between Roland and Eddie about Susannah’s predicament.

The Cast of Ka – Episode 80

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay discuss Wolves of the Calla — Part Two: Telling Tales – Chapter 2: Dry Twist. Roland’s secret is revealed and Eddie finally learns the truth about Mia. For that and more, listen to The Cast of Ka: Episode 80. WHAT TO READ BEFORE NEXT EPISODE: Wolves… Read More

Day 1491: Jan 30, 2026

We finally get to hear Father Callahan’s tale: One in which he steps out of one King novel (‘Salem’s Lot) and enters into another (Wolves of the Calla).

𝘎𝘰𝘥’𝘴 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘺𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘵 𝘐𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘢𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘺𝘢. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘥𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘬 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦.

Callahan admits to drinking having been the source of his problems back in his former life. I would dare say that addiction is a theme found somewhere in 75% or more of King’s works.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰, 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝟣𝟫𝟨𝟫, 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘯 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯. 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱—𝘣𝘢𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘹 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦—𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘮’𝘴 𝘓𝘰𝘵, 𝘔𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭. 𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥.

“𝘚𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭,” 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘰𝘸, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵.

𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘵? 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬. 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘱 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬-𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘋𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱, 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘮, 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦.

𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘱𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘺𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨, 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘠𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘈 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘬𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘋𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘉𝘳𝘺𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘴. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘱 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘳. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮: 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬.

Fascinating to see King revisit a scene he had initially written 3 decades earlier, with supreme confidence and skill developed over that time.

𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘦, 𝘯𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘺𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘯𝘰 𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘪𝘯, 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘰𝘸’𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥…𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵. 𝘛𝘰 𝘯𝘰 𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘭. 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘻𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴: 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘴.

Wow. I last read Wolves of the Calla when it first came out, so there are still shocking details that come out. Callahan having drank vampire’s blood is one such detail. I don’t recall this happening in ‘Salem’s Lot.

In fact, I went back to ‘Salem’s Lot and to this scene. Here’s how it ended in the book.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘯𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 (𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴, 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘯), 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵, 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨’𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴—𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳.

𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩. 𝘈𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘣𝘣, 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩—𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵—𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬

So this appears to be some major rewriting of the events at ‘Salem’s Lot. Did Callahan stab himself to death or did he drink Barlow’s blood? I can’t believe that King would introduce this major break with his own story.

No – it was my own memory that faltered. Earlier in ‘Salem’s Lot:

“𝘕𝘰𝘸, 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘵,” 𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘷𝘦𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘴𝘦𝘥. 𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘰 𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘭, 𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵.

𝘠𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵, 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘬.

I leave Callahan’s story for now, reminded that he had been turned into a vampire by Barlow back in ‘Salem’s Lot.

I am now 37% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1492: Jan 31, 2026

We’re in the middle of Father Callahan’s post-‘Salem’s Lot story. So far, he’s recounted what we mostly read from that 1970’s novel, leaving off on his Greyhound trip out of town. But I think we’re now going to get to the good stuff.

𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. “𝘚𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘺𝘢! 𝘈𝘺𝘦, 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘺𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘨! 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐’𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘕𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘏𝘐𝘛𝘓𝘌𝘙 𝘉𝘙𝘖𝘛𝘏𝘌𝘙𝘚 𝘚𝘛𝘙𝘐𝘒𝘌 𝘐𝘕 𝘘𝘜𝘌𝘌𝘕𝘚.”

“𝘖𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴,” 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘶𝘱…𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵? 𝘑𝘦𝘸𝘴? 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴?”

Had to look them up. No, not a real part of history. They’re invented villains for The Dark Tower series.

“𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘢 𝘷𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦,” 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥.

“𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘛𝘺𝘱𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦. 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯.”

Looks like King put a lot of through into vampire lore, even coming up with a classification system.

“𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘚𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘦. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘌𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘴. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘚𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘴?”

“𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘩,” 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥.

“𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳.”

Callahan started “going todash”!

“𝘐 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘷𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘛𝘺𝘱𝘦𝘴 𝘖𝘯𝘦, 𝘛𝘸𝘰, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦. 𝘛𝘺𝘱𝘦 𝘖𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘦. 𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘛𝘺𝘱𝘦 𝘖𝘯𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘥𝘴—𝘧𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥—𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘩𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘷𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘛𝘺𝘱𝘦 𝘛𝘸𝘰𝘴.”

For the full rundown:

Vampires

https://darktower.fandom.com

See also: Incubi, Succubi Vampires are a major part of The Dark Tower Series. Father Callahan went around the country killing and being chased by vampires. They are able to carry blood-transmitted diseases like AIDS. The vampires are servants of the Crimson King. According to Father Callahan, there are 3 main types of vampires:

“𝘈𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘢 𝘷𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘺 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦.”

That’s quite profound.

𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘋𝘦𝘭𝘨𝘢𝘥𝘰.

𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴—𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴—𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺.

𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴—𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦…𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘫𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘦—𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥-𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘮𝘦.

Such vivid words (“electric blueberry juice”)… I just HAD to see what ChatGPT would do with them. It did not disappoint.

“𝘐𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘶𝘱𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘭…”

And with that line from Father Callahan, talking about his time living and working in a homeless shelter and seeing vampires all around him, I stop reading for the day.

I am now 39% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1493: Feb 01, 2026

The Cast of Ka did have all that much to say about the start of Callahan’s tale.

Episode 81

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay discuss Wolves of the Calla — Part Two: Telling Tales – Chapter 3 The Priest’s Tale (New York) – Sections 1-9. Father Callahan begins his tale of battling vamps and the bottle.

Day 1494: Feb 02, 2026

Finished off this episode from The Cast of Ka.

Episode 81

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay discuss Wolves of the Calla — Part Two: Telling Tales – Chapter 3 The Priest’s Tale (New York) – Sections 1-9. Father Callahan begins his tale of battling vamps and the bottle.

Day 1495: Feb 03, 2026

Back to reading Wolves of the Calla. We’re in the middle of Father Callahan’s story since he fled from ‘Salem’s Lot and landed in a NYC homeless shelter.

He discovers that since being forced to drink of Barlow’s blood (he was the main vampire from ‘Salem’s Lot) he can see that many other vampires are lurking and feeding in streets of the city.

𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘈𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘠𝘰𝘳𝘬, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯—𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘨𝘰 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘊𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩—𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘢 𝘷𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘺. 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘋𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘥 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦.

“𝘈𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘦, 𝘥𝘪𝘯’𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘢, 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘳?” 𝘌𝘭𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳. 𝘏𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘴𝘬𝘶𝘭𝘭.

Father Callahan joins the ranks of other notorious vampire hunters.

𝘐𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘴. 𝘐𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘴𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘱. 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺.

I wonder if he’s going to see a billion bugs scurry away as in Little Sister of Eluria.

𝘈𝘵 𝘏𝘰𝘮𝘦, 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘥.

Good to see there are 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 standards, even in a vampire-infested homeless shelter.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘒𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘶𝘨𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥. 𝘌-𝘡 𝘒𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘯-𝘜𝘱, 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘝 𝘢𝘥𝘴. 𝘓𝘶𝘱𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘺𝘱𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘔𝘳. 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘺, 𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.

Love to see the “rules” about different levels of vampires. The Type 3’s appear to be little more than supernatural mosquitos.

“𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘦𝘻𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘉𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐’𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴. 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘐’𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘕𝘠𝘗𝘋 𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘰-𝘤𝘢𝘳 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘥 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦. 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘶𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, ‘𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘷𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴. 𝘒𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐’𝘮 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘰-𝘤𝘢𝘳?’

Father Callahan dropping bombs on an old fella who is just trying to help!

Father Callahan walks into a bar.

And with that, I end my reading for today. I am now 40% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1496: Feb 04, 2026

Continuing to read Wolves of the Calla and hearing how Father Callahan evolved from a washed-out drunken ex-priest to a fierce vampire hunter in the streets of NYC!

𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘮𝘴. “𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘯 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦.”

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴,” 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥.

“𝘠𝘦-𝘦𝘴𝘴…” 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘱, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. “𝘠𝘦𝘴. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢, 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.”

This has gotten very intriguing. Who is hunting the hunter?

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘦𝘯,” 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴. 𝘈 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘴…𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝘈 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴…𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭.”

“𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘊𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘯 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥,” 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥.

That’s a lot of callbacks! Wizard and Glass, obviously, with the Coffin Hunters. And “Low Men in Yellow Coats” from Hearts in Atlantis.

Not much new that was added in Callahan’s story except that he was being hunted by foot soldiers of the Crimson King back in his world. Looking at the Table of Contents, I see Callahan has much more of his tale to go and there’s a bunch of other people wanting to tell tales as well.

I have a feeling this book is 98% build-up and a teeny bit of intense action at the end to wrap it all up.

I am currently 42% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1497: Feb 05, 2026

Listening now to The Cast of Ka be somewhat disappointed with the lengthy tale Father Callahan is spinning in The Wolves of the Calla.

Episode 82

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay discuss Wolves of the Calla — Part Two: Telling Tales – Chapter 3 The Priest’s Tale (New York) – Sections 10-12. Father Callahan continues his vampire hunting tale and the Low Men do some hunting of their own.

Day 1498: Feb 06, 2026

Finished off this episode from The Cast of Ka.

Episode 82

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay discuss Wolves of the Calla — Part Two: Telling Tales – Chapter 3 The Priest’s Tale (New York) – Sections 10-12. Father Callahan continues his vampire hunting tale and the Low Men do some hunting of their own.

Day 1499: Feb 07, 2026

The Kingslingers cover the beginning of Part 2 of Wolves of the Calla.

Wolves of the Calla (Part 3)

https://podcastaddict.com

This week, Roland does the rice dance and we begin Callahan’s story within a story. Starting to think this is some sort of motif in this series or something. We’re discussing Part 2: Telling Tales, Chapters 1-3.

Day 1500: Feb 08, 2026

I reach this momentous day in my journey (the big 1-5-oh-oh) with the 2nd half of this episode from The Kingslingers.

Wolves of the Calla (Part 3)

https://podcastaddict.com

This week, Roland does the rice dance and we begin Callahan’s story within a story. Starting to think this is some sort of motif in this series or something. We’re discussing Part 2: Telling Tales, Chapters 1-3.

Day 1501: Feb 09, 2026

I’m back to the text in Wolves of the Calla, picking up with Part Two, Chapter IV, “The Priest’s Tale Continued (Highways in Hiding)”.

At this point, Father Callahan is in NYC, is able to detect vampires, can see ghosts, has has creepy servants of the underworld putting posters around town looking for him.

And Callahan decides to finish telling his tale while he walks Roland & friends over to take a look at the evil Black 13 glass from the Wizard’s Rainbow.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦. 𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵, 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.

Callahan found himself having gone todash into an alternate version of America, just like when Roland’s ka-tet walked through a bizarro Kansas/not-Kansas.

…𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘷𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘦, 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘭𝘥-𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘸-𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢-𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴. 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘬𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘥… 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘴…

I end reading here, with Father Callahan popping between two versions of America (not unlike Jack Sawyer & the Territories in The Talisman).

I am now 43% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1502: Feb 10, 2026

Father Callahan, the vampire slayer, is on the run from the tall men in yellow coats. And he’s todashing between a familiar America and one that’s a little bit off.

I continue to read his tale from Wolves of the Calla.

Oh yeah, I had forgotten about the fictitious “Hitler Brothers”. Looks like they’re gunning to be the main antagonist in this part of Father Callahan’s tale.

𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘭𝘥 𝘍𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢’𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴. 𝘈 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘶𝘮. 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘶𝘮 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘈 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘠𝘰𝘳𝘬. 𝘈 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦.

Roland approaches the hiding place of Black Thirteen.

“𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵?” 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥. 𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨.

“𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵, 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶?”

“𝘈𝘺𝘦. 𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘦𝘺𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥’𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸. 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵, 𝘨𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳?”

“𝘠𝘦𝘴.”

Very H.P. Lovecraftian… A cosmic horror that makes you physically ill or breaks you mentally.

I stop reading here for the day. Roland has only seen the box containing Black Thirteen, but he has yet to look at the worst of the Wizard’s Rainbow yet.

I am now 45% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1503: Feb 11, 2026

The Cast of Ka moves forward with their Father Callahan analysis.

The Cast of Ka – Episode 83

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay discuss Wolves of the Calla — Part Two: Telling Tales — Chapter 4 The Priest’s Tale Continued (Highways in Hiding). Father Callahan discovers highways to other dimensions and goes on a walkabout.

Day 1504: Feb 12, 2026

Finished off this episode from The Cast of Ka.

The Cast of Ka – Episode 83

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay discuss Wolves of the Calla — Part Two: Telling Tales — Chapter 4 The Priest’s Tale Continued (Highways in Hiding). Father Callahan discovers highways to other dimensions and goes on a walkabout.

Day 1505: Feb 13, 2026

Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came give a whirlwind recap of Father Callahan’s journey (so far).

The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla — Part 2, Chapters 1-4

http://twoguysdarktower.blubrry.com

In this episode of Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came, we explore The Dark Tower, Book V, Wolves of the Calla, Part 2 Telling Tales, chapters 1-4.

Day 1506: Feb 14, 2026

I dust off the book and dive back into Wolves of the Calla, picking up at a chapter titled, “The Tale of Gray Dick”.

𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺-𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦, 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘵’𝘴 𝘙𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘉…𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺-𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘢𝘭𝘴?

Kinda odd to describe a human being as “foaling”, don’t you think?

𝘛𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘶𝘥𝘢 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬-𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭.

A “remuda of work-horses”? Had to look that one up.

“a herd of horses that have been saddle-broken, from which ranch hands choose their mounts for the day.”

“𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘹𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺-𝘢? 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘱𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘰𝘶𝘵? 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘶𝘴?”

The rancher Eisenhart asks a very good question of Roland.

𝘌𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘥, 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥. “𝘠𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦-𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘴𝘰 𝘺𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘓𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘖𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘢.”

𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦, 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩.

“𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘋𝘪𝘤𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳?”

𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.

FINALLY – after many pages of porch-sitting, we get ourselves some “Gray Dick”!

𝘚𝘰 𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴—𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘵, 𝘓𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘖𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳-𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦.

Lady Oriza delivered revenge in a unique way. And THIS is going to play a role in Calla Bryn Sturgis’s defense from the Wolves, I’m sure.

𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘋𝘪𝘤𝘬’𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘴𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘨𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦.

That’s… um… That’s a paragraph for the history books!

The Missus is about to give Roland a demonstration of her own skills with Oriza plates. And with that, I finish reading for the day.

I am now 47% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1507: Feb 15, 2026

Back to Wolves of the Calla where Roland and Eisenhart were chatting away while Jake and his new friend enjoyed some playtime.

Mrs. Eisenhart is about to demonstrate some fierce skills with some deadly plates, though.

𝘈 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦—𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪’𝘴 𝘖𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘢—𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘴. 𝘈𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘐𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘦’𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴—𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘺. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳-𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘵 (𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦) 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘭 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴.

“𝘚𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘚𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘤,” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦.”

“𝘈𝘺𝘦—𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘚𝘦𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴. 𝘍𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩, 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘞𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬. 𝘞𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩, 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘓𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘖𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘋𝘪𝘤𝘬, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵.”

Looks like the Sister may turn out to be a useful army!

𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵, 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦. “𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘮𝘦, 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥? 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰’𝘦𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘝𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘯? 𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘐 𝘣𝘦𝘨.”

So Margaret Eisenhart is one of the Manni clan – that mysterious group with spooky powers, and are apparently really good at tossing death dishes.

“𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴? 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘭𝘥 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢. 𝘛𝘸𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘚𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐’𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘬𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴: 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵—𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵—𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦?”

Good question!

Roland’s plan starts to develop, but he plans to keep it too himself for the time-being.

I stop reading here. I am now 49% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1508: Feb 16, 2026

𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟭𝟱𝟬𝟴
Another hour spent with The Cast of Ka covering The Lady of the Plates in Wolves of the Calla.

The Cast of Ka – Episode 84

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay discuss Wolves of the Calla — Part Two: Telling Tales — Chapter 5 The Tale of Gray Dick. Roland discovers The Calla’s secret weapon: Its women.

Day 1509: Feb 17, 2026

I cross the halfway point in Wolves of the Calla. As is typical in previous King books, a looooooooootttttttt of setup going on here. A mysterious villain. Time running out. Secret weapons. A history of a priest vampire-slayer. A demon baby in the womb. And a side-quest to buy some land in New York City.

But no wolves yet.

“Yet the madrigal does grow, you see, and where things grow, there’s always hope.”

Put THAT on a T-shirt!

𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧-𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥. “𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴.”

𝘛𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩. “𝘐’𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬 𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦.”

“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵—?”

“𝘐 𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳.”

𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦’𝘴 𝘫𝘢𝘸 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥. “𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦!”

We saw this in the opening scene, but the way Tian put it… He couldn’t find a better phrase?

“𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨? 𝘐 𝘣𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵’𝘥 𝘨𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘪𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘶𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵? 𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥𝘴, 𝘥𝘪𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴, 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘧𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘺.”

Eddie makes a great point.

“𝘈𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵,” 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘯-𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘈𝘩’𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘦’𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯, 𝘣𝘰𝘺. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘩 𝘥𝘰 ’𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 ’𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘳?

Eddie settles in to try to tease out what old Gran-pere remembers about killing one of the Wolves way back in the day.

I, however, am done reading for the evening. I am now 51% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1510: Feb 18, 2026

In my last time with Wolves of the Calla, we learned that some of the ladies of the Calla have secret combat skills involving razor sharp dinner plates. Roland’s head is spinning from the revelation. Meanwhile, Eddie is on the other side of town listening to an old man work to recollect how he dispatch one of the Wolves many years ago.

“𝘈𝘩.” 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘪𝘱𝘦. 𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘦. “𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘪𝘦’𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴?” 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘯-𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵. “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯.”

“𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩. 𝘠𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦.”

“𝘈𝘩.”

Eddie is showing some tremendous patience here!

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘩?”

“𝘈𝘺𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘖𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵. 𝘡𝘦𝘦’𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘈𝘩’𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸’𝘦𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯, 𝘥𝘰’𝘦𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘯. 𝘕𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘺𝘦! 𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘩 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘥. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦.”

𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥. 𝘏𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘩-𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴.

“ ’𝘛𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘔𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘧—”

Now THIS is a jaw-dropping revelation. Not a gun. Not a bow & arrow. Not a sword. But a flying dish took down one of the Wolves.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘑𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘉𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯. 𝘌𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘗𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘺—𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮—𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.

This section is beautifully written; 4 young adults standing side by side to face an enemy magnitudes more power than they are!

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭-𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘔𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘧𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦.

This scene is one of the most intense of all the series so far and this passage doesn’t even begin to do it justice!

𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘮𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧𝘧, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘴…

The only surviving member of the stand against the Wolves is about to make a revelation – WHEN KING CUTS HIM OFF IN MID-SENTENCE AND LEAVES US HANGING! The bastard! What’s under the mask???

𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘯-𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢.

𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴—𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘖𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦. 𝘐𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦. 𝘞𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯.

C’mon! Tell us already! You’re killing us with the suspense, King!

I leave this chapter and stop reading for the day STILL not knowing what Gran-pere saw under the Wolves’ mask!

I am now 52% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1511: Feb 19, 2026

The Cast of Ka returns after a long hiatus to review Gran-pere’s Tale in Wolves of the Calla.

The Cast of Ka – Episode 85

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay discuss Wolves of the Calla — Part Two: Telling Tales — Chapter 6: Grandpere’s Tale. Eddie craves a different kind of life and learns the truth about the Wolves.

Day 1512: Feb 20, 2026

Roland gets a demonstration of weaponized flying plates at one end of town. On the other side of town, Eddie hears how those plates brought down one of the fearsome Wolves.

I return to Wolves of the Calla, reading Part 2, Chapter VII: Nocturne, Hunger.

“𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘩, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘩 𝘳𝘶𝘯!” 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥. “𝘎𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘺’𝘢𝘳𝘦! 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘔𝘪𝘢, 𝘥𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘥! 𝘠𝘦𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘥! 𝘠𝘦𝘴! 𝘠𝘦𝘴 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭!”

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘶𝘱 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩-𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘴.

Back to Susannah’s POV.

𝘉𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘳 𝘌𝘭𝘥, 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩, 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘮𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵-𝘨𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘈𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘚𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘢, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯. 𝘈𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵!

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘦. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘳𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘔𝘳. 𝘙𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥. 𝘔𝘳. 𝘙𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘵-𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘬. 𝘙𝘢𝘵-𝘬𝘦𝘣𝘢𝘣! 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘐𝘵 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺, 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘪𝘳, 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩, 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘵-𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘬’𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘵. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵, 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘬. 𝘐𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥.

I haven’t even had breakfast yet, and now it looks like I’m not even gonna.

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦, 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘦; 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘹𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘵.

Roland and Eddie were already aware of Susannah’s Mia-trances. And now Jake is aware. This is going to get interesting!

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪 𝘗𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘪𝘨, 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥; 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺. 𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵, 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴: 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘋𝘐𝘟𝘐𝘌 𝘗𝘐𝘎, 𝘓𝘌𝘟 𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝟨𝟣𝘚𝘛. 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵: “𝘉𝘌𝘚𝘛 𝘙𝘐𝘉𝘚 𝘐𝘕 𝘕𝘌𝘞 𝘠𝘖𝘙𝘒”—𝘎𝘖𝘜𝘙𝘔𝘌𝘛 𝘔𝘈𝘎𝘈𝘡𝘐𝘕𝘌.

Not the first mention of The Dixie Pig. Can’t wait to see it!

Eddie too was aware of Susannah’s slippage into Mia and her secretive night-time quest for food (this time, the eating of a live baby pig). I tell you this – he’s a lot calmer about his wife carrying a demon-baby than I would be if it were MY wife!

With this, I finish reading for the day. I am now 54% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1513: Feb 21, 2026

A little more reading left in Wolves of the Calla, Pt 2, Ch VII.

Susannah spent another night as Mia in a nightmare dream-state where she ended up eating a live baby pig in a barn while Eddie laid up in the loft, aware and listening to it all. Also, Jake caught a glimpse of her acting all bizarre.

There’s gonna be a reckoning here soon, I think.

𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘨𝘢𝘴𝘱, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴….

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮. 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘨𝘦, 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦. 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘢 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘵-𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘬. 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘬’𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥.

Ah – so Jake didn’t see Susannah physically, but rather share her nightmare with her.

𝘏𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥’𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘦’𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘸𝘬. 𝘐𝘧 𝘩𝘦, 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦, 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥’𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵.

Oh – I hope he does! The confrontation between Jake and Roland would be epic!

Jake observes Andy the Android speaking with his new friend’s father in a secluded place by the river in the middle of the night. Then the father wades across the river, heading east to Thunderclap.

And with that new mystery (dropped on top an an already growing pile of mysteries) I finish reading Wolves of the Calla for the day. I am now 55% of the way through the novel.

Because the reading was lighter than usual, I swing into this shorter episode from The Cast of Ka who covered this chapter from Wolves of the Calla.

The Cast of Ka – Episode 87

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay discuss Wolves of the Calla — Part Two: Telling Tales — Chapter 7: Nocturne, Hunger. Mia feeds, Eddie frets, and Jake has two revelations.

Day 1514: Feb 22, 2026

The Kingslingers cover Wolves of the Calla, Part Two, Ch 4-7.

Wolves of the Calla (Part 4)

https://podcastaddict.com

This week, Callahan tells of his hidden highways, Roland learns the power of plate throwing, and Eddie discovers a secret about the wolves…but refuses to tell us. Oh also DID SUSANNAH EAT A BABY!? We’re discussing Chapters 4-7 of Part 2: Telling Tales

Day 1515: Feb 23, 2026

Finished off this episode from The Kingslingers about Wolves of the Calla, Part Two, Ch 4-7.

Wolves of the Calla (Part 4)

https://podcastaddict.com

This week, Callahan tells of his hidden highways, Roland learns the power of plate throwing, and Eddie discovers a secret about the wolves…but refuses to tell us. Oh also DID SUSANNAH EAT A BABY!? We’re discussing Chapters 4-7 of Part 2: Telling Tales

Day 1516: Feb 24, 2026

Turning back to the text as I enter Wolves of the Calla, Part Two, Ch VIII: “Took’s Store; The Unfound Door”.

When we last left the story, there appears to be a traitor/spy at Calla Bryn Sturgis and Jake has the unpleasant fortune of discovering its his new friend’s father. But as typical with this ka-tet, he decides to keep that bit of knowledge to himself.

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘺’𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 (𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦), 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘢—

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘵…𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨…

“𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰?” 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥. “𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸?”

Jake demonstrated his growing mind-connecting powers and then confronts Roland about Susannah/Mia. Love it!

𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘯-𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘩, 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦.”

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵…𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘦?”

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. “𝘕𝘰, 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦. 𝘍𝘢𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘵. 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝙢𝙚.”

After what appeared to be a ka-tet fracturing with secrets, I love seeing bonds strengthen.

𝘐𝘯 𝘢 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘕𝘰, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘕𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘰𝘣 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥. 𝘠𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘴. 𝘞𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦.”

𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳: “𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸.”

I have always said that I find lengthy conversations to be King’s strength. These parts flow so quickly, so naturally.

“𝘞𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦,” 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭?”

𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥.

“𝘐𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘻𝘢𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵—𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥—𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰. 𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺?”

“𝘠𝘦𝘴,” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.”

“𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴,” 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘺.

𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘚𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘐.”

Good. There’s now a time limit on this secret they’re keeping from Susannah.

“𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴,” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘺-𝘴𝘢𝘪. 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭’𝘦𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴?”
…
“𝘈𝘺𝘦,” 𝘡𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥.
…
𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘯. “𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵?”

Interesting strategy to make Susannah one of the Riza dish-throwers (which doesn’t sound very threatening, but as we learned, they can be deadly!)

I finish reading here for the day. I am now 57% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1517: Feb 25, 2026

I continue reading Wolves of the Calla, Part Two, Ch VIII: “Took’s Store; The Unfound Door”.

We’ve yet to reach Took’s, but I can’t get this image out of my mind:

“𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘏𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩, 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴. “𝘛𝘸𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘬 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪 𝘙𝘦𝘥𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦, 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘏𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.”

Roland is off to meet with the mysterious Manni. Perhaps to recruit their spooky powers to the battle ahead?

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘐’𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘋𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘊𝘢𝘷𝘦.”
…
“𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘪𝘵?” 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘠𝘰𝘳𝘬.”

“𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦,” 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯.”

I was wrong – but a portal cave is a pretty cool concept too.

“𝘈𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘬𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵,” 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥.

“𝘈𝘩’𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 ’𝘶𝘯𝘵, 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘪𝘦!” 𝘛𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴-𝘰𝘧-𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦. “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 ’𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳! 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 ’𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘵’𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵’𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳—”

𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘴𝘦𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘣 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬.

Now THAT’S how you deal with a racist Mid-worlder!

𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.

I’m gonna have to remember that phrase this summer living here in the Deep South.

I did a google search on “hotter than the hinges of hell” and discovered that King also used this phrase in The Green Mile.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘏𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥. “𝘋𝘰’𝘦𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘨𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳?”

𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. “𝘕𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵. “𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴.”

I wonder if King had this work in mind when he wrote that.

Roland and Henchick the Manni are about to arrive at this Cave Portal of Mystery, but I end my reading for today.

I am now 58% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1518: Feb 26, 2026

Finishing off Wolves of the Calla, Part Two, Ch VIII: “Took’s Store; The Unfound Door”.

Roland and the Manni leader, Henchick, explore a cave that may be a portal to any time and place.

𝘈 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘸 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥’𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘜𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘻𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘵. 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘵, 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘵, 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴.

“𝘐𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘬𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘕𝘢’𝘢𝘳 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨?” 𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘏𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬.

𝘕𝘰 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸. “𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘫𝘦𝘴𝘵,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦”

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘳. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦’𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩; 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘋𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘊𝘢𝘷𝘦? 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥 (𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥), 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘷𝘦. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘹 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩, 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯. 𝘈𝘯𝘥, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦, 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘴, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨.

“𝘕𝘢𝘺, 𝘨𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳, 𝘺𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵!” 𝘏𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘮.

“𝘐 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘦,” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘣 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘵.

“𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘵?” 𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘏𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦.

“𝘈𝘺𝘦. ’𝘛𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘑𝘦𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮.”

Nice tie-back to Father Callahan (whom I’ve almost forgotten by now).

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘫𝘢𝘳, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘹, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘪𝘵. 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩, 𝘨𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘴; 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘢𝘩𝘬𝘦𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵.”

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘺𝘦,” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥.

𝘏𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮. “𝘈𝘯 𝘦𝘺𝘦? 𝘋𝘰’𝘦𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘰?”

“𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘴𝘰,” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘺𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨.”

Interesting to learn that Father Callahan walked INTO Mid-World with Black Thirteen already in his possession.

That’s all the reading today as I finished off this lengthy chapter.

I am now 59% through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1519: Feb 27, 2026

Listening to The Cast of Ka review Jake’s confrontation of Roland’s “secret”.

The Cast of Ka – Episode 88

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay discuss Wolves of the Calla — Part Two: Telling Tales — Chapter 8: Took’s Store & Unfound Door. Jake and Roland argue, Eddie goes shopping, and Roland finds an unfound door.

Day 1520: Feb 28, 2026

Finished off this enjoyable episode from The Cast of Ka.

The Cast of Ka – Episode 88

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay discuss Wolves of the Calla — Part Two: Telling Tales — Chapter 8: Took’s Store & Unfound Door. Jake and Roland argue, Eddie goes shopping, and Roland finds an unfound door.

Day 1521: Mar 1, 2026

I enter into Part Two, Chapter IX of Wolves of the Calla. This chapter is titled, “The Priest’s Tale Concluded (Unfound)” where I assume we learn how Father Callahan came to be in possession of the infamous Black Thirteen orb.

I can only assume his hairstyle came to pass by placing his hands on that thing.

“𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘊𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘏𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬, 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶?”

“𝘠𝘦𝘴. 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘵. 𝘞𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘧?”

“ ‘𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘔𝘺 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵,’ 𝘺𝘦𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪 𝘤𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘉𝘳𝘺𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘴, 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘌𝘭𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯.”

Now THAT’S quite a line!

𝘞𝘩𝘰𝘢, 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘢,” 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴, 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘰, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝟣𝟫𝟪𝟣, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘰-𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘏𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴.”

Thank you, Susannah, for providing the much-needed recap. It’s been about 300 pages since we last left Callahan’s story.

Callahan opens up his tale by visiting a friend in the hospital who is dying from a assault in the city.

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘏𝘰𝘮𝘦,” 𝘙𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘱 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯’𝘴. “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘦. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦, 𝘋𝘰𝘯? 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘧 𝘐’𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵.”

𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘙𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭, 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘴. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘐’𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨…”

And with those words, King ends the subchapter mid-thought and I end my reading for the day.

I am now 61% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1522: Mar 2, 2026

I continue further into Wolves of the Calla with Father Callahan telling his tale of how he came to Calla Bryn Sturgis by way of New York City.

When we last left him, he was sitting by a hospital bed as a friend of his passed away. That friend was assaulted by people who were looking for Callahan.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘏𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦-𝘵𝘸𝘰. 𝘏𝘦’𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴.

That’s not a phrase you read every day. However, King did tell us about the Hitler Bros several times already. This is where they make their big entrance.

And again – with the chambray shirt! Everybody – take a shot.

“𝘍𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧,” 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘺. 𝘓𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘬𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘭-𝘵𝘰𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬-𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘵, 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘢𝘸 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴.

This is a very long chapter of Callahan getting kidnapped, hogtied and beaten.

I know King has a penchant for drawing out the agony, but I wonder if he realistically depicts how much punishment a human body can take. I’m pretty sure I would have been rendered deceased by the very first punch.

𝘚𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘫𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴-𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮! 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮! 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘵?

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴.

One of Hitler brothers brothers begins to carve a swastika on Callahan’s forehead but is interrupted before he completes it. Hence, the cross-shaped scar on his forehead.

But King ends this chapter with that line about the calvary. I can’t even begin to imagine who or what it could be!

“𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘐 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘯,” 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘝𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘕𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘖𝘯𝘦, “𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.” 𝘛𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘝𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘕𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘛𝘸𝘰 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘴, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵 “ Gai cocknif en yom, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴! 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘺, 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴?”

Callahan isn’t able to see who has saved him, but apparently it was a Yiddish-speaking group of vigilantes! What an odd twist!

“𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦?”

“𝘞𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦,” 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘝𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘕𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘖𝘯𝘦. “𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴.”

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦.

And with that mysterious departure of his saviors, I end reading for today. I am now 63% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1523: Mar 3, 2026

I pause in the middle of this very long chapter to listen to The Cast of Ka talk about this chunk of Callahan’s tale.

The Cast of Ka – Episode 89

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay discuss Wolves of the Calla — Part Two: Telling Tales — Chapter 9: The Priest’s Tale Concluded (Unfound) – Sections: 1-10. Callahan meets the Hilter Brothers.

Day 1524: Mar 4, 2026

Father Callahan survived an attack from the Hitler Brothers. Who sent them? They wouldn’t say, but we all know it ties back to the Crimson King.

I once again pick up Wolves of the Calla.

“…𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘵. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦. TWO MEN FOUND SHOT TO DEATH IN CONEY ISLAND, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. COPS SAY ‘IT LOOKS LIKE A MOB JOB.’ 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘥. 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘴 𝘐𝘋’𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮: 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘱𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘮 𝘎𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘰𝘯, 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘭𝘺𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘴. 𝘔𝘶𝘨 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘴; 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘨𝘶𝘺𝘴, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘎𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘦.”

The ignominious end of the Hitler Brothers.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘺. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘴. 𝘈𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘪𝘳, 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘴𝘦𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘵. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵. 𝘉𝘺𝘦-𝘣𝘺𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥. 𝘏𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘭𝘺 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯.

Callahan is in a Topeka jail after a night of drunken disorderly conduct. But then suddenly he has a seizure of epic proportions.

Just this past weekend, I watch an older man collapse into a frozen seizure. It was just about the scariest thing I’ve witnessed.

First Aid for Seizures

https://www.cdc.gov

Steps to take to provide seizure first aid.

“𝘐 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘎𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘬—𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘩 𝘙𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘎𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯, 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺…” 𝘏𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧, 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵? 𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵? 𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘩!”

“𝘞𝘦’𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦,” 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘭𝘺. “𝘚𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯.”

“𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵,” 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨.”

A callback to the end of Wizard and Glass when Roland and the ka-tet walked through that very same park.

A mysterious letter to the rehab house in Topeka that Callahan ended up at:

…𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯’𝘴 𝘋𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘱-𝘢𝘯𝘥-𝘶𝘱. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨—𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘥 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩—𝘪𝘴 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝟣𝟫𝘵𝘩, 𝟣𝟫𝟪𝟥. 𝘈 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘴 THE SOMBRA CORPORATION.

And with that, I end reading for today. I am now 64% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1525: Mar 5, 2026

This has been the longest chapter in Wolves of the Calla by far! Father Callahan’s back-story could have served as its own separate novella.

But now we know he’ll soon die in our world after having gotten the attention of the The Sombra Corporation.

“𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦,” 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥. “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘦𝘯. 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥. 𝘐𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘱.”

Ooooh – now we get to the politics of pure evil. The alliances, the rules they play by, etc. I’m totally here for that!

𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮, 𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘸 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘯, 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵—𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘺, 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥—𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩? 𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘦𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘺, 𝘶𝘯𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘺-𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘳𝘦𝘥-𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭, 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘕𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘛𝘺𝘱𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴.

I do believe I’ve actually been in meetings like this before.

“𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘮𝘦! 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘮𝘦!” 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳-𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘸. 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘪𝘳, 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘦, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴.

Not unlike Dayna Jurgens in The Stand.

Callahan dies in this world (SPLAT) and wakes up in a Mid-World barn where…

“𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰, 𝘍𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘢𝘩.”

𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘭𝘺 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘫𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘴. 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘮𝘱-𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘦.

And after a few spoken sentences we KNOW it the Man in Black making a surprise appearance!

“𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺?” 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘺 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦. “𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶? 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦?”

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺. “𝘚𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘴𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴. “𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦.”

So much backstory? Well that didn’t stop King from spending half the book on Callahan’s back story. Why should it stop him here?

𝘞𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴, “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦—𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵—𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘦, 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘵𝘦𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘐’𝘮 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘦-𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘧𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘢𝘩, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴, 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦! 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨? 𝘐𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨? 𝘞𝘩𝘺, 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥-𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘪𝘵? 𝘞𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥-𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳?”

That Callahan arrived at “The Way Station” from the first book and sees the specs of Roland and Jake in the far distance…

“𝘎𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘦,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴.

“𝘕𝘰𝘱𝘦,” 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘞𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬. “𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘨𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰.” 𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘹 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯. 𝘈𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘥.

And Walter just… HAND HIM a box containing Black Thirteen – the most powerful of the Wizard’s Rainbow???

“𝘕𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦’𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘬𝘢, 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘵,” 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮. “𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘺. 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴.”

Whoever Mike Flanagan gets to play Walter, he’d better deliver this line… PERFECTLY!

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘹 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘰. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘥, 𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘭.

What in the random heck?

That was a helluva action-packed set of subchapters I just went through. And we’re STILL not done with Father Callahan’s tale, which I’ll have to wrap up tomorrow.

But for the moment, I’m now 66% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1526: Mar 6, 2026

Father Callahan leapt to his death in our world and reemerged at the Mid-World Way Station to face the Man in Black only to go back through the door-portal and land in Calla Bryn Sturgis. The air miles that Callahan must’ve accumulated that afternoon!

I’m finishing off the very lengthy Chapter “The Priest’s Tale Concluded (Unfound)” in Wolves of the Calla.

“…𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘯 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴.” 𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘥. “𝘈𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘖𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘢, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘰 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳…𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘉𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘰 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳, 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥?”

I don’t recall Buffalo Star, so here’s Dark Tower Wiki to the rescue.

Buffalo Star

https://darktower.fandom.com

Buffalo Star is a constellation in Mid-World believed to have been placed there by Gan. The worshipping of him is one of the oldest religions, images of the wounded bull being found of him which predate even the Imperium of the Old Ones. After the Great Cataclysm his worship took on new meaning. He was said to roam the Outer Arc offering his body to starving people whose food sources were now poisonous.

𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥. “𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘳𝘥’𝘴 𝘙𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘣𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵. 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘊𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨’𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘌𝘺𝘦.”

“𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘺 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘹. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯! 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦”

[after mentioning JFK]

“𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘺. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘐’𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬, ‘𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦? 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘹 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬, “𝘋𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘴, 𝘕𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝟤𝟤𝘯𝘥, 𝟣𝟫𝟨𝟥”’”

“𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘺𝘮𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘚𝘪𝘥𝘦—𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦?”

“𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦?”

𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦. “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘖 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘭𝘮𝘦𝘳? 𝘎𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘴?”

“𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘦,” 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘶𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘮𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦.” 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘥. “𝘈𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘯 𝘋𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘶”

Holy crap! Never in a million years would I have guessed that!

“𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮,” 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦…𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦…𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘺𝘴, 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘺.”

𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘯/𝘖𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘢 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘮𝘦𝘴/𝘋𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘢 𝘞𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘳/𝘔𝘪𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘺.

And with that sorrowful confession, I wrap up Part Two of Wolves of the Calla. I am now 67% of the way through it.

Day 1527: Mar 7, 2026

There’s only a few episodes left of The Cast of Ka before they fell off the path of the Beam.

They did, at least, make to the end of Father Callahan’s story.

The Cast of Ka – Episode 90

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay discuss Wolves of the Calla — Part Two: Telling Tales — Chapter 9: The Priest’s Tale Concluded (Unfound) – Sections: 11-20. Callahan’s tale comes to a shocking end.

Day 1528: Mar 8, 2026

The Kingslingers spend 2.5 hours talking about a large chunk of Wolves of the Calla.

Wolves of the Calla (Part 5)

https://open.spotify.com

This week, Roland finds the unfound door and Father Callahan jumps out of the apotheosis of windows and ends up in the apotheosis of deserts. We’re discussing Chapters 8 and 9 of Part 2: Telling Tales.

Day 1529: Mar 9, 2026

Continuing with the Kingslingers epic episode about Wolves of the Calla.

Wolves of the Calla (Part 5)

https://open.spotify.com

This week, Roland finds the unfound door and Father Callahan jumps out of the apotheosis of windows and ends up in the apotheosis of deserts. We’re discussing Chapters 8 and 9 of Part 2: Telling Tales.

Day 1530: Mar 10, 2026

Finally finishing off this epic The Kingslingers episode about Wolves of the Calla.

Wolves of the Calla (Part 5)

https://open.spotify.com

This week, Roland finds the unfound door and Father Callahan jumps out of the apotheosis of windows and ends up in the apotheosis of deserts. We’re discussing Chapters 8 and 9 of Part 2: Telling Tales.

Day 1531: Mar 11, 2026

After this lengthy batch of chapters, Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came do a quick review of this part of Wolves of the Calla.

The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla — Part 2, Chapters 5-9

http://twoguysdarktower.blubrry.com

In this episode of Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came, we explore The Dark Tower, Book V, Wolves of the Calla, Part 2, chapters 5-9.

Day 1532: Mar 12, 2026

Three more podcast episode from Radio Free Mid-World and then I’m back to the text of Wolves of the Calla.

Here’s this first one.

Day 1533: Mar 13, 2026

Another outing from Radio Free Mid-World about the “Telling Tales” part of Wolve of the Calla.

Wolves of the Calla, “Telling Tales” (Part 2)

https://podcasts.apple.com

Evan Thorne joins me for a history lesson in Calla folkways and close calls, as we learn the tale of Lady Oriza and Gray Dick, and hear from Granpere Jaffords about the time he saw a dead wolf. The ka-tet learns about a potential ace in the hole: the women of the Calla know how to throw sharpened titanium plates. But things start going wrong when Jake witnesses Susannah’s nightly fugue states.

Day 1534: Mar 14, 2026

It’s the final episode in the trilogy from Radio Free Mid-World about the “Telling Tales” part of Wolve of the Calla.

Wolves of the Calla, “Telling Tales” (Part 3)

https://podcasts.apple.com

Somebody saved Donald Callahan’s life tonight. Jeremy Greer joins me to learn who, and how. As the ka tet settles into the Calla and tries to learn more about the impending conflict, the Father settles in and shares the remainder of his story… talking about how he hit rock bottom, was attacked by the Hitler Brothers, and saved by some very familiar people.

Day 1535: Mar 15, 2026

I’m back to Wolves of the Calla, now entering Part Three “The Wolves”.

About time we confront those damn wolves. This is been a bit overmuch on backstory, side-quests and preparation for the big confrontation. I’m ready for some ACTION!

“𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘪𝘢? 𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘔𝘪𝘢, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭?”

“𝘠𝘦𝘴,” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳.”

I’m quite disappointed that this was casually revealed in a conversation between Father Callahan and Roland after the fact.

It would’ve bee more fascinating to see this conversation play our with Susannah as it happened!

“𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵?” 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥.

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘵,” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦.

This may be the two most powerful lines in this book.

𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘦. “𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘢…𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵. 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.”

I did not expect the lengthy and very emotionally charged discussion about abortion play our here. Roland vs a Catholic priest. Fascinating. Roland thought nothing about seeking assistance in ending Susannah’s pregnancy with the demon-baby. But Father Callahan refused to hear it!

“𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥,” 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘯-𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵.”

And Eddie repeats it several times to Roland whose face lights up in excitement. Be we, the readers, still have no damn clue what Gran-pere told Eddie.

ANNOYING!

𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩’𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳; 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥, 𝘴𝘦𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘴. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘥𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘯, 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘸.

I stop reading here for the day. I am now 70% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1536: Mar 16, 2026

Continuing the march towards the big confrontation with the Wolves in Wolves of the Calla.

Roland and Father Callahan had a heart-to-heart about women’s reproductive rights and Susannah is being trained by the local Ladies of Riza on dish plate throwing.

The opening subsections was a lot of talk among the ka-tet and some time spent in Jake’s mind to remind us that the father of his new friend Benny might be a traitor to the entire Calla. But Jake still holds that concern to himself – which WE ALL KNOW will not end well. We’ll just have to wait and see.

𝘈𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺. 𝘈𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘺𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴, 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩, 𝘢𝘴 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥.

This will be a fun scene to watch on the big screen.

I end this chapter with Eddie proposing to go back to his world and offering a dollar to purchase the lot where the Rose sits.

Still waiting on the Wolves…

I am now 72% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1537: Mar 17, 2026

The Cast of Ka is nearing the end of their own journey with this penultimate episode before they dropped off the Path of the Beam.

They review the opening Chapter of Part Three of Wolves of the Calla.

The Cast of Ka – Episode 91

https://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay discuss Wolves of the Calla — Part Three: The Wolves — Chapter 1: Secrets. Roland reels following Susanna’s revelation, the plates start flying, and Jake has a hunch.

Day 1538: Mar 18, 2026

I start a chapter in Wolves of the Calla called “The Dogan, Part 1”.

If I hadn’t read all those Dark Tower comics earlier, I’d have no idea what was in store, but as I recall, a Dogan had something to do with the technology that powered Andy the android.

“𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯. 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘯-𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘑𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴’𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘕𝘰, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘯-𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘨𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘱.”

Roland is on to the traitor in their midst!

Roland and Eddie revisit the cave with Black Thirteen in their possession.

Eddie has a plan to return to New York and get that abandoned lot with the rose signed over to him.

It’s a very weird plotline that doesn’t gel well with the reality of the Wolves coming to take the Calla’s children.

𝘏𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬-𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘫𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘭 𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘯-𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘭𝘺. (𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘻𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘓𝘶𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦.)

What a strange detail to conjure up!

Whew – this is some William Faulkner-esque stream-of-consciousness writing here as we dive deep into Eddie’s head when he tries to conjure up images of where he wants to be in New York.

𝘊𝘳𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘰𝘯,” 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴?”

“𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘥𝘢𝘺,” 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘸-𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺-𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘶𝘯𝘦.”

“𝟣𝟫𝟩𝟩?”

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘸-𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧-𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦, 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘻𝘻𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘺𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭, 𝘱𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘸. “𝟣𝟫𝟩𝟩, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵. 𝘞𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝟣𝟫𝟩𝟪 𝘧𝘰𝘳…𝘨𝘦𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘹 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵.”

𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥. “𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘦-𝘴𝘢𝘪.”

“𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘦-𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵?”

Welcome back to NYC, Eddie!

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬-𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘯 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯—𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘺𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯.

𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘻𝘢𝘳’𝘴 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘳.

𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘥 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘥.

And on that cliffhanger, I stop reading for the day. I am now 73% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1539: Mar 19, 2026

Continuing to read the first half of Wolves of the Calla, Part Three, Ch II: The Dogan, Part 1.

It’s a lengthy chapter, but it appears as if the action is starting to pick up. We left off with Eddie having travelled back to New York in order to convince Calvin Tower, owner of The Manhattan Restaurant of the Mind bookstore to give over the deed to the vacant lot where the rose (the lynchpin to all of the many universes) resides.

“𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦, 𝘔𝘳. 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘪,” 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦. “𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬.”

“𝘖𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴,” 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘪 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘐 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘜𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺-𝘴𝘪𝘹 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘴.”

James Joyce is one of my favorite authors and I just couldn’t imaging him signing his books. But he did!

Ulysses, one of 100, signed

https://onlineonly.christies.com

JOYCE, James (1882-1941). Ulysses. Paris: Shakespeare and Company, 1922.The Annette Campbell-White copy of Joyce’s masterpiece. One of 100 copies on Dutch handmade paper (this is copy #75), signed by the author, finely bound by Bayntun-Rivière.

𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘪’𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘰 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘵. 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘕𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘨𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴, 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘪, 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥.

What a change in Eddie along his journey! When we first met him, he was easy prey to these thugs. Now, he’s an apex predator.

“𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘶𝘴?”

𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘖𝘭𝘥 𝘋𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦-𝘜𝘨𝘭𝘺’𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥’𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥. 𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘬𝘢 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘸? 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴?

I had totally forgotten about Andolini’s eventual fate!

“𝘈𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯—𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯—𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘭𝘺𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵. 𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦?”

The mark of Gilead! I AM LOVING THIS!

“𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵…𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺.”

𝘏𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤-𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱.

“𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵?” 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥. 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘱 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘨. “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨?”
…
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘰𝘨𝘢𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘉𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘑𝘳.

And that happens to be the name of the suspected traitor in Calla Bryn Sturgis!

With that, I’m done for the day. I am now 75% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1540: Mar 20, 2026

The Cast of Ka have left the Path of the Beam with this final episode released late into Wolves of the Calla.

There was no indication that they reached the end of their run. They just never released another episode after this.

Well, this will only speed up my reading pace!

The Cast of Ka – Episode 92

http://zombiegrrlz.com

On this episode of The Cast of Ka, Rachel and Deejay discuss Wolves of the Calla — Part Three: The Wolves — Chapter 2: The Dogan, Part 1 – Sections 1-8. Eddie finally finds his way back to New York and runs into an ugly, familiar face.

Day 1541: Mar 21, 2026

I’m back to Wolves of the Calla, picking up in the middle of the chapter titled “The Dogan, Part 1”.

So far, there’s been no “Dogan”. But we have had an evolved gunslinger Eddie return to New York City to save a bookstore (and abandoned lot) owner from a group of mobster thugs that Eddie was victim to back in Drawing of the Three! This circling back was very satisfying.

“𝘐𝘧 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘺’𝘴 Tess of the D’Urbervilles, 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥.”

I didn’t expect a high-tension confrontation with organized crime to be followed by a lengthy discussion about the inner workings of the book collector world.

“𝘐𝘧 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘺’𝘴 Tess of the D’Urbervilles, 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥.”
…
“𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴.”

I didn’t expect a high-tension confrontation with organized crime to be followed by a lengthy discussion about the inner workings of the book collector world.

Still, I have a feeling that this is an important theme we’ll be seeing again.

𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘔𝘳. 𝘋𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘶 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸 𝘶𝘱 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥—”

“𝘏𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥,” 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦. “𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥.”

“𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢,” 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘯 𝘶𝘱. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴. 𝘛𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘦𝘵 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦.”

And THIS was Eddie’s main goal.

𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘦, 𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘷𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘺-𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘥. 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘧𝘢𝘯 𝘛𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥:

𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘓𝘋
𝘎𝘜𝘕𝘚𝘓𝘐𝘕𝘎𝘌𝘙

Now THIS was interesting! A will from the 1800s was directed towards Roland???

This is where I end my reading for today. Four chapters of talking, but 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 talking, I admit.

I am now 77% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1542: Mar 22, 2026

Continuing to read Wolves of the Calla. So far, we’ve been stuck in NYC and The Manhattan Restaurant of the Mind where Eddie has convinced that it’s in Calvin Tower’s best interest to sell the lot of the rose to him for $1.

Doesn’t sound like the typical Stephen King plot line, does it?

Also, I want this shirt below.

𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘭𝘺: “𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴, 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘯? 𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶?”

𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘩𝘰’𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘰 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘯, 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘱𝘶𝘻𝘻𝘭𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦-𝘴𝘺𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦.

𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺. “𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘬. 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘫𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮-𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮. 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴.”

And we’re off to a good start! 😂

“𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘴𝘩 𝘪𝘵, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭!”

𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘯 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘭𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩. 𝘐𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘷𝘦, 𝘱𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘣𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴.

Calvin Tower insisted that his book collected be stored safely in Mid-World

“𝘞𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘔𝘳. 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳. 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘺’𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘬𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬, 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘪𝘵?”
…
𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥: “𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘸𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯, 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘰. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐’𝘮 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵—”

“𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭,” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘏𝘦’𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴…𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦. 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺. 𝘛𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘺—”

Little faith in Tower so send in a guardian angel? Interesting!

𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘉𝘦𝘯 𝘚𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘉𝘳𝘺𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴. 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯, 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦, 𝘥𝘢𝘺’𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘞𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬.”

So now they’re saying the obvious out loud. They’ve identified the traitor in Calla Bryn Sturgis.

I stop here for the day. I am now 78% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1543: Mar 23, 2026

The Kingslingers take the first two chapters of Part Three of Wolves of the Calla.

Wolves of the Calla (Part 6)

https://podcastaddict.com

This week, Roland realizes he’s been a poopoo head and Eddie heads to New York to incorporate Cal Tower’s lot. We’re discussing Part 3: The Wolves, Chapters 1 and 2.

Day 1544: Mar 24, 2026

Finished this episode from the Kingslingers about Wolves of the Calla.

Wolves of the Calla (Part 6)

https://podcastaddict.com

This week, Roland realizes he’s been a poopoo head and Eddie heads to New York to incorporate Cal Tower’s lot. We’re discussing Part 3: The Wolves, Chapters 1 and 2.

Day 1545: Mar 25, 2026

I crack open Wolves of the Calla and begin a chapter titled, “The Dogan, Part 2”.

We last left off with Eddie returning to Mid-World after jaunting through a magic door back to NYC. The connections between the two worlds is growing ever-stranger, especially this used book authored by the suspected traitor in Calla Bryn Sturgis.

“𝘋𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘥. “𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘬𝘢.”

“𝘒𝘢,” 𝘖𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱. “𝘔𝘰𝘰𝘯. 𝘒𝘢, 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯. 𝘔𝘰𝘰𝘯, 𝘬𝘢.”

“𝘚𝘩𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘱,” 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘺.

“𝘚𝘩𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘬𝘢,” 𝘖𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺. “𝘚𝘩𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯. 𝘚𝘩𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘈𝘬𝘦. 𝘚𝘩𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘖𝘺.” 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘦’𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵.

It was odd to hear so much from Oy. Even odder to hear the audiobook narrator say all that in Oy’s voice at 1.5x speed!

𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦’𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘩. 𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘖𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴.
…
𝘐𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵. 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺. 𝘔𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘸. 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘴𝘩–𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘠𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦.

Jake is exploring where he saw Benny Slightman talking with Andy before he took off in the direction of Thunderclap. Rather dangerous going alone!

𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳, 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴… 𝘏𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘚𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘯’𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘺’𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴’ 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥. 𝘋𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘺’𝘴.

I’ve been loathe to guess, but now I suppose the Wolves are also androids like Andy?

Jake found what he was looking for.

“𝘞𝘌𝘓𝘊𝘖𝘔𝘌 𝘛𝘖 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘘𝘜𝘈𝘋𝘙𝘈𝘕𝘛 𝘖𝘜𝘛𝘗𝘖𝘚𝘛 𝟣𝟨,” 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘢 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘺. 𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘰… “𝘛𝘏𝘐𝘚 𝘐𝘚 𝘈 𝘔𝘌𝘋𝘐𝘜𝘔 𝘚𝘌𝘊𝘜𝘙𝘐𝘛𝘠 𝘖𝘜𝘛𝘗𝘖𝘚𝘛. 𝘗𝘓𝘌𝘈𝘚𝘌 𝘎𝘐𝘝𝘌 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘝𝘌𝘙𝘉𝘈𝘓 𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘙𝘠 𝘊𝘖𝘋𝘌. 𝘠𝘖𝘜 𝘏𝘈𝘝𝘌 𝘛𝘌𝘕 𝘚𝘌𝘊𝘖𝘕𝘋𝘚. 𝘕𝘐𝘕𝘌…𝘌𝘐𝘎𝘏𝘛…”

“𝘕𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯,” 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥.

“𝘐𝘕𝘊𝘖𝘙𝘙𝘌𝘊𝘛 𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘙𝘠 𝘊𝘖𝘋𝘌. 𝘠𝘖𝘜 𝘔𝘈𝘠 𝘙𝘌𝘛𝘙𝘠 𝘖𝘕𝘊𝘌. 𝘍𝘐𝘝𝘌…𝘍𝘖𝘜𝘙…𝘛𝘏𝘙𝘌𝘌…”

“𝘕𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘺-𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦,” 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥.

“𝘛𝘏𝘈𝘕𝘒 𝘠𝘖𝘜.”

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯.

Ninety-nine?

And on that cliffhanger, I once again must stop reading for the day.

I am now 80% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1546: Mar 26, 2026

Continuing with Wolves of the Calla and Jake’s exploration of the mysterious “Dogan”.

𝘖𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘝 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴.
…
𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 (𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘴, 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳, 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘰𝘯). 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦-𝘵𝘩𝘦-𝘋𝘰𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮, 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦.

𝘔𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦. 𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘉𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘺’𝘴 𝘋𝘢’ 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴.

The plot thickens!

“𝘚𝘩𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘱, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘢𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴,” 𝘚𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘥. “𝘐—” 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥.

“𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘨𝘰!” 𝘚𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵. “𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘨𝘰 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦!”

“𝘖𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦, 𝘴𝘢𝘪 𝘚𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘯,” 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘴. “𝘐 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘭𝘣𝘰𝘸, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘐 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘵-𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦.”

Andy’s a bully after all!

𝘉𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘺’𝘴 𝘋𝘢’, 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦, 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘭𝘪 𝘰’ 𝘛𝘦𝘨𝘰, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘈𝘭𝘨𝘶𝘭 𝘚𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘰.

Slightman was issuing a verbal report on Roland and the ka-tet to some mysterious mechanical-voiced recipient on the other end of a digital audio line. I like this expansion of the mythos and want to hurry up past all of these events in the Calla and get right on to see what’s happening in Thunderclap!

“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘬𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘢, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘩𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘣’𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘩𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘥𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘏𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘖𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥—𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭—𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦’𝘥 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴.”

He’s giving up Roland’s entire plan!

𝘛𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘴, 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘬 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘠𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳 𝘎𝘌 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐𝘉𝘔 𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘰𝘴, 𝘱𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸—𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘢𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘔𝘈𝘋𝘌 𝘐𝘕 𝘜𝘚𝘈. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘬 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬.

I end The Dogan, Part 2 not knowing much more about what the Dogan actually was, but the tension inside it was very real!

I end reading for the day, 82% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1547: Mar 27, 2026

Jake has confirmed what Roland already suspected about the traitor in the midst of Calla Bryn Sturgis. Andy the Messenger Robot is revealed to be a crazy, evil android. And whoever was on the other end of the data line with Thunderclap now knows all about Roland’s plan to defend the Calla.

I enter Part Three, Chapter IV: The Pied Piper in Wolves of the Calla.

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩,” 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦: 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨?”

“𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦,” 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥.

“𝘚𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦?”

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥. “𝘚𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦, 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘺𝘢.”

So glad that everything is pretty much out in the open now. The secrets everyone was carrying throughout the story was an unnecessary distraction. And in this case, freely talking about Susannah’s pregnancy with a demon baby…

𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳. 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘣𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺’𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘥𝘶𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘵. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥. 𝘐𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘩-𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘵 𝘸𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘬. 𝘛𝘰 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦-𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘶𝘭𝘺. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦, 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘨𝘱𝘪𝘱𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥.

“𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘵,” 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. “𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘗𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯.”

With what we now know about Andy, this makes for a very frightening scene.

“𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯, 𝘴𝘶𝘨𝘢𝘳?” 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵, 𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦.

“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵. 𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘯. 𝘌𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥. 𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴.”

Will have to remember this when we get to that point.

𝘓𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘰𝘰𝘯, 𝘋𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘥 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳, 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝟣𝟫𝟩𝟩.

They’re sending Father Callahan back to NYC to try to reconnect with Calvin Hightower. Given all the bars in NYC, is this a good idea?

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘵-𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘬 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘖𝘓𝘐𝘊𝘌 𝘐𝘕𝘝𝘌𝘚𝘛𝘐𝘎𝘈𝘛𝘐𝘖𝘕. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘳, 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥…𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵…𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦.

Oh no – Not The Manhattan Restaurant of the Mind!

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥.

With this scene of Father Callahan back in NYC, I stop reading for the day. I am now 84% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Day 1548: Mar 28, 2026

The ka-tet gather and share all that they have learned. It’s a big game of “I know that you know that I know that you know that I know that you know…” between them and the forces behind the Wolves who are set to arrive in just a few days.

But at some point, we are going to have to see some damn Wolves, aren’t we? Pages are running out! I finish up Part Three, Ch IV: The Pied Piper in Wolves of the Calla.

“𝘚𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘏𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥. “𝘕𝘰, 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘮𝘦𝘴. 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘖𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘢’𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦. 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘳…𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵…𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴. 𝘔𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴?”

While Father Callahan is busy retrieving a zip code from the fence of the rose’s lot, Roland passes the time inspecting the books that Calvin Tower & Eddie Dean had shoved through the door in the cave for safekeeping. I wonder how Roland would’ve attempted “Moby Dick”?

𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥. 𝘏𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵. 𝘖𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘮 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵, 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘴! 𝘐𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨—

𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘬𝘦𝘺. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳?

And we the readers are once again kept in the dark about what he saw and through. Grrrrrrr.

𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧: 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘵. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦! 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘴𝘰. 𝘏𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘵𝘰𝘰. 𝘓𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴.

My bet?

With Roland and Father Callahan walking back to town with the location of Calvin Tower in mind, I end reading for the day having finished off that chapter.

I am now 85% of the way through Wolves of the Calla.

Since it was such a short read today, I pop in this episode from Two Guys to the Dark Tower came where they said,

“There’s a lot that happened in this section and there’s not been one goddamn wolf!”

The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla — Part 3, Chapters 1-4

http://twoguysdarktower.blubrry.com

In this episode of Two Guys to the Dark Tower Came, we explore The Dark Tower, Book V, Wolves of the Calla, Part 3, The Wolves, chapters 1-4.

Day 1549: Mar 29, 2026

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Day 1550: Mar 30, 2026

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