NoQuWriCo 2026 Bulletin #2 November 3rd

5,000 Words

For whatever men say in their blindness,

And spite of the fancies of youth,

There’s nothing so kingly as kindness,

And nothing so royal as truth.

Nobility, by Alice Cary

The elderly population in the village mostly stayed together. They lived in huts together, ate meals of fruit and fish together, talked about nothing together, and attended every Clocktower Gathering together. They were echoes, with no one to listen, like parrots repeating refrains in vain.

Prompt: Someone recalls a memory, fond or otherwise.

You imagined that, in some other life, children and young people would gather around the elderly to hear their stories of what life used to be like. Not in this village. The only respect afforded them were the mandatory care shifts assigned by the Clockkeepers— a reminder that time passes for all of us.

Qummunity Challenge: Attend one of today's Qummunity Hangouts on the Groups.

It was your turn again today. You tried to make it more interesting for them, so you asked the question every time: "Tell me about Before." Even though you knew the answers would be muddy and broken, you asked again. The weight of the envelope in your pocket gave you hope that you could pull something new out.

Dare: Write 167 more words today than yesterday's word count.

"Everything was so fast, there beside you almost as soon as you asked for it." "The smell of steam and copper was a constant companion." "We never had to think about anything— it just ran." "I miss it every day. The jungle is too harsh with nothing to hold it back but human hands." They saw the past through a rose quartz stone, glittering and gentle.

Question: What are some familiar things you love that you're bringing into this story?