Actually, every month has “ides,” but the Ides of March William Shakespeare made famous when a soothsayer warns Caesar to beware them. In addition to March, the ides fall on the fifteenth of May, July, and October. The rest of the months, the ides fall on the thirteenth. I don’t know why; ask the Romans, who’d probably respond that the ides denote the approximate middle of a month. But, Gregorian or Julian calendar?

The photo prompts for Friday Fictioneers have featured incredible landscapes and beautiful examples of still life. Occasionally, the one picture will juxtapose two oddities, and those are sometimes the most thought-provoking. I think you’ll see that from today’s picture, which could be both a landscape and a still life. Those odd juxtapositions often send my brain into magical realism or speculative fiction mode. Today it went to an historical event (Yes, my parents were British, so for me it’s “an historical.”) and the paranormal, which should make for a great genre mash-up.

The story is “September Morning Forever,” and you can read it by clicking the link on the title. If you don’t see the link, then scroll to the top of the page, click on the Friday Fictioneers tab, then select the story from the drop-down menu.

And La Fheile Padraig Sona!