Attuned: Epilogue Story-"The Great Moth Census of District 9" (A field report in three acts)

AuntieB

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Thursday November 27, 2025 · 8:08 AM PST

2025/11/27 · 08:08

Screenshot2025-08-04at6.57.08AM.png — Science has a scent

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“The Great Moth Census of District 9”(A field report in three acts)

ACT I: THE BOTANIST

Dr. Eloise Tarn was the kind of woman who alphabetized her herbal tea blends and whispered apologies to moss before stepping on it. She was a Resistor, but a hopeful one, not the angry sort, not the barricade-building kind. She just wanted the data. She just needed some data.

Her (newest) life's work was post-MIMS ecological tracking, but it had stalled after the sixth failed moss registry, so she pivoted to moths. Shortly after the release of the MIMs protocol, some moths had begun to glow softly. Eloise needed to know why, and how, and how many.

The moths were perfect to study. They were sensitive, elusive, and poetic enough for the Attuned to respect, and humble enough to not trigger Basic avoidance.

She dubbed it The Great Moth Census of District 9 and convinced the Interim Environmental Council to grant her five volunteers, a converted post office, and a handwritten sign that read: "Scented Tags for a Brighter Tomorrow!"

The tags were embedded with microcapsules of memory-triggered essential oils. Each moth’s tag was coded with a botanical note tied to its capture location. Linden blossom was for parkland, crushed fern for riverside, petrichor for the community compost heap. It was going to be a triumph, she was sure.

Until the Attuned arrived.

AuntieB

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday November 23, 2025 · 8:11 AM PST

2025/11/23 · 08:11

Screenshot2025-11-23at10.56.49AM.png — Companion novella to 'Attuned' begins. It is not necessary to read Attuned first. This one can stand alone.

After the world quieted, some chose the path of spirit, others the path of grit. This is the story of the two who chose both.

[Next Chapter Coming Soon→] [Begin Previous Novel ‘Attuned’→]

Chapter One: Stories from the Weave

The long grass in the clearing had been beaten down by small feet as the children had been running through the field since sunrise, chasing one another between drying sheets and half-hung banners. They ducked under wooden tables and around adults trying to work.

"That's enough!" Nettie called across the clearing, one hand on her hip, the other gripping a bunch of tangled streamers, "Next child who knocks over a centerpiece gets handed a root vegetable and a knife."

Bob snorted, "That's no threat. These kids like knives."

"Fine, then they get handed to Marnie,” Nettie said.

That worked. A ripple of uneasy laughter ran through the children. Marnie didn’t shout or scold. She simply appeared, unexpectedly and always with a task. The children thought Marnie could hear lies before they were spoken and one said she once turned a thief into a scarecrow. Most of the children agreed she smelled like beets and strong advice.

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Attuned: Epilogue Story-"The Great Moth Census of District 9" (A field report in three acts)

Rooturn- Serial Fiction, Companion to Attuned, Chapter 1- Stories from the Weave