Nerey—thank you. Not just for your kind words but for poking me. Somehow I lost all copies of this story and your comment reminded me. I can now copy it to my files so I have it again.
If Tolkien had written more about the Haradrim, we might have found them very much like Calormenes. They’re just people who grew up under a very different system. The household Faramir was in was a practical one, and Achim was a smart old guy. (In truth, it’s out of character for him to not have helped with those guards. It was a plot point and I’m ashamed of myself for doing that to the man.)

Love it!

Love the young Faramir, brave and proud, who manages to retain his dignity after all he endures. His terror is so insightful. And of course Haradrim people couldn’t be all bad. Your description of their world makes me think a lot of Calormene in the Chronicles of Narnia.

VH

Very glad I’m not pondscum. As for epic… I get the bunny into my head and that’s what gets written. If I had written longer chapters instead of vignettes, it could have been skeery indeed. This is my ‘open season’ on filling out any of those segments.

Melpomaen’s escape had to be pretty bad because I couldn’t do anything physical to him or he’d fade. Being thrown for a corpse is degrading as well as frightening. Achim is the good Samaritan. It’s my thought that Faramir considers Men of Harad as though they could have been allies if their lords had not chosen to follow Sauron. They are men just as Gondoreans are, good and bad. Scholars should stick together.

So glad you enjoyed.

Bell Witch –
No pondscum needed. I loved it! I asked for a story, I got an epic. You created a whole nother world and series of potential episodes. Yay! Particularly disturbed by Mel’s corpse escape – truly creepy and so minimalistically presented. And Achim’s revenge – perfect. So much character development for him in so few words. Your respect for him as a character and person is clear, and contagious. Very nice. Thank you thank you thank you!

VH

I liked this a lot!

Vanwa Hravani—
I am going to feel like frozen pondscum on a stick if you end up not liking this story. I really hope you enjoy, as I gave the semi-annual fret in honor of it. I try to kick start my writer’s block twice a year doing the challenges here. Cross fingers

I am so excited!!!! Bell Witch, I can’t wait to read this – Knowing you, I know I’m going to love it, I’m leaving on a road trip right this minute – this will be taunting me the whole way, saved as .pdf and ready to go. Maybe I can read it at toll booth lines…Okay, I must wait a few hours. Just wanted to say thanks ahead of time so you know I’m out here, being consumed by anticipation, fingers itching to open my laptop as I drive. I’ll send another comment as soon as I get in tonight and get to read read read!!!! Thank you!!!!