I'm leaving the Island tomorrow.
I guess the thing I'm most nervous about is meeting lots of Draeneis. I know I look like one of them, but I sure as striders don't feel like I am. Draeneis always look at me funny with this sort of pitying look in their eyes like they know something about me that I don't. I reckon it's cause I'm so cursed scrawny.
My da says I'm so small on account of my birth ma going through all that shock and trauma during my gestation period. That's learned talk for when a baby is still growing in a ma's tummy.
I don't have a single memory of my birth ma so I've never really missed her. Though sometimes I do wonder about her. Like, if we look a thing alike. If she's out there, missing me. I wonder about my birth da, too, but I not too much 'cause I know that'd make my real da sad.
My real da is Finlay Coolshot, Tonk Engineer-in-Chief of the Darkmoon Faire. He won me from a half-crazed blood elf with a pair of sevens when I was still crying for ma's milk. He says that was the luckiest hand he ever had and ever will have.
He named me Chuck 'cause da swears that I was as tiny as one of the woodchucks he likes to fire out of his tonk cannons. Da has this thing for using helpless woodland critters as ammunition.
He's got a good heart, though. Couldn't have asked for a better da. Though I can't hold my drink or shoot fish in a barrel, he still swears by the Light that I'm dwarf at heart. Da made sure that I've never wanted for nothing, especially family.
There's Uncle Silas and Burth, Aunt Jess, Uncle Crushskull, and everybody else. They're my real family. I've spent my whole life--well, what I remember of it--on the Island. I kept so busy all day every day with all the animals to care for.
Oh, I can't forget the animals! They're my family, too. Animals take a real liking to me, and I take to them, too. I've got a knack for healing the sick ones and sometimes I swear it's like they talk to me by putting pictures in my head. It's hard to explain in human talk, but I can talk for ages with Dubenko, even when we're far apart. Dubenko's ancient, so she knows so much about the world.
She remembers a time when Uncle Silas used to take the Faire traveling around the world instead of having folk come to the Island. Dubenko's met so many people! I asked her for advice on how to get on in the big cities by myself and she said I should take it slow and eat lots of leafy greens.
Uncle Silas says I'm nearly an adult now and that I'm the best one to do what he calls "market research." Uncle Silas is always coming up with new-fangled ideas that nearly none of us can get our heads around. I guess that's why he runs the show.
At least I get to have Drumstick with me. Drumstick is my baby strider. He was the runt of his nest and that's probably why it was like love at first sight for us. He's kind of slow sometimes and can't quite chat with me like Dubenko does, but I feel like his ma and he feels like my little one.
Da got me this diary to celebrate my new job as Director of Market Research. I mean, it sure does sound all important like. Da says I should document all that I learn so I don't forget a single thing to tell him when I visit.
And I shouldn't be crying like a baby right now. I'll get to visit da and everyone lots. Uncle Silas had Sayge make me a special charm to teleport me. He says I have to guard the charm with my life 'cause it's priceless and he can't have strange folk coming and going from the Island without him knowing.
But da says there isn't a single thing worth risking your life over, just family.
I guess the thing I'm most nervous about is meeting lots of Draeneis. I know I look like one of them, but I sure as striders don't feel like I am. Draeneis always look at me funny with this sort of pitying look in their eyes like they know something about me that I don't. I reckon it's cause I'm so cursed scrawny.
My da says I'm so small on account of my birth ma going through all that shock and trauma during my gestation period. That's learned talk for when a baby is still growing in a ma's tummy.
I don't have a single memory of my birth ma so I've never really missed her. Though sometimes I do wonder about her. Like, if we look a thing alike. If she's out there, missing me. I wonder about my birth da, too, but I not too much 'cause I know that'd make my real da sad.
My real da is Finlay Coolshot, Tonk Engineer-in-Chief of the Darkmoon Faire. He won me from a half-crazed blood elf with a pair of sevens when I was still crying for ma's milk. He says that was the luckiest hand he ever had and ever will have.
He named me Chuck 'cause da swears that I was as tiny as one of the woodchucks he likes to fire out of his tonk cannons. Da has this thing for using helpless woodland critters as ammunition.
He's got a good heart, though. Couldn't have asked for a better da. Though I can't hold my drink or shoot fish in a barrel, he still swears by the Light that I'm dwarf at heart. Da made sure that I've never wanted for nothing, especially family.
There's Uncle Silas and Burth, Aunt Jess, Uncle Crushskull, and everybody else. They're my real family. I've spent my whole life--well, what I remember of it--on the Island. I kept so busy all day every day with all the animals to care for.
Oh, I can't forget the animals! They're my family, too. Animals take a real liking to me, and I take to them, too. I've got a knack for healing the sick ones and sometimes I swear it's like they talk to me by putting pictures in my head. It's hard to explain in human talk, but I can talk for ages with Dubenko, even when we're far apart. Dubenko's ancient, so she knows so much about the world.
She remembers a time when Uncle Silas used to take the Faire traveling around the world instead of having folk come to the Island. Dubenko's met so many people! I asked her for advice on how to get on in the big cities by myself and she said I should take it slow and eat lots of leafy greens.
Uncle Silas says I'm nearly an adult now and that I'm the best one to do what he calls "market research." Uncle Silas is always coming up with new-fangled ideas that nearly none of us can get our heads around. I guess that's why he runs the show.
At least I get to have Drumstick with me. Drumstick is my baby strider. He was the runt of his nest and that's probably why it was like love at first sight for us. He's kind of slow sometimes and can't quite chat with me like Dubenko does, but I feel like his ma and he feels like my little one.
Da got me this diary to celebrate my new job as Director of Market Research. I mean, it sure does sound all important like. Da says I should document all that I learn so I don't forget a single thing to tell him when I visit.
And I shouldn't be crying like a baby right now. I'll get to visit da and everyone lots. Uncle Silas had Sayge make me a special charm to teleport me. He says I have to guard the charm with my life 'cause it's priceless and he can't have strange folk coming and going from the Island without him knowing.
But da says there isn't a single thing worth risking your life over, just family.
Edited by Chück on 4/7/2013 8:57 AM PDT
