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The Hidden Almanac for
Wednesday June 11th, 2014
Episode 117
The Hidden Almanac
Previous episode: 2014-06-09
Next episode: 2014-06-13

Summary[]

Today we remember the publication of “House of Lepers.” It is also the day Eland the Younger described an orchid. It is the Feast Day of St. Galthus, and in the garden, there is no cat.

Be Safe, and Stay Out of Trouble.

Transcription[]

Welcome to the Hidden Almanac, I’m Reverend Mord.

Today is June 11th, 2014.

It was on this day in 1800 that the Gothic novel “House of Lepers” was published. It featured many of the now classic tropes, including an ancient, crumbling, probably haunted manor, uncommunicative servants, and a young heroine widely considered too stupid to breathe. Nevertheless, it sold out eight print runs in as many weeks and made a fortune for the publisher. The identity of the author was the subject of much speculation, but remains one of the best kept secrets of the industry. Some fifty years later, a number of people claimed to have authored the book, but none could be authenticated. Many scholars believe it was dashed off by the publisher’s wife in order to meet a deadline.

And it was on this day that naturalist Eland the Younger first described the Bird-Cage Orchid, which grows into a small natural cage around the nests of certain warblers. The chick is unable to leave the nest, but are fed by flies attracted to carrion-scented sap secreted by the orchid. The droppings of the birds serve to feed the Bird-Cage Orchid, and the birds inside are released at the end of the growing season as the cage withers. As these warblers display nest site fidelity, a single Bird-Cage Orchid can host multiple generations of birds.

And it was on this day that the Island of Bones appeared in the harbor. Fortunately it did not stay long, because it is an unpleasant sort of place.

It is the Feast Day of Saint Galthus, patron of steam engines, who was martyred by a faulty boiler at the age of forty-nine. Prior to his untimely death, he ran the Pope’s private rail line and was generally considered to be a very nice fellow. His body was unexpectedly discovered to be incorruptible after death, and he was duly canonized, although some said the Pope just really loved his trains.

In the garden, the cat has stayed away for several days. We can hope that we have seen the last of this miscreant. This would be a good time to reiterate that demons await those who do not spay or neuter their pets. This is a matter of known spiritual record.

The Hidden Almanac is brought to you by Red Wombat Tea Company, purveyors of fine and inaccessible teas. Red Wombat --- “We Dig Tea.”

Also brought to you by the Ravencoast School of Divinity’s Correspondance Course in Spiritual Plumbing. Faith-healing of people is a job for professionals, but faith-healing pipes can be done by the lay person. Write to Ravencoast for your informative pamphlet today!

That’s the Hidden Almanac for June 11th, 2014. Be safe, and stay out of trouble.

Outro[]

Out of Character

The Hidden Almanac is a production of Dark Canvas Media, and is written by Ursula Vernon. Our exit music is Red in Black and our into music is Moon Valley, both by Kosta T. You can hear more music from Kosta T at the Free Music Archive. The Hidden Almanac is copyright 2013-2014, Ursula Vernon.

Notes[]

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