Reeling in the Zombie Apocalypse 2

To be continued...

The Zombies must hear the door open because they turn around. Luckily, both are pretty battered and the stairwell is right by the door to medical records. I open the door to the stairwell and pull it closed tightly behind me. I hear the zombies scratching as they move my way but I don't wait to listen to them. I need to get to Jenny.

I run up the stairs, glad to see no other beings alive or dead on the stairwell.

I open the upper door cautiously but luckily there is no one there either. I don't see another being until I am about a foot from the exit.

The person I see is heading my way. They have the uniform of a security guard and they are running which makes me fairly confident they are not a zombie. I think about staying to ask for any information he has when I notice that his arm is bleeding.

I don't know much about the current outbreak but I do know that in Zombie movies anyone who gets bit is a goner and I have no idea how much time this guy has.

The fact that he hasn't said a word makes me super nervous. Wouldn't a normal person beg for help or call out for me to run? I don't wait around. I run through the door, not bothering to close it on my way out.

I manage to get to my car which is right across the street. I do a quick check to make sure that there is nothing moving inside the car. I am pretty confident that it is safe but I don't want to take chances.

I get onto the road and am not surprised to find edge to edge traffic. Everyone and their brother are trying to get out of the city.

I only live a few blocks away so I think I can wait until the traffic starts moving. I think we must be waiting on a red light. Of course, I don't have any such luck. After five minutes of honking cars nothing is moving. I decide to get out of my car and hoof it home. I keep worrying about Jenny being alone.

As I get to the intersection, I can see why the traffic isn't moving. There is a ten car pile up ahead and zombies are munching on the bodies of the dead and the survivors alike. Luckily, with the zombie buffet ahead no one seems to notice as I run past. Apparently, the blood and guts from the crash has drawn all the zombies from the area and I don't see anymore as I run up Cherry Street and my house comes into sight.

I open the front door.

"Jenny?" I call. I can feel my heart pounding both from exertion and from fear.

"I'm here," she calls from the stairs. I am shocked by her paleness. I inspect her for bites or wounds but find none.

"My mom called. The outbreak is everywhere. She and my dad have locked themselves in the house but they just saw Mrs. Jones get mauled. She lost half her face. Then, she got up and started walking again. Mom saw Mr. Jones run her down with a lawnmower. It was-"

"We have to get out of here," I say, cutting her off.

Jenny just nods. She is in shock and I don't blame her.

"Did you do what I asked?"

She nods.

I grab my Piscifun gear and the bags Jenny has packed and throw them in the back of the Yukon.

"Get in the car!" I call to Jenny. She is too shocked not to obey. I wait until she is buckled into her seat before I open the garage door. Apparently, the zombie buffet ran out of bodies because in front of our door are about a dozen creatures. All of them with fatal injuries. Three of them are missing large chunks from their faces. Jenny screams beside me and I hope she doesn't pass out.

"Grab one of those reels and unpack it," I tell her. She needs something to do with her hands and it is the only idea coming to me.

She opens the reel up and hands it to me.

I hit the gas and the zombies go flying like bowling pins but that doesn't keep more from pounding on the glass. I can't risk them breaking it. Without windows we don't stand a chance.

"Steer," I order, grabbing the reel from her lap.

I put on my Piscifun waterproof fishing glove. I need to make sure there is no chance of getting bitten while I am bashing in Zombie heads. I hope the glove is enough protection.

I open the window and hit the gas. Jenny seems to be reading my mind and I can tell she is horrified but she steers the car so that my gloved hand and the Piscifun reel bash the zombies in the face while they are trying to get through the open window.

Luckily, this throws them off balance and makes them tumble forward. I don't try to count how many are smashed under the wheels.

"Not the main road," I warn Jenny as we approach the end of our street. "Take the back way to my parent's house."

Reeling in the Zombie Apocalypse 1

The PA system crackled overhead and I looked up. Attention! Code Yellow.

I glanced at my badge since I had never heard a code yellow called before. My badge lists code yellow as an external disaster.

I glance at the shelf of medical charts. I will need to push myself today to clear the shelves if we are going to be getting an influx of people from whatever disaster is under way.

I work in the medical records department which is hidden down in the basement next to the cafeteria and the morgue. My job is to convert paper records to electronic ones. It can be boring work but it pays the bills.

I start scanning my next chart, a patient with a heart attack who was in the hospital for a week, when I hear an unusual noise. It sounds almost like scratching on the door. I don't know why anyone would scratch or even knock at the door when there is a doorbell. Still, I hear it again and decide that I should get up and at least look out the peephole of a window set high in the door.

I glance out it trying to see what is making the noise.

I blink because what I see shouldn't be. The scratching isn't my door but the respiratory department door across from me. A man in a hospital gown is standing against the door. He isn't attempting to open it, which is just as well since it is a secure department and one has to badge in. Instead, he looks as if he is trying to walk through the door. Maybe he is one of the mental patients.

His head is bent at an odd angle and I wonder if I should go out and help him but I'm not actually supposed to leave my department and I don't actually have the training for crazy people.

I go to the phone and dial the hospital operator. No answer.

I try hospital security. No answer.

I feel the hair stand up on the back of my neck. Is everyone trying to help whatever victims have come in from the external disaster?

I glance at the clock. It is just after ten.

I hit 9 to dial out and then I punch in my home number.

"Hello," Jenny, my wife and the love of my life, answers after only two rings.

"Hey baby. How are you feeling?"

"Tired," she says with a sigh.

"Junior didn't let you sleep?" I ask. Apparently, having a tiny person doing somersaults in your belly is not conducive to a good night sleep. Who knew?

"Actually, I just was feeling a bit strange."

"Like, going into labor strange?" I ask feeling a sense of sudden panic. She isn't due for another month.

"Not exactly. Do you remember the night my grandmother died how I told you I felt like something awful was going to happen? Well, it was like that only no one has called and I don't want to call my parents and worry them."

"Have you watched the news this morning?" I ask.

"No. Why, did something happen?"

"I don't know what but something is going on. Would you take a look for me?" I ask feeling unease. Jenny has always doubted herself but I never have. Every time she has felt uneasy there has been something bad happen. I don't remind her that the night before the September 11 terrorist attacks, she was up throwing up. Her mom was sure it was just a stomach bug but as soon as I saw the news, I knew it was her other sense though I didn't tell that to her or her mother. They are too sensible of people for all that.

"It must be a joke," Jenny says with a nervous laugh.

"Tell me," I say perhaps a bit harsher than I should.

"The reporter says there is some kind of epidemic. People who appeared dead getting up and attacking people. One of the reporters thinks it might be some mutating strain of rabies. I mean, that is crazy right." She wants me to say that I agree it is crazy but I can't because I saw the man at the door and I was raised on Zombie flicks and first person zombie shooting games.

"I need you to listen to me carefully. Call my parents and yours and tell them to lock their doors and get out of sight. Tell your dad to load up his guns. There are infected people in the streets and he may need to defend himself until we get there. We will be by to pick them up soon."

"Honey, they live eight hours away. I don't think-"

"I want you to get into the closet and pull out the suitcases. Fill them with clothes. Good warm clothes and sensible shoes. No heels. No jewelry. Bar soap."

"Honey this is crazy-"

"Then, I want you to open the door of the garage and turn on the light. If anything moves you close the door and barricade it. If not, I need you to grab the canteens off the third shelf of my camping gear and fill them with water. There should be granola nearby too. Then, if you can safely make another trip out there, and Jenny do not take any risks, I need you to grab my fishing rod, tackle box, and the two extra reels. They are in boxes labeled Piscifun. Actually, just grab anything that says Piscifun on it. I don't know what I might need. Put them with the suitcases. Don't leave the house. Don't load the Yukon. Stay in the house. If anyone tries to get in, get up to the attic."

"Alex, don't you think you are overreacting?" she asks and I am well aware she thinks I have lost my mind.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I am going to keep you safe," I vow. "I love you."

I hang up the phone and look out the peephole to see a second man trying to walk into the respiratory door.

I grab my keys from my pocket. I have no idea if the mace I have on my keychain will have any effect on the zombies since they don't need to breath. Still, it is the only weapon I have at the moment and I need to get past them. I need to get home to my wife.

I steel myself as I place my hand on the knob of the door.

...

To be continued...

Fishing At Casterly Rock Episode 7

The word “sacrifice” sounds like a snake slithering in tall grass. It makes me shiver. To be a protector of life is compensation in itself, but to sacrifice oneself to do so, is an entirely different situation.

“How exactly am I supposed to sacrifice myself in order to become a guardian like you?” I asked the guardian. Suddenly I am not so sure that I want to know the answer to the question I had just asked.

“By sacrificing yourself, you ensure the promise you make to Casterly Rock is forever kept. You have to spill your blood onto the tree of life. You blood must flow through the earth and mix with the water that runs through the roots of the tree of life. Once you give your blood, sacrifice it to the tree of life, it will return the favor by giving you life in the form of being a guardian of Casterly Rock.”

His words hit me like a thousand knives. “In order to be a guardian of Casterly Rock, I have to sacrifice my own life?” I could hardly get the words out of my parched mouth.

“Correct. You will then become one of us. Your body will change, but you will still be Brad. Only much wiser as the gift of life will run through your veins.”

“Will I still fish at Casterly Rock?”

“No, you will choose someone, whoever it might be, and they will follow the same path as you have. They will fish here and you will make the offer to them to become guardians, just like I have done with you. You will rein gifts on them from the trusted Piscifun range of fishing tackle and they will decide for themselves which path they will follow.”

I suddenly wish I had never met Mr. Stanley. If it was not for him, I would never have to make this decision. As the guardian can read my mind, I can see the frown starting to form on his fish-like face.

“You are not having doubts are you?”

“I…”

I cannot finish the sentence. I can only feel a slimy hand over my throat. As I look down onto the ground, I can see the blood flowing from me, straight to the tree of life. I do not even try to struggle against the darkness that wants to overcome me. All I see is the fish-like face in front of me and I know, I am now a guardian of Casterly Rock.

Fishing At Casterly Rock Episode 6

I sit in the darkness of the night, listening to the crickets sing outside. I do not know what to do or what to think. How will I be compensated for sacrificing myself and becoming a half-human half-fish, a guardian? It must be just past the magical hour of night, but I cannot sit here and ponder upon my fate without answers. I gather my fishing gear and head to Casterly Rock, with the full moon as my only guidance through the darkness.

As if the guardian knew I was on my way To Casterly Rock, I see him leaning against a tree in the distance, waiting for me.

“Evening,” he says.

“Hi. How did you know I was coming?”

“Brad, you must learn quickly now. We know all these things. We know what you think and feel even before you think it.”

I shift my Piscifun shoulder bag to my other arm and stand beside the guardian. His slimy hand is curling around something round, like a Piscifun braided fishing line.

“Come with me. Let me show you what you want to know.”

The guardian leads me to an opening in the forest, near Casterly Rock. In the middle of the opening, sprouting from the earth is a small sapling. Its leaves are the color of blood and a whitish liquid pulsates through its veins.

“This, Brad, it the tree of life. There is no other tree in the world like this one. The roots of this tree grow right into the water of Casterly Rock. In return for using Casterly Rock’s water, the tree gives life to the content of the water. The trout of Casterly Rock, thus flourishes because of the life they receive from this tree. The fish will never die, they will never grow extinct and they will never stop reproducing. But that is not all. Anyone who eats has the benefit of eating trout from Casterly Rock, will receive that same gift, the gift of life.”

It takes a few minutes for me to process all this information. “So, by giving the poor trout to eat from Casterly Rock, I am actually giving them life?”

“Exactly. They may not have money to dwell in, but they have a greater gift. They have the gift of life. That, Brad, no money in the world will ever be able to buy.”

“But why would you want to give only poor people the gift of life?”

“People that has come to know money and the riches thereof, is corrupted. Corrupted minds do not receive the gift of life very well. People that do not know riches that well, will embrace the gift of life much easier and use it in a more efficient way.”

“Efficient how?” Slowly, things began to make sense.

“If a person that does not have money, realize that they have the gift of life, and with the gift of life I mean immortality, they will not use money to exploit it. They will use this gift to do good onto the world. That is the way the gift works. It makes your heart pure, leaving the corruption of money out of the equation.”

“I understand much better now. So, protecting Casterly Rock means protecting the world and having control over the gift of life?”

“Yes, Brad, but first, you must sacrifice yourself…”

Fishing with Piscifun Team written by Paul Marshall

A short recount of my experience using this Piscifun fishing gear.

I am stationed in Jinan China for a short period of time, chance to relax is very rare. However one evening I was approached by Katy and Sophia in the park to ask if I liked fishing. Yes I said but I have neither the time or my equipment here with me. Not to worry was Katy reply, we can help you with equipment from our store.
Well I was surprised when A few days later I was given the news that they would pick me up from my hotel and transport me to an inland lake for some big mouth bass fishing. In my many years I have never tried to catch big mouth bass and had no real idea of the gear to be used or the method to be used. I should not have worried, PISCIFUN took care to supply a very nice carbon spinning rod and a beautifully balanced series 2000 spinning real. I loaded it with 6lb line and with a simple rig of a weight and hook with bait being a jelly. The rod was a six foot length two piece rod, with a simple two cork butt handle, one of which was positioned just right to rest on my arm when being used. The real attachment was a fixed receptor and another receptor that screwed to the rear to firmly lock it down. The whole rig was light and well balanced.
Casting was real easy, just flick the bale arm over, rod back and lightly holding the spool I let it fly. A good ten yards with a bait of only a gram or so was easy. And to my surprise after only a few casts I hooked my first fish. A fish of just over a kilo. The rod bent very nicely from the mid point of the lower section through to the top and as an even bend. This gave me good control over the fish and I was a very happy man. My first big mouth bass and only after setting on the water less than 20 mins.
Out on the water on the electric boats I was able to fish sitting down and cast with one hand easily, a further 5 fish were caught in the range of a kilo up. Again I noticed on hook up and fighting the fish a good curve on the rod and a reel retrieve that just felt perfect with a drag that was easy to set with one hand as well as to be able to flick the no back with my finger.
What is my opinion of the rod and real, well to be honest as it was my first time bass fishing and first time to use this make of kit I was very impressed. As a long time user of tackle out of Japan, this manufacturer really surprised me with the quality and performance.
Negative aspect for me was that the reel was a shiny anodized aluminum unit, I am and all ways will be a fan of dull or black/grey equipment and not just for looks but to be able to blend in with the bushes ect where I fish. Having said that it was really easy to clean and keep clean, servicing the gears was only a matter of 4 screws to remove gear box cover and to re lube. The spool is kept in place by screwing in or out on the spool head. This was also where the drag is set, and its easy.
One impressed and happy man.

Customer review on our Piscifun Thunder Baitcaster

Long story short: Comparing with Abu Garcia Pro Max II (shortened as Abu) which is in the same price range, Piscifun Thunder baitcasting reel (shortened as Piscifun) is made with better material. 

As a fisherman with engineering PhD, a couple of smooth castings cannot satisfy me completely. I need to understand the reel inside and out: how it is designed mechanically, what material is used, whether the reel is going to be durable... When I get this Piscifun reel, I compared it with my Abu which I bought three years ago. Both are ranged in $60~$70 interval, the market section targeting the amateur fishermen using baitcaster. Like a research report, all photos attached are numbered. 

Both reels are about 8Ozs, while the Piscifun is a quarter ounce heavier (Fig 1). Lighter is better, but this tiny bit additional weight does both bother me. The metal frame is well worth the additional weight.

Piscifun's spool is wider (Fig2), the width is very close to Daiwa Tatula and Shimano Curado. One theory about the spool width is that wider spool helps longer casting: pulling line from spool near outer surface takes less effort. Actually, the new Abu Garcia Pro max III, just announced in ICast 2015, also features a wider spool. Seems this is the trend for reel design. To my surprise, the weight of the Piscifun spool is a gram less than Abu's, even with a larger size. Lighter spool helps casting control of lighter lures, since less kinetic energy is stolen by spool during casting, at the moment you release your thumb.  

Other than the metallic frame, you can find a lot more metal on Piscifun (Fig 4): worm gear sheath, worm gear paw nut, star drag, thumb screw and end plug on knobs. 

A larger spool increases the overall width of the reel (Fig 5). When mounted on a rod, I can definitely feel Piscifun is bulkier than Abu. The feeling of Piscifun in palm is similar to Daiwa Tatula: fingers need to reach further to grab the rod, but still manageable.

Cranking takes less effort on Piscifun: gear ratio is lower than Abu, and the handle is longer (Fig 3), giving you more toque on the handle shaft.

On the handle shaft, a proper design should use three bearings: an instant-anti-reverse bearing (IAR) and two ball bearings (BB) on each side of IAR. IAR allows the handle rotating in only one direction, but it is weak: the plastic parts in IAR cannot tolerate too much load in radial direction. And this is the reason we need two other BB to support IAR. In the mechanical schematic diagram of both Abu and Piscifun, I can see the 3 bearing; however in real product, Abu skipped one BB which pissed me off (if not designed in due to cost, it's OK I can understand. But fooling customer using schematic is dishonest. IAR of my Abu failed and was replaced after 2 years use, and I believe it's related with the missing bearing). All the 3 bearings can be found in Piscifun (Fig6 & Fig 10)  

Other than Shimano reels, the thumb bar designs of many mainstream brands like Daiwa and Abu are pretty much the same: the thumb bar is rubbing against the frame whenever pressed down or coming back. In Abu's Max reels, the friction between thumb bar and the frame is mitigated using grease, a lot of grease, even on new reels (you can check the new Abu reels in Walmart). Each time after use, I need to apply grease on to my Abu, between the thumb bar and the frame to extend the life span of the reel. On Piscifun, there are plastic pads made of slicker material between the thumb bar and frame, and this is the common practice of reels over $100 (Fig 7). The result is longer life span, easier maintenance and smoother button action than Abu. 

The drag in Abu is paperbased material, works OK and I have no complaints. In Piscifun, the drag is using multidisk cross carbon fiber, a lot better construction and material (Fig 8). I really need to land some big fish to tell how much better Piscifun's drag is. Another observation is the drive gear (the big gear in Fig 8, rotating around handle shaft): When turning the handle of Abu, I can hear gear grinding sound, only occurs around a certain angle of the handle. This is cause by the offset error between the center of the gear and the rotation axis. On Piscifun, the grinding sound is much less, which means the concentricity accuracy is better. 

Abu's spool tension knob is better than Piscifun (Fig 9): it has the clicking sound for more accurate and "quantitative feeling" of the adjustment. Piscifun's spool tension is similar to Shimano Curado and Daiwa Lexa/Tatula, no clicking, but it is OK. BTW, in so many Youtube videos, even some professional anglers call it "centripetal something". This is just spool tension, applying pressure on spool axis to generate a constant braking torque, has nothing to do with centripetal force. A centripetal brake is the one used in Abu Revo S or Shimano Curado.

Bearings, bearings, bearings... engineers' favorite topic. I cannot comment on the "two Japanese high speed NMB bearings", since NMB has plants all over the world, and I cannot see any marking on spool bearing saying they are NMB. However I can confidently say that Piscifun used the number of bearings they promised in the right places (Fig 10): two on worm gear; two on spool axis, two on pinion gear (a great feature I like, see the difference in the attached video; other companies give such design fancier names, e.g. "Shimano Super Free Spool"); three bearings on handle shaft. Abu's design has one less bearing comparing with Piscifun, Abu's product cheated by using one less bearing comparing with their own design; Abu puts two BB in handle knobs, which make the gear box (where bearings are most desired) have much less bearings than Piscifun.

Another nice feature on Piscifun, especially for geeks like me, is the little cover on the handle-side. Without the need to pull the reel apart completely, I can lubricate the drive gear and pinion gear through this little cover (Fig 11 left).

Nothing is perfect, and I do have three comments on the reel which may have the room for improvement, just my personal opinions

1. Logo: When I open the box, it says "Haibo Overlord", not Piscifun Thunder. Although the reel is exactly the same as described other than logo, it surprised me a little bit.

2. Magnetic brake: to cast properly I need to use about 90% of the brake. This may be caused by the way I cast or the techniques I use, so maybe you do not need such amount of braking. When casting against the wind, the mag brake will be maxed out and still not enough. A stronger brake (i.e. more magnetic bits in side plate) will be beneficial.

3. Reel seat: Unlike metal frame reels from mainstream brands, such as Abu, Shimano or Daiwa, the Piscifun's seat is a separate piece of metal, riveted onto the reel frame (Fig 11, right). Between the two is a piece of plastic sheet, like a washer to provide compression stress in the rivet (Fig 7 right). The reel seat is good and firm so far, but it may be questionable for long term durability, when the plastic washer dries out and flakes apart. If the frame is one piece, I will feel much more confident in the rigidity and durability.

Piscifun Thunder Baitcaster link: http://goo.gl/vtjNSO

Fishing At Casterly Rock Episode 5

As fast as my legs can carry my body, I gather up my fishing gear and scoot all the way back to the marketplace. In my rush I did not see my fishing basket full off trout and it was not me who caught them. That is all complimentary of the guardians of Casterly Rock.

“Are you alright lad? You look as white as a sheet! And you are as wet as one that just came out of the washing!” A tall stranger was looking at me quite queerly, clearly started by my appearance. I knew that was one of the people I gave fish to at the marketplace.

I did not sleep one wink at all. At dawn, I restlessly began my walk up to Casterly Rock. I could hear my Piscifun Stainless steel line cutter clatter in my bag. I see the guardian waiting for me at my usual fishing spot before I even turn the corner.

“You did not even ask for an explanation yesterday. You just ran. That is not what a guardian does. He never runs!” The guardian’s slimy finger pointed straight at me.

“I was shocked! You can’t keep that against me! If I were to be a guardian of Casterly Rock, I mean a true guardian, will what I saw yesterday be a reality?”

“Yes, yes Brad, that will be your fate yes. You cannot be a guardian without sacrificing all of who you are and what you are.”

“I can understand now why Mr. Stanley did not want to be like you. He did not want to sacrifice himself in such a way.”

With a grimace, the guardian replies, “That is where you are mistaken Brad. Mr. Stanley’s mind began to toil with him. He saw the riches of Casterly Rock as his own, which it is not. He did not give a dime as to what he was to sacrifice. All he cared about was the money he would get. He didn’t care about what he would look like or what he had to do in order to get that.”

It all becomes quite clear to me now. “So, in order for me to be a guardian of Casterly Rock, I have to sacrifice my soul, become like you, a half human half fish, and fish for trout for the rest of my life? With no gain at all? Just to feed those who are hungry at the marketplace? I do not see why anyone would want to do that!”

“As I said, Brad, you will be compensated in other ways. Ways your imagination will not even fathom. I will expect an answer from you by tomorrow morning. Remember, it’s either be a guardian of Casterly Rock or meet the same fate as Mr. Stanley, you choose.”

With ever way I look at this, I am in deep trouble. With a troubled mind, I spend the rest of the day fishing for trout with a brand new Piscifun Baitcasting Fishing rod, compliments of the guardians. Tomorrow I will meet my fate then…

Fishing At Casterly Rock Episode 4

Today is the day. Today I will finally come to terms with what being a guardian at Casterly Rock is all about. I will also get to meet more guardians and maybe even get to meet THE guardian, the one who makes it all happen, the leader of the pack, as per say.

Putting my fishing gear into my Piscifun shoulder bag, I cannot help but wonder what this day has in store for me. I purchased a brand new Piscifun spinning fishing reel the day before and can’t wait to test it out. Upon arriving at Casterly Rock, an eerie fog lay across the lake, making it really hard to see what is lurking inside the murky water. I am sure the trout will make it difficult for me today.

The fog parts some near the water’s edge, and a strange urge comes over me to dive right into the icy water. Without hesitation, I put my Piscifun Travel mate spinning fishing rod against an old oak tree and dive right in. The water hits me like a thousand knives, the cold claws almost getting the better of me. My lungs fill with air; I can actually breathe under water! A strange force is pulling me down, farther and farther, drawing me to something I have never encountered before. There, just over the sand bank, a circle of fish like creatures sits, staring straight at me, as if waiting for my arrival.

“Brad, you have come as I have asked.” I hear the guardian’s voice, but his fish like lips do not move.

“I am here; ready to be part of this meeting, ready to know what my destiny at Casterly Rock will be.”

“You are too eager, Brad. Your mind is not ready for the responsibility that awaits you. The reason you were brought here is so that you can see and experience firsthand what being a guardian is all about. This will not be taken lightly and you will be compensated in better ways this world could ever give you.”

I am led to a vortex like sphere, sucking water into what looks like a big black hole in the rocks at the bottom of the lake. “Look, Brad, and tell me what do you see?”

I look into the watery mush and am stunned to see myself, swimming to the water’s surface. I can almost feel the air being drained from my lungs as I break the surface. I swim to the water’s edge and stumble to the nearest rock. As I look down upon my hands, a slimy, green and fish-like hand is all I see. Gasping at the sight, I try to move to a pool of water to see my fate. However, where my feet once were, is now a fish tail, just like a trout. The water that soaks from my hair forms a puddle as if luring me to look into the mirror image of myself. Looking into the puddle, I see what looks like a half human and half fish face. The face, or so I think, of a guardian of Casterly Rock.

With a jolt, I tear myself away from the vortex the guardians want me to see. “Brad, tell me, do you not like what you see?”