40

40

origin abnormal . nature whimsical . boundary forested pasture edge . size fortified

uncommon traits sleek
rare traits overgrowth
nature features sugar maple (Acer saccharum), Norway spruce (Picea abies), red oak (Quercus rubra), sassafras (Sassafras albidum), honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos), American chestnut (Castanea dentata), apple tree (Malus pumila), morel (Morchella americana), sourgrass (Oxalis stricta), red clover (Trifolium pratense), lilac (Syringa vulgaris), daffodil (Narcissus), alfalfa (Lucerne), wheat (Triticum), trumpet vine (Campsis radicans), grass, moss, stones

mutations wooden form, multiples (legs), underdeveloped (limb), absence (toes) original form (fort and tarp)
original form homemade stick fort

♂

bio

This is a very special Esk to me, because he was transformed from an actual cabin/fort that I built. These photos are thanks to my Aunt Sue, who was smart enough to photograph the fort soon after I'd finished it.

I was 14 years old, proudly wielding a old hatchet that I'd found half buried in a field. For months I spent almost every moment I could spare working on the fort. There, right on the edge of the woods bordering the pasture where our sheep and Horse lived, a ramshackle cabin sprung up. Held together with baling twine and a meager amount of notching, it was drafty but surprisingly sturdy.

Most of the logs were old fallen trees, or wood my dad had intended on turning into firewood. Lots of them were dead and hollow trees i'd felled with my hatchet. I pulled them one by one to the build site. The larger ones proved difficult, and I remember braiding some of the baling twine into a rope to pull the logs up the hill.

It had a little walkway leading up to it and a tarp roof. My siblings and I spent months, several summers, playing and imagining in that place.

It was a magical place for us, it meant something special. I built it with my own hands, it was so much fun, a cherished memory. I'll always treasure those years. :)

As an Esk

Dubbed "40" by his Creator Liet, he is a intensely whimsical and curious creature. The endless imagination and sense of adventure the fort absorbed during its time has been transformed into quite an interesting fellow. He cannot remember what he was, or who, but seems to vaguely recollect perhaps being a knight? Some sort of valiant hero. He feels a connection to the earth realm, and will sport the Lion flag soon!

Filled with a childlike wonder, and a hero's sense of honor, 40 will do anything he can to help others, brighten days and imbue those around him with joy and wonder. He is especially fond of small esks who like to have adventures in the fort, or ride him like a wobbling caravan across the world.

He has 7 legs, one of which is too long, and one that is too short. He walks with a sort of ... lumpy teetering.

The furnishings inside were a menagerie of whatever we felt like at the time. Tools, bucket chairs, planks in the corner walls that acted as tables.

I'm giggling remembering the details brought back by these photos. The entrance was comically posted "Clearance 4'5" in yellow paint. A hand-painted sign hung on the side, featuring the symbols for the fantasy realms I imagined met there. There was A Shark, Unicorn, Eagle, Lion and T-Rex. These represented; Water, Myth, Sky, Earth and Ancient, (obviously). I hand-carved the names of those realms into the sign in the Footprint Language from the movie Dinotopia. (Because of course XD ) Each realm also got a hand painted vinyl flag that hung high above the fort.