The game's afoot, Watson! :)

Well, yes... but I suspect several folks are playing their own games.

Good story and looking forward to the next chapter. Thanksgiving, the traditional gathering of families adds another element, as family members may notice odd things that this group would prefer remain under the radar. Thank you for sharing!

Well yes. And the idea of spirits and humans inter-marrying has centuries of history behind it, so quite possibly they are family.

Ascension?

Ascension, apotheosis... basically becoming sufficiently god-like that you don't necessarily interact with the physical world directly anymore.

Though you have a point, this is probably something that was so clear and obvious in my head that I didn't explain it well to everybody else. And unfortunately a discussion between two people who know what they're talking about is an awkward place to put in an explanation.

I had some hints about it in the first chapter, but I'll have to have someone explain it to Marie later.

A well described bit of California here with the details even with providing ample 'magical' water to produce extra almonds, a popular export.

And yes, the game's afoot... and a tail or two.

Thanks!

I remember running into that little fact years ago, that California produces a majority of the almonds for the U.S. (along with a number of other crops that don't grow many other places in the U.S.), and that the water requirements for that were part of at least one inter-state argument over watershed handling which is obviously not any less of a problem more recently.

Being a bit of a trivia hound means always living with bits of potential inspiration wandering about, because you never know what might turn out to be useful.