Novel November 2025 – Boom! Creek
In November, I took on the Novel November Challenge – 50,000 words in 30 days. I wrote Boom! Creek, my graphic novel.
Cat Rocks
December 30, 2025
Prologue Stories: Another Failed Potion, Prehistoric, Play Dead, Eye of Newt, Had We Just, Eavesdropper, Cat Rocks
With coffee in hand, the blurry-eyed Grotto called the session to order.
“Good morning,” said Grotto, banging the wooden gavel once. He was one of the seven blackbirds, the Peckuliars, who governed the Knockwood Forest, a small, protected island floating in the waters just west of the Boom! Creek peninsula.
From overhead, the island looked like a squashed oval. It was divided into seven slices or quadrants, each one represented by a Peckuliar. These seven sectors were aptly named after prominent land features: Cliffs, North Wind, Speckled Beach, Southern Dale, Rocky Shores, Shallows, and Grotto. And the bird in charge of a sector was referred to as such, for the most part.
Cliff and Grotto usually took turns opening the sessions. Their quadrants had the smallest populations and hence the least issues, so they took on more of an administrative role.
With everyone seated around the large wooden table, the emergency decision circle got underway.
Grotto, taking a sip of hot coffee, muttered, “Ah, that’s better.” Then stated, “Ok, so while we wait for Duncan, Arnold and Lizardo, let’s dive in, North?”
North Wind was all business this morning. She was worried. “To be blunt, we have an invasive species issue. It’s worse than the Phragmites.” North was the botany expert of the group. She continued, “It’s even pushing the Phragmites out and taking over the banks of the rivers and creeks.”
North handed out botanical watercolour sketches of the plant, saying, “Rocky drew these up.” Turning to him, she said, “Thanks, Rocky, beautiful as always.”
Each bird looked at them and was drawn to the plant’s interesting features. Lifting the page for closer inspection, Shallow commented, “It’s part vine, and fern?”
“A vining fern. Ok. And what is that, a spike? Never seen that before,” added Cliff.
Grotto drained his cup of coffee. He knew they were in for a long morning.
Duncan, a most friendly dragon, waited at the forked pathway for Arnold and Lizardo. He didn’t wait long.
Lizardo saw the dragon first and quickly dove under the hanging branch of a Nootka Rose bush, coming to rest in the side brush of Bedstraw and Wild Ginger.
“Duncan!” Arnold joyfully greeted the dragon with a big hug.
“Arnold!”
“Lizardo, come meet Duncan,” said Arnold, eagerly, peering under the rose bush.
“Does he breathe fire?” Lizardo muttered back.
“Not often,” replied Duncan, overhearing the question.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” And remained discreetly tucked under the rose bush.
“Come out, come out!” Pleaded Arnold.
Lizardo could hear his late mother’s voice again.
Lizardo go meet Arnold’s friend, Duncan. It’s good to make new friends.
Reluctantly, Lizardo rolled out and peeked up to see a large dragon with a comical and friendly look on his face.
“Lizardo! This is Duncan, the dragon I’ve been telling you about,” said Arnold, pointing at his friend.
“Huh, well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle.”
“We can make that happen!” Said Arnold excitedly.
Lizardo shot Arnold a glaring look.
Duncan leaned over the big lizard and asked, “What’s your sign?” He loved astrology.
Lizardo looked at Arnold and asked, “What? For real?”
Arnold responded, “He was born in the summer, so I would say Cancer,” adding, “mood swings, protective, oh, and a homebody.
“Mood swings? I only have one mood lately, it’s suspended disbelief.” Lizardo said, glancing between the flying pig and the cosmos-loving dragon.
And so, the trio made their way to the center of the island where the decision circle was being held.
“Welcome! Please join us,” said Speckle, waving in the travellers.
“Please take a seat.”
Arnold the flying pig was well known by the Peckuliars.
Turning to Arnold, Grotto asked, “We presume this is Lizardo?”
Lizardo the Magnificent pulled himself upright to see the seven birds, all looking at him.
“He certainly is big,” muttered Pebble.
“He’s magnificent!” Squeaked Arnold.
“He’s hungry,” added Lizardo.
Shallow asked Duncan, “How is Prehistoric?” Then, turning to the group, added, “He’s a Brontosaurus! The smartest thing. Murmurs and pips. Remarkable creature!”
And with that, Duncan beamed! He loved being a dad.
The Peckuliars had learned of the incident regarding Lizardo. But the full retelling added information, such as the type of fruit thrown.
“Payanas! That would hurt!”
“Lizardo, how are you holding up?” asked concerned Pebbles.
“Hungry, really, really hungry,” he replied.
Duncan recounted Prehistoric’s eavesdropping. The black birds were amazed by the brazen abduction and daring escape.
“Wow! That would have been frightening.”
“I can’t believe they got away!”
“A love letter?”
“Where are Jack and Newt now?”
There was silence at the table.
“Oh, dear,” said Shallow, breaking the quiet. “We are having our own issue,” referring to the Shallows. “Our lizards, newts, and frogs have all disappeared.”
“Oh, they’re just at Cat Rocks,” Lizardo added nonchalantly.
“Where?”
“Ah! And that would explain the irruption in my area,” said a wide-eyed Grotto. He continued, “It’s a sudden surge of animals moving to an area. Sometimes it’s due to food scarcity, but this time it’s for protection!” Adding, “Indeed, we have a large cat population at Cat Rocks. They are crawling all over the place!”
Arnold responded, turning to Lizardo, saying, “Smart!”
“Mama’s idea,” Lizardo said to Arnold.
When scared, go live with the cats.
“And that’s where we’re heading next!” squealed Arnold.
Rock spoke up, “Hey Duncan, could you please turn sideways?” Duncan turned, and Rocky looked at his botanical illustration and at the triangular spikes along Duncan’s back.
“They look the same. How about we call it Dragon Ferns?!” Said Rocky, holding up his sketches.
“Perfect!” Said North.
“And the epicenter for this outbreak?”
“Gretchen Wretched. Just downstream.”
“Holy macaroni! So, we have an invasive species and an ingredient scavenger hunt going on with her?” asked a surprised Dale.
“Gretchen Wretched. She’s your girl, North,” said Grotto.
“I’ll pay her a visit,” said a frustrated North with a sigh.
“Ok, so where are her teen buzzards? We need a plan.”
“Too many cats!! I can’t get near them!” yelled Rage at his brothers.
Rotten and Reck agreed. They were exhausted from multiple attempts at swooping, diving, dividing, and dive-bombing. They had zero chance of catching a frog, newt, or lizard. They were in serious trouble.
Ruin Wretched wasn’t having too much luck either. Owls were tough to spot, and baby owls came with tough-to-spot mother owls. The dense foliage made it nearly impossible to tell the tree bark from the live bird.
And Gretchen Wretched, well she began to miss her babies, for there was no one to empty the kettle, and it was heavy. She would have to drag it to the creek and empty it herself. “Oh, my, I don’t remember all these plants,” she said, looking at the dense creek-side foliage as she dumped yet another failed potion into the stream.
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Eavesdropper
The Wretched Buzzards’ chaos is overheard by Prehistoric. Jack and Newt make it to safety. Chapter five of Another Failed Potion.