I was put down out of Fort Hold, they always take care of their runners and so I had to be put down well. They took great care to ensure my moss was both wide enough and good for the runners feet. Sometimes things go wrong but I’ve always been taken good care of, until that is Haligon came upon me with his runner beasts.

I’ve heard tell Haligon is a good man but he takes liberties others wouldn’t. I know he uses me for timing purposes for his runner beasts as he’s trying hard to come up with a beast that runs well and can take messages runners can’t but he’s been a menace to the runners and when he knocked Tenna into the sticklebush at the worst time of the turn he had to be stopped.

The runners generally have good rhythm to their running and I enjoy the rhythm their feet make when they get their stride for long runs. They spend so much time running backwards and forth and their feet or boots do no damage to me. Their boots are good, made carefully they can take a runner through many a trace, not just mine and look after their feet well and unlike Haligon’s runner beasts they do no damage to my moss. The Station Master generally has to come out and fix up all the divots the runner beasts have taken out after Haligon has been, I know they don’t do it on purpose but their feet are made for a different ground to mine.

I heard tell Tenna decked Haligon’s twin brother thinking he was Haligon. That was most amusing. He certainly had it coming to him as he’s almost as bad as Haligon but at least he respects me and leaves me be. After that I hope Haligon does as he’s been told and never lets his runner beasts on my moss again.

I intend to be around for a long time to come, as long as the runners.

Ed: with many thanks to Anne McCaffrey for her Pern series and most especially for Runners of Pern from whence this piece of writing comes.