royal estate
by uzwi
The palace turned out to be a stuffy, disappointing warren that just reeked of dogs. The Queen showed us around lots of small low-ceilinged rooms with fitted carpets, not what we were looking for at all. No real Elfland values or internal architecture left, except for that rather gorgeous river-frontage. She kept saying that she & her husband had been going to make this or that improvement, but everything was interrupted when, “They came back”. At one point she said, “We were going to sell up, go to the Deep West, but they came back. They came back, you see, & what can you do?” She never said who or what they were. There was an old labrador sleeping outside the back door. They also had a really quite smelly chihuaha, always gazing up at you, & when you petted it, “Oh she’ll go to anyone, that one. When you’re shopping she’ll go straight in your bag.” Meanwhile, honestly, Eldranol just sat there in the front room, watching US cable TV on satellite & in the end we decided no matter how close it was to the Evening Harbours it just wasn’t for us.
All the Elf Land here.
the m john harrison blog 
I love these. Curious what you think of Dunsany as you’ve grown older? Not that I think that’s who you’re aiming at here.
Hi gElm, glad you enjoy them. Dunsany: I haven’t read him since about 1967 & don’t really remember anything but the euphony.