Spiral Bound Journal

Of Sunspots and Fangirls

"For as early as I got up this morning, this weather had better clear up," Dana grumbled.

Quinn peered out the train window. "It looks like the clouds are moving pretty quickly. That lines up with the hourly forecast I looked at yesterday."

"We'll see. Either way, I get to visit one of my favorite Brutalist haunts again."

"I didn't know the eclipse was going to be visible in London."

Dana snorted and gave Quinn's arm a gentle smack. "Not quite."

A few minutes later, the commuter train pulled into the last station on the line. Dana and Quinn joined the rest of the crowd in filing off the train and wandered through the tunnels connecting the platform to the T&P Terminal Building. While the previous station was advertised as the stop for the Fort Worth Water Gardens, Dana and Quinn knew the area well enough to let the train get them a touch closer. It seemed a fair number of people had figured this out as well, given how the tunnel was a touch crowded. Dana noted the location of the bathrooms but hoped the city had bothered setting up some portables or designated other bathrooms a bit closer to the park.

The crowd spread out a bit when they reached the old waiting room on the ground level of the building. Dana and Quinn walked past the coffee shop, which was doing a brisk pre-eclipse. As they approached the doors facing the main street outside the tower, Dana began to see more sunshine. She half-smiled as she pushed a door open and stepped onto the sidewalk.

"Next stop: Brutalism," she murmured.

Quinn chuckled and followed his wife to the nearest crossing.

After crossing what they found out was Lancaster Avenue, Dana and Quinn wasted no time in reaching the Forth Worth Water Gardens. They strolled past a sign for the gardens that was perched atop a small waterfall and pool. As they further entered the park, Dana saw a few dozen people already looking for or claiming spaces to watch the impending eclipse. A couple people found ways to nap on the tan, pebbled concrete.

"I don't think I'm that tired," Dana remarked.

Quinn smirked. "So...where should we go? We'll probably want to grab a spot first finding bathrooms or anything."

"Agreed. Well, I'd rule out the Quiet Pool right away. Too many trees."

"Active Pool?"

Dana shook her head. "Probably going to be very popular. Admittedly, it would look really cool out there, but I imagine that area will be pretty crowded."

"Where do you want to start looking?"

"Hmm...let's see how the Aerated Pool is. I don't exactly remember the visibility in that spot."

They spent the next few minutes wandering through the gardens. Dana stopped at a couple places around the Aerated Pool to scope out both the sky and the spritzing fountains. After a bit, she ended up leading Quinn away. Dana shook her head as they walked through the Central Square and approached the Stage. Despite its name, the Stage was anything but one, as evidenced by the increasing number of people claiming spots in its grassy courtyard. They looked at the courtyard before Dana turned to face the Mountain. She spotted a few people on the lower ledges but quirked her eyebrows as she tilted her head upwards.

"What are you thinking?" Quinn asked her.

"I'm thinking," Dana muttered, "that we're going for a climb."

Dana trotted over to the base of the Mountain. She hopped up onto the first ledge, acting as if she didn't have a 20 pound load on her back. Quinn managed to catch up so he could lend Dana a balancing hand when she scaled the taller than expected ledges. They wound a meandering path, sidestepping a couple clusters of people on lower plateaus before reaching the top. Once there, Dana took a moment to catch her breath and assess the view.

"Yes," she huffed. "This is it."

Quinn chortled. "Why do I think this was your plan all along?"

"It kind of was, but I figured I ought to investigate my options."

"What did you make of the others?"

"Well," Dana began, "the first position at the Aerated Pool had a lot of walls in the way. The second spot was better, but it looked like it was going to be a tight fit."

"How about the open areas?"

"There was too much traffic in the Square for my taste. I actually thought the Stage-"

"Ironic name."

"Yeah it is. Anyway, I thought the Stage would be a good option, as there's a good amount of open sky if you sit in the most easterly sections. That gives you a decent view looking west. However, we'd probably have to trek toward the edge of the courtyard to have the most comprehensive view, which reduces the possibilities for shots that aren't the eclipse itself. I was quite surprised that there was space up here, to be honest."

Quinn groaned. "Space...eclipse."

"I swear I didn't plan that!"

"I'm sure you didn't."

The next few hours saw them alternating between settling in and finding ways to bide their time. Quinn found a bank of portable toilets on the north side of the park, and they took turns using the facilities. Dana set up her tripod and fitted the solar filter on her telephoto lens. BY the time she had her equipment set up, all cloud cover had moved off. A couple stray cirrus wisps floated high in the atmosphere, but the view of the sun was otherwise clear. Dana pulled her eclipse viewing glasses from her backpack to take a look at the conditions. A brief glimpse showed a sliver of the moon beginning to appear over the sun.

Dana was sipping some water when a faint, shrill noise caught her attention. It took her a few seconds to locate the source of the noise, and she traced it to a mob of people half-dashing through the Central Square like a serpent. Curious, she tried to figure out what this mob was going after. She soon spotted a lone person with a smattering of dark brown hair in the crowd. She couldn't see much else, but she did notice when this person turned their head, looking over their shoulder. Exhaling a rush of a breath through pursed lips, Dana decided to remove her camera from the tripod and take off the filter. She made a couple quick setting adjustments and look back at the ruckus. By this time, the lone person was between the Stage and the Mountain, and the serpentine mob had gained some ground.

"What the-? Man, I hope Quinn doesn't get caught up in whatever this is."

With that, Dana brought her camera to her face and pointed it at the ensuing chaos. She hoped her position on the Mountain would be enough to protect her.