23 October: Scorpions

The sun enters the Scorpio zodiac sign on this date, so here are ten things you might not know about scorpions.

1. Scorpions are arachnids and are therefore related to ticks, mites and Spiders. The scorpion's distinguishing feature is a curved, segmented tail.
2. They can be found on every continent except Antarctica. They like hot, dry conditions so deserts are a perfect habitat for them. That said, they are tough little things which can survive extreme cold as well. Scientists have observed that they can put them in the freezer overnight, and the next day, once they've thawed out, they just walk away. If it gets too hot, they burrow. If there's not enough food, they slow down their metabolism so they can survive on one insect a year. They can even survive being submerged in water for 48 hours.
3. They're solitary most of the time but some species get together to hibernate in winter with as many as 40 of them sharing the same sheltered spot.
4. The smallest scorpion in the world was only discovered in 2014. Microtityus minimus lives in the Domincan Republic and is less than half an inch long. At the other end of the scale are Heterometrus swammerdami, found in India, and Africa's Emperor Scorpion which can grow as large as 8 inches long.
5. All scorpions are venomous with venom especially adapted for use on its particular prey (which might be insects, spiders, small reptiles or rodents). Baby scorpions are as venomous as the adults. Only about 25 of the 2,000 or so known species have venom strong enough to kill a human. We're not on their menu, so they'd only use it on us in self defence.
6. When it comes to making baby scorpions, the male and female perform a courtship dance in which they hold each other by the pedipalps (pincers) and the male leads his partner around until he finds a suitable place to drop his sperm. He then leads, or possibly drags, the female over it so she can take it. That done, he legs it, as if he sticks around, she's quite likely to eat him.
7. Female scorpions gestate their eggs inside their body. They hatch inside her and emerge as tiny baby scorpions. For about a week, until their first moult, they are helpless and so ride around on their mother's back. They're taking a risk, mind you. While some female scorpions actually crush up small insects and feed their young, there is always the danger that if there's not much food around, she will eat her own babies.
8. Scorpions glow in the dark. Or at least, they do if you shine an ultraviolet light on them. They glow a bluish Green colour, and nobody knows why. Scientists have suggested that they use UV light levels to tell them when is a good time to come out and look for food, and even absorb it though their exoskeletons as a way of seeing, but that doesn't explain why it makes them glow.
9. A scorpion in captivity can live for as long as 25 years.
10. In the Bible, scorpions are often used to represent evil, alongside serpents. In the Middle East, however, they are often used as a symbol for protection from evil. The image of a scorpion woven into a Turkish carpet is said to protect the household from scorpion stings.

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Golden Thread

Terry Kennedy is inexplicably and inexorably drawn to the small town of Fiveswood as a place to live and work after university. He is sure he has never visited the town before, but when he arrives there, it seems oddly familiar.

Fiveswood has a rich and intriguing history. Local legends speak of giants, angels, wolves, a local Robin Hood, but most of all, a knight in golden armour. Fiveswood's history also has a dark side - mysterious deaths blamed on the plague, a ghostly black panther, and a landslide which buried the smugglers' caves.

Terry buys an apartment in The Heights, a house which has been empty for decades, since the previous owner disappeared. Now he has finally been declared dead, developers have moved in and turned it into six flats. Terry has the odd feeling he has lived in this enigmatic house before. But that is not all. Since childhood, Terry has had recurring, disturbing dreams which have been increasing in frequency so that now, he has them almost every night. To his dismay, the people from his nightmares are his new neighbours.

Except, that is, for Eleanor Millbrook. She is refreshingly unfamiliar. After Terry saves her from a mysterious attacker, they become close. However, Terry's nightmares encroach more and more on his waking life, until they lead him to a devastating discovery about who he really is.

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