Alcohol

I took Zia to school, ran, went to the gym, came home and worked listening to music. I went to the shop to buy some Tiger Nut Milk. I collected Zia and watched an episode of “Is It Cake?” Guessed wrong. I ate dinner, took her to bed, read Billionaire Boy, watched an episode of Slow Horses and read a chapter of The House of Flame and Shadow.

Do you know what one of the main constants throughout my day was, apart from my wife, daughter, and breathing?

Alcohol.

People I met talked about it, the books I read wrote about it, the singers sang about it, the actors drank it, and even the health store where I bought my milk sold the stuff.

(Spoiler) In The House of Flame and Shadow, the bad guys put a parasite into the water that steals magical power from those who drink it. Everyone has to drink it because it's water.

Alcohol is both our water and our parasite, and like in the book, it steals our magic, and we’re blissfully unaware.

If you don't believe me, open your eyes and ears, today.