Batman and Robin. Green Hornet and Kato. Heck, even the Lone Ranger and Tonto has a nice ring to it.
Bigfoot and… Well, we’ll have to let “Bigfoot and Bagworm” marinate a little.
And so, the first of our character introductions is the narrator of the book. He goes by the name, Castor, but we all call him "Bagworm."
Given the chance, Bagworm would describe himself somewhat romantically as a “poet-thief.” He would even go as far to say that he has a bit of roguish charm thrown in just for the sake of the ladies. But in reality? As a member of the Scribe Caste, “Bagworm” is anything but. “Poet-weasel” would be more like it.
So what is he? And what exactly is a “Bagworm?”
Well, let’s see it in his own words.
“Bagworm. A name reserved for the lowliest of the Scribe Caste. The fekra-diggers and borderline illiterate. Gossip mongers who spread lies and propaganda like it was sugary sweetness…Political dissent, strife amongst the workers or even tales to scare the offspring? You name it, we’ll do it for a price.”
So, in a sense, Bagworm is the lowliest muckraker at a tabloid magazine. The paparazzi of an alien world. It’s also the reason we find him in the prison camps at the opening of the tale. Caught spreading pricing rumors amongst the agri-farmers, Castor has been sentenced to hard labor and stripped of his name. Stuck in a slave camp, it’s also where he runs across a certain hominid.
Until next time…
Stay alert,
Josh
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