Introduction

The creatures are only just beginning to grasp the nature of one of the central elements of their universe. So they have no choice but to live their lives at a speed and sequence outside their control. December 25th, important day, influential person born. But some controversy about was it really December 25th? In 1642, what we now think of as 1642, in Britain it was the 25th of December but it was the 4th of January in Italy.