Hi all, I'm so sorry for the ridiculously long wait and this story IS still in progress. 2019 was more than a bit rubbish all round (two friends died; helping keep work afloat by the skin of our teeth; second job that turned out to be a scam… it could be a lot worse, as I'm now healthy and have fab dogs, but it has been a bit much) and it was topped off with a nice dose of writer's block. Anyway, I'm back in the saddle and should get a new chapter up soon. I can't promise how long it will be, as my main aim now is to just actually get back into the swing of publishing, but at least it will be something.

Just wanted to reassure everyone that I'm alive and so is this story. Sorry again for the long wait and now for possibly getting anyone's hopes up with this author's note.

Thank you all so much for your truly lovely reviews – they mean the world to me and they will be rewarded soon, if anyone's still interested in this long neglected monolith.