Pens In Unison

 Mother

 

 

“Mother, must we stay in this place forever? It is terribly dark”

            “No, child. Do you wish to see what is about you?”

            “Please mother, for the dark is ever so cold”

            From the fingertips of the goddess came a small flame, the size of a candle. It illuminated the face of a beautiful woman, with a small boy clinging close to her legs. The small boy looked up at the brilliant flame in awe, for he was seeing light for the very first time.

            “Child, this is light, and this is also life. It will be your guide through the darkness”

            “But mother, the fire looks so frail and weak compared to the dark around us”

            The goddess smiled “This is true little one.” The goddess knelt down and brought the flame just in front of the child. “Life is but a fleeting flame, and there is nothing we can do to halt its progress. Just like a flame, it burns brilliantly in the beginning,” The light sparkled brilliantly in her hand, captivating the boy in its light “then it begins to fade,” The light flickered and weakened in her hands. “And finally it extinguishes.” She said as she smothered the flame between her fingers

            “Ah! No! The light!”  Cried the child, with tears running down his face

            “Cry not child” said the goddess as she brushed aside his tears with her fingertips.

            “You see, all of us will experience darkness, and we must learn to conquer it. For the darkness holds nothing that your inner light cannot banish. Fear not what hides in the dark, fear the dark that hides within the light.” The goddess pointed towards the sky and suddenly a great light shone out from the furthest debts of the darkness. The light revealed the place on which the pair stood. They stood upon a flat plain of grass that seemed to go off in every direction forever.

            The child looked around and up at the blue sky above him. “Mother, will the light stay with me forever?”

            The goddess gazed upwards at the blue sky. “I’m sorry child, but with light there must come dark, or the light would grow too large and engulf itself.  Worry not though, for the darkness can also bring about life and beauty” The sky changed to black and millions of tiny lights filled the sky, and a great full moon shone out in stark contrast to the night sky.

            “See child, there is nothing to fear in the night.”

            “You’re right, but isn’t there more to this place than light and dark? Is it truly just you and I?”

                “There are many more of you, child. You are but one flame in the great fire, but do not let that that deter you. Though there will be many, you can make your inner light shine brightest of all. You can change the world, or let the world pass you by. That is your choice alone my child. Now, you will experience a great many things when you depart my side. There will be love, hate, jealously, and happiness and so much more. Then one day, when you are ready, you will join me back at my side and it will start all anew.”

                The child looked up at the goddess, his eyes full of curiosity and wonder. “O-Okay mother, I think I’m ready to go. Will it be dark?”

                The goddess bent down and kissed the child’s forehead. “Yes, but only for a moment. Now goodbye child and may you bring light into those who have fallen to the dark.” Whispered the goddess as the boy disappeared before her, leaving the goddess alone and in the dark.

                

The fatal cycle:                                               

 

A beam of sunlight reflected off of an object in the grass and into my eyes. I shielded my eyes and approached the object with curiosity. It was a dark purple gem stone and it reflected my face back at me, but this face was not my own, but yet it was. The face in the reflection shared many characteristics of my own; my shoulder length brown hair, my piercing blue eyes, and even my soft completion, but the differences were what stood out to me. The eyes were not filled with joy and compassion as were mine, but full of sorrow and despair. They stared out at me longingly, as if hoping I could free them from some unseen torment. The smile was not mine either, this imposters smile was not a smile at all, it was a grimace of hate and remorse. I dropped the gem in hopes to get away from the saddening stare, but the image would not leave my mind. I saw it when I blinked, and it haunted me in my sleep. There was no escape.

Days passed and the blasted gems curse would not abate. Whatever I did and wherever I went, the thoughts of the gem were there. They slowly ate away at my sanity until I could not take it anymore. I went into the forest in search of the gem, and I didn’t have to look long for it was still in the very place I left it. No leaves or dust covered it, as if nature itself was reluctant to come into contact with it. I reached down to the gem with a shaking hand and picked it off the ground. This time I examined it further and found that it was very light for such a rock, it couldn’t of weighed more than one pound and yet it was nearly five feet it diameter. It also looked as if it had been handmade, it had five outcroppings that protruded from the center sphere no more than one foot and ended in rounded tips that curled slightly at the ends. Then it began to change. This purple stone morphed into a perfect replica of a maidens face. For the brief seconds that I saw her, she looked to have a strong air to her and a stern look, but her eyes held a constrained compassions as if she had forgotten how to trust. The woman’s eyes stared deep into my soul and made me feel powerless to stop what was to come next. The gem flashed, sending a brilliant white light into my vision, and that was when I awoke.

“No!” I tried to scream, but all that came out was a rasping cough as dust flew up from my parched lips.

I opened my eyes to look at the land around me, but my sun starved eyes were shocked at the lights brilliance. After a few agonizing moments of my eyes adjusting, I found myself lying down on a bed of grass. I attempted to get to my feet, but once I began to rise blood rushed to my skull and I almost fell right back down on my face. Staggering to my feet I finally realized the truth, that this what not some dream, I was alive.

“I can’t be alive! I made the sacrifice, but now I’m back….no. What could I have done to be cursed relive this torment?! The deal was made! My soul for hers. I don’t understand” My mind was in turmoil. Despair turned to anger, and anger turned to confusion, and it all settled down to sorrow.

Then the memories assaulted me. I remembered all of my past deeds, and all of my past wrongs, but those were just fleeting moments compared to her. The one I had given my life for, which seems to have been in vain since I am here breathing. The final moments of her life played out in my mind over, and over, and over again until I could no longer bear the thought of it. I had to find her, maybe she could help me understand why, or wait. What if this is her doing, what if she is the one who brought my life back to curse me. Maybe she never forgave me for letting her die, no. I shook my head, that can’t be it, she would never do that to me, but then again….I did the same thing to her.

I looked down at myself. I was covered in a fine layer of dust that seemed to stick to me just as badly as the memories. I needed to find something to wash myself of this, and after I did so, I would go and find her, whether she wants me to or not.

I walked out of the clearing and into the woods in search of a stream to wash myself in. After a couple miles of stumbling about in the forest, I came to a small stream. The stream was small and barely seemed able to make its way through the forest, but it was something. I carefully stripped my pieces of armor and washed them and myself thoroughly before putting the pieces back on. After rinsing off my armor and clothes I began to wash my hair, and finally my face. As I went to rinse my face, I looked into the water and for a split second I could have sworn I saw her face. That was obviously just my mind playing tricks on me, she couldn’t possibly be here. Or could she? I spun around to look, but all I saw was the tangled mess of trees that I had come through earlier.

“This shouldn’t even be happening right now. My life was ended! I was in prison and isolated from the world so this wouldn’t happen. I have lived a bad dream, but this is a nightmare. Then I at least had some sort of comfort knowing that she was still out there, but now it’s all just, just empty!” I shouted my insane ratings into the forest hoping for some living soul to respond, but there was no one there of course.

Sighing I gathered up my gear and my dagger and headed back through the forest in search of some sort of path, both physical and mental. I finally reached a small dirt path, it looked relatively well traveled. My hopes rose slightly, but not by much. My life has been changed once again, who knows, maybe this time I can save her before she dies.

            

 

 

 

“What is this place?”-Dragons of the Fallen Sun

Justyn Newman

 

“What is this place? It gives me the creeps man” Jon said with a slight catch in his voice, making him feel absurdly childish.

“Stop being such a wuss! It’s just a house, there’s no reason for you to get all scared.” Eric said haughtily and punched Jon in the arm. “Come on, lets go in!”

“Fine, ill go”

“Good! Now hurry up.”

            The house was an old rustic looking mansion that used to be home to a wealthy family from the 1950’s. They had quite the taste for gothic architecture and their building reflected it. The building itself used to be a charcoal black, but has faded to a sickly looking gray over the years. The wood paneling has stayed the tide of time fairly well, except for two large pieces near the doorway that hung askew on its screws. A large wooded porch, the same color as the graying building, looked far less sturdy than the house. Its railing fell down to the ground and nails sprung up all along the broken floorboards. Two ornate black spires jutted out from the sides of the building with circular balconies going around each one. Night was just starting to set and it gave the mansion before them quite a foreboding air to it.

            Eric walked down the brick walkway that led to the entrance to the mansion. Dust flew up from every step he made, as if the walkway itself was starting to deteriorate. He went to walk up the wooden steps, but his foot fell through the stairs with a loud crack. Eric tumbled backwards in surprise and went sprawling back onto the ground, sending that same grey dust up into the air.

            “Eric! Are you all right?” John yelled as he rushed down the walkway to meet up with his fallen friend, reaching a hand down to help him up

            Eric slapped his hand away and sprung up too quickly, almost tripping over his own feet. “Of course I’m all right! The stair just broke under me, no need to make such a fuss over it.”

            John went and stood next to Eric as he attempted the stairs once more. The stairs let out annoyingly loud creaks with each step, but after some careful choices in footing, they made it to the door.

            The door was massive, towering over the two kids by a good twelve feet. Surprisingly, the door was still in fantastic shape, looking as if it had been polished no more than a couple days ago. There were no windows on the door, but instead there were two proportionally massive, iron gargoyle knockers.

            Eric reached out to grab the knocker and found it to be strangely warm, like it could be alive. “He Joh..”. Eric looked in shock as the eyes of the gargoyles turned and looked straight into his own. He was frozen in fear, and to make it even worse he couldn’t seem to control is bladder anymore. Warm urine passed down his leg as the gargoyle smiled mockingly at its captor. It’s stone eyes shone seemed to catch the sunlight for a moment, then it turned back just a regular knocker.

            “E-Eric, what just happened?”  John said, but Eric was no longer listening, he was running. Eric bolted past John and rushed back down the walkway. John looked at the house with distrust and slowly started to back down the walkway, never taking his eyes off the property. Just as he was leaving, he bumped into something hard and metal. It was the gate, and it was locked.         

            

 

 

 

"When the war of the giants is over the wars of the pygmies will begin."

 

The day was sweltering, the harsh sunlight beat down on my back with no remorse. Bright green forestry surrounded our army at every turn making it easy to get lost in the thicket. If the forest wasn’t terrible enough, great boulders stopped us at every shuffle. Eventually we came to a large lake situated in the middle of the forests clearing. I looked down upon the pool to see my own reflection staring back at me. The yellow hue of my body shifter back and forth as the waves were drawn in. My blue eyes protruded out from my body forming two long stalks and my dark red shell rose up from the background sparkling in the sunlight. I turned my gaze from the pool and shouted a command back at the hundreds behind me, it was time to take back our land.

            The enemy was quickly approaching. Its gargantuan size dwarfed nearly our entire armada and its steps shook the very ground we rested upon. The voice of the creature boomed throughout the forest shouting some insane battle cry at us. It began to run forwards us headless of the dangers in the forest and it was evident that it had been preparing for battle cut close for battle. Great pieces of lightweight armor adorned the thing as it recklessly charged toward us. Its great long mane fluttered in the wind behind it and it bared its teeth in a fierce snarl.

            “Commander Sheldon shall we commence attack” asked Lieutenant Slowman

            “Wait” I ordered back sternly

            “B-but commander it is nearing us” said the Lieutenant nervously

            “Do not disobey me Slowman” I said as the beast approached

The hulking horror got ever closer until it hit the trap. A large boulder had been placed in the monsters path and it sent it tumbling. It hit the ground and shook the world around us, sending the long blades of forestry to fall upon us.

            “CHAR-“ but I was cut off mid command by the beast ear-piercing screech. The sound was near debilitating, but I shouted my command once more.

            “CHARGE!” I yelled and our army began to assault. We arrived at the creatures’ location in mere minutes as it nursed its wound. We crawled upon the enemy in mass numbers quickly making our way to the creatures’ mid-section. Once again a shell piercing yell came from the hideous things mouth as it rose back up from the ground. Its body twisted and turned trying to rid us from it while its giant appendages swatted at us and killed many of my fellow brothers in arms.  Enraged I charged upwards for the top of the creature, but was stopped short by one of the beings limps and was sent hurtling towards the ground.

            I hit the ground with a harsh crack as a massive piece of shell fell from me. Dazed, I looked to see the beast retreating in fear of our might. Many were lost this day but many more have been saved by the vanquishing of the demon. I pulled myself off my side and slugged back over to my comrades.

            “The day has been won my friends! Let us go and reclaim what is rightfully ours!” I shouted

            “Not yet Commander” Hissed a voice from behind the forest path.

I turned to face the source of the voice and soon realized the true enemy had finally arrived. Its black body was covered in red spikes the stuck up past even the tallest of us. No shell adorned this evil being for it was Satan the Shelless. The true war has just begun.

 

 

Dragon-lance Fan fiction:

Justyn Newman

 

Kitiara walked through the door and fell into Dalamar’s warm embrace. Pieces of her armor were torn from her body by the spirits that guarded the tower. The lifeless hands had torn her armor off piece by piece as she tried to find her way through the dense woods. Deep lacerations covered her legs, almost coating them with blood. The gem was the only thing that had given her a fighting chance. The black gemstone was meant to keep whoever held it safe travels through the forest but sadly time had depleted its power. “ I can’t believe she actually made it”  Dalamar thought as she looked up at him. He smiled and looked down at her face and saw that she was smiling that coy little smile of hers. Looking into her eyes she saw the compassion fade from her gaze and shift to one of regret. A sound of metal sliding through leather came from her back.

Dalamar pushed her back with a shove, knocking her off her feet and onto the gray tile floor with a harsh thud. He looked down and saw that his robes had been stabbed through right at his heart, a small bead of blood stood out on his chest. A split second later and he would have been the one on the ground.

There was no look of anger or frustration on her face, no, there was a look of wild fear like an animal backed into a corner. She picked herself up from the ground in one fluid motion and pulled out her long sword. She rushed Dalamar with almost near inhuman speed and swung her blade in an arc towards his head.

The words of a spell came to Dalamar’s mind. He could feel the warm power of the magic course through his body. But it was futile, he would need more time to cast it and Kitiara was closing in fast. He stepped back and felt the tip of the blade just barely cutting his shoulder. He stepped back again but quickly found himself up against the hard, brick wall

Kitiara saw her opportunity and took it. There was no emotion on her face, she was beyond feeling. She was lost in the lust of battle and cared no longer for what would happen to herself or Dalamar. Her blade whistled through the air as it came down on her target, striking the light just right looking as if it shone with its own inner purpose. Just then the silver runes that decorated Dalamar’s black velvet robes illuminated and the blade struck an invisible wall that the runes of had conjured to protect its master when death was imminent, but they only worked once. The force of the recoil caused her to lose balance and nearly topple over, but only momentarily. She staggered back a step and then ran back towards Dalamar once more.

Now Dalamar took his chance. The words of the spell were now clear in his mind and he was lost in the ecstasy of power that caused so many of those gifted in magic to dedicate their entire lives work to mastering it. Lightning streaked from his fingertips, causing thunder to echo throughout the chamber, just as Kitiara’s sword came down on his shoulder blade with a bone shattering crunch.

            Kitiara flung with such speed that she hit the wall on the opposite side of the chamber and fell unconscious. The breastplate of her armor had a gaping black hole going clean through it, the steel melted around it and dripped down into the wound. Smoke rose from the wound and the pungent smell of burnt flesh wafted in the air. Looking away from the gruesome sight, Dalamar went and tended to his injuries. The gash in his shoulder wasn’t anything to worry about for now, though it could pose a problem later on if he didn’t take care if it right now. He tore off a piece of his robe off and wrapped it around his shoulder, grimacing as he tied it around the wound.

            “It is almost time. Soon my master will be coming through the portal and I shall be the one that ends him. He will be weakened from his battle with the Queen of Darkness but he will still be strong, still the strongest of us all perhaps” Dalamar pondered aloud, speaking to himself. The eyes of the silver, five headed dragon shined brightly above the portal. The darkness within began to shift and swirl until it revealed a mysterious landscape.

            This world was the Abyss. The blood red sky towered above the dark, barren land that make up the land, blackened crags rose from the ground extending their twisted forms towards the sky. As he stared into the red tinted world before him, Dalamar saw a man in black robes standing before a gruesome looking five headed dragon whose body was black as the night sky. This Dragon was the Queen of Darkness, her body was the pure embodiment of evil. The scales upon her back were the apitamy of darkness. The five heads moved in unison with one another surveying its victim at every angle for a possible weakness. Though that was all he could see for the image before him didn’t move, it was just a still picture of that moment in time. Dalamar sat down on a small wooden stool and waited for his masters to return.

                                                            2

 

            Raistlin stood before the Queen of Darkness. His black robe blew in tatters around him, the battle with her minions had been fierce but he had managed to exterminate each and every one of the beasts.  Once I step back through the portal I will be able to destroy her once and for all on my own ground. Here she is far too strong, but if I can just get back my power may surpass her own. I have waited my whole life for this, Raistlin thought. I have betrayed all those who have trusted me, even my own brother. I am the most powerful person in all of Krynn! I will not be defeated now! Once she is out of my way I will take my rightful place as a god! Raistlin stepped back into the portal, his golden hourglass eyes shone with eagerness as he disappeared into the darkness.

 

                                                            3

            The portal shifted and stirred once more before Dalamar. The eyes of the dragon shone with a brilliant white light too bright to look directly into. He raised his hand to shield his eyes from the light until it started to dim. The portal bulged inwards and a black robed figure tumbled out into the laboratory. Dalamar hid behind a desk for he must not disturb Raistlin now or else the Queen of Darkness would destroy everything. By leaving the abyss Raistlin left a way into the mortal world and the queen would follow. If he defeats her I must kill him before he enters the abyss once more or it could be the end of life on all of Krynn for he will have the power of a god.

            The portal bulged inwards once more, no more that a minute after Raistlin had entered. The Queen of Darkness stepped through the portal in her human form. The clothes she wore were as black as her scales and shone with that same red iridescence. Her sheet white skin stood out in contrast to the rest of her attire and she walked with a gracefulness that no mortal woman could ever hope to achieve. Raistlin took a step forward and said “Let’s skip the petty talk, you know what must be done.”

The queen smiled revealing a seemingly infinite row of shark like teeth. “So be it mage.” She growled with a look of insane pleasure on her face. “Let us begin.”

Explosions boomed from each side of the lab. Lighting flew across the room followed by fireballs and any other spell imaginable. Beakers shattered spilling vital components upon the floor bringing even more explosions and fire and sending shards of glass in every direction. The only thing holding the lab together was the magic that was cast upon it ages ago to handle such mishaps but nothing such as this was ever expected. Dalamar peered up above the desk and saw even more brilliant flashes and explosions. The battle was moving so fast he couldn’t follow who was winning or losing. He ducked back time just in time to avoid a bolt of lightning that had gone astray.

The queen was overpowering Raistlin. She had him held up against the wall of laboratory by his neck. His face racked with pain as she looked into his eyes and started to drain the life from his body. His golden eyes dulled as if he were losing consciousness, but a smile was on his face. The queen never saw it coming. Raistlin pulled a small silver dagger he kept in the sleeve of his robe and brought it down onto the queens’ chest with the last bit of energy he had left.

The queen uttered a blood curdling scream and dropped Raistlin’s body onto the floor. She grasped at the hilt of the blade and pulled it from her chest but it was too late. She fell to the floor and realized that she had failed. A mere mortal had defeated her, a god! Her eyes fixed on Raistlin in hatred as the darkness engulfed her vision.

                                                            4

Dalamar rose up from behind the desk and looked around the lab. Beakers and test tubes were knocked over and shards of glass covered the floor. In the corner of the room a pile of books had caught fire and were slowly burning themselves out. The desk he was behind had two massive chunks of wood missing from the sides. Dalamar walked over to the now dead Queen and went to shut her eyes for rest, but her body turned to ash at his touch. He walked over to Raistlin’s body and pushed him up into a sitting position against the wall. Raistlin stirred and opened his eyes wearily at Dalamar.

Dalamar looked down at Raistlin smiling. Raistlin looked back up with a look of triumph in his eyes and lifted his gaze upwards to see Dalamar. “Hello, master” Dalamar said with a sneer.

Looking up into the murderous eyes of Dalamar, Raistlin smiled back at him and said. “Goodbye, apprentice you have served me well but your presence is no longer needed.” 

Raistlin reached out and grasped Dalamar by the front of his robes bringing him down to his level. The ruby pendant around Raistlin’s neck glowed as the life force slowly drained from Dalamar, his eyes widened it surprise and he struggled against his captor but it was no use. He gazed helplessly into his masters eyes as his life drained away into the blood pendant. 

 

Courage:

 

            A great white dragon landed upon the ground before my friends and I. It let out a mighty roar and went to attack us. My friends charged it, but yet I could not join them in the fray, not this time. I ran around the side of the tree that stood in the center of the clearing. I had to cleanse this forest of the corruption, and I must do it alone. As I came around the back of the tree I gazed up to see the great tree looming over me, its branches looked as if they reached all the way to the heavens. An opening in the bark twisted upwards along the side, just wide enough for a person to pass through. I looked around to make sure I was alone and stepped inside. The first thing I noticed was the smell of damp wood, but yet something was hidden underneath, something pungent that almost smelled of rotten grapes. A great wooden staircase led downwards into the earth itself and appeared to be formed by the roots of the tree. I cautiously descended down into the earth and the light from outside soon faded away, but the ground seemed to have a faint yellow glow to it allowing me to see my surroundings. The walls around me were made of dirt that seemed to be held in place by some magic and roots crisscrossed just above my head. As I got further down the stairs the smell grew stronger and I could finally determine what it was, it was the smell of death.

            I reached the bottom of the stairs and saw that I had entered the heart of the forest, but sadly that was not all. I looked up to see rows upon rows of cages hanging from chains in the ceiling. Screams of pain came from them and I saw that it was the inhabitants of the forest, the dryads. Across the room I could see a pool of what looked like blackened mud, its surface still. I came closer and saw a dead body of what used to be a warrior. Its face was frozen in an expression of permanent fear and the man’s spear jutted out from the ground beside him. I knelt down to close the man’s eyes when a bubbling sound caught my attention.

            I turned to see a figure rising from the murky pool. It vaguely resembled a female form but was encrusted in black rocks that obscured over half of her body, I readied my scythe. The beast charged at me and I jumped back attempting to prepare a spell. It swung its rock covered arm at me and I was able to duck out of its way. I reached out my hand and placed it upon the things chest. A burst of energy flowed through me and most of the creatures rocks fell to the ground.  The creature swung at me again and caught me directly in the mouth with its fist. I stumbled back dazed and the creature took the opportunity. It swung again, but I managed to step out of the way of its blow. I retaliated with my scythe and watched with satisfaction as it stumbled back against the wall. With it dazed I took the time to cast another spell. Roots rose up from the ground around the creature and went to wrap themselves around the beast but once they touched its skin they dissipated.  Confused, I stepped back and the beast attacked once more. We went blow for blow for what seemed like ages until we were both on the edge of exhaustion. It swung one last time and missed my skull by mere inches. I hefted my scythe above my head with the last of my energy and brought it down on the beast’s skull. It hit the ground with a loud thud. I retched my scythe from the skull of the creature and watched with amazement as the creature began to shrink. The creature was the mother of the forest, she must have been tainted by corruption. I rushed to her side and placed a healing spell on her, hoping that she was still able to be saved. I waited for what seemed like ages, but finally her eyes flicked open. Suddenly the cages around the room unlocked and bright green foliage began to spread out from the woman’s body and turn the tree back to the way it should have been.  The mother of the forest smiled up at me, her deep green eyes gazing deep into my soul and I smiled back.

            

 

 

Cybele: Lost

 

Glistening droplets of rain fell upon the leaves around me as I stood in the forests clearing. The first sign of color was starting to show in the leaves as fall began to approach. The clearing was a perfect circle and I stood in the center looking up at the soft blue sky as droplets of cool rain splashed upon my face. I lay down upon the soft grass below me and bathed in the suns brilliant warmth. Sighing, I brushed back my long ebony hair and closed my eyes. The sounds of nature filled my mind; the soft breathing of the trees swaying in the wind, the soft patter of rain drops falling upon the leaves, and the musical melodies of the blue jays singing in the trees. Their song grew louder and louder turning into something grotesque. The song became words as it mocked my own name back to me “Cybele!” they cried, “CYBELE!” this time even louder. “CYBELE!!!”

I awoke with a start to see Sarah’s bright blue eyes watching over me with a look of concern on her face.

“Cybele, are you okay? Did you have another nightmare?” she asked, frowning

“Yeah, it was the one where I was in the forest again, but I’ll be okay…thanks” I said, ashamed of my fear

“A-alright, well just try and get some fresh air. That’ll make you feel better!” she said in her ever so optimistic tone.

“Like there’s any fresh air in this city” I mumbled under my breath and pulled myself up from the couch. I evened out the wrinkles in my clothes and grabbed the brown hoodie hanging from the door. As I zipped up the hoodie I called down to let Sarah know I would be back in an hour. I was out the door before she could say a word.

One thing did hold true to the dream, it was fall. Dark crimson leaves garnished the trees along the streets providing at least some color in this dull grey city. The chill of the wind nipped at my neck so I pulled up my hood and thrust my hands into the warmth of the pockets and continued down the road. The road was barren of any sign of civilization; no cars were on the roads, no lights in any of the apartments, no people on this lonely road but myself. Sighing, I decided to go small bit of forest that was just outside the city where I spent most of my time.

I walked for a few miles until I heard the roar of some kind of machinery. I listened closer and realized that it was a chainsaw.

“NO!” I screamed and ran as fast as I could to the clearing.

A group of men dressed in plaid and hardhats were tearing down the only place that I had found solace in. The trees fell before their saws, the cries of nature echoing through the air as the wood cracked and splintered. Birds flew from the canopy in fear as their own worlds crumbled beneath them much like mine had.

I rushed to go stop them but was stopped in my tracks by a large lumberjack standing in my path.

“Sorry, but you must stay behind the tape” said the man in a deep voice

“But you can’t just…” I began to say but the sentence faltered out into a sob

“Hey girl are you alright” Said the man with a look of sincere worry

“N-No...” I said and ran away from the scene.

            When I rounded the corner I let the tears fall. The tears streamed down my face and fell to the pavement making small, dark flowers blossom upon the ground.

 

 

 

 

Beautiful:

 

 

My pickaxe fell in the rhythmic motion chipping away the rocks around the silver bit by bit. The light from my headlamp struck the silver and sent out a brilliant shimmering light upon the walls around me, as if daring the darkness to intrude on such beauty. I hefted my pickaxe above my head and brought it down fast against the last of the stone that imprisoned the silver. The stone shattered, revealing the silver in all of its splendor. That was my last sight before the world fell around me.

 

I fled down the tunnel as the stones fell down around me. I ran as hard as my legs would carry me, paying heed not to trip over the outcroppings along the floor. Dust began to blind my vision as I sprinted down the hall. I didn’t see the drop until it was too late. One moment I was running and the next I was plummeting to the ground, blinding pain shot through my arm as I hit the unforgiving stone. I staggered to my feet and checked my wounds. I used my one good arm to check the other for broken bones, thankfully I found none. Feeling around some more I found that it was dislocated. I took a deep breath and braced myself against the wall to my right and pushed. A sickening scraping sensation came from my arm as I slid it back into its socket

.

I reached up and gripped the elastic band that secured my headlamp and pulled it down to my eye level. I twisted the small metal gear on the side of the lens and the dull yellow light shone forth from the lens. I breathed a sigh of relief and settled it back around my head. I reached down and pulled up the dark grey canteen that hung about my hip. I shook it and heard the familiar sloshing of water, it was only half full. I looked around, the dull light of my headlamp showing me two tunnels branching off from each other. The tunnel that ran to the left was narrow and seemed far less used than the one on the right which was larger and looked relatively well traveled.

 

Even with the headlamp it was still oppressively dark. Several times I stumbled because of a large rock or support beam that I managed to miss. I trudged down the tunnel for what seemed like forever until I came across an odd sight. While walking I began to notice small glowing creatures on the walls. I walked over to one that had made residence upon the tip of a jagged rock outcropping. Picking up the small creature I found that it was a worm, a glow worm in fact. Its pale blue light faded in an out with each beat of its small heart. I placed the worm back on the rock and continued forward around a small bend in the tunnel. As I came around I was shocked into awe at the sight of thousands of the small worms. They adorned the walls and ceiling, all shining with that marvelous blue light. I switched off my headlamp to experience the true beauty of the moment. The light gave the illusion of calm and peacefulness in a place such as this. Inspired I switched my headlamp back on and continued down the tunnel with a new sense of hope in my heart.

 

Hours later I noticed that the tunnel began to take a steady incline towards the surface. Filled with joy I quickened my pace in hope of reaching freedom. After what seemed to be half an hour, I slumped against the tunnel walls in exhaustion. Freedom was not as close as I thought, though the tunnel still continued upwards. I pulled off my canteen and put the opening to my lips. The water tasted better than any water I ever had before, its sweet nourishment motivated me into movement. I secured the rest of my things and prepared to get on my way when I heard another rumble from behind me. Dust billowed down from the ceiling just behind me, another cave in. I pulled myself onto my feet as the rest of my body ached in protest to the sudden motion and began to run. This one was worse than the last, great chunks of rock fell from the ceiling as I fled up the tunnel. I ran with the threat of death just on my heels as the rocks struck my body slowing my progress. A great slab of stone fell just in front of me blocking the path except for a small opening at the bottom. Having no other choice I got down and crawled into the opening. Just pulled myself under the rocks blocked up the opening behind me. I managed to crawl through onto the other side with my life intact. I raised myself to my feet and continued hopelessly down the path.

 

I walked along the path, barely concentrating on time so it could have been hours or minutes when I spotted the light. It was hardly noticeable at first, walking along the path I began to make out more obstacles in my path that would have otherwise tripped me. Then it was obvious, I was able to see without the headlamp. Smiling I switched off the lamp that had been my lifeline for this endeavor and looked around. The unmistakable glow of sunlight illuminated the walls around me. Though it was still quite a ways away I knew that freedom was imminent. Once again I quickened my pace until I was running as fast as I was when the cave in began. I rounded another bend in the tunnel and saw the source of the light. The light shone through an opening in the tunnel the size of a small car. Its brilliant light blinded my vision for a moment, then the world came back into focus. I shielded my eyes from the light with my arm as I stepped through the opening.

 

I never knew how beautiful the light was until I lived in the darkness. The world around me was revealed to me in all its splendor. Great pine trees towered above me, and the light shone through them painting shadowy images upon the forest floor. The birds sat upon the branches singing their sweet songs. The feeling of life never felt better, the simple unity in it was beyond comparison. I walked down into the forest, the dead leaves of fall making a soft crunch with each step. I came to a clearing full of wonderful blue flowers, their color much like those of the little glow worms that gave me so much hope. A distant beep sounded off across the clearing, it was the sound of a cars horn. I never thought a sound could be so wonderful. Smiling, I began to run,

 

Breath:

 

   Looking through the window I saw the first evidence of a snow storm. The morning news said that it was going to be a rough one, perhaps the worst this year. Which is saying a lot given that the house was snowed in for three days straight last month. Nevertheless I had to leave home. Tears still lingering in my eyes I picked up my keys and heavy winter coat, I headed out the door.

 

   The streets were all but void of other drivers, so I had the road to myself. This gave me time to clear my mind for which I was thankful, and I drifted off into the events of last night. I received a call late last night, my mother was losing her battle to cancer and drifted off into a coma, she didn’t have much time left. I was broken, it took me hours to compose myself enough to call make and say that I would be there as soon as I could. The whole family was called in to come today and I hoped to be the first one there.

    I pulled into the hospital parking lot just as the snow was starting to build up. With my luck I’ll be snowed in by the time I leave. The lobby was relatively empty as such an early hour as this. Other than myself there was a doctor carting off some poor soul down a corridor, a homeless looking girl arguing about a prescription for valium, and the lady at the counter. I greeted her kindly and asked if she could direct me to my mother’s room, she told me it was up two floors and on the left side of the hallway, room F16.

     I grasped the door handle, which was cool despite the heat inside. None of my family had arrived yet so I went directly to my mother’s side. She was hooked up to a wide array of machinery, no doubt the only thing keeping her alive. Looking down at her, I was   

overwhelmed with emotion. Her hair was all but gone and her face was gaunt to the point of malnutrition. Her eyes looked as if they were sunken into her skull. She looked like a corpse. Breaking down in tears, I fell to my knees and grasped her ice cold hand. I was bereft on anything to say to her. I knew my words would not comfort her at this stage, so I just stayed content with weeping at her side. Suddenly the grip on my hand grew painful and I looked to see her arching her back as she gasped for air. The machines around me went up in a harsh cacophony of shrills and beeps. Her head turned to me and her eyes were open wide in terror as she stared at me without seeing. I watched her body set back down as the final breath went past her lips. 

 

 

 

 

Angelic:

 

   Great tapestries adorned the walls of the grand cathedral, their fabrics depicting great battles and wars fought during the holy conquest. Enormous panes of stained glass windows showed the three divinities of the world; Honor who saved us from the demons of the past, Duty who stands guard for us all, Justice who is myself.

   I turned my gaze from the walls to greet the figure sitting upon the throne, the Arc Angel himself with his glorious red wings arching from his back. He was dressed in magnificent golden armor which shimmered like water from the hues of light coming from the windows and his face was covered in a blood red cowl. While seated he was even taller than I, and as he rose to greet me, I felt as If I were in the presence of God himself. Even in his presence, I resolved to not come to this place in fear. It is time to make a stand for myself and all of mankind.

“Lazarus!” boomed the voice of the Arc Angel. “You have meddled in the affairs of the mortal world! What have you to say for yourself?”

“I have only done what is right! You sit here upon your throne and do nothing!” boomed my voice back at his, though nothing could compare to his grandiosity

“Had dare you stand there and accuse me of doing nothing!” said the Arc Angel even louder than the last.

“Oh, but its true your majesty. Your own laws bind you to inaction! How can you sit there and believe yourself to be better than us all when you let the mortals live in torment?”  I said.

“You are a fool Lazarus, and have grown soft! They must be taught to live in darkness so that they can witness the splendor of the light!” Said the Arc angel, full of self-conviction

“You dare to judge me! I am Justice itself!” I roared back.

I tore the cloak from my own face and ripped the armor from off my back, exposing my own fiery blue wings. Grasping hold of them I yelled “Then I shall show them the light!” and ripped them from my back. The pain was intense, for I had forgotten the sensation long ago.

            “Sacrilege!” Screamed the Arc Angel

The floor below me disappeared as I did with it. The last sight I gleamed was of the Arc Angels rage driven form rushing towards me, but he was too late. A midmorning sky greeted me as I plunged from the heavens and a bitter cold wind rushed up to meet me as I fell into the land of mortals. As I landed, I vowed to spread my teachings to this unholy place. I will be the light in their darkness.

 

 

 

 

Envelop:

 

   A bright light enveloped my entire vision as I gazed out the horizon. Shielding my eyes, I could just make out what seemed to be a giant cloud racing towards the sky. As my vision returned to me, I realized with mounting horror that it was no ordinary cloud, but an explosion. I turned to run to the cellar, but the shockwave hit first. A warm but firm hand push me from behind, sending me sprawling onto the hardwood floor. Picking myself up I looked at the ruins of my house, furniture was broken and sent into disarray, windows were now shattered along with my dishes, and worse of all it was dark. Stumbling about blindly, I found the door to the cellar. Pulling it closed behind me, I carefully descended the stairs. I felt along the shelves until I came across a flashlight, thankfully I had just restocked the cellar last month so I was fresh on batteries. I flipped the switch of the flashlight and it let out a brilliant cone of light, looking around I was reassured by the sight of canned foods and a brand new generator. Then I heard a great rumbling sound, just like thunder after a great strike of lightning.
   The first thing I noticed was the rapid increase it temperature, judging by the thermometer it was now 120 degrees in the cellar. I watched in terror as the gauge continued to climb until it hit 130. Thankfully, that was where it stopped. The second was the smell of fire, the door to the cellar had caught fire from the explosion and was rapidly turning into ash. Then the door gave out and the smoke followed. The only thought in my mind was air, which was a deep seeded need for survival that took over and blocked out any thought besides, Air. Coughing, I rushed for the stairs heedless of the fire that waited me above, bursting through the remnants of the door I became enveloped in a dense smoke that offered me only death. I fell to my knees gasping for air that wasn’t there.  I closed my eyes from the harsh stinging of the smoke, and they never opened again.

 

 

 

Eternal:

 

 

   Oh how I loved her! I fear that I could never lay eyes on another in fear that I would lose but one glimpse of her beauty. Her smile could break men and hearts alike and her frown could send you into despair. I never thought that I would be lucky enough to lay eyes on such a women, let alone call her my wife. My love for her was eternal and yet I was foolish enough to think she felt the same.
   Yesterday evening I saw her go into a motel room with some other man! You could imagine my embarrassment and rage at the thought of anyone laying a hand on her. When I confronted her about the matter she didn’t even have the decency to deny it, she told me that I was nothing to her but a mistake. That day was when all those time I spent swooning on her and caring to her every need turned dark. All those moments of happiness turned into a great abysmal pit of complete rage.
   In those days after, I did not sleep.  I brooded during the night and became so pent up with rage that there was no more room for sorrow, I wanted payback. One night I followed her from that adulterators home, and I managed to corner her into an alley way. She stared at me in horror as I pulled the knife from my belt and smiled at her. Walking towards her I saw the fear in those deep sapphire eyes that I adored ever so much, I watched her hair start to cling to her beautiful face as backed herself against the wall. As I cut her throat and watched the life slowly drain from her body, I felt alive. Possibly more alive than I had ever felt in my entire life with her. This was my duty, this obscene joy became my obsession. I followed more and more women, making sure that they were the same kind of filth that my wife was. Funny that the only thing that made me feel alive, was taking that from another.  I even got a name for myself in the papers, I rather enjoyed that they called me Jack the Ripper. 

 

 

 

 

Falling:

         The cool ocean breeze was a relief on such humid day, I could practically smell the sweet scents of the beach. If I closed my eyes I could almost believe I was there looking out at the waves as they crashed down on the shore just in front of me. I’d always used to enjoy going to the beach with my kids, I wonder if they miss me as much as I miss them. Sighing, I opened my eyes and looked down at the busy traffic below me. People on their daily commute going to their families and ever so important jobs or maybe they were just a lost as I am.
       I wish I could have made a difference on our world, maybe if I had gone to college I could have aspired to something greater than driving a garbage truck. None of that matters though, I’ve always been a failure. My wife left me when she found me with another women at some cheap motel, my kids have always been disappointed with me for not being there for them, and I could never seem to hold down a job for more than a couple weeks without getting fired. The world has no need for a loser like me.
        Looking out over the bridge gave me no wonderful sights, just the endless line of cars, the plumes of smoke coming from the nearby steel mill, and the rows of telephone wires humming. A dull sight for a dull I person I assume. I gazed down at the cars more than ten stories below me. Ironic that it jumping off of here will be the most noteworthy thing of my life. I let myself fall from the railing and my mind was clear, the only thing left to feel was the sweet bliss of falling.

 

 

 

Freeze:

 

 I knew I never should have taken that flight, but my wife persisted. “You can finally have a nice vacation”, Yea what a bunch of bullshit. Thanks to her I got stuck in a plane wreck and am was stranded in the middle of a desert.  
“I know how you got there, now get to what I want to hear.” Boomed a deep voice from the speakers above me.
“Alright, alright I’ll skip ahead.”
Around midday I came to the top of a dune that was higher than the rest. I remember losing hope as I gaze out over the sea of sand. After that I remember walking for who knows how many hours until I came upon a rock, and it seemed to be a perfect circle. After a closer look it was easy to tell that the rock was made of granite, though I never thought that granite could be in the desert. When I picked up the rock, a brilliant aura of color began to emanate from the stone. Terrified I dropped the stone on the ground, but the colors didn’t go away.
“Go on” said the voice
Well, I backed away from the stone and couldn’t believe what I saw, I still can’t.  The lights formed together and made what looked to me to be a hologram of our globe, and on it were red dots scattered throughout the entire planet. I think the stone was a guide to finding something, I just don’t know what that something is.
Suddenly the lights grew brighter and I was sent somewhere, or perhaps it was my mind. All I can say for sure is that it was not earth, and it was cold.  All I can remember was the sense of being extremely cold and that I was frozen in place. The only thing I could move were my eyes, and what I saw there was death. A world ravaged by pollution, war, and torment. I looked and saw civilizations of creatures dying before me.
A voice spoke to me there, it told me that earth will meet this very same fate if we don’t unite together and fix everything we have destroyed. That we couldn’t let the same that happened to them repeat itself here. Then I was here.
“I’m sorry sir, that’s all I can remember.”
“No I’m sorry, but we can’t allow this story to get out” boomed the voice
“W-What do you..”

 

 

 

Madness:

 

   Death awaits me as I write this, I cannot say how much more I can stress the importance of my mistakes. I feel that you, the people of the future, will understand that all that I did was necessary no matter how terrible it was. I do not expect empathy or sympathy for my judgment is mine to bear alone. I failed more than just myself, I failed everyone in my attempt to save them all. Before the end comes to me, I must attempt to convince you of the reason for my actions.
   Madness is a fickle thing, it burrows its way deep inside your mind and sometimes it never shows itself. Do not mistake me though, this madness is in each and everyone one of us. Some of us hide from it and choose to lock it away forever, but I chose to embrace it. I decided to become one with the dissolution of my own mind. Some people just don’t understand the gift they have been given, they throw away their greatest advantage because of fear. Sure, I feared the madness at first, but when you can look into that madness, that darkness and smile is when you become more than just yourself.

   Many of you reading this in the future will be assured that this is just the ravings of some madman, and you’re right. The one thing they won’t account for is that no matter how much they try and slander my name, there will always be one to seek out the truth, and when they find my memoirs, the people will be in for a mass reconciliation. You are probably wondering what the point of all this is, the point is that when I found the madness I became lost in it. I destroyed my own world and the others worlds around me because in my delusion I though it to be for the better. I could never have been more wrong, the evils that I unleashed in the name of justice will never be forgotten, nor forgiven. Do not succumb to the madness as I did, for the darkness is a lonely and miserable place.

 

 

 

Fear: 

 

Ellie had never been much of a city girl, but on this night she realized just how much she relied on the comforts of civilization. The terrain of the forest seemed to change drastically with every mile, it seemed to her. At one moment it seemed like she was going through a swamp full of flies and the next she was surrounded by rows upon rows of great pines. Wandering about in the forest was an absurd idea in itself, she should never have left the trail. She just couldn’t stand the persistent arguing between her mother and brother. How was she expected to put up with that? 

When she left the path it was still daylight. Light illuminated the forest floor before her, revealing the blanket of leaves all around her. There was no harm in stepping off the trail to explore for a moment, she thought. When she took off in pursuit of adventure, she quickly lost her sense of direction. Where she thought the trails connected actually led into a deep forest full of nothing but treacherous swamps and tall pines.

That was over six hours ago by the time on her watch. That’s when she heard the noise, a sharp crack as if someone stepped on a branch coming from directly behind her. As she turned she felt her heart beat so rapidly that she felt a dull throb in her temples with each beat, but there was no one there. Breathing a sigh of relief she turned back and started walking. Then the bush to her left rustled with life and she gasped, startled by yet another intrusion to her solitude. Cold, clammy sweat broke out on her hands as fumbled in her pack for a weapon. She brought out her small Swiss Army knife and approached the bush. As took another step closer a sudden pain exploded in her ankle, and the world was turned upside down.

Shit, she thought. A dear trap, and in her panic she dropped her knife on the ground below her. It was out of reach, she was at least ten feet above the forest floor. Looking up she saw something that chilled her to her bones, a snake. It slithered down her leg, its green body standing out in stark protest to the darkness around her. Its small black eyes stared at her with a soulless intent, and its forked red tongue slid in and out its mouth as if tasting her fear. A startled gasp escaped her as it slithered up over her shirt, coming even closer to her face. As it brushed her neck, dark roses overcame her vision. She had time enough to think, I’m fainting, this is fainting, then the darkness overtook her.