Friday, November 21 - Ekphrasis

Caravaggio: Davide/Galea (1607)

His name is not Inigo Montoya,
This man did not kill my father,
This man did not have six fingers on his right hand.
This man was not prepared to die.
But die he did.

This victorious man, holding aloft a blade,
Faced down his enemy, and laid
down the long arm of the law,
and that last thing that the man saw,
was his life flashing before his eyes.

Who was this man, beaten and slain?
What would we see if we went down his memory lane?
Was he a cruel, psychopathic beast who deserved justice?
Or was he murdered by someone who is completely heartless?
All I know is the dude still standing looks pretty smug about himself.

Jerk.
Or maybe not. Find out here

Thursday, November 20 - Emotions

There is a great and endless war that rages throughout the mind. On one side there is Joy; the light of the conscious, everything that is good and glorious in this world. Joy rules with the hand of justice and peace, leading ever onward with the mind at full strength. On the other there are the combined forces of Fear, Anger, Disgust, and Sadness. They all want to enslave the mind, turn it into a beast that wallows around in misery. They want to rule an oppressed mind that no longer has the strength to fight of it's own enemies. 

There are some days when Joy is stronger, but there are others when Anger, Fear, Disgust, and Sadness are in control. Those are dark days. But Joy, being swept along with happiness and confidence, always rides on and wins the mind back. But always the others will resist. They will not stop until the mind is under their control. Joy knows this, and that it must fight until the eternal darkness when the mind closes forever.

And one day, Anger, Fear, Disgust, and Sadness all approached Joy with a challenge. "Your doom day is coming. In 12 days it will begin. You know that it is coming, and you know that you will never be weaker."

"And what of it? Joy can always be found in the darkness of times."

"But Anger will be felt. The Anger that the mind is abandoned, left alone, doomed to continue on without a guiding hand. Anger that this dooms day has to happen. Yes, Anger is the emotion that will control the mind."

"There will be no anger, for the mind has already accepted the fact that doomsday is coming. Anger, you are too late to take control. There will be no anger, for the mind will not be alone this time. Even if it is, the truth will finally be known, and there is Joy in that."

Anger left in a huff, shouting and screaming abuse to the world and everything in it. Fear came up next, shaking and quivering, and whispered in Joy's ear. "But even you will feel the fear that is coming on doomsday. You know what will happen. You have already gone through this many times; you know what awaits you. You fear the silence and the darkness."

"Fear, you are not strong enough. The mind is ready. It fears no pain, nor blindness, nor loneliness, for it has made preparations.What you say it true, this has happened before. But just like every time, the shadow will always pass."

Fear tried again. "But you fear of more another doomsday! That this is not the end!"

Joy nodded her head. "Perhaps, but part of my being, Hope, allows me to believe that this will finally be an end to this, and there is Joy in that."

Fear jumped away, constantly looking back over his shoulder. Disgust came next, a glutiness blob that tries to consume Joy.  "The mind will be disgusted. This is the final test, we all agreed to this. The mind will be left alone, completely forgotten, and the only thing it feels towards those it once knew is Disgust."

"Yes," Joy agreed, "This is the Final Test, but the mind will not be disappointed. There is already much support for it; it will not be forgotten. It will feel endless gratitude instead of Disgust. And there is much Joy in that."

Disgust rolled away, growling and leaving a trail of slime in his wake. Sadness was last, timid and small, but perhaps the greatest of the minds enemies. It spoke in a soft voice of one who had given up all hope. "If what you say does not come true, then I will rule. The mind will never be in a greater state of depression. I will be all that is left, abandoned in the empty shell that was once a person."

Then Joy stooped down and lifted Sadness's chin. "But what I say is true, I know it this time. Even before when this has happened, I have always emerged on top. Life will always give the mind reasons to be joyful, and one day you will see that your sadness will be shed as the mind finally reaches the end destination. We are not so different, you and I. There are many times when we have worked together, and others when we are the bitterest of enemies. But on this oncoming doomsday, you will see just how wrong you are. For this time, the light will shine all the clearer, and the curtain will be torn, and the darkness will finally pass. And in this case, there is much Joy in that."

Maybe these are the voices you hear, perhaps not. Or maybe you're just schizophrenic. 

Take your pick.

Tuesday, November 18--Treason and Historical Fiction

Today, the government will fall. Since Bloody Monday all the way back in 2022, the new American Empire has ruled the people with an iron fist. All of our former allies have all been betrayed and conquered, Now, a hundred years later, there is very little of the free world that can stand against the big brother government.
My name is Sofa. I know, its an odd name, but my parents wanted something original. Too bad they're not around to call me that. They were killed by the government when they were smuggling me out of the country. I've been living in China for the last 23 years. They have united with Russia to form the Red Band, and they are literally the only ones left that is keeping the American Empire from taking over the world.
Though the Red Band continues to fight on, me and my fellow conspirators, the Order of Fawkes, know that our nation cannot win through strength of arms alone. China and Russia will fall if nothing changes. Therefore, the Order of Fawkes, named after Guy Fawkes of course, had been planning to strike the Empire right in the heart. If we can succeed in destroying the government ruling class and killing the emperor, then maybe the people from all over the world will rise up and fight back.
Of course, the people that we want to kill are the most highly protected on the planet. Washington DC is a military fortress. I don't even know if any civilians are allowed to live there anymore. It's all soldiers and government officials. The place is locked up tighter than a rich man's purse, but my organization has some of the best thieves and assassins the world has to offer. We rather easily left China and landed on America'a eastern coast. We studied an entire company of imperial soldiers outside the city. We were all assigned to impersonate one of them, and we spent months secretly learning their habits and behaviors, and, more importantly, all of the pass codes and information that will get us into the city. When the time was right, we killed them all and took their places. Now with the official patches of imperial soldiers, we have access to the city.
Today, the government will fall. The emperor is meeting with congress today to discuss future actions against the Red Band. Better yet, they were having this meeting in the old capital building. We piled onto four large trucks and headed for the city. My commander managed to bluff our way inside, saying that someone had requested more bodyguards. The imperial soldiers at the gate didn't double check this. Everyone knows what happens to soldiers who bother the congressmen.
Now that we are inside the city, it is finally time for the final plan. To my greatest honor, my commander chose me to lead thirty men to infiltrate the sewers beneath the capital building to set explosives, while the rest of the order patrols the outside like any other guard, making sure that no one escapes.
I lead the men through the sewers and maintenance tunnels underneath the building. Not surprisingly, the area is guarded with drones. I decide that we need to knock them out quickly. Once one goes down, the soldiers up top will know whats going on. I raise my plasma pistol and fire on the drones, turning them into melting slag. "Go! plant as many explosives as you can!" I tell my men, and the scramble off to do my bidding. It isn't long before enemy soldiers start to find us. Before long, there are firefights all throughout the basement. I myself kill four soldiers who got in my way. I feel no remorse; it was these people who had killed my parents. I regroup with the remains of my team, though there are only ten of us left.
"All the charges are set! We must detonate them before the enemy can disarm them!" One of them says.
"Let us head to the surface. Give me the detonator. When we are outside, I will blow this whole place up." The slim stick of metal is pressed into my hands. It gives me great satisfaction to know that the power to end the world as we know it is in my hand. We head out the way we come and exit through a manhole in a street near the capital building.
The second my head emerges from the hole, I am roughly grabbed by the hair and hauled out. From the black uniforms that now surprise me, I know that the imperial soldiers have quickly taken control. The man who grabbed me beats me with the butt of his rifle. I collapse on the ground, but I am still conscious. Through a haze of blood I can see the building, and that most of the order is dead. Those that remain are being executed one by one. I also see that the emperor himself, and all of congress are outside the building, but scattered all over the steps.
Today, the government will fall, but I will die with it. These soldiers will kill me; they never take prisoners. I only have one chance to make everything right before it is too late. my eyes meet with the commander of the order, who lies beaten on the ground nearby. He nods. I can only hope that the emperor is close enough to the building. Just as a soldier raises his weapon to finish me off, I jam my finger down on the detonator. The ground cracks and shakes, a wave of fire washed over all, and then darkness.

Monday, November 17--Found Poem

An hour before sunset
mist-banded fields wheel towards
the forest away.
The Covenant Man I fear.
Twilight at noonday,
but it had happened before.
The Covenant Man I fear.
This sorrow came often,
to be taken by a dragon
into the welcoming glow of home.
The Covenant Man I fear,
before the cold hearth,
in truth, it is not well.
The Covenant Man I fear.


I have no idea what I'm doing
But the Covenant Man I fear.

Friday, November 14--Berlin Wall

For 28 years that wall has stood. 12 feet high and guarded by soviet soldiers, I have never managed to see the other side of my own city. I fought in World War 2 when I was hardly out of my teens, forced into service by Hitler's cruel regime. If that wasn't enough, I surrendered to the wrong side. I should have headed west, because the Americans actually treat their prisoners like human beings. Since the Soviets knew that I was a soldier, they threw me in a labor camp for many years. I'm not ever sure on how many. By the time they let me out, the wall had gone up, and I've barely managed to keep myself fed ever since. All of my friends and family are on the far side of the wall; my younger brother and two sisters. I'm not sure if my parents are still alive; this is how little news it allowed past the guards. My name is Niclas, and today is they day that the wall is coming down.
Though the days of my youth are far behind me, and my strength is starting to fail, it gives me hope that the communist power in Eastern Berlin is starting to fade as well. A handful of the checkpoints between the two cities are rumored to be open. It is said that the government has announced that we can now travel between the two sectors as we see fit.  Now, as we have been doing for the past two months, me and thousands of others are going to march on the wall, but I feel like tonight will be different than all the others.
"DIE Mauer muss weg!" We shout. "Away with the wall! Away with the wall!" There are so many of us, that the guards are afraid. They do not fire their weapons. It is almost like they are just as happy as us to see the wall finally come crashing down. Many of us brought hammers and axes and other heavy tools. Still chanting, we attack the concrete, hacking off chunks at a time. I was given a sledgehammer from one of my neighbors, and I hit the wall with all of my strength. "That one's for Germany!" There is a crack, so I strike it again. "That one's for Berlin!" Small slivers of stone fly in all directions. I rear back with both hands and swing the hammer around for the final time. "That one's for my family!" There is a soft boom, and the whole section of the wall comes crashing down.
Immediately, a thong of people push through from both sides, many crying with joy. I see many families and friends reunited, and even though I have not spotted my own, it makes my heart soar. I have not ever seen so much happiness in all of my life. That night, I believe I saw the best in humanity.

I begin the hunt for my family. It is hard, with thousands of others in every direction I look. But fate must have guided me, because I almost stumble upon not only my siblings, but also my mother! They all look much younger and healthier than I, and I cannot express in words what that reunion meant to me. I hugged and kissed my family for so long, that it felt as if the world had finally stood still to allow me some peace. It was glorious, and I never knew that someone could experience such pure joy before that night. The night the wall came down was the best of my life, giving me the chance to see the family that I could only dream about for so long.

Thursday, November 13--Macabre Art

What do I see in this delightful example of art? Well, kittens and butterflies and happy little children of course. And when I say that, I mean of course not. Actually, I don't think this should be considered Macabre at all, personally. Why? Because I think this image was made to be real representation of something, not just the product of an artist's nightmares.
How is this real? Well, I'm glad you asked. This painting captures the final moments of the starved, beaten, and horribly suffering prisoners of the holocaust. Yes, this is a gas chamber.
Brutal soldiers, people who can hardly be called human, shove their most worthless and tired prisoners into the chamber. They are naked, sick, and almost starved to death. They know the end had come, but there is nothing that they can do about it. They're packed into the concrete bunker like sardines, with barely enough room to stand or turn around. Then the gas is turned on; you can see the fumes clearly in the painting, filling the entire room, while the occupants choke and gasp for air, using whatever oxygen they have left to cry out and beg their captures for mercy, for release. But this is to no avail; their endless suffering is finally ended when the gas squeezes the last of their lives out of their broken bodies. This painting is a mere snapshot of this, the final, painful end to months or even years of the most horrible suffering in the hands of the Nazis.
In my opinion, this is really twisted Macabre, because this was a real fate of 12 million people.

Wednesday, November 12--Haunted House

The quiet little town of Kadoka, South Dakota, was thrown out somewhere in the countryside, founded by people who clearly did not like social interaction. Just like every other small town in the middle of nowhere, Kadoka had its secrets. And in this particular case, the secret was a haunted house. This wasn't some creepy mansion at the end of the street that no one had lived in for a few years; oh no, this was probably the most infamous place in the whole county. Everyone knew the place was haunted, and the sheer creepiness of the place had driven half of the towns population away. Those that remained stayed way clear of the place, leaving the House, as it had come to be called, on one side of town all by itself. 

But just like every small town with a haunted house, there was a group of high school kids who had nothing else better to do than go out and try to get in trouble. It really wasn't all that hard, since there wasn't anyone around to stop them. So one night, this group of five friends, consisting of a Josh, Tim, Sarah, Hannah, and DeTroy Notagenericname decided to go and visit the one place, the one taboo, in their community: the House. 

Only Sarah really protested to this idea, saying, "Wasn't that the home of that cat serial killer? I don't want to go inside there." Everyone in town still shivered at it's worst criminal. The Cat Killer had kidnapped almost every domestic cat in the county and had taken them back to his house. None of the little felines were ever seen again. 

But of course, the group went anyway, completely ignoring the sensible advise that Sarah gave. She decided that she should come along as well, since they would need her as a voice of reason. 

They all arrived at the house around midnight. There was no moon, nor any streetlamps in either direction. The house was merely a shadow smeared on an already black canvas. Now, as all generic horror story teenagers do, they all (except Sarah) took out some cigarette lighters to help find their way. DeTroy, being the boldest of them all, sprang up the front porch and rang the old doorbell. Instead of the simple ding-dong, there was a gong sound that shook the floorboards of the porch.

"Yo, I don't think this is a good idea," Tim said, his nerve failing him. The gong sound persisted, and he almost wet his pants when the door slammed open. 

The stench of the house almost overwhelmed the group at first, but they tosses all of their logic, reasoning, and good sense out the door as they went in. Hannah tripped in the foyer, feeling the soft floor. "Guys, the floor feels really soft. The Cat Killer must have had a good sense in carpet. 

Josh lowered his lighter to the ground, saying, "Yeah, if that includes the pelts of every cat in the town."

Sarah, Hannah, and Tim all screamed and hopped up and down, none of them wanting to touch the floor. 

"You know what would be more fun than exploring this place?" DeTroy said. "Burning this creepy place down."

They all quickly agreed when a few cat skulls rolled down the stairs. They scrambled out of the house and back to the street. Now, however, it was filled with light, for a terrifying ghost head hovered over the house. "Its the Cat Killer!" Tim cried.

"What do you want with us? We don't have any cats or money, but we have women!" Josh cried up to the spirit. 

"Hey!" Cried the girls, but they were ignored.

"I heard that you were going to burn down my house," the ghost said in a whimpering voice. "That's arson, and if you do, I will sue you for everything your parents own!"

"But you're dead! How are you going to hire an attorney?" DeTroy challenged. 

"But, it wouldn't be falling the horror story code! You all enter, die one by one due to your race or social class, and one of you, probably the voice of reason, will make it out alive but will be deemed crazy by society!"

"But why would we ever do that?"

"Because if you don't, then I'll be sure to tell everyone that you're a bunch of losers! You guys want to be cool, don't you?"

"I guess we can't argue with that," Josh said as he, DeTroy, Tim, and Hannah all went inside. Sarah decided that it would be a good time to run. But she tripped and fell down a manhole, so she was never seen again either, because the four teens who went inside surely died some horrible and gory death, but since this story is already long as crap I won't be going into detail. Use your imagination. 

I lied. That's Sarah stumbling into town the next morning. 

Have a good day. 

Friday, November 7--Ew...that's creepy

Simply silent.
Never ending,
crushing, breaking, snapping.
Always silent.

Simply black.
Darkness eternal,
desolate, maddening, terrifying.
Always black.

Simply screaming.
Forever screeching,
biting, burning, piercing.
Always screaming.

Why? Is this your mind in the endless torment?
Your demons closing in around you in the night?
Or is this simply the mind of Helen Keller?
Take your pick.

Thursday, October 30--Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman. Morgan Freeman. These are the true facts of Morgan Freeman.
In the beginning, Morgan Freeman spoke, "Get busy living, or get busy dying," and the universe was thrust into being. Nowadays, this man of legend does far more than act in movies. All those movies that he "acts" as God? Yep. It's really him in the flesh.
You know what we believe to be earthquakes? That's just the Earth shaking in pleasure when it listens to "March of the Penguins."
When Morgan Freeman is hired to narrate a documentary, he speaks, and then nature simply makes it so. If he says that the sun is shining in Mexico, then the sun will come out.
When Morgan Freeman cries, it rains. In heaven.
When he smiles, a unicorn is born.
And when he laughs, an angel gets it's wings.
Morgan Freeman narrated his own birth, saying, "And I, Morgan Freeman, have entered this world to take my rightful place as king."
Don't think that's all he does, oh no. He also narrates the lives of everyone on the planet, including yours. He does his best to make you look dignified even when you are wasted after a night of heavy drinking.
I'm sure you go most of you life without thinking about Morgan Freeman, and most days go by without you ever hearing his name.
But he is most certainly thinking about you.
Morgan Freeman. Morgan Freeman. These are the true facts of Morgan Freeman.

"I like you just the way you are."--Morgan Freeman

PS. Check out Zefrank's real true facts about Morgan Freeman on YouTube.

Tuesday, October 28--Mrs. Reynolds goes to Dollywood

It was a fine, spring day, with the birds chirping in the trees with a healthy breeze flowing through the trees. The beautiful weather inspired Mrs. Sallee Reynolds, the principal of a high school, decided to take a well deserved break from all of the delinquents that she had to deal with everyday.  Since it was gorgeous out, she decided to go where everyone goes when the sun is shining; Dollywood.

So of Mrs. Reynolds went, leaving all of er minions, the Mr. Miller and the Mr. Ash, to do her bidding at the school while she went to the amusement park. When she arrived, however, she found out that every other high school in East Tennessee was having a field trip to Dollywood as well. "Oh, the humanity!" she cried, wondering if she'd ever be able to escape nasty teenagers. She stiffened her resolve, thinking, ''They're not my responsibility, I can just ignore them all." And ignore them she did, even to the extent when they had to dive out of her way when she was looking for a parking spot. She found one that, until that moment, had been occupied by three particularly horrible looking teenagers. She stepped out of her car, took a sharpie from her pocket, and made three marks on the door, along side dozens of others. "Three more for today," she said happily as she headed to buy a ticket.

Once she reached the gates, however, she remembered that she had forgotten her gold pass at home, and there was no way she was going to buy a regular ticket. So, she held her breath as she mixed in with a gang of kids from Karns and slipped in behind one of them before the game could close again. Finally, she was free to do whatever she wanted. She started to skip through the park, knocking ice cream cones out of the hands of children and popping their balloons with a special needle that she carried with her for such occasions. At one point, a pair of security guards were turned on her, but she quickly lost them by diving through another group of teens, this one from Farragut. She coughed and hacked once she reached the other side, self-conscious that she now smelled like a bunch of extra money. Wanting to rid herself of the taint, she rode on the train back and forth until she smelled like burnt coal. Now cleaned of Farragut, she decided it was high time that she hit the roller coasters.

Of course, all of the teenagers wanted to ride these as well, so Mrs. Reynolds was forced to wait in long Disney lines. She was not very patient. She used her special needle to poke and prod people to move her way up to the front of the lines. If anyone complained, she told them that she was a high school principal and that she could do whatever she wanted. By then, she was starting to actually enjoy her little vacation, for she could be mean to teenagers and not get fired for it.

But that joy was short lived. Out of the north came the sound of a hurricane, for there was a hurricane a' comin'. The park was plunged into chaos as the tropical storm ripped through carnival land, devouring hundreds of innocent children and all the teenagers who didn't have the balls to ride real roller coasters. Just as the storm hit, Mrs. Reynolds was in line for the Mystery Mine ride. When she saw the storm consuming all of the children, her long-buried conscious resurfaced, saying that it was her sworn duty to protect them. Deciding to do the right thing for once, Mrs. Reynolds sprang into action. She knew that there was only one thing in all of Dollywood that could stop a hurricane a' comin'. The Tennessee Tornado, is, as the name would suggest, the embodiment of a real tornado. It could harness the winds and the rains of this earth to strike down all the enemies of Dolly Parton. Mrs. Reynolds also knew that if one was to ride it fifteen times in a row, the captured tornado would break free, and, serve all who rode it. Luckily, there was no line, for most everyone had abandoned the park by then. She hopped aboard and strapped herself in, telling the terrified attendant to, "Fire 'er up and keep 'er going!"

The Tennessee Tornado went around and around, faster and faster, until Mrs. Reynolds was going at eye-blurring speed. At the fifteenth time around, she fully expected the ride to turn into the powerful storm of legend. But, to her disappointment, it did not, for that was just a stupid story some kid made up. Now stuck on the ride, with the hurricane coming for her, she decided she regretted nothing from her life. Deciding for one last act of heroism, she used her needle to pick the lock on her restraint. Now freed, she dived right into the eye of the swirling hurricane, screaming, "Leeeeeeeerrrrooooooyyy Jeeeeeennnnnkkkiiiiiinnnsss!" Both her and the hurricane dissolved in a flash from the almighty power of Mrs. Reynolds' last words. But it's not a total lost, for like half of Dollywood was still standing.
THE END

*I have nothing against Mrs. Reynolds, Dolly Parton, or anyone from Karns or Farragut. So please don't get me in trouble.*

Monday, October 27--Fairy Tale Name Poem

S--Sarcastic
N-- Nerdy
O--Obliging
W--Writer

W--Witty
H--Heteroclite
I--Intelligent
T--Tall
E--Enigmatic

Thursday, October 23---That's punny

"Hey Jonathan, you need to stop with the cripple jokes; I can't stand them!" Came the voice of my alter ego, who chose the name Burgle, for some odd reason. I saw him coming from down the hall. The hair on the back of my neck stood straight; I had been issued a challenge. "Why couldn't the bicycle stand up Jonathan? Because it was two tired!"

I understood what this meant. It was to be a pun war. "Then let us duel!" I reply, and so the epic battle began.
My enemy had already thrown two at me, so it was up to me to throw a comeback. "Why do ambassadors never get sick? Diplomatic immunity!"
Burgle evilly laughed, long and loud. "You'll have to do much better than that! Where do you find chili beans?"
"In Chili?"
"No, you idiot, in the North pole!" My opponent laughed again. I was losing, and we both knew it.
"An expert farmer is outstanding in his field!" I shot back.
"That was a total rip-off, like Velcro! You are weak!"
"I got a job at the bakery because I kneaded dough!"
Burgle smirked. "You're getting better, but not nearly strong enough! Cannibals like to meat people!"
"That was stupid! You're about as useful as Anne Frank's drum set!"
"You fool! That wasn't even a pun, just a really horrible joke!"
"It's like the Atlantic and Pacific, I don't sea the difference!" I knew I was started to gain the upper hand; Burgle's grin flickered doubtfully.
"I used to sell computer parts, but I lost my drive," my enemy countered, rebuilding his former strength.
I knew I had to push my advantage while my enemy was weakened. "What do you call a cow with no legs? Ground beef! Old schools never die, they just lose their principals. Where did Noah keep his bees? In the Ark Hives!"
Burgle fell to his knees, driven down by my attack. "Venison for dinner? Oh deer!" he offered meekly.
"What must you know to be a house-salesman? Lots. How did Hitler tie his shoe-laces? In little Nazis. I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me."
Burgled covered his face with his hands. "No more! The pun is too strong in this one!"
"Then you should get on a lower level," I say as I kick him down the stairs. "If your head hearts, then it's because a hangover happens after the grapes of wrath stop by."
I threw down my enemy and smote him at the bottom of the stairwell. The pun war was over, and I was victorious. All of my peers who bore witness to this great event stood in awe, and I gave them a battle speech to raise their spirits. "I see the same fear in your eyes that would take the heart of me! A day may come, when the spirit of men fails, when we forsake all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day. A day may come when the age of men comes crashing down like Burgle, but it is not this day! By the lives of everything you hold dear, draw your sword with me today, for this day we fight! I bid you stand, men, of the West!" And with that, I dove gallantly from the stairwell and charged off into the sunset.

How I saw all of my loyal soldiers. 

All of my peers laughed as soon as I had gone. All they saw was some kid prancing about spitting horrible puns and misquoting the Lord of the Rings. They decided to simply throw me down to a lower level when I came back. And that's the story of how I got my head cracked open by a bunch of sophomores in high school.

How they saw me. 

Tuesday, October 21--Deja Vu

Caroline studied the old man carefully. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something about him reminded her of someone else. But who? Though she was a clever girl, this was one question that she could never answer. For the old man was just an ordinary bloke strolling with his dog down the street. What Caroline did not understand, she had fallen into a deadly mind trap. The viscous and fatal Deja Vu cycle.
The girl blinked, and she saw the old man once again. And, once again, the thought that she had seem him before bounced off of her brain. She had already had this thought three different times in under a minute. She blinked again. And again. And the same thought kept on popping up. Her Deja Vu was out of control; she couldn't separate her mind from the man and his possible doppelgangers. Her head began to ache. It was starting to overload and slow down from the endless waves of Deja Vu. Caroline could not escape; she was too trapped in her own mind. Soon, she was Deja Vu-ing the fact that she was Deja Vu-ing. And then, she became conscious of this, and deja vu-ed the deja vu on the fact that she was deja vu-ing. What was real and what was not? Her eyes could no longer see clearly; there was only the image of the old man walking his dog, and then herself watching the man and the dog from the third person, and then herself watching herself watching the old man, and then herself watching herself watching herself watching the old man.
Caroline did everything she could to break free, but to no avail. She was falling, falling, falling, through the pavement that she had once stood on. Now she was falling through it again, but watching herself do it from the third person. And again. And again. There was a bright light in front of her eyes, and her head hurt so much that she couldn't focus on anything but the pain.
But then the pain was gone.
Caroline opened her eyes, hoping to find herself back on the street, or, at the very worst, heaven. But to her eternal disappointment, she was surrounded by fire and the souls of the damned. Her deja-vu had plunged her into hell. And she belonged there, because she was a horrible person who stalked and murdered old people.
The end.

Thursday October 16--Rain

There is no better weather than a good thunderstorm. It gives someone like me a good excuse to stay inside and be anti-social. Or, sometimes, I do go outside, but just to run around and hope I don't get struck by lightening. For some weird reason, I love the smell of rain on asphalt. Don't ask me why, because I probably couldn't tell you. Rain brings in a chill that drives away the last stuffiness of summer this time of year. It cools down my house enough so I can actually fall asleep at night. The endless drip dripping of the rain outside my window is probably the most soothing sound that has ever reached my ears. It'll put me to sleep at night or during the day I just open up my window and add some life back into my room. Colors always seem to look sharper after a heavy rainfall when the sun comes out. The grey clouds allow me to be cynical in a happy way. Or vice versa. I'm really not sure. But it does make me happy, for reasons that I can't explain. I may just find joy in the wrong ways, but rain usually fits my mood, in a strange sort of way. Of course, rain brings life to basically everything; without it we all would have been nothing more than dust in the wind. Coming from a family who are big farmers, a rain storm in the height of summer can mean the difference between a dried up crop or a successful harvest. The best part is when it gets colder and colder, when the rain turns to sleet and the rain turns to snow, and on those evenings when you're praying to God that the rain turns to snow during the night and you get off school the next day. I live for those evenings, with my fireplace, a good book, and some warm apple cider. And I don't care if this makes me sound old.

In case this was tl;dr, then here's a quick summary. I like rain.

Wednesday, October 15--I remember when...

I remember when I first decided to lift the mightiest weapon on this Earth. I wanted to create something that could topple empires, overthrow gods, and start revolutions. I had used them almost all of my life, and for almost 13 years now I wanted to create one of my own.. Of course, mine isn't likely going to cause the country to collapse or throw the world into chaos. I do hope, however, that it's something that many will remember for the rest of their lives. I remember the day I decided to write a book. And not just one book. Five.
I made this decision to write this story when I was in fifth grade. I began writing at that time as well, and as you could probably guess, they were really, really, bad. Now, with my writing skills significantly more developed, they are vastly improved. And after almost 8 years, I'm still writing new things and revising what has already been recorded. It's the greatest project that I've ever begun, and one of the few that I will finish. Though I may be only halfway done with the most awesomely epic and thrilling and extremely modest adventure that you've ever read, I will always remember the day I began. It's easily one of the most monumental decisions I've ever made in my short life.

Friday, October 10--Pet Peeve

I have many, many, pet peeves. I have so many that I'm not sure if I'm even aware of half of them. But in an attempt to not sound completely cynical, I'll only explain one or two of them. Ok, so I'm sure we all have those friends who make plans or discuss previous parties and events in front of you that they didn't invite you to. I have a lot of them. And it drives me crazy. IF you didn't want to invite me to your party, then fine, it's not a big deal. But if you talk about it in front of me and say how awesome it was, it just feels like I'm being mocked. What makes it even worse is when someone says, "Dude you should've been there!"
And I reply, "Well, I would have, if you had invited me."
This happens to me all the time. I'm fairly certain that I hear about more parties that my friends have more than being actually invited to them. It makes you feel super unwanted, and it's kind of a slap to the face in the sense that I really don't have much of a social life, and these people aren't making it any better.
Lesson: if you want to talk about a party or something, don't do it in front of people who expected to be invited but weren't.

Tuesday, October 7--the Flip Side

They're lying to me.
They didn't care that I couldn't see.
I was gone for weeks, blinded and alone.
And not a single message showed up on my phone.
They say they are my friends, but they gave no support.
I might as well have been locked up in some inescapable fort.
In the time I needed them the most, I was abandoned.
And my ship of trust hasn't landed,
on the shores of anyone ever since
I was left alone as the one-eyed prince.




We aren't lying to you;
We've been struggling with this too.
We've noticed you absence, and you've not been alone.
Yes, there have been some messages sent to your phone.
We did the best that we knew how, to give you all of our support,
But to us its seemed as if you've locked yourself up inside your personal fort.
You kept us away, not talking to anyone.
And just to have you know, everyone
had been hoping for the best,
and truthfully, this is no jest.

Monday, October 6--Persona Poem

A day in the very complicated mind of Kanye West

I think I will do something for myself today,
just like every other day .
Why should this day be any different?
Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me.
I really love that word.
Everyone should love me as much as I love myself.
I am the most talented music artist out there.
I am also not a gay fish.
Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me.
I don't care if you're in a wheelchair.
You better stand up when I tell you to.
Because I'm Kanye West, and I own this world.
I wonder if I can name a country after me.
I gave my son a name that he will always love me for.
Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me.
Oh, I guess Kim is there too.

Oh, don't give me that look

Wednesday, October 1st--Fairy Tale Characters

Aurora is sleeping beauty?

I never saw that movie.

My mother said that it would scare me.

I hardly know anything of the story.

All I know is that some girl pricks her finger,

and for some reason, that basically kills her.

This all happens because some witch without any hair

is all jealous or something because she isn't very fair.  

From out of the blue comes Prince Charming of course,

on top of some silly white horse.

He has to do the whole 'True Love's Kiss' thing 

Otherwise Aurora will forever be sleeping.

So Prince Charming goes off to fight the evil witch,

Who can turn into a dragon, which is a bit of a hitch.

In the story, I believe he wins, but let's be honest:

That dragon would have killed him dead. 

He dies here. Sorry. Aurora stays asleep.

Thursday, September 25th--Bad Mistake

At this point in time, there is only one huge mistake I can think of, and I really, really, really, really, really, don't want to talk about it. Oh, you wanted to hear about it? Well, too bad, because my lips are sealed. This is one story that none of you will never, ever know. So stop asking.
If I must write about a mistake, for the sake of my grade, then I must think of something a little more mediocre. I've made many mistakes in my lifetime, but for some reason my mind is blank right now. I have more important things on my mind right now, and I suppose, now that I think about it, I could turn this into a very large, very possible mistake.
My Grandpa, my super awesome grandpa, has been very sick lately and has developed a tumor on the front of his brain. For a while, it wasn't that big of a deal, as tumors go. He couldn't taste or smell, but besides that, he was doing pretty well. Now, with a bad case of Shingles in his eye and ear (meaning he can't read or hear very well), the tumor appears to be causing him immense amounts of pain. Right now as I'm writing this, we don't know for sure what is wrong, and we don't know how serious this is.
The point I'm trying to make is that he may be gone soon, and I will never be able to speak to him again. The mistake that I might have made is that I always took our time for granted, because he has been fairly healthy for as long as I can remember. For the last few times that I've seen him, I was too busy or involved with other problems of my own to really talk to him, and that is one of the worst things I have done. My grandpa is the one of the greatest and the wisest man I have ever known. There are many, many things that I wish I could talk to him about, and he could always make me laugh or cheer me up, because his mind is as sharp as a tack. Now, with the current circumstances, I may have lost my chance forever. And if he doesn't get better, this is one mistake I can never fix.
Moral of the story: if you still have your grandparents, spend as much time with them as you can. They will show you much about the world and about yourself, and its always worth your time to listen to them.

Wednesday, September 24th--Enduring Quality

To be frank, I have no idea what my enduring quality is. These are the kind of things that need to be asked to other people, because I will always be biased in my favor. But if I were to guess, I would say that my most lovable quality is the ability to make people laugh. Usually, I just open my mouth and I say something, and people start to laugh. Whether they're laughing at me or with me I'm not sure, but the point is I amuse people by doing practically nothing at all. I guess I have the gift to cheer anyone up, especially if they're having a bad day, or if we're all going through some tough times together. Now that I think about it, I'll do almost anything, no matter how stupid it makes me look, if it makes a sad person laugh, and I do something like this on a regular basis. If it makes them smile, then that's all that matters.

Tuesday, September 23rd--Strange Fruit

The Ranacanda Fruit is said to only grow high up the slopes of the Fret Mountains in the lands of Aton. These mountains, with their summits reaching far into the clouds, are not only located in Aton, but also across the Northern Sea where the Wild Folk live. Those tribes are the only ones who have access to this legendary fruit, and no one from our side of the sea has set eyes on one in over a hundred years.
The Ranacanda Fruit is said to look like a pink and blooming flower, which turns green when it ripens. It is said to be softer than silk, and the very skin of this fruit is almost worth its weight in gold. Some even say the Wild Folk have made fine clothes from the skin, but they are very reluctant to sell these goods across the sea. This skin is not edible; what's inside is what can be eaten.
Once the fruit has been sliced open, it releases the scents of all the finest things in this world. Some even say that it changes from person to person, depending on their preference. I would imagine that I would smell a pine woods in mid-winter, or the smell of the Western Sea. It is easy to tell when the fruit is ready to eat, for the inside will be as white as snow. If there are any black dots, then it is not ready, and some believe that it would be harmful to consume.
The inside is hard and smooth, and must be pried out with a specially built knife, a technique that was lost to our people eons ago. Once the interior is removed from the skin, you must suck on it like a candy, for it would break your teeth if you tried to bite down on it. You may say that sucking on a fruit would be a rather odd experience, but legend says that within seconds of putting it in your mouth, the fruit dissolves with a very sharp taste, almost like licking a chunk of ice from a frozen pond. It does not have the best of after-tastes, but some property of the fruit completely restores the energy of whoever eats it. It is said that you could be an inch from death, or about to collapse from complete exhaustion, and the Ranacanda Fruit would fill their body and soul with renewal. This is why it is prized above all other fruits, and the most valuable item to even come from beyond the North Sea.

Wednesday, September 17th-Alphabet Soup

A great castle stood upon the hill, mighty and majestic.
Built to withstand any attack, it was the center of power in the Mirate Kingdom
Crown of the North, the High Lord Elsinore, resided in this powerful fortress.
Death awaited all enemies of the Mirate Kingdom, for the castle could not be broken.
Everything changed one winter, when the castle stood out as an island of stone among a sea of snow.
Five kings of the south had united against the tyranny of the Crown of the North.
Gathering their combined armies, they marched to the Mirate Kingdom to declare their freedom. High Lord Elsinore saw his enemies coming, marching forward from all sides to surround his castle.
Instantly, the tyrant ordered his own army to defend his castle, but he was confident in his victory.
Just because the armies of five nation were against him did not mean his walls would fall down.
Knives, swords, axes, and all manners of weapons were raised into the air as the five armies chanted.
Loud and clear, they cried, "Death to the Crown of the North! Down with the Mirate Kingdom!"
Most of the defenders laughed, believing that they were safe behind the great walls of the castle.
None of them, not even High Lord Elsinore, expected the five armies to attack so fast.
Over the walls came countless grappling hooks, and the southern host began to climb upwards.
Placing his bowmen at the top of the walls, Elsinore ordered them to fire upon the attackers.
Quiver after quiver was fired into the attackers, but the united armies kept advancing.
Running low on arrows, the bowmen retreated just as the attackers reached the top of the wall.
Surely it was impossible! Enemy soldiers had reached the top of the walls! The castle was in danger!
The defenders who remained tried to fight, but they were heavily outnumbered by the five armies.
Undermining the castle's huge gates, the southern host poured into the snowy courtyard.
Veterans from the south cut through the pike men behind the gate, leaving only the keep left to take.
Worried greatly, the High Lord Elsinore tried to escape by a secret entrance, but was quickly caught.
Xis times the High Lord Elsinore was bound in chains and cast into the dungeons.
Yelling their victory to the sky, the armies conquered the castle that was thought to be unbreakable.
Zeal it was that overthrew the tyranny of the Crown of the North, bringing freedom to all lands that were once under the cruelty of the Mirate Kingdom.

Tuesday, September 16th- The Spoon's Perspective

I will never forget that day, no sir. It seems like so long ago, but also just yesterday at the same time. Perhaps it is because the horrors I went through that day I go through on a regular basis. But the first time is always the worst.
The Masters came and bought me and my fellow brethren from our city, known as Sears. We were brand new and shiny, ready to serve, as all our kind are called to do. We were taken to the home of our Masters, and we were separated by race. The forks were placed in one place, and the knives in the other. To my relief, I was placed with other spoons like me. Forks are okay to hang out with, but knives can be vicious and violent, and they have a nasty habit of slicing other folk. Anyway, I was with my own kind in the drawer, and we could here the forks talking the next container over, and the knives dueling in the next. I talked and made a few friends that day. I thought that this new life wasn't too bad; all we had to do was sit in a drawer all day. How wrong I was.
I few hours later, the drawer opened, and one of the Masters reached in and suddenly picked me and several others up. I closed my eyes as I was lifted high in the air; it was easily the most terrifying point in my life up to that point. I was one of the lucky ones, however, as one of the forks was dropped to the floor, a whole four feet down. To this day, I'm not sure if he made it.
What happened next was even worse. The Masters used us to shovel their food into their disgusting mouths! That experience was beyond describing, it was so horrible. The stench, and careless dropping on the table, truly awful. It rattled my brain, and I dearly wished to be back in the drawer, or even back at Sears. After the meal was finished, I thought that the Masters would put me back in the drawer, but a fork who had been with this family for a long time told me to brace myself, for we would have to be washed first. I didn't really see a fault in that. I felt filthy, and I'm sure I reeked. A bath is just what I needed. The Masters dropped all of the brethren they took out of the drawer in a basket on the inside of  a special, silver cabinet. We were all crammed together in there, especially when all the fat plates and glasses were added. One of the Masters poured some white stuff in the door, and then they closed it, placing us all in darkness.
As soon as the door was closed, all of us new ones cried out in terror, and I'm not ashamed to say that I was one of them. To make matters worse, water came flying from everywhere, getting in my eyes and mouth. Soap came next, blinding me and getting caught in my throat. I thought I was going to drown in this watery hell, but everything got even worse. Everyone was crying and choking, and I couldn't even see my friends in front of me. I was sure that everyone was going to die. Maybe one of us had angered the Masters in some way, and we were all to suffer? What had I done to deserve this? This was not a bath: it was torture.
Another hour later, the door opened again, and I think everyone was too tired or knocked out to care. We were all placed back in the drawers, and everyone who hadn't already fainted fell into an uneasy sleep. This was my new life, and I realized that then. The life of a spoon is not all fun and games. I hope the Masters appreciate our daily sacrifice.

Monday, September 15th-What the deuce?



Let's say that this woman in the front is Marie, and she's the fairest lady in all the village. She's so popular, in fact, that she has her own personal band that follows her around wherever she goes. There's a trained and posh goat who plays the cello, and then there is little boy blue who isn't playing a trumpet, but a clarinet looking thing. There's also a chicken, but everyone knows that chickens don't play instruments, so it's just there to sing. So Marie here walks around town after nightfall, because she's so fair that she actually glows. The chicken sings her praises and the goat and little boy blue play in the background. Of course, since Marie is the most attractive lady in the village, most of the men are after her. They send her flowers, friendly letters, and some have even managed to take her on picnics to the lake. No one, however, was so determined to win her hand than Tim. This guy stalked her wherever she went, sometimes jumping out of alleys and hay bales just to sniff her hair and creepily grab her. I think that's what he's supposed to be doing. Of course, this behavior frightened Marie, and she prayed to the great Fish God, who flied around on a big, red kite ringing a bell--signals his oncoming wrath--to come and save her. So, just when Tim is up to his usual stunts, the Fish God is swooping down from the sky to smite him down, while the private band plays endlessly in the background. I guess this is when Marc Chagall stumbles upon everyone, and he saw an opportunity to paint and he took it. Either he walked around the corner at the exact right time to witness the creepiness of Tim and the wrath of the Fish God, or Chagall was really high on LSD when he painted this thing. Take your pick.

Tuesday, September 9th-Film review

The movie that I will be discussing today is Hugo, and don't expect much because it was really pathetic. And this is coming from someone who only saw the trailer years ago and is currently looking at a movie poster. Basically, from what I understand it, this little kid, I would imagine that is name is Hugo, loses his dad who was some technological genius or something. Well, the dad leaves his kid some key thing that goes to one of his inventions, and I think it's some kind of robot or something, so I guess that's pretty scientific, since it's set in like 1900. The dad though doesn't tell his son where to find the robot, or at least not directly, so he has to go on some quest or something to find it. And from looking at the poster, I'm going to guess that it is in the big clock tower that the kid is hanging from. Why he is hanging from the thing, I can't imagine. There's probably some bad guy who's after the key who put him there; maybe it's the station master who's running after Hugo and some girl for like half of the whole movie trailer. But station masters don't make good villains, but then again, I think that this is supposed to be a kids movie. But yeah, Hugo meets some girl along the way, and I guess there is supposed to be some little kid love story, because they're like ten or something. They run away from the station master guy at the train station a bunch, so I guess they go on together to find this robot thing in the clock tower. Oh, so the station master dude is on the poster along with the two kids, so I guess he is the bad guy. In short, it's this little kid who is looking for his dad's robot that's hiding in a big clock tower that requires this key thing, and he meets up with this girl and they run around a train station and make the station guy all mad at them, so he continues to chase after these kids for no reason. I think it is also safe to assume that they find the robot thing in the end. This may or may not be the plot of this movie at all, and since I am not a movie critique whatsoever and haven't even seen the film, you should probably take my opinion with a grain of salt.

Wait, this is the wrong Hugo. I would imagine that the movie would have been better if they cast this guy.

See? There's the two kids, the clock tower, and the station master, so he's got to be the bad guy. I'm assuming that the old dude is Hugo's dad or something, because what other purpose would he have in this movie?

Monday, September 8th-America, Fairyville?

Isabelle darted through the trees; she was a single glowing speck that flashed by in a blur. She was off to the Garden; one of the last secret hideouts of the fairy-folk in the Western World.  She had to be quick, and she had to be careful; humans were steadily developing the woods around the Garden, and it would not be long until the safe-haven itself was breached. Isabelle tried her best not to think about the future in that aspect.
When she was young, there were very few humans in these mountains. Those that did openly knew about the existence of fairies, and both peoples had a healthy respect for each other. The humans would hunt and live peacefully in the woods, and the fairies would simply keep out of their way. But then, the invaders came, from a far distant world across the great sea. They fought the native humans, driving them off, and proceeded to cut down the forests and digging up the mountains for coal. The fairies began to lose their homes and lives, so they decided, as the last great alliance of Fairy-folk in their ancient capital of Ssenva, to fight back. Fairies, being only a few inches tall, could not physically combat the invaders. But they could attempt to drive them mad. If they found any invaders they found on the frontier, they would steal their gold, pinch them in their sleep, and cause all amounts of mischief until the invaders would leave.
It did not take long for these invading humans to strike back. Fairies were hunted in the night, found by their unmistakable glow. Those who were captured would be placed in glass jars and were used as lights, or were forced to turn dust into gold, as these fairies were able to do. The greatest blow fell when Ssenva, housed in a small grove of huge trees high in the mountains, were sought and cut down. After that, the remaining fairy-folk fled to separate hideouts, as far from the invaders as they could get.
But now, over 300 years later, there were very few fairies that still remembered the golden days of their race. Those who were alive in those days, fairies such as Isabelle, were often the leaders in the local havens. Isabelle was in charge of the Garden, and it was one of three hideouts were the fairies still fought on against the invaders.
Isabelle reached the Garden; it was a hidden pool and waterfall deep in the woods, a place that no humans had ever set foot in. There, over a hundred other fairies met with her, and they all gathered on top of the large stone that sat in the middle of the pool. There, in the growing dusk, they each told of their actions against the invaders. They would stall the humans' traveling machines, pull plugs out of walls and houses, knock down telephone poles (this was a mighty effort that required many of the fairy-folk), and taking many of the humans communication devices and other small items and dropping them into the rivers. Though this annoyed their targets greatly, the humans had forgotten entirely about the fairies that still lived in their lands; they believed that all of these misfortunes were all human errors, and had nothing to do with small, flying pixies. Being forgotten did not truly bother Isabelle and her remaining fairies at the Garden, but they were endlessly frustrated that despite their best efforts, they could not force the invaders out of their lands. All they could do was make the humans' lives miserable, and they were going to strive to do that until the time of the fairy-folk was at an end.

Friday, September 5th-Aliens in Egypt

It was the first night of King Tutankhamen's rule; a boy of only nine years, one who needed a cane to walk, sat on the throne of Egypt. In the year 1333 BC, it was one of the most powerful kingdoms in the world. The pyramids had already been been built for over a thousand years, and to King Tut, it symbolized a time during the Old Kingdom, when Egypt was at the height of its power.
That night, as King Tut retired to his father's old bed chambers in the city of Akhetaten, he found that there was something already waiting for him. Standing near the window with it's back to the door was a figure that must have been a God. It was a monstrous, black cat, and King Tut knew at once that if this figure was not a God himself, than he was a messenger from them. King Tut promptly fell to his knees and bowed to the ground.
"I am Zargo; the Great Cat," said the being at the window. "You are now the King of Egypt. It is your responsibility to once again bring praise to me as your God, for your fathers have changed the ways of this land into heresy."

King Tut was terrified; it seemed as if the Gods were angry. "What must I do to earn your favor?"

"You must return your court to the city of Thebes and leave this place abandoned. There, you must restore the God Amun and the old ways and rebuild the temples. For this, your people will thank you."

"I will do as you say, I will give my orders in the morning!"

"Good," Zargo said as he turned around. King Tut shrank away from the horrible red eyes. "I used to walk among the stars, but I have stayed here so that man can serve me, in replacement of their precious Gods."

King Tut was confused. "But do you not serve the Gods? Are you not a messenger from Amun?"

"No, foolish human. I am the only God that your people need, the one who came from beyond the stars with all the knowledge in the universe. However, I understand that the common folk must keep their faith of the old Gods, or they will never transition to me," Zargo spoke with a deep monotone, completely emotionless. "Build the temples in Thebes to these other false deities. But you must also build a great temple to me, so that the people will know that there is a new Chief God. If you do this, than you will be greatly rewarded. One of your predecessors understood the value in worshiping me, and I rewarded him with a great tomb, one that will stand forever on this Earth."

"The Great Pyramids? If I do as you say, then you will build me one?" King Tut said hopefully. He would like nothing more than to be encased in such a glorious place forever.

"If it is what your tiny mind desires most, then yes, if you obey me." Zargo stepped back to the window. "You will never see me again after this night, and to pursue me means death. I, however, will always me watching you, and you will be greatly rewarded if you begin a new religion in my name!" With that, the Great Cat vanished in a flash of yellow light.

Of course, King Tut did what the new God said. He immediately traveled to Thebes and began to rebuild the Gods of the older ways. But, as young boys tend to do, forgot about building a temple in the name of Zargo and worshiping his name. And so it was only within ten years that the Great Cat broke his promise, and he appeared in a flash of light in front of Tut, once again in his bedroom.

Tut was now a young man, and with his age came arrogance. He was no longer afraid of this entity that stood before him. "You did not do as I command. You have forgotten to spread my name."

"And what of it?" Tut sneered.

"Your reign and line will end. Your kingdom will fall and fail until my name is known throughout the land, and the Great, Black Cat will be the only God of this little land," Zargo droned, speaking in his emotionless tone.

"And what will you do to me?" King Tut said, clearly not taking the cat seriously.

The tip of Zargo's long tail twitched. Then, with eye-blurring speed, the cat lunged forward and grabbed the king by the throat. He forced the human's mouth open and breathed into him, transmitting to him Malaria, and other horrendous diseases. Tut tried to scream and twist out of the cat's grasp, and he felt the sickness spreading throughout his body. Then, Zargo practically threw the king out of his window, and he fell to the ground, breaking his leg and shattering his knee. He also, unfortunately, fell in the path of a passing chariot.
Zargo knew that the deed was done, and he vanished once again. He would wait for a few hundred years before returning to this superstitious land, and then his name would be spread and finally worshiped.

Wednesday, September 3rd-Newspaper Article Re-Write

Military Setbacks Rattle Synol

Tyrn, the capital city of Synol

            Military forces in Synol have recently announced that they are being forced to change their strategies in fighting the Insurrectionists. According to a military official from Tyrn, the capital city on Synol, the military is lessening off on the Insurrectionists and is preparing for an all-out invasion from the Soman Empire.  

      In recent months, the primarily human colony of Synol has been battling a growing rebellion against Soman Empire sympathizers. The Insurrectionists, as the Synol government has grown to call them, have taken over the residential capital of Carth on the planet’s southern continent. From there, they also control the colony’s second largest space-port. The colony is located in the Laret System in the Incarte Nebula, which is only a few light years away from the Soman Empire border. In fact, it is the nearest colony to the Empire, or at least until the plans for an additional colony is approved in the Syll System on the far edge of the Incarte Nebule.

            The Synol military has taken several devastating blows lately. Their forces have been entirely pushed off of the southern continent, losing their foothold into enemy territory. It has been reported that a small battle group of destroyers hammered the once government controlled cities from low orbit, forcing the Synol military to retreat. The government claims that the rebels do not have the military spaceships and the attack must have been supported by the Soman Empire itself. There have been several unconfirmed  reports that Imperial troops were spotted on the ground, and that there is a fleet of up to 400 vessels over the planet’s south pole. The Synol military has no more than fifty warships, and have not risked an attack on this rumored enemy fleet.

            As a human colony, the Synol government is appealing to the Interstellar Human Alliance (IHA) to send both a fleet and an army to help defend the planet. They claim that they are being slowly invaded by the Soman Empire, and it is an open act of war. The IHA has been slow to respond with action. Several negotiations with the Somans have taken place, but they continue to deny in taking any part in the recent actions on Synol. Also, the colony has yet to be approved and admitted under the protection under the IHA, and as a new and under-developed colony, the Alliance is debating whether or not they want to risk open war to save a planet that is not of much strategic value.  However, an Alliance ambassador has visited the rest of Synol’s neighbors in the Laret System. These other colonies are all fully under the protection of the IHA, and the ambassador has declared that no Soman forces will attack these other colonies, at risk of a full-fledged war. The IHA has also appealed to the InterGalactic Republic for assistance in case the Soman Empire ignores these warnings. However, the Republic, along with the IHA, is still rebuilding from the recent Yarrew War, and there is little that they can send to Synol in support. The Soman Empire was also our allies during the Yarrew War, and the Republic is not yet willing to return to old hostilities between the two nations.

This is the fleet rumored to have been given to Cownal to protect the Laret System

            Just yesterday, the IHA has commissioned Admiral Cownal with a fleet totaling 5000 ships to protect the Laret System in case of an invasion. The Soman Empire once again denied any involvement, but it also continues to contradict the numerous reports coming from Synol. The president of the IHA herself is planning to visit the Soman Capital to end this situation without violence. If the negotiations fail, then it will force both the IHA and the Republic to respond with action. 

Friday, August 29-Two Moons

"Guys, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," Joseph said as the team opened the top hatch of the submarine to look around. Two gigantic moons hovered in the sky; one was pearly white, but the other was dark blue. There were also thousands upon thousands of stars to be seen, far more than any place on Earth.

"It's beautiful," Kathy said, squeezing up alongside Joseph.

"Could you two make some room?" Came a voice from below. Kathy and Joseph quickly jumped out of the way as the team leader, Daniel, and the other two crew members, Tom and Sarah, emerged on top of the submarine.

There was silence for a long time as the five people sat on the wet hull of their submarine, staring off into the infinite depths of space. "Does anyone have any idea where we are?" Tom asked, but no one answered him. They were all too busy examining the skies, except for Daniel, who was already trying to work out the dilemma on how to get back.

"We need to find land," he muttered, scanning the horizon. "We need to find some intelligent life, whatever that may be, and find out what is going on."

"But which direction should we go?" Sarah asked. "I can't see anything but water." The whole team stood up carefully and looked about, but none of them saw anything promising.

"There has to be land somewhere," Kathy reasoned. "We should start heading in some direction; wherever we go, we should strike land eventually."

"But how long will that take? We don't have that much supplies. We were only supposed to pick up some coral samples, not be out on the ocean for weeks," Daniel said angrily, upset that he couldn't find an easy solution to the problem he was now stuck in.

"Land could literally be just out of sight," Joseph argued. "We might as well try. I don't fancy being stuck out here until we die of thirst."

"Or we could just head back down," Kathy reasoned. "We must have gone through a portal of some kind. Maybe it can take us back the other way." Understandably, this struck them all as a great idea, so they all headed back down into the belly of their sub. Once the hatch was sealed, they dove deep into the waters.

"How deep were we when we first got here?" Daniel asked.

"Can't say. It looks like all of our sensors are still malfunctioning," Joseph reported from his station. The sub went ever deeper, until they could all feel the pressure starting to become extreme.

"We didn't go this deep. If we were going to go through it, we would've done it by now. Bring us back up to the surface," Tom advised, and Daniel took the submarine out of it's dive and slowly ascended back to the surface. On the journey back up, no one spoke. They were all too worried on what they would do if they hadn't made it back.

The sub broke the surface, and there was a scramble to get out of the top hatch. Tom was the first one through, and he swore loud enough for everyone to hear him. "There's still two moons! It didn't work!"

"What are we going to do know?" Sarah asked.

"Do what Kathy suggested. We pick a direction and hope for the best," Daniel decided. They picked what they guessed was west and started prowling through the ocean into the distant horizon.

To be continued..though probably not

Thursday, August 28-Space, 2199

The Interstellar Human Alliance was flourishing by the turn of the 23rd century. It was spread from the Horse Head Nebula to Simonic Cluster and everywhere in between. And in the center of this galactic community was Earth, the crown and jewel to the human empire. At it's head was President Sevester Hank, a very vain man who believed that he was the one who had lead the IHA to greatness, even though it was his predecessors who are to thank for such prosperity. 

Besides the incompetent leader, it seemed that the IHA was heading into the middle of a golden age. Not since the first contact war and victory over the Alusion Hierarchy back in 2143 had there been such wide-spread joy. But a certain discover by Nora, the head of the Alliance's Science Association, was about to change that forever.  

A very flustered and frightened looking Nora finally, after weeks of calling old friends and pulling strings, was given an audience with President Hank. She was ushered into his private office in the ever-growing metropolis of Washington DC. It was easily the size of a space cruiser, with paintings of Hank covering the walls, with some of them even placed over previous leaders of the IHA. There was a great, towering statue in the very middle that showed Hank leading the space navy to battle against the Alusion Hierarchy, even though he was barely alive at the time.

President Hank sat behind his desk with his feet up, looking just as smug as he always did on TV. He stood up as Nora approached and held out his hand, saying, “Good to meet you. I’m sure that his must be a great pleasure for you.”

Nora returned the handshake, but reluctantly. “Yes, sir, I’m sure it is. But today I don’t have the time for niceties. We have an enormous problem breaching on the horizon.”

“And what problem is that, my dear?” Hank said.

“We have to prepare for an empire-wide evacuation,” Nora replied, getting straight to the point.

“And why is that, my dear?” Hank said, sounding as if he couldn’t care less. Nora had the sudden urge to smack the smug grin off of the president’s face.

Nora placed a holo-projector down on the desk and pressed a button. A 3-D model of the galaxy appeared, floating in front of her eyes. “The black hole in the center of our galaxy is expanding at an unprecedented and unforeseen rate. The causes are still to be determined, but it shows no sign of stopping. We estimate that in a matter of years, it will consume the entire galaxy.”

“And what of it? It wouldn’t dare reach Earth and harm the planet where I live,” Hank snorted. He seemed entirely unconcerned at the fact that his empire was doomed.

“Sir, you do understand what a black hole is, correct? It is not a sentient being that fear your name. It is a space anomaly that will destroy the entire Milky Way Galaxy whether you like it or not.” Nora was fast losing patience with Hank. Did he not understand the danger?

“Well, when the stupid thing gets to close, I’ll send in the space navy. We have over a thousand ships now; they can take care of it.”

Nora slammed her fist down on the desk, making Hank jump. “No, they won’t! You’d be sending them all to their deaths! And if they’re that stupid to follow your orders, than they probably deserve it,” she added under her breath.

“Well, then I’ll be sure to have my shuttle ready. We’ll just fly away when it gets to close.” Hank seemed disappointed that he couldn’t just throw his fleet at the problem to make it go away.

“And what about the three and a half trillion citizens under your rule?”

“What about them?” Hank said, pulling out a holo-projector of his own and started to play a game on it.

Nora picked it up and threw it across the room before shouting in the president’s face. “Those people are your responsibility! You have to organize a galaxy-wide evacuation before it is too late! And why you’re at it, add more funding into my inter-galactic space travel project! We’re going to need to know how to cross the dark space before this all happens!”

“No one is leaving anywhere! There is an election coming up, and if no one is in their designated voting areas, then I won’t be re-elected!” Hank roared, becoming very purple in the face. Nora simply turned around and left the office. She decided that it was wasting her now insanely valuable time by speaking to that idiot. If he wouldn’t listen to her, maybe the vice-president would. If Hank wasn’t going to save the galaxy, then it would be up to her. 

Wednesday, August 27-Animal Invention

It's common knowledge that most animals can see in the dark. It's also common knowledge that we humans are absolutely horrible at it. If there is one thing that we should take from the animal kingdom is to develop a way to see in the dark.
Cats can do this, so why can't we? We already have infra-red night-vision goggles that give the user a greenish and still not very clear view of the night. But these are expensive and cumbersome, and there needs to be a better way.
Basically, we could invent a special kind of contact of glasses that allow humans to see as well in the dark as animals can. There already are those special glasses that darken when the sun is out and such, so we should be able to invent something that basically does the opposite. If you were out at night, all you would have to do is make sure you had contacts in our slip on some glasses. Or, even better, humans could undergo some kind of cataract surgery where doctors insert a special lens straight into the eye that allows humans to have exceptional eyesight in both the dark and light permanently. Something like this would greatly benefit the human race and make us a whole lot cooler. It's either this or we have to invent those super awesome jet-pack things from Captain America 2. With those, humans could fly basically anywhere they want without having to deal with airport security and all of that garbage. Combine these things with night vision contacts, and we wouldn't have to rely on roads or cars anymore, as long as you weren't going any great distance.
I think these are great ideas, but feel free to disagree. But I don't think the animal kingdom has much more to offer us than personal flight and seeing super well in the dark.

These things. We need these.

Tuesday, August 26-Concert

How did I allow my brother to convince me to come to the Linkin Park concert? Don't get me wrong, I love Linkin Park, as well as almost any other kind of music that you can think of. What I don't enjoy, however, are concerts in the slightest.
I stand next to my brother a good many rows from the stage. Of course, everyone else in front of us are standing too, so I can hardly see anything. All I see are a thousand fists in the air and bright lights and lasers that randomly flash across my vision. Most people don't go to a concert for the sole purpose of seeing the band, but when you can't see them at all, it kind of diminishes the excitement.
The place is also far too crowded. People on all sides jostle me, and if we weren't so packed together I probably would have fallen down by now and would've been trampled.  Claustrophobia has been creeping up on me for some time, but it's an hour into the concert and I'm not so sure that I'm going to make it much longer. Someone's elbow drives into my ribs, and I have to resist the temptation to shove back. My personal space bubble has been popped the moment I walked through the doors, and it doesn't show any sign of coming back anytime soon.
Of course, and you can call me old for this, but the noise is a little too much. Everyone around me, especially the girls, are screaming endlessly in my ear. I'm starting to think that they do not need to breathe at all when they are excited; it never ends. They are so loud that I can barely understand the band, even though the are loud enough to give you hearing problems in the future. It's just an endless symphony of clashing and banging and shrieking in my ears, and I can't distinguish who from what and what from who. What's the point of going to a concert if you can't hear anything that the band is playing, let alone understand it? The drummer is being a little too enthusiastic; he is almost drowning out even the girls' screams. When he clashes against the symbols, I feel like someone just stabbed a needle through my eardrum. This is not very enjoyable at all, I'm not ever sure how I'm thinking about what I'm complaining about. It's like my mind is still trying to retrain some sanity and thought and this concert keeps barging in and taking everything over. Of course, my thoughts don't go down that easily, so they fight back, like they clearly are now. Now my head is a war-zone, and it results in a crushing headache. That it turn aggravates my weak eye, making me start to feel sick. The bass in my chest, though a cool sensation at first, is combining with my headache and is making me feel nauseous. I can't stand the noise, the shoving, or the random blinding lights anymore. Once the song ends, I manage to shout into my brother's ear and tell him that I'm really not feeling good. Like the good brother he is, we leave the concert to my ultimate relief. I can't believe I blew thirty bucks just to come to an hour of sensational assault. Music should be enjoyed by oneself, or with a small group of people. After all, music triggers each person's emotions differently, and my emotions just can't stand being crammed in with all those other people's feelings.

Monday, August 25-Literary Character

Today, I think, I am going to cheat. Well, not really, just sort of. Of all the fictional characters that I can think of, I would rather bring one from my own books. So that's what I shall do.

This particular character is named Da'veran. His odd name comes from the fact that he is a Domest, a feline, warrior race that is the backbone of interstellar government. They can grow as big as lions, and as small as dogs, but are fierce, proud, and loyal to the end.

Da'veran is a member of a secret society, known as the Order of the White Robe, which is an organized force of Domest wizards that do their best to cleanse the darkness from the universe. Obviously, to be a member of this organization, one has to be a wizard, and Da'veran is one of the best.

Now, if I could bring Da'veran into the real world, it is not just because of his powerful magical abilities. He is calm and cool-headed, and his age has brought him lots of wisdom and experience. He would be a truly loyal and handy companion to have around. To make this story character enter the real world, I think I in turn will have to write a story.

The day was going perfectly well and ordinary, as most Saturdays do. I was doing nothing in particular, trying to fix one of the mods I had created on my computer. Completely involved in my task, as well as listening to music, I completely missed the soft zipping sound that came from behind me. However, I would have had to been blind to miss the golden flash that developed my room.

Completely startled, I sprang backwards, knocking my chair out from under myself and falling to the floor. I lay there, slightly dazed, suddenly amazed at how white and boring my ceiling was. I heard a soft cough from the other side of my bed. "I say, are you alright?"

I slowly rose my head up so I could see over the bed. What I saw immediately forced it back down again. Standing in the middle of my room was a giant, cat like creature with oddly pale eyes. He was dressed in a white robe that was trimmed with black silk, and he seemed quite unnerved at the fact that he had just materialized in the middle of my room. "Are you alright?" The creature said again, "I did not mean to startle you."

I was almost completely lost for words. I had no idea, who, what, or why this creature was in my room. "I think I'm fine, except I'm not sure if my heart is still beating," I finally say.

"Well then why are you still on the floor? Get up, you look rather silly hiding down there," the creature spoke. "Besides, this is not the way to meet an old friend, now is it?"

I stood up, for some underlying tone in the creatures voice made me think that he would have made me do it whether I wanted to or not. "Old friend? I think I would know if I had met you before."

"Of course you know me! I am Da'veran, a White Robe Reclaimer that you wrote about. I am your creation, so of all beings in this universe, you should know me the best."

"Da'veran? But you're in my books? How are you here? I don't remember falling asleep or taking any drugs today," I joked, starting to calm down. If this truly was Da'veran, than I would be perfectly safe with him.

"As you obviously know, I am a very gifted wizard. Powerful enough, I dare say, to break free of the restrictions of your imagination and join you, for a time, in the real world." The Domest looked around. "Is this it? It isn't quite what I expected. In my world, Earth seemed a little bit...different."

"This is just my room. There's a whole lot more to this planet. Just step outside the door," I said, pointing behind Da'veran. The Domest complied, and was back a second later.

"You have a very nice home," he said. "I'm surprised it's still standing, regarding everything that has happened here."

I knew that Da'veran must have an entirely different reality of Earth. The one that he has seen is entirely different than the one that we live in today. "So why are you here?" I finally asked.

"I felt that I should spend some time with my creator," Da'veran said simply, spreading his arms wide. "Do I need another reason?"

I shrugged. "I guess not. But what do you want to do?" I was completely puzzled on what one does with a powerful wizard on a Saturday afternoon.

"Anything you can possibly imagine. I am not bound to your reality; I am merely a guest. Of all the places in your universe, where do you want to start?" The Domest said with a toothy grin.

I returned it, saying, "You know what? I have never seen the Grand Canyon."

"Then grab my arm." I did so, and we disappeared in a flash of golden light to begin the first of many adventures.